Do you "wield" a spiked gauntlet?

[noodle fish mice]

I can't tell if I'm wrong or if the new character builder update is wrong. Here's the thing:

I'm playing a brawler who was using two spiked gauntlets. According to Martial Power 2, "your hand is free if you wear a spiked gauntlet," so I easily meet the prerequisites for powers that require a hand free. The Character Builder agrees; that isn't the issue.

However, the Brawler Guard feat states that you gain a shield bonus "while you wield a weapon in one hand and your other hand is free." It does not give me that bonus while I'm equipped with two spiked gauntlets. It DOES give me the bonus while I'm equipped with ONE spiked gauntlet and nothing else, and also gives me the bonus while I'm equipped with a (arbitrarily chosen) war pick in one hand and a spiked gauntlet in the other.

Am I trying to cheat the system by "wielding" a spiked gauntlet in one hand and having a "free hand" with a spiked gauntlet in the other?

And for that matter, can I not use a spiked gauntlet as a weapon for powers that require two melee weapons?

 

[Sanzuo]

It does not give me that bonus while I'm equipped with two spiked gauntlets

It does for me. What I couldn't do was make it NOT give me the bonus even if I was wielding two weapons that weren't spiked gauntlets.

Spiked gauntlet counts as a weapon and as being unarmed and having a hand free. So it should work for attacks that require two weapons as well.

 

[noodle fish mice]

It does for me. What I couldn't do was make it NOT give me the bonus even if I was wielding two weapons that weren't spiked gauntlets.

...okay, THAT'S just weird. When I'm wielding a club and a dagger, I get the benefit from Brawler Guard, but when I'm wielding two spiked gauntlets, I don't. Guh?

 

[DracoSuave]

Remember, children, Character Builder tries, but when it comes to anything involving two weapon-use, it has major bugs.

Never rely on Character Builder to do Two Weapons correctly. Ever. Do it by hand.

As for the rules, actually, two-spiked-guantlet is well supported by Brawler Fighters. You get the bonus to grab attacks, but your hands are considered free. Because Brawler powers only use one weapon most of the time, you can pump that side up with Two-Weapon feats, and all that.

 

[noodle fish mice]

Remember, children, Character Builder tries, but when it comes to anything involving two weapon-use, it has major bugs.

Never rely on Character Builder to do Two Weapons correctly. Ever. Do it by hand.

Haha, good to know. I'd never tried before.

In thread-concluding news, the feat functions properly when I'm wielding a magical gauntlet in one hand and a non-magical gauntlet in the other, so problem solved, I guess.

EDIT: Oh, and thanks guys!

 

[Ottergame]

Character builder is not a rules reference.

 

[Kinneus]

Bold text makes you look knowledgeable.

 

[Flipguarder]

When its correct it doesn't have to.

 

[noodle fish mice]

Character builder is not a rules reference.

If I thought it was a rules reference, I wouldn't have started the thread - I'd have realized I was wrong and unequipped one of the gauntlets.

 

[Piratecat]

Be sure and report the bug; they can't fix it if they don't know about it.