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Using a shield as an 'improvised weapon' while retaining the AC bonus
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<blockquote data-quote="Li Shenron" data-source="post: 6717193" data-attributes="member: 1465"><p>From <strong><u>Basic</u></strong>:</p><p></p><p><strong>Improvised Weapons</strong></p><p>- Sometimes characters don’t have their weapons and have to attack with whatever is close at hand. An improvised weapon includes any object you can wield in one or two hands, such as broken glass, a table leg, a</p><p>frying pan, a wagon wheel, or a dead goblin.</p><p>- In many cases, an improvised weapon is similar to an actual weapon and can be treated as such. For example, a table leg is akin to a club.</p><p>- At the DM’s option, a character proficient with a weapon can use a similar object as if it were that weapon and use his or her proficiency bonus.</p><p>- An object that bears no resemblance to a weapon deals 1d4 damage (the DM assigns a damage type</p><p>appropriate to the object). </p><p>- If a character uses a ranged weapon to make a melee attack, or throws a melee weapon that does not have the thrown property, it also deals 1d4 damage. An improvised thrown weapon has a</p><p>normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.</p><p></p><p><strong>Two-Weapon Fighting</strong></p><p>- When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can</p><p>use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t</p><p>add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.</p><p>- If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Shields. </strong></p><p>- A shield is made from wood or metal and is carried in one hand. Wielding a shield increases your Armor Class by 2. You can benefit from only one shield at a time.</p><p></p><p><strong>Light. </strong></p><p>- A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons.</p><p></p><p>-------------</p><p></p><p>A <em>shield</em> is not a weapon, but can clearly be used as an improvised weapon, since anything can.</p><p></p><p>"LIGHT" is a weapon property defined by how the weapon works in 2WF. It is not a general property defined by the weight or an object. It is <em>narratively</em> and <em>generically</em> linked to a weapon's size and shape, but the only thing that <em>really</em> determines whether a weapon is light is if it has the LIGHT tag on it in the weapon table. Objects that aren't weapons don't even contemplate the possibility of having this tag, even if used as improvised weapons. Only a generous DM can decide than an object used as an improvised weapon works as "LIGHT" for 2WF, but even an object that is "light in terms of weight" isn't necessarily "LIGHT" for 2WF.</p><p></p><p>The off-hand attack as bonus action of 2WF is possible <em>exclusively</em> with a "LIGHT" weapon.</p><p></p><p><strong>Conclusions</strong>: </p><p></p><p>> Without special abilities (e.g. feats) <em>you cannot attack with a shield as part of 2WF</em>. </p><p>> You can attack with a shield <em>using your normal attack action</em>, and doing so doesn't make you to lose the AC bonus.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Li Shenron, post: 6717193, member: 1465"] From [B][U]Basic[/U][/B]: [B]Improvised Weapons[/B] - Sometimes characters don’t have their weapons and have to attack with whatever is close at hand. An improvised weapon includes any object you can wield in one or two hands, such as broken glass, a table leg, a frying pan, a wagon wheel, or a dead goblin. - In many cases, an improvised weapon is similar to an actual weapon and can be treated as such. For example, a table leg is akin to a club. - At the DM’s option, a character proficient with a weapon can use a similar object as if it were that weapon and use his or her proficiency bonus. - An object that bears no resemblance to a weapon deals 1d4 damage (the DM assigns a damage type appropriate to the object). - If a character uses a ranged weapon to make a melee attack, or throws a melee weapon that does not have the thrown property, it also deals 1d4 damage. An improvised thrown weapon has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet. [B]Two-Weapon Fighting[/B] - When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. - If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it. [B]Shields. [/B] - A shield is made from wood or metal and is carried in one hand. Wielding a shield increases your Armor Class by 2. You can benefit from only one shield at a time. [B]Light. [/B] - A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons. ------------- A [I]shield[/I] is not a weapon, but can clearly be used as an improvised weapon, since anything can. "LIGHT" is a weapon property defined by how the weapon works in 2WF. It is not a general property defined by the weight or an object. It is [I]narratively[/I] and [I]generically[/I] linked to a weapon's size and shape, but the only thing that [I]really[/I] determines whether a weapon is light is if it has the LIGHT tag on it in the weapon table. Objects that aren't weapons don't even contemplate the possibility of having this tag, even if used as improvised weapons. Only a generous DM can decide than an object used as an improvised weapon works as "LIGHT" for 2WF, but even an object that is "light in terms of weight" isn't necessarily "LIGHT" for 2WF. The off-hand attack as bonus action of 2WF is possible [I]exclusively[/I] with a "LIGHT" weapon. [B]Conclusions[/B]: > Without special abilities (e.g. feats) [I]you cannot attack with a shield as part of 2WF[/I]. > You can attack with a shield [I]using your normal attack action[/I], and doing so doesn't make you to lose the AC bonus. [/QUOTE]
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Using a shield as an 'improvised weapon' while retaining the AC bonus
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