By RAW can someone point me to a rule where any ranged weapon must be loaded to range attack with it
page 146 ammunition and page 145 loading
"drawing the amunition from a quiver, case, or other container is part of the attack."
"Because of the time required to load this weapo, you can fire only one piece of ammunition from it when you use and action, bonus action or reaction to fire it."
both refer to the fact that you expend the amunition you have in the weapon when you shoot it. hope that helps.
Once you get to attack, the loading is part of the attack 'process' (just like picking a target, etc.)
Crossbow Expert requires a loaded crossbow in order to get the bonus attack...
Not sure if that is what you meant or not.
It doesn't have to be loaded, but does require ammunition available.
However, that doesn't mean it can't already be loaded!
That being said, something like a pre-loaded crossbow that is fired can again become pre-loaded, since all ammunition is "drawn" as part of the attack. Note how it leaves out any phrasing presuming the ranged weapon is empty or loaded at the time of the attack.
Drycanth wrote:
Drycanth wrote:
Nothing in the rules say's a weapon is unloaded when you attack either.
mellored wrote:
might help if you told us why you need such an explicit clarification of the rules
i'm assuming it's to clear up some technical situation (or rule). there is little need for the rules to explicitly state a ranged attack needs the amunition to actually travel the distance to the target to hit and do damage, as you mentioned common sense makes that much clear.
so what is it you're trying to find a ruling for?
Weapons that use ammunition do not require that they be loaded at all times. In fact you can walk around with an unloaded weapon or a loaded one whenever you want. It's up to the character using the weapon. When you attack, you reload the weapon as part of the attack. So you load the weapon and then fire it which expends the ammunition all as part of the attack.
This reminds me of 3E, where nothing in the rules prevented you from acting normally while dead (as contrasted to when you were dying, and thus unconscious).
Don't be silly. Common sense prevails here. The rules are written under the assumption that you already know that you must load a crossbow before firing it, and thus it doesn't need to be stated.
ReaperAlex wrote:
There is nothing explicit in the rules that says you must buckle your armor for it to be effective; stand with your left foot forward when swinging an axe to cause damage; chew your rations to gain benefit from them; lie on your left side while you sleep to regain spells etc etc etc
What's the purpose of your question?
No, it doesn't need to be loaded to attack with it - you can use it as an improvised weapon. p. 147
MM page 291.
LOL. We shouldn't feed them.
FrogReaver wrote:
You don't have to load a ranged weapon to make an attack with it, but you do have to load it with the proper ammunition to use the ammunition in the attack to any degree of effectiveness. Maybe a damage of .001 pts. Arrows and bolts don't fly too well on their own. You can throw them, but your attack will suffer since they will lack the thrust necessary to make them effective. You can also throw the bow or crossbow or sling, etc., but I don't see them doing much damage unless the target trips over them. At any rate, all of this would be under Disadvantage.
Best to just load the damned thing! 
El_Condoro wrote:
FrogReaver wrote:
FrogReaver wrote:
FrogReaver wrote:
Psikerlord wrote:
FrogReaver wrote:
I think he is reffering to the threads about crossbow expert
there some RAW interpretation trumps the common sense and more RAI-interpretations of RAW are dismissed
FrogReaver wrote: