Bracers and Shields, can you use them together?

[Kitirat]

They take up the same "slot" but I have personally worn bracers while weilding a shield in RL. I can not find any clarification of how they (or say goggles and a helm or an amulet and a cloak at the same time).

Do you just choose which is "empowered" in the slot each short rest?

I was thinking this would be the way to go, perhaps an arcana check to swap between them equal to 15+ highest level item's level.

What ya think? Are there offical rules I missed?

Thanks,
Ken

 

[Klaus]

If you don two items that take up the same slot, neither function. It has nothing to do with the physical aspect of it, but rather the game balance.

You can still wear magic bracers and equip a nonmagical shield.

 

[ashockney]

The Character Builder allows you to use a shield in your "off hand" and equip magical bracers on your arms.

 

[mac1504]

Actually only one of them would function, and per the rules the only one that functions is the one that your character puts on first. Page 224 of the PHB.

 

[Hejdun]

They both use the arm slot, and the rule is that only one MAGICAL item per slot functions. This means you can freely use magical bracers and non-magical shields.

 

[UltimaGabe]

Or a magical shield and non-magical bracers.

 

[CapnZapp]

The Character Builder allows

Please don't refer to the electronic tools when answering rules questions. What's possible there is of no relevance - any features and corner cases not present in the rulebooks is most likely only bugs not yet fixed.

 

[Flipguarder]

1. Character builder = terrible reference point for rules.
2. shields and bracers both take up arm slot.
3. If they didn't many many characters would use a shield.

 

[Larrin]

PHB1: page 224: "You can benefit from only one magic item that you wear in your arm slot even if, practically speaking, you can wear bracers and cary a shield at the same time. You benefit from the item you put on first...."

This kinda has multiple interpretations, take your pick...
1: the word MAGIC is key, bracers and shields only interfer if they are both magic.
2: if you put on bracers first, your shield of any type doesn't give you any benefit
3:if you put on bracers first, your MAGIC shield doesn't give you any benefits but a mundane shield acts like a shield.
4: if you put on bracers first, your MAGIC sheild doesn't give you any magic benefits, but can act like a mundane shield.
5: Don't poke the bear at the zoo (translation: just don't mix shields and bracers ever, there's no need to make trouble when it can be avoided)
6: you can't wear mundane bracers and mundane shileds at the same time, because they take up item slots, even though only magic items take up item slots, just because..

My suggestion: read the section (PHB1: page 224) with your group and fight it out. I interpret it as saying 1: and 4:, which i think is perfectly fine and balanced, but others will of course disagree.

 

[scrubkai]

The Character Builder allows you to use a shield in your "off hand" and equip magical bracers on your arms.

I know this isn't something you should reference:

But if you actually look at this...The Character builder actually follows the rules. If you equip a Magic Shield and Magic Bracers, only the magic effect of the bracers is used. The magic shield is simply treated as a normal shield.

You have to have the arm slot blank for the magic effect of the shield to be used.

This actually matches how I resolved the question of Robes over armor in 3E.
I ruled that at the start of the day if you have two items in one slot (shield and bracers in this case) you have to tell me which one works and that applies for all day. The other item is non-functioning.