Mithril bucker, or light shield

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I stick with the PHB since if the weight of the buckler is enough to hamper attacks with that hand, the precise gestures of somatic components are out of the question.

I stick with the PHB, as well, and the buckler is strapped to your arm. Therefore, it doesn't do anything to the "freeness" of your hand.

Yes, its weight interferes with the precise gestures of somatic components - which is why a base buckler has an ACP. A mithril one, on the other hand, doesn't. So, clearly, its weight no longer interferes with the precise gestures of somatic components.

 

[Legildur]

Patryn, I disagree. From the SRD we have:

To cast a spell with a somatic (S) component, you must gesture freely with at least one hand. You can’t cast a spell of this type while bound, grappling, or with both your hands full or occupied.

Arcane Spell Failure
Armor interferes with the gestures that a spellcaster must make to cast an arcane spell that has a somatic component. Arcane spellcasters face the possibility of arcane spell failure if they’re wearing armor. Bards can wear light armor without incurring any arcane spell failure chance for their bard spells.

Casting an Arcane Spell in Armor
A character who casts an arcane spell while wearing armor must usually make an arcane spell failure roll. The number in the Arcane Spell Failure Chance column on Table: Armor and Shields is the chance that the spell fails and is ruined. If the spell lacks a somatic component, however, it can be cast with no chance of arcane spell failure.

Shields
If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, add the two numbers together to get a single arcane spell failure chance.

It says nothing about the shield not interfering when casting a spell with a somatic component, even though only one free hand is required, so I don’t buy into the argument that you can count the buckler arm as a free hand for casting purposes.

After all, wearing a Tower Shield provides for a 50% ASF chance, and yet I'm sure no one would argue that that arm is free for casting. Just because the buckler has a lesser chance, doesn't make the arm free.

If it were my wizard (with the house rules available), I'd be going for the light shield for the bonus to AC.

 

[BobbyMac]

I've always heard about mages with mithril bucklers (since the mithril negates the check penalty and casting failure chance). Is there a reason NOT to use a mithril light shield instead?

---snip---

The OP is concerned with mithril bucklers.....no check penalty, no ASF....


Tell me again why a mage couldn't cast with one of these babies?


Edit: Sorry. I reread the OP and he is also asking about light shields which if also made of mithril have no Arcane Spell Failure as well.

I'd allow casting in that case also.

 

[Legildur]

The OP is concerned with mithril bucklers.....no check penalty, no ASF....

Tell me again why a mage couldn't cast with one of these babies?

He can, IF he has a free hand. The argument is whether a buckler-equipped arm is a free hand (the ASF issue is irrelevant for this discussion).

 

[BobbyMac]

I believe it is relevant. Arcane Spell Failure is what quantifies the effectiveness of a caster being able to cast in armor or in this case with a shield.

So if you have nothing in your hand and no ASF on the shield/buckler on that arm, I say cast away!

 

[Felix]

I don’t buy into the argument that you can count the buckler arm as a free hand for casting purposes.

This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm.
<snip>

Do you consider your hand and your forearm to be one and the same thing?

 

[Legildur]

Do you consider your hand and your forearm to be one and the same thing?

Yes. But this has already been covered (with appropriate quotes) earlier in the thread. Check posts #5, #6, and #7.

 

[Elethiomel]

I'd say the hand is needed for the "finger play" bit of the somatic component - not the entire somatic component, or casters could walk around in full plate with no penalty. As I see it you need to move pretty much your whole upper body precisely to cast spells - or why do breastplates have a whopping 25% spell failure even if the PHB depiction shows hardly any coverage on the right arm? And why would a shield in the off hand give ASF if only one arm was needed to cast spells? No, it says you need a free hand, not a free arm. An item with ASF 0 doesn't hamper the overall body movements of spell casting, and so shouldn't block spellcasting with whatever hands are attached to any limbs it may cover.

 

[Klaus]

I don't see anywhere that it says you can cast spells with a buckler on your arm.

But it seems you could just use your other hand to cast if you were wearing a light shield (transfering whatever was in that hand to your shield hand if needed).

You can't... if you don't pass the Arcane Spell Failure.

If you can get through the Arcane Spell Failure, you can cast spells in full plate while wielding a tower shield.

 

[Felix]

Yes. But this has already been covered (with appropriate quotes) earlier in the thread. Check posts #5, #6, and #7.

Posts 5, 6 and 7 all say, "The rules do not say you may use your hand to cast." This is true. What is also true is that the buckler rules state what the buckler interferes with (attacking with weapons), that the buckler is strapped specifically to your forearm, and that the buckler has an Arcane spell failure chance.

If the designers decided that saying "strapped to your forearm" was enough to show freedom of your hand, then you would need another sentence saying "your hand is free to cast spells" as much as you would need the same sentence for Chainmail. After all, chainmail only says, "This suit includes gauntlets". Gauntlets cover your hands. This makes your hands not free in much the same way that the buckler does. So you must ask, is it reasonable that "strapped to your forearm" is enough of an explanation to void the necessity of having to say "your hand is free to cast spells"?

That leads us back to: do you consider your forearm and your hand to be one and the same thing?

Do you?