Pathfinder 2E questions about playtest: two-handed weapon + open door, and how does shield block work

[evilbob]

Spells take as many actions as the types of casting requires, right? (So, S + V is 2 actions, for example - right?)

If you're using a 2-handed weapon, you use an "interact" action to ready it, correct?

What if you are wielding a 2-handed weapon and want to open a door: which actions do you use?
- One action to interact with the door, no change on the weapon (how I assume, how we've always done it)
- One action to interact with the door, then another action to re-ready your weapon (expensive and weird but I could see that)
- One action to switch your weapon to 1 hand, one action to interact with the door, then another action to re-ready your weapon (yuck)

What about wielding a 2-handed weapon and then casting a spell/power with a somatic component? Same thing?

I know this is a VERY common question, but: anyone know how shield block works, or is this still awaiting clarification from the devs? As-written it's hard to tell if shields are super fragile or not.

Thanks in advance!

 

[evilbob]

Another questions:

Can a paladin use a weapon with the disarm trait to use a disarm action on a retributive strike?

 

[Satyrn]

There is no interact action required to ready a 2 handed weapon as far as I can tell. It looks to me like you can just have the 2nd hand hold or release as often as you want and need.

And I'd say that the paladin can't disarm with the retributive strike. The feature says you make a "strike" while there's nothing in the disarm property or the Disarm rule that labels the disarm attempt a "strike." That's my strict reading of the relevant bits I've found, but these rules are so cluttered and scattered about I could have missed something (and I wouldn't abide by that strict reading if I was DMing, anyway).


I'm not gonna touch the shield block question. That feature definitely needs to be rewritten for clarity if nothing else.

 

[evilbob]

And I'd say that the paladin can't disarm with the retributive strike. The feature says you make a "strike" while there's nothing in the disarm property or the Disarm rule that labels the disarm attempt a "strike."

That's how I read it, but it also feels overly restrictive.

 

[Satyrn]

If you're using a 2-handed weapon, you use an "interact" action to ready it, correct?

What if you are wielding a 2-handed weapon and want to open a door: which actions do you use?
- One action to interact with the door, no change on the weapon (how I assume, how we've always done it)
- One action to interact with the door, then another action to re-ready your weapon (expensive and weird but I could see that)
- One action to switch your weapon to 1 hand, one action to interact with the door, then another action to re-ready your weapon (yuck)

Oh, and I found the rule for this, at he start of the equipment section, that changes my answer.

If you only have one hand on the weapon, it definitely looks like an Interact action to grab it with the second hand.

I'd say, though, that releasing one hand probably uses the Drop action instead (which is free) . A really strict reading might say the Drop action requires the item actually fall to the ground, but I think it can be read to let the character release only one hand. Playtest feedback ought to suggest renaming Drop as Release instead.

So a free action to take one hand off the weapon, 1 action to open the door, 1 action to regrip the weappn is my strict reading