Greatsword weilding caster

[Sledge]

So Infiniti2000 you do agree. Glad to hear it. It seems the only area I was confused on was your basis. You see the 6 second round as being very very full, whereas I see it as a fluid amount of time that has vast oppotunities for actions.

To sum up. No it is not prohibited by the rules. It is allowed unless your DM decides otherwise. Infiniti2000 disallows this for his games. Really his basis for this decision only matters to his players. The standard however is that yes it is allowed.

 

[Elephant]

1. Switching grips on a two-handed weapon or one-handed weapon from one hand to two or two hands to one is not given an action type in the rules. As presented here, everyone except one person agrees that it is a free action. (Although not part of the current discussion, neither is switching hands on a one-handed or light weapon defined in the rules.)

1. 
   
   So...if a cleric is wielding a morningstar and a light steel shield, can he take a regular move and cast a spell as a standard action?

 

[Squire James]

If two free actions of this sort are allowed, yes. The cleric can shift the weapon to his shield hand, temporaily losing his threaten range and shield bonus, and shift it back after casting the spell. Foes attacking to disrupt spellcasting ignore the shield bonus because of this, so this is not always a good idea.

It is not unreasonable to think of shifting a weapon like this as something like a Quickened spell, usable only once per turn. It is also not unreasonable to consider it a regular free action. It's a DM's call, obviously.

 

[Tellerve]

This is allowable per the RAW. It's also not allowable per the RAW. For instance, I personally would disallow it, citing the "there may be limits to the number of free actions you can perform in a turn" rule. You can take your hand off your greatsword, but then you no longer threaten for the remainder of the round (until the beginning of your next turn when you can place your hand on the greatsword again as a free action).

I could be wrong as I can't remember if you can do Free actions not on your turn, but if you can then when someone was provoking the AoO couldn't you free action your hand back onto your sword/staff? Or right before then I guess. *shrugs*

 

[Infiniti2000]

To sum up. No it is not prohibited by the rules. It is allowed unless your DM decides otherwise. Infiniti2000 disallows this for his games. Really his basis for this decision only matters to his players. The standard however is that yes it is allowed.

To be clear, if you were a player in my game and complained about my choice in this matter, I'd relent on allowing it before/after a standard action, but not a full-round action or move+standard action. As it is now, I wouldn't, and actually my players all agree. The player of the cleric who would benefit most from this, btw, is the one who suggested it first.

So...if a cleric is wielding a morningstar and a light steel shield, can he take a regular move and cast a spell as a standard action?

IMC? Yes. He can shift the weapon to his shield hand as a free action as part of the normal move and then cast a spell. He cannot then shift it back. If he did not move, I would consider it a move action. I want to reiterate that this is not even covered under the rules. Whether by default you call that a houserule is irrelevant because any choice would then be a houserule.

The cleric can shift the weapon to his shield hand, temporaily losing his threaten range and shield bonus, and shift it back after casting the spell.

Shifting a weapon entirely into the other hand, particularly if that other hand is a shield hand, is not necessarily the same thing as merely releasing your grip or regaining your grip on a two-handed weapon. I don't view it as the same thing, and I had thought the FAQ agrees with me (if'n you use the FAQ that is). I'm not basing my choice on the FAQ, though, just deciding what kind of action I think it should be. At this point, it might also be relevant to point out an actual houserule I have on this, to close the gap so to speak, I houserule allowing someone to sheathe a weapon as a free action as part of a normal move (but it would provoke an AoO if applicable but it never is). I do this because it's stupid that you can loose a shield but not sheathe a weapon.

I could be wrong as I can't remember if you can do Free actions not on your turn, but if you can then when someone was provoking the AoO couldn't you free action your hand back onto your sword/staff? Or right before then I guess. *shrugs*

You cannot perform free actions not on your turn (i.e. on an AoO) unless it specifically says so (speaking for instance). You can only perform immediate actions not on your turn. So, you cannot quickdraw a weapon and attack on an AoO.

 

[dcollins]

3.5 FAQ says entirely switching weapons from one hand to another is a move action, p. 31:

In a previous column, the Sage ruled that switching
weapons from one hand to the other should take a move
action. My group and I thought that seemed pretty long,
since it’s only a free action to drop something. Why can’t
you just drop it into your other hand?

It’s not really true that switching weapons from one hand to
another is just like dropping a weapon. When you drop a
weapon, you’re releasing it and letting it drop to the ground,
with no real guidance (or attention) as to exactly where it lands.
Switching a weapon from one hand to another is certainly more
complex than simply dropping it. At the very least, switching
hands would require you to use one hand to take the weapon
from the other and at most it involves using both hands together
in a coordinated action. Either way that sounds a lot like
drawing a weapon, which is a move action. When you simply
drop a weapon, you don’t really care where it lands, and it
doesn’t require you to use the other hand to guide the action.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

3.5 FAQ says entirely switching weapons from one hand to another is a move action, p. 31:

That's because that answer is out to freakin' lunch.

EDIT:

Compare the rationale given for making this a move action vs. the actions required to pull an arrow from a quiver, nock it, and draw before firing - which is explicitly a free action.

 

[irdeggman]

3.5 FAQ says entirely switching weapons from one hand to another is a move action, p. 31:

Ahh at least some validation.

From Rules of the Game

The Free Action and Its Relatives
As noted in Part One, a free action is something you do during your turn that takes hardly any time at all. Many people believe that a free action never provokes an attack of opportunity, but that is not a feature of free actions. It is true, however, that free actions rarely provoke attacks of opportunity. For example, none of the free actions noted on page 144 of the Player's Handbook provokes attacks of opportunity.
You usually can perform a free action before, after, or during another action, circumstances permitting. For example, dropping an item is a free action. If you also move during your turn, you could drop an item at any point during the move. On the other hand, speaking a few words also is a free action. If you move, you could speak at any point during your move, but you could not speak while simultaneously casting a spell with a verbal component. If you tried to do so, you'd interrupt your own spell. You could, however, speak a few words before or after casting the spell. Likewise, you can cast only one spell at a time. You can't cast a quickened spell while casting another spell. When in doubt about when a free action can occur, the player and DM should discuss the matter.
You cannot use a free action during another creature's turn. Speaking is an exception; you can speak during another creature's turn (see page 144 in the Player's Handbook). Remember, however, that you're limited to just a few sentences. If you know where an invisible creature lurks, you can't tell a colleague where the creature is the moment your colleague acts (you could ready such an action, however -- see Part Four -- and you'd really be using a variant of the Aid Another action).
It's Like a Free Action but It Isn't
The Expanded Psionics Handbook introduced two new kinds of actions that are very similar to free actions. Like free actions, these actions take little or no time. Unlike free actions, there are strict limits on how many of these actions you can use in a single turn and when you can use them. Here's an overview:
Swift Actions: You can perform one (and only one) swift action during your turn. A swift action is otherwise just like a free action.
Immediate Actions: You can use an immediate action any time, even during another creature's turn. If you use an immediate action during your turn, you cannot use a swift action during your next turn. You cannot use another swift or immediate action until after your next turn

Drawing or Sheathing a Weapon: Drawing a weapon so that you can use it in combat, or putting it away so that you have a free hand, usually is a move action. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, drawing (but not sheathing) a weapon is a nonaction that you can take along with a regular move (that is, a move action that you use to move up to your speed across the battlefield). If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw two weapons (either light or one-handed weapons) either as a move action or as a nonaction along with a regular move.
The draw a weapon action (and nonaction) also applies to weaponlike objects carried in easy reach. The rules don't give much guidance about which objects are "weaponlike," other than to use a wand as an example. As a practical matter, I suggest treating any object that is no bigger than a weapon for the character as weaponlike for this purpose. To be retrieved as a weapon, the weaponlike object also has to be stored in some convenient place, such as a sheath or loop in a belt or on some kind of harness or bandoleer.
Drawing ammunition for use with a ranged weapon (such as arrows, bolts, sling bullets, or shuriken) is a free action.
The Quick Draw feat allows you to draw (but not sheathe) a weapon as a free action during your turn. If you also have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, you can draw two weapons as a free action during your turn. Though the rules don't say so, it is reasonable to assume that you also can use Quick Draw to draw weaponlike objects.
Readying or Loosing a Shield: Strapping a shield to your arm to gain its shield bonus to your Armor Class is a move action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The rules don't specifically say so, but to ready a shield as a move action you must carry it on your person (perhaps strapped to your back). If you pick up a shield off the ground, that takes a separate move action that provokes an attack of opportunity.
Unstrapping and dropping a shield so you can use your shield hand for another purpose requires a move action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity (to unstrap it) and a free action (to drop it). You also can merely loose the shield and keep it on your person, usually by slinging it over your back by a strap.
If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you can ready or loose a shield as a free action combined with a regular move.
Manipulating an Item: Moving, lifting, storing, retrieving, or otherwise handling an item is a move action. See Table 8-2 in the Player's Handbook for variations on this action and which variations provoke attacks of opportunity

From the SRD:

Shield, Heavy, Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A heavy shield is so heavy that you can’t use your shield hand for anything else.

Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to special attacks.

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a heavy shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Shield, Light, Wooden or Steel: You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A light shield’s weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it.

Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to special attacks.

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a light shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a light shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Basically only when using a light shield can a character hold components (like a focus) in his shield hand - otherwise it is a move action to let go of the shield and hold the component.

If the character has his other hand free there isn't a problem, but if his is holding a mace for example.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Compare the rationale given for making this a move action vs. the actions required to pull an arrow from a quiver, nock it, and draw before firing - which is explicitly a free action.

No, instead compare it to drawing a weapon - which is explicitly a move action. Don't compare weapons with ammunition - apples and oranges.

Ahh at least some validation.

Only for entirely switching hands. For merely releasing/regaining your grip on a two-handed weapon, you are entirely alone.

 

[Storm Raven]

No, instead compare it to drawing a weapon - which is explicitly a move action.

But can be combined with a move. Apparently, using the WotC definition, one could drop a weapon, use a standard action (like casting most spells), move 30 feet, and while moving, draw a second weapon, but not shift the weapon back and forth with a standard action sandwiched between all without moving, because that would take too much time.

Don't compare weapons with ammunition - apples and oranges.

He's comparing what you can do as a free action with what they said was a limitation for switching hands, and the two don't mesh up well.