Quickdraw Feat=Useless

Lord Pendragon said:
She also uses the feat to Quick Draw a Wand of Cure Light Wounds.

Hmmm...a wand isn't a weapon though, and Quickdraw only applies to weapons. I realize that because you can use a wand to launch fireballs at someone, that it technically makes it a weapon, but not really.
 

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I've found the feat to be quite useful. I play a melee focussed fighter wizard (level 2/3--almost 2/4) with the following feats:

Power Attack
Cleave
Dodge
Combat Reflexes
Quickdraw
(Expertise) (next level)

He commonly uses a glaive (the idea is that he'll get attacks of opportunity but it doesn't always work. . . .)

Often his rounds go something like this upon entering melee combat:
Free action: drop the glaive
Standard action: cast a spell (often flaming sphere, bull's strength, shield, or protection from evil)
Move equivalent action: ready his shield
Quickdraw: get out his light flail (that way he threatens an area)

Alternately, he will try this:
Free action: drop weapon A
Standard action: cast a spell (defensively)
Move Equivalent Action: Move the flaming sphere
Free action: Quickdraw a new weapon

Heward's Handy Haversack could potentially substitute for quickdraw in some of these situations but it would limit his weapon choice (all swords must be sheathed, spears and glaives don't fit in the haversack and would rupture it, ditto for axes and heavy picks--warhammer might work, as would a heavy mace but he doesn't have those weapons). Being a character in a money poor campaign (Living Greyhawk), he doesn't really have the cash for a Haversack either. If he does get enough money to buy one, it will probably go towards enchanting his armor, etc. instead.

All told, he uses quickdraw far more often than he uses combat reflexes (or cleave for that matter). The feat is invaluable until he can afford a Haversack and even then it will still be useful (for weapons which don't work with the haversack).
 

kreynolds said:


Hmmm...a wand isn't a weapon though, and Quickdraw only applies to weapons. I realize that because you can use a wand to launch fireballs at someone, that it technically makes it a weapon, but not really.

Hmm...you may be right. Since she has a Heward's Handy Haversack as well, the point is moot, but now that you mention it, we may have been handling the feat incorrectly. Still, even without being able to draw wands, I'd say it's a feat worth taking. :)
 

Ok, one more time:

Quick draw is useful for two-weapon fighters. First, you draw one weapon, charge into combat holding it in two hands so you get 1.5xSTR to damage. Next round quick draw the other weapon and make a full attack. With high-STR characters this has been well worth the feat.
 

He commonly uses a glaive (the idea is that he'll get attacks of opportunity but it doesn't always work. . . .)
That is normal - most the time, everybody counts AOOs in his tactics, including the NPCs. But sometimes, you can terribly surprise your initiative winning opponent when you get an AOO while you are flat footed. And there are many precautions to take when trying to avoid beeing "AOO"ed. :)
Sometimes I believe, players (myself included) are to careful with AOOs.

Reach Weapon are a good way to make Rangers broken, not shafted - get a wand of polymorph self, and polymorph into a creature (Troll, Giant) with reach. Okay, it is very expensive, but ... you have this option.
My current character already used this tactics from time to time - he is a ranger-fighter who has the Expertise Feat Chain including Knockdown, uses a Spiked Chain, Combat reflexes and is no completing the Dodge Chain... :)
For this character, Quickdraw would be quite useful, I just figured out - he can also use two weapon fighting with great benefit (he uses a Light Flail and a Shield of Bashing, and has the Shield Expert Feat), but switching weapons cost to much time.
In the last adventure, we were forced to go submerged, and I was polymorphed into a troll. I used a longspear as an underwater weapon - only enhanced by a Greater Magic Weapon Spell. As we reached a cave filled with air, a battle begun, and I would have loved to switch my weapons, but I needed the extra attacks to avoid the death of our halfling bard...
 

Quickdraw's useful if your sword glows. With quickdraw you can keep is sheathed while you sneak up on the enemy and draw it at the last instant to attack him.
 

quick quick draw question.

Obviously quick draw allows you to draw a weapon as a free action. Does it allow you to 'put away' a weapon as a free action? My group has pretty much sided against that but I'm leaning towards allowing it...
 

Re: quick quick draw question.

Ysgarran said:
Obviously quick draw allows you to draw a weapon as a free action. Does it allow you to 'put away' a weapon as a free action? My group has pretty much sided against that but I'm leaning towards allowing it...

Nope, not per the rules. It's a MEA to sheathe a weapon, even if you have quickdraw. That's why Quickdraw + two gloves of storing is so nice.

Greg
 


A Useful Quickdraw character...

Take a Halfling with a high dexterity.

Level 1 - Rogue: Point Blank Shot.
Level 2 - Fighter: Weapon Focus (dagger).
Level 3 - Fighter: Rapid Shot, Quick Draw.

After that, get him Weapon Specialization (dagger) as soon as possible, than alternate Rogue and Fighter levels, picking up the rest of the Ranged Feats along the way.

Without his Dex bonus, those daggers will have an attack of +5 (+2 BAB, +1 racial, +1 PBP, +1 WF) within 30' at level 3, with an extra +1 damage from PBP, and +1d6 damage, if you can Sneak Attack...
 

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