Shield Bash

[Egres]

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield, using it as an off-hand weapon.

I never noticed that bit.

I can't use my heavy shield to make a shield bash attack, even if I have nothing else in my hands...isn't it weird?

 

[3d6]

Look in the heavy shield entry, where it says "you can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon".

The two-weapon fighting section in the combat chapter says "you can bash an opponent with a light shield or heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon".

 

[Legildur]

Ahhhh. Good spotting - the dreaded p100 PHB 3.0 crossbow entry...

 

[Muddman]

I haven't checked the Players Handbook yet, but I have the DMG in front of me and the Bashing special ability allows you to do so with a heavy steel shield.

"(Only a light or heavy shield can have this ability)"

Now what I'm not sure of is whether or not this is an exception to the shield bash rule or not.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Interestingly enough, I was looking at the shield bashing rules the other night. I noticed you can't bash with a buckler. Funny the things you miss over the years by not playing certain character types...

 

[Hypersmurf]

Interestingly enough, I was looking at the shield bashing rules the other night. I noticed you can't bash with a buckler. Funny the things you miss over the years by not playing certain character types...

My favourite is that you can't add shield spikes to a buckler, but the example in the DMG has someone doing exactly that

The more interesting part about the Shield Bash rule is that as written, a shield bash is always treated as an off-hand weapon: -4 to attack rolls, and half Str bonus to damage.

-Hyp.

 

[Iku Rex]

The more interesting part about the Shield Bash rule is that as written, a shield bash is always treated as an off-hand weapon: -4 to attack rolls, and half Str bonus to damage.

The rule says no such thing.

 

[Sejs]

The rule says no such thing.

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield, using it as an off-hand weapon.

Says it right there - using it as an off-hand weapon. Off-hand weapons get 1/2 str mod to damage, etc.

 

[Iku Rex]

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield, using it as an off-hand weapon.

Says it right there - using it as an off-hand weapon. Off-hand weapons get 1/2 str mod to damage, etc.

Yes. You can use a light shield as an off hand weapon. That wasn't the claim. The claim was that contrary to the default rules for weapons, you can't use it as a primary weapon. See the difference?

Can you, according to the DnD rules, slash an opponent with a handaxe, using it as an off-hand weapon?

 

[3d6]

I've always assumed that was an example of a way you can shield bash someone, not the only way. A heavy shield is listed as a one-handed martial melee weapon, and a one-handed martial melee weapon can indeed be used as an off-hand weapon. It can also be used in the primary hand or with both hands. The text doesn't rule out those uses, it just highlights a use.

Arguing that a shield can only be used as an off-hand weapon seems analogous to arguing that a scythe can only be used to make trip attacks as the description says that "a scythe can be used to make trip attacks".