D&D 5E Shield Saltiness

[TheSword]

Incidentally if this town mentioned is Vallaki I can absolutely understand the guards/authorities harassing anyone looking particularly armed for combat. Perhaps the player isn’t aware of the subtext of the town...

Vallaki has an insane baron who insists everyone is safe and everyone should be having fun, whether they like it or not. He is also paranoid for his authority and would definitely be leary of heavily armed PCs. In Barovia people wouldn’t care if you beheaded their neighbor in the street, but Vallaki would be a very different scene. It SHOULD feel oppressive, unreasonable and annoying

 

[TheSword]

I mentioned earlier how some cities (ie sharn) will give you trouble trying to wear heavy armor in some places earlier so wanted to touch on this... This is why in my sharn games have glamoured armor of all types available over the over counter (possibly by special order). IM the heavy plate wearing types have way more fun "disguising" their plate armor as clothing befitting the situation being headed for than any light armor type ever seemed to do at my tables

That is an awesome idea, that I am definitely pinching for my PCs upcoming trip to Sharn. They have money to spend! They also have a spy in their group whose contacts could provide it.

 

[MGibster]

In all my years of playing D&D, PCs have pretty much worn their armor and carried their weapons wherever they go. It's not particularly realistic but I consider it one of the many oddities that makes D&D D&D.

 

[Ancalagon]

Does the DM make the party wizard keep track of what time of day they cast mage armor? It only lasts 8 hours, after all.

They should! If the spell was supposed to be all day long, the duration would be longer.

 

[Stormonu]

Agreed with Oofta. We don't use the level of resource tracking* your requiring in your game and the PCs aren't murderhobos, and walking around town with armor on and weapons in hand isn't something I worry about as player or DM.

* For the Rime of the Frostmaiden game, we are explicitly tracking food, light & cold weather gear, but this is unusual as this particular game part of the mood is the scarcity of such supplies and the danger running out of such supplies entails. Conversely, in the Tomb of Annilihilation game, I'm a (dragonborn) paladin running around a steaming jungle in plate mail and no one cares. In the Saltmarsh game I run, the group always has their armor and weapons at hand and what the group worries about is making allies to fight the ongoing threat to the town; haven't tracked one arrow for the ranger.

 

[Ancalagon]

Bonus action shields?

Doesnt that let Great weapon guys whip out a shield every second round?

Round 1: [attack action with great sword] and then equip shield as a bonus action (for +2 AC)
Round 2: bonus action stow the shield and then [attack action with the great sword]
Round 3: GOTO 1

etc

We had a player in pathfinder try to do this.

He would hit twice with a two handed weapon, hold the weapon with one hand and quick draw to switch to two weapon fighting for an extra attack, quickstow it, then quick-draw a shield - the goal being combining all three fighting styles at one.

Our GM said no

 

[Quartz]

I hope you’re joking. That shield is made out of plastic. If he tried that neck swinging trick with a real shield - he’d break his neck or strangle himself.

You did spot that he references historical texts that actually demonstrate people doing it, didn't you?

 

[TheSword]

You did spot that he references historical texts that actually demonstrate people doing it, didn't you?

The texts demonstrate that do they? I’m a history degree student. I’ll believe it when I see the source. I’m not saying at some point in history there weren’t warriors swinging shields in arcs by their necks like hoola hoops. I’m skeptical though. Particularly as looking at the pictures the majority of them are holding their shields firmly in their hands... yes even the ones with straps over their shoulder. The only images of knights dueling with a shield have them slung over their shoulders not their arms. I have a real issue when a person with a play on the word university in his thread and claiming to be studying history doesn’t provide references.

 

[tetrasodium]

I think walking around with a sword is like walking around with an assault rifle - both the sword and assault rifle are deadly. The shield... not so much.

Walking around with a shield on says, "I expect to be attacked right now." And folks looking at you will be like, "...Why?..."

Mind you, this is a D&D module we are talking about - are we discussing nice, peaceful lands with little or no physical conflict, or a place where monsters are walking around just outside of town? The group I'm in has recently set up shop in a village just on the border of a place called, "the Mere of Dead Men," out of which zombies sometimes wander... and do so more often of late. And just a couple weeks ago, some shmuck tried to summon a water elemental to bust up the town. Nobody is begrudging the party walk around armed and ready.

Tbis is a good point. If I'm in line for coffee/donut/eggmcmuffin/etc in the morning & someone is wearing a buller proof vest I might give them a weird look or a once over, but if they are doing the same thing that will be the end of it. If someone was in line with a riot shield

The texts demonstrate that do they? I’m a history degree student. I’ll believe it when I see the source. I’m not saying at some point in history there weren’t warriors swinging shields in arcs by their necks like hoola hoops. I’m skeptical though. Particularly as looking at the pictures the majority of them are holding their shields firmly in their hands... yes even the ones with straps over their shoulder. The only images of knights dueling with a shield have them sling over their shoulders not their arms.

he shows some of them in the video while talking about the examples he's showing....

 

[TheSword]

Tbis is a good point. If I'm in line for coffee/donut/eggmcmuffin/etc in the morning & someone is wearing a buller proof vest I might give them a weird look or a once over, but if they are doing the same thing that will be the end of it. If someone was in line with a riot shield

he shows some of them in the video while talking about the examples he's showing....

I’ve watched the video. As I said the knights with straps pictured are holding them with a hand. Can you explain how that supports an argument that they can be used on your arm? I think we were all aware that shields had straps to start with.