2-handed weapon and bucklers

[Rashak Mani]

For those people who are mystified why a Great Axe wielder would want a buckler that gives no AC when he attacks... remember that a flat footed PC gets the shield bonus. If he does something beside attacking he gets the shield bonus. If he does total defense he also gets the buckler AC bonus.. etc...

I am planning in buying a MW buckler for my Dwarven Rager.


I go with the no penalty with two hands opinion...

 

[Storminator]

Folks, you really need to learn how to round down!

A -0.5 rounded down is -1. Round down means take the greatest whole number less than the fraction. Since 0 is greater than -0.5, that is not rounding down.

But it doesn't matter to me. I rule no penalty for a two handed weapon.

My new PC has a whip and a buckler in his off hand!

PS

 

[Pielorinho]

Folks, you really need to learn how to round down!

A -0.5 rounded down is -1. Round down means take the greatest whole number less than the fraction. Since 0 is greater than -0.5, that is not rounding down.

Heh -- good point! That had never occurred to me, but technically, I think you're right.

Does anyone know if this is true -- that bonuses are rounded down (making them have less of an effect), and that penalties are rounded down as well (making them have a greater effect)?

It's really counterintuitive to me, but like I said, technically it looks right.

Daniel

 

[Ukyo the undead]

Well, you people like to make things more complicated than it should be...

To end all polemic, why don't use a MASTERWORK buckler?

The ordinary buckler´s armor check penalty is -1.
Masterwork armors and shields reduce the armor check penalty by 1.

So, the dammed masterwork buckler is not a problem to the poor 2-hand weapon wielder anymore.

 

[Staldin*Freefall]

Armor Check penalties only give attack penalties if the user isn't proficient with shields. Assuming the 2hd weapon user is proficient with shields, which most of these greataxe wielders are, the -1 is still an issue.

 

[Marshall]

Opinons:

- Using a 2-HD weapon with a shield is awkward, therefore it should be penalized. Plus, from a balance point of view, you get the opportunity to switch from two-handed to one handed without having to ready a shield; it's already there. It deserves a penality which would be balanced. Two weapon gains an extra attack, two-handed gets extra damage.

Option 2:

You cant use a 2HD weapon while wearing a buckler. The shield interfers with both the off hand and the primary hand making it impossible to weild the weapon to any useful effect.

Simple, elegant, to the point. The buckler with bows, and buckler with off-hand are the special exceptions for bucklers. No need to make new ones.

 

[Caliban]

Well, you people like to make things more complicated than it should be...

To end all polemic, why don't use a MASTERWORK buckler?

The ordinary buckler´s armor check penalty is -1.
Masterwork armors and shields reduce the armor check penalty by 1.

So, the dammed masterwork buckler is not a problem to the poor 2-hand weapon wielder anymore.

Because the penalty in question isn't an armor check penalty.

 

[Son of Kyuss]

Buckler and Two-Handed Weapons

Bucker and TwoHanded weapons.

As a DM I have house ruled in my campaign that the strapped buckler with a two-handed weapon only gives the wearer AC bonus in the following circumstances: the character has not yet performed an action in the in partial or first combat round, i.e. they are still flat-footed and have yet to perform an attack action.

However, if the character has not yet acted in the partial or first combat round, but has Combat Reflexes and has just made an attack of opportunity against an opponent (threagtening the square blah blah), then the buckler AC bonus is no longer in affect, since the character has just excused an 'attack' action.

This ruling explains the buckler AC bonus prior to making an "attack".

This sounds fair to me.