Drop the sword, or hold in shield hand?

[phillipjp]

How do you handle armed and shielded clerics casting spells? Do they have to drop (or sheath) the weapon? Can they swap the weapon to their shield hand (and back after the spell) as a free action?

We've been ignoring the semantics so far, but I think that has made the class more uber than it already is.

 

[James McMurray]

We require that they drop the weapon. This hasn't been much of an issue though, since clerics (and all other combat casters) in my campaign have had Gloves of Storing so they could store and retrieve their weapon as a free action.

 

[Pax]

Have the cleric pay an extra CP or two, for a wrist-thong. Let go of the weapon (etc), it dangles there while they cast their spell(s), and they can easily grasp the handle/haft/etc again when they want or need to.

The thong/cord wouldn't be strong enough to prevent a disarm, it's really just a bit of cord in a loop that can fit over their wrist.

And that's all dependant on the weapon, ofc. Easier to do safely with a club or mace, than with a longsword ...

 

[dkilgo]

I like the lanyard idea, but what kind of action would it be to grab the dangling weapon again?

 

[Forrester]

We require that they drop the weapon. This hasn't been much of an issue though, since clerics (and all other combat casters) in my campaign have had Gloves of Storing so they could store and retrieve their weapon as a free action.

You can't store stuff into Gloves of Storing as a free action -- only retrieve it.

 

[dkilgo]

Good point Forrester.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I like the lanyard idea, but what kind of action would it be to grab the dangling weapon again?

I'd call that one a free action.

If you want to be picky, you could make it move-equivalent, but allow Quick Draw to modify a thonged weapon.

 

[Pax]

I like the lanyard idea, but what kind of action would it be to grab the dangling weapon again?

Whatever would be required to ready the weapon normally (MEA for most cases, "combined with an MEA" for those with a BAB of +1 or higher, and so on.

Really the only benefit of the lanyard is, you can let go of the weapon, cast a spell, and then turn and run away ... without taking time to pick up a weapon you've dropped to the floor, and without losing said weapon completely ...

 

[rhammer2]

Casters (IMC) tend to use either bucklers or THW. If you give up the shield bonus for the round, a buckler hand is free for casting.

Lanyards are good to keep items with you when you drop them, but recovery is a MEA (that can be combined with a move w/ +1 BAB). Lanyards hang on your weapon belt, if you hang the weapon on your wrist I rule it still interferes with casting.

How do you handle armed and shielded clerics casting spells? Do they have to drop (or sheath) the weapon? Can they swap the weapon to their shield hand (and back after the spell) as a free action?

We've been ignoring the semantics so far, but I think that has made the class more uber than it already is.

 

[James McMurray]

You can't store stuff into Gloves of Storing as a free action -- only retrieve it.

From the DMG erratta:

p. 217 and 218, Gloves of Storing: Gloves of Storing don’t state what sort of action. After the sentence that
ends: “only store one item at a time.” INSERT:
Storing or retrieving the item is a free action.
Also, after the sentence that ends: “to be held in one hand”, INSERT:
While stored, the item has negligible weight.

Note that Heward's Handy Haversack has also been errattaed to be a free action to retrieve an item, but our party uses MEA instead. That seems to balance it more against the gloves.