Drawing an item: Sword and board vs. two-handed

[Deverash]

<snip>
Two hander:
<snip>
* return weapon to two hands (free)

Where did you find that returning a weapon to two hands is a free action? I would have thought it was equivalent to getting an item on your person.

 

[KarinsDad]

Where did you find that returning a weapon to two hands is a free action? I would have thought it was equivalent to getting an item on your person.

I don't think it is in the rules, but it is pretty much common sense based on what the designers did with other actions.


For example, letting go of one hand weapon is a free action.

So, letting go of one hand on a two handed weapon should also be a free action. The PC is just dropping the weapon with one of his hands. The other hand is still holding the weapon.


Drawing a weaon is a minor action. That takes some time and effort to do this compared to just grabbing the other end of a weapon that the other hand is guiding towards the non-grabbing hand. For example, it shouldn't take much time or effort for hand #1 holding the GreatAxe to bring it towards hand #2 to get a grip back on it (e.g. Tennis players go from one handed grips to two handed grips in a fraction of a second).


Not that this is a rule, it just seems on par with what other actions require. YMMV.

 

[chaotix42]

Quick Draw ftw?

 

[Yaezakura]

Just want to point out:

A light shield can still hold an item. So for someone with a light shield, they require no more actions to do something like drink a potion than someone with a two-handed weapon. It only becomes an issue if you have a heavy shield, which is too busy holding up your giant hunk of metal to hold onto anything else.

 

[Jim Williams]

It only becomes an issue if you have a heavy shield, which is too busy holding up your giant hunk of metal to hold onto anything else.

And one would assume a fella toting a weapon and heavy shield is the anchor for the party (read: defender) thereby receiving a lot of external healing help, reducing the need for a healing potion.

 

[Surgoshan]

Is it really that much harder to type Shield?
Why do people use that term? Sword and Board? Sounds so retarded.

It rhymes. Rhyming and alliteration will always be popular. The US flag was once often called (though it doesn't happen much any more) the Stars and Bars or Stars and Stripes.

Why's it always "Sword and Sorcery" and never "Fighters and Magicians"?