Do you need to be wielding a weapon in order to reload it?

[Syries]

As the title; specific interaction would be to spend one action to command a familiar with manual dexterity to reload a heavy crossbow that you are wielding, effectively getting the same reload speed as a light crossbow.

Not actually considering utilizing this, but I imagine there are (or will be, if guns are reintroduced to the game) other scenarios in which utilizing a familiar kind of breaks the balance of certain weapons or other items.

[Fuzzy-Wuzzy]

You need both hands to wield a crossbow, which usually does not leave you a hand to reload with, so I'm going to say no, you don't have to be wielding it. GM might rule you do have to be holding it, however.

Nice familiar idea!

[Zwordsman]

Yep I have often wondered about this. It would be nice.
I hadn't thought about the fact that you techincally remove your hand to load the crossbow (even if you get to free put it back on after as part of the reload).

That.. is a good point.

I'd love to give my Alchemist a Heavy Xbow with a familiar loading friend.

[Castilliano]

Imagine trying to reload somebody's rifle while they're using it. Even w/ a clip it'd be really hard unless they specifically paused (using up their time/action) while you did so.
And that's easier than cocking and loading a heavy crossbow (which in its description says it's harder to load than a normal crossbow).

And I'd say it falls under that "too good to be true" clause which is in the CRB. Gaining extra actions for your PC (even if sideways via using a familiar) is pretty strong too, so I'd say no.

You could drop the crossbow for your familiar to load, swapping between two. Not sure you gain anything you wouldn't gain by having a second crossbow already since you have to command the familiar & pick up the weapon anyway.

[Wheldrake]

Familiars have no STR score, so they can neither pick up a weapon nor reload it.

And even if it could hold, load and fire a crossbow, you will need to burn an action to give your familiar instructions. Not sure what you would be gaining.

And yes, you must be holding a crossbow (or any other ranged weapon) in order to reload it.

AFAIK there are only four ways to span a crossbow:
- by hand (pulling the string back with your fingers) for very light crossbows
- using a stirrup (with or without a belt hook)
- using a goat's foot lever
- using a windlass or cranequin for the heaviest crossbows.

All of these methods require the person loading it to be (roughly) human size and mobility. A capucin monkey familiar, even if it could be said to possess manual dexterity, does not have the stature to reload a crossbow.

[Syries]

Sorry to rez this question after a week, but I'm still on the fence about where I would stand if this ever comes up in a game I GM. I would like to be consistent.

So if Person A and Person B are standing adjacent to each other, and B is wielding a heavy crossbow, can A spend 2 actions (and only two actions) to reload B's crossbow? If yes, then for my own sake, I would likely rule that familiars with manual dexterity could also reload a crossbow. If no, than familiars cannot.

Knowing nothing about the real-life interactions of crossbows, I have no actual clue if it's feasible for a non-wielder to reload a crossbow wielded by someone else.

[Zwordsman]

No clue about past xbows. (But nothing that anyone in Pathfinder does with xbows make sense with modern or past really). But there are plenty of youtube channels that do coop loading, there is even a fabulously desigend autoloading xbow here whose technology has existed long enough to have had a very old version. It was just never made that way (like much of the inventions in human hisotry. LIke the wheel barrel not being made for over 1k after the invention of the wheel)

P2 rules wise?
I don't think you can because of that "wielding" line.

I personally, am of the hope that team reloading and familar reloading is okay and becomes legal.

Because that would be pretty neat, and I could make a Heavy Xbow Alchemist.

[masda_gib]

I would think that the rules don't forbid familiars with manual dex. to reload crossbows.

However, I think (and would rule so) that only ONE creature can hold/wield a weapon to use it. You cannot aim your crossbow while your familiar is holding it, too.

So if you command your familiar to reload your heavy Xbow, it has to:
- [A] Grab the XBow
- [AA] Reload
- [F] Let go of the XBow
So you don't save actions.

[Syries]

I think that's fair. Ruling that a creature (familiar or not) would have to first grab the actual weapon with an interact action before reloading it makes sense to me and I think that's how I'll rule it if it ever comes up.