Improved Buckler Use feat?

[Wolfspider]

I've got an idea for a new feat that riffs on the Improved Shield Bash feat but focuses on bucklers (of course).

The feat would allow someone who is weilding a weapon using his buckler arm to retain the buckler's AC bonus.

What do you think of this feat? Do you think it's balanced? What kind of prerequisites should it have? Is there anything similar to this feat already in the published rules material?

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: Dagnabbit. Just remembered that Wizard has a searchable index of feats and found exactly what I was looking for: Improved Buckler Defense from the Complete Warrior.

Sorry for wasting your time!

 

[Felix]

I don't have my books on me; does this feat allow you to apply the bucker's armor bonus when you wield a 2-handed weapon? Or does it simply allow you to apply the armor bonus when you wield two weapons?



Oh, and I'm a very big fan of BADD. Well done with that.

Except when I'm a player, of course.

 

[Wolfspider]

I don't have my books on me; does this feat allow you to apply the bucker's armor bonus when you wield a 2-handed weapon? Or does it simply allow you to apply the armor bonus when you wield two weapons?



Oh, and I'm a very big fan of BADD. Well done with that.

Except when I'm a player, of course.

The Improved Buckler Defense feat only applies to a character using two weapons.

Thanks. ;-)

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Very broken when combined with a +5 magic buckler...

 

[Diirk]

The Improved Buckler Defense feat only applies to a character using two weapons.

It applies whenever you use a weapon in your offhand. From the language used in the buckler description, this arguably includes two handed weapon use. Check with your DM.

 

[Darklone]

It's often debated... still it's bordering brokeness if you allow it with a twohanded weapon.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Wasn't the two-handed issue recently addressed in either Dragon or a FAQ or a customer service response? I'm pretty sure the answer was Yes to two weapons but No to two-handed weapons.

If you allow it with two-handed weapons that's so totally broken it deserves an award. The whole balancing factor of two-handed weapons is the loss of shield AC. Removing that loss makes fighting with two-handed weapons extremely broken, IMO.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Wasn't the two-handed issue recently addressed in either Dragon or a FAQ or a customer service response? I'm pretty sure the answer was Yes to two weapons but No to two-handed weapons.

If you allow it with two-handed weapons that's so totally broken it deserves an award. The whole balancing factor of two-handed weapons is the loss of shield AC. Removing that loss makes fighting with two-handed weapons extremely broken, IMO.

The only balance to two weapon fighting is that it requires you to lose the shield. And look what Improved Shield Bash does.

I don't think it's any more broken than Improved Shield Bash, and it is at least not as cheesy as the Animated Shield (however fond I was using it when playing my fighter in Shackled City )

 

[GorTeX]

Isn't one of the balancing factors of Two-Weapon Fighting is the inability to use a shield--same as with Two-Handed fighting.

IMO, if you can use IBD whild two-weapon fighting with a double weapon, then you can use IBD with Two-Handed fighting. You are using your off hand either way.

 

[Wolfspider]

It applies whenever you use a weapon in your offhand. From the language used in the buckler description, this arguably includes two handed weapon use. Check with your DM.

Oh come on now. The feat says:

"You can attack with an off-hand weapon while retaining a buckler’s shield bonus to your Armor Class."

It's obviously only supposed to apply when using two weapons. Using a two-handed weapon does not involve an "off-hand" at all. It involves two hands.

Really, are there really players out there who try to pull this kind of crap and mangle the rules like this?