How does the Gauntlet Axe work?

[DracoSuave]

God damn, CustHelp's failure has infected the FAQs!

Is there no bastion left for sanity!!!

Also, it doesn't matter if you're using the weapon on your off-hand; your hand is considered free when using an axe gauntlet.

I'm not certain having a hand-free because you're using one of these weapons allows you to wield a different weapon in that hand. I don't think it allows you to exceed the number of weapons you can wield per hand.

 

[Aulirophile]

Eh, it needs clarification either way. It says it leaves your hand free, and a free hand can wield a weapon. A free hand can certainly hold something, so Implements would work. Then you get into the whole switching grip is a free action thing and Swordmages are just fine.

Hence my initial reply of "badly." I don't know why they even bother with things like this, the CB will never handle it properly which is a serious downside.

 

[DracoSuave]

I'd probably draw the line at wielding a weapon on an arm you're wielding a weapon on, but allow implement and other item use and grappling.

One weapon per hand, and you can use your hand to do stuff if it is free, just to avoid the rediculous situation where someone has a hand free so he uses an axe gauntlet so he has a hand free so he uses an axe gauntlet so he has a hand free so he uses an axe gauntlet so he has a hand free so he uses an axe gauntlet....


You can see how that can get rediculous, and there are players who don't care about what is rediculous if it can get them 'an edge'.

 

[Aulirophile]

Isn't any worse then an infinite number of prone people can all fit in the same square so long as they are on the same side....

Personally I think the "Shield" part is flavor text to account for the Defensive Property. I think whoever wrote it was just trying to be clever. I don't actually think it is a shield at all. Enchanting it as a Dwarven Thrower and using it qualify for Throw and Stab while wielding a Gouge is awesome though.

 

[Damon_Tor]

Personally I think the "Shield" part is flavor text to account for the Defensive Property.

Agreed: this interpretation fixes most of the problems with the item, and seems like the best fit for how this item was intended.

But yes, by RAW right now, this is an off-hand weapon, a light shield (with an extra +1 to AC, so basically a heavy shield) AND a free hand, making it the only weapon usable with every single fighter power and feature possible.

What happens when you enchant it with "Fighting Shield?"

 

[DracoSuave]

Isn't any worse then an infinite number of prone people can all fit in the same square so long as they are on the same side....

Personally I think the "Shield" part is flavor text to account for the Defensive Property. I think whoever wrote it was just trying to be clever. I don't actually think it is a shield at all. Enchanting it as a Dwarven Thrower and using it qualify for Throw and Stab while wielding a Gouge is awesome though.

Then how come it can be enchanted like an arms-slot item? It can be enchanted like a shield... that's not 'flavor text'. And the FAQ (ugh) flat out says it's a shield.

It's much more likely the other way around, that it's the defensive property that is the 'flavor' text.

 

[Calion]

Agreed: this interpretation fixes most of the problems with the item, and seems like the best fit for how this item was intended.

But yes, by RAW right now, this is an off-hand weapon, a light shield (with an extra +1 to AC, so basically a heavy shield) AND a free hand, making it the only weapon usable with every single fighter power and feature possible.

What happens when you enchant it with "Fighting Shield?"

I don't think you can use it both as a shield and as a weapon at the same time, and therefore don't actually get a +2 to AC. From the PHB, p. 214: "you can't use your shield hand to make attacks." Since the Defensive property is a property of weapons, I would say that you get either the Defensive bonus (and may attack with it) or use it as a shield in any given round.

I agree, though, that this wasn't intended, and that the gauntlet axe wasn't supposed to be a shield as well. This balances it nicely with the tortoise blade. But by RAW, it certainly is a shield.

 

[DracoSuave]

You don't have to attack with a defensive weapon to get the bonus.