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.
(Emphasis mine)
So, for clarity, can you use a buckler with a crossbow without a penalty to your attack rolls while simultaneously retaining the buckler's AC bonus? Or do you take the penalty and/or lose the bonus?
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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.(Emphasis mine)
So, for clarity, can you use a buckler with a crossbow without a penalty to your attack rolls while simultaneously retaining the buckler's AC bonus? Or do you take the penalty and/or lose the bonus?
I always took it as both...a -1 to attacks AND you lose your shield bonus unless you have certain feats(i know they are in Complete Warrior, but I can not recall the feat names).
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I always took it to be that you didn't take a penalty with 2handed weapons, but while using them you do not get the AC bonus.Thus you can use a bow normally , and when they close to melee you could drop your bow and use your sword without worring about readying a shield.Or if you go full defensive, you would regain your shield bonus, as you wouldnt be actively attacking with your weapon.
this comes from the pen npaper version more than the srd.It states that you do take a penalty for 2handed weapon (just like the srd) but that you get no penalty for using bow or crossbow but that you don't get the AC bonus by when using your off-hand.
I always took it to be that you didn't take a penalty with 2handed weapons, but while using them you do not get the AC bonus.Thus you can use a bow normally , and when they close to melee you could drop your bow and use your sword without worring about readying a shield.Or if you go full defensive, you would regain your shield bonus, as you wouldnt be actively attacking with your weapon.
this comes from the pen npaper version more than the srd.It states that you do take a penalty for 2handed weapon (just like the srd) but that you get no penalty for using bow or crossbow but that you don't get the AC bonus by when using your off-hand.
Exactly. In the process of researching this issue, I forgot this point and didn't notice it wasn't in the SRD. My apologies for this confusing my original post. I suppose another/the real question is "Does using a crossbow count as using your off-hand?" I suppose, as a two-handed weapon, the off-hand is employed in the operation; but the actual term "off-hand" is almost always used when discussing two-weapon fighting, in which you specifically have a weapon in that hand, and another in the main hand.
My interpretation is that you do not take the penalty to attack rolls while using a crossbow and wearing a buckler, but I am completely undecided about whether the AC bonus is retained. I think the wording leaves the door wide open.
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I'd say that you get the bucklers bonus to defense, except from any attacks of opportunity that you might incur by attempting to shoot someone from an adjacent square, since your arm would still be occupied in the operation of the crossbow. As soon as you're done shooting, your hand is free again, granting you your coveted +1 shield bonus to armor class.