Argyle King
Legend
I'm aware of that.
Dropping a handheld item is also a free action.
I've addressed that above.
D&D 5E Have we misunderstood the shield and sword fighter (or warrior)?
I'm aware of that.
Dropping a handheld item is also a free action.
I've addressed that above.
Do you have a reference for that?
I would agree that most DMs generally allow players to drop things in their hand without using an action or interaction, but I do not think that is codified anywhere in the rules and I would argue the specific rules for doffing a shield override that even if it is.
Specific overrides general and it states it is a full action to doff a shield.
Also a shield is not usually soimply held in the hand, it is strapped to the forearm.
Oofta
Legend
We'll see what sticks.
TwoSix
Dirty, realism-hating munchkin powergamer
Oh definitely, but I'd be very surprised to not see the nerfs to SS/GWM/XBE stick around.
Argyle King
Legend
"The intent is that letting go of something requires no appreciable effort. But picking it up does." ~quoted from Jeremy Crawford's Sage Advice.
That quote is also consistent with what is implied (but not outright stated) in various areas of the rules.
I agree that specific overrides general. Doffing and dropping are not the same thing. Doffing requires an action.
I suppose there's an argument for saying a shield cannot be dropped because that's a limitation placed by the rules on one specific item. So, what happens if someone using a shield is knocked unconscious? Do they retain the shield bonus?
Also, not all shields are strapped to the arm. That's one type of shield (and, contrary to what many people think, far from the most common type).
Various viking shields were held with the hand (typically with a center grip behind a boss), so as to allow quick adjustments -including being able to drop or discard it when necessary.
Additionally, a hand strap with a guige is a common shield design in various parts of the world.
5e doesn't have any of that though. It just has "shield." I had thought that was meant to be a vague category to cover a variety of styles and cultures.
I don't think that is true. None of the fighting styles changed AFAIK. I think the change to two-weapon fighting rules made the two-weapon fighting style much more powerful. I don't think the others that are in the playtest (dueling, GWF, protection) changed at all.
I think sword and board actually got less attractive with the changes to two weapon fighting. The offhand attack is no longer a bonus action, it is now free, meaning there is no action economy loss for doing it. Also you can now use light ranged weapons in addition to light melee weapons.
Last edited:
GWM is not nerfed. It is stronger than it is in the PHB because it is a half feat and there is no attack roll penalty to add the extra damage. In most cases the new GWM will do more damage than the old one in terms of DPR.
Old GWM with greatsword at 5th level with 16 strength against AC 15 is 14.7 DPR
New GWM with greatsword at 5th level with 18 strength against AC 15 is 17.6 DPR
Those numbers include the critical hit damage but not the bonus action attack.
CBE is nerfed on paper but that is countered by the fact that anyone can now make an offhand attack with a hand crossbow if they use another light weapon to attack. So everyone gets what was the centerpiece on the old feat.
SS is also better I think, although this is arguable. They took away the damage boost, but they kept the best parts of SS (cover, long range) and in addition made it a half-feat and added the ability to shoot in melee without disadvantage.
Last edited:
Argyle King
Legend
To me, that's somewhat odd given that unconsciousness causes dropping anything held.
If the hand isn't being used to hold the shield (as with forearm straps), why is that hand completely unusable for other things?
