Somatic components and a lanyard

[frankthedm]

Oh yes it certainly FaQs up a lot of things!

I tend to disagree with the Faq when it pulls stuff out of the brown rather than the rules. What is said on the buckler doesn't go along with the actual rules. MEA to switch hands is a peice of :feces: but it would be usefull when a rules lawyer tried to badger with the faq. Sort of a You want this? Then take THAT! deal.

A hand with a multi pound weight pulling on it is hardly free to gesture in my opinion. There are no rules for arm straps in the 3.n so i would say autofail for having a weapon hanging from your wrist is the only way to prevent abuse.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Automatic failure on any spell with somatic component. you need the hand free, not weighted down.

This might be true if BOTH hands were encumbered, but if he is holding his cane in one hand (with lanyard or not) he just uses his other hand for casting.

Somatic components only require -one- hand.

(I'm assuming that your wizards don't drop their staffs when they want to cast spells!)

Cheers

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I tend to disagree with the Faq when it pulls stuff out of the brown rather than the rules. What is said on the buckler doesn't go along with the actual rules.

It does, though.

Check the rules. The buckler isn't strapped to your hand, it's strapped to your arm. Your hand is left completely free - including the ability to wield weapons in it!

If you can wield a weapon in your hand, you certainly can use it to cast spells with somatic components.

 

[frankthedm]

If you can wield a weapon in your hand, you certainly can use it to cast spells with somatic components.

Considering that weilding that weapon is penalized[-1], i disagree that the hand is truely free.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Considering that weilding that weapon is penalized[-1], i disagree that the hand is truely free.

Well, then, the same penalty should apply to the spellcasting. So any attack roll you make with a buckler hand should suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls.

Otherwise, it's free.

That's really the point of bucklers in D&D, you know.

 

[frankthedm]

I feel the "point" of the buckler was expressed by what it allows in the text.

Buckler: This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a –1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you don’t get the buckler’s AC bonus for the rest of the round.
You can’t bash someone with a buckler.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I feel the "point" of the buckler was expressed by what it allows in the text.

Yep - and what it allows is that get a shield bonus to your AC while still keeping a hand free.

Otherwise, you couldn't use two-handed weapons or two weapons at all.

 

[frankthedm]

Yep - and what it allows is that get a shield bonus to your AC while still keeping a hand free.

Otherwise, you couldn't use two-handed weapons or two weapons at all.

It never says it gives you a free hand. It lets you use those weapons listed in the buckler entry in the way it list them.

 

[Harmon]

Guys back on track please

Thank you for all the energy you are putting into this, but the question was about a lanyard on a DarkWood Club aka cane. Thank you for helping me with the buckler thing that was a point I was gonna mention as an example, but I think we can stop going down that road now. Please.

Yes, true the character can use his free hand to cast spells but what happens when he just pulled a wand and suddenly needs to cast a spell- opps, replace the wand, drop the cane and take a Spell Failure chance.

Whats the benifit of the lanyard? Not having to pick up a weapon off the ground and take an AoO. When its on the lanyard he can't threaten so helping with the Flanking isn't there. So where is the benifit other then the not having to pick up the weapon?

Can he move the lanyard to being tied about his elbow? Is it just hand gesture or is it the whole arm? Should we get that deep into it?

This is just a little question. Thanks for your thoughts and ideas.

 

[Sejs]

What my question is- should he have a Spell Failure chance with the cane attached to him via such a fashion where Somatic components are concerned?

In my oppinion, no he should not suffer any ASF.

You can wear spiked gauntlets and not suffer any ASF. You can wear big ol' metal bracers and not suffer any ASF. A cane (made of wood that's light for its bulk) hanging from a leather strap shouldn't prove too difficult an issue for a trained, experienced spellcaster to deal with, in my oppinion.