Simple Cestus Question

[Jiggy]

So the cestus is leather plus some plates and spikes. I presume that since the "business end" ("business part"?) of the cestus is metal, that I could have a cold iron/mithral/silver cestus, yes?

[David Thomassen]

from the description in the PRD-Cestus "The cestus is a glove of leather or thick cloth that covers the wielder from mid-finger to mid-forearm. The close combat weapon is reinforced with metal plates over the fingers and often lined with wicked spikes along the backs of the hands and wrists."

So I would say no, you are stricking with a Leather based weapon. Why not go for the Spiked Gaunlet?

[Jiggy]

David Thomassen wrote:

from the description in the PRD-Cestus "The cestus is a glove of leather or thick cloth that covers the wielder from mid-finger to mid-forearm. The close combat weapon is reinforced with metal plates over the fingers and often lined with wicked spikes along the backs of the hands and wrists."

So I would say no, you are stricking with a Leather based weapon. Why not go for the Spiked Gaunlet?

So then as a follow up question, does that mean that I can't have mithral/cold iron/silver arrows? They're wooden, with the piercing part being metal - just like the cestus is leather, with the piercing part being metal - so I presume they would work the same way?

Also, new question: can I wear a cestus and a buckler on the same arm/hand? Granted, that may not be the best tactical choice, but my curiosity is not limited to the useful. ;)

As for cestus versus spiked gauntlet, the cestus is cooler. Also, it has the option of bludgeoning damage.

[David Thomassen]

Cestus: The cestus is a glove of leather or thick cloth that covers the wielder from mid-finger to mid-forearm. The close combat weapon is reinforced with metal plates over the fingers and often lined with wicked spikes along the backs of the hands and wrists. While wearing a cestus, you are considered armed and your unarmed attacks deal normal damage. If you are proficient with a cestus, your unarmed strikes may deal bludgeoning or piercing damage. Monks are proficient with the cestus. When using a cestus, your fingers are mostly exposed, allowing you to wield or carry items in that hand, but the constriction of the weapon at your knuckles gives you a –2 penalty on all precision-based tasks involving that hand (such as opening locks).
So,it covers up to the mid forearm (but that the metal is only used to reinforce the knuckles and lower fingers), I would allow a buckler as well.
If I was your Ref I would allow a choice of materials for the piercing, but not the bludgeoning.

So ask your GM if the local crafter can make you a cestus with a built in knuckle duster.

[Jiggy]

David Thomassen wrote:

If I was your Ref I would allow a choice of materials for the piercing, but not the bludgeoning.

So ask your GM if the local crafter can make you a cestus with a built in knuckle duster.

Sadly, on my local PFS scene (where I do all my Pathfindering), "ask your GM" is more like "ask about a half dozen different people and hope they all rule the same way", or possibly "ask one or two people, then possibly get surprised when someone else GMs my table and pulls a 'nope, doesn't work' on me mid-combat". Kinda awkward, you know?

Maybe I should therefore just steer clear of the cestus. Which is sad, because it's a pretty manly weapon.

[Some call me Tim]

David Thomassen wrote:

So I would say no, you are stricking with a Leather based weapon.

Adamantine and cold iron both use the phrase "items without metal parts cannot be made from x." The description quoted above clearly states the have metal parts and therefore should gain the benefits of being made of these special materials.

Mithral, must be "primarily of metal" and alchemical silver works "on a weapon made of steel" and "can't be applied to nonmetal items." Personally, I would allow it, but it's really GM's call on that one.

Since it's PFS it's always a crapshoot. Your best bet is to point out as you did here that arrows are not primarily steel yet it seems everyone allows silver arrows, that a silver cestus is hardly unprecedented or overpowered. Then accept whatever the GM du jour says without getting confrontational.

[David Thomassen]

Nice catch on the Adamantine and Cold Iron descriptors. I would point this out to your GM when you have the gold to buy the item and get them to sign the sheet when its purchased.
I like the idea of the Cestus as a backup weapon, especially given its resonable Crit value and the 2 damage types.

[Jiggy]

Some call me Tim wrote:

David Thomassen wrote:

So I would say no, you are stricking with a Leather based weapon.

Adamantine and cold iron both use the phrase "items without metal parts cannot be made from x." The description quoted above clearly states the have metal parts and therefore should gain the benefits of being made of these special materials.

Mithral, must be "primarily of metal" and alchemical silver works "on a weapon made of steel" and "can't be applied to nonmetal items." Personally, I would allow it, but it's really GM's call on that one.

Nice catch on the different wordings. Adamantine and cold iron even explicitly allow arrows, so I guess it would be reasonable to assume that a cestus would be fair game too.

Mithral's wording does make it seem like the opposite.

And alchemical silver... sort of seems like, in theory, you should be able to, you know, silver the steel parts.

Hmmm...

[Some call me Tim]

Jiggy wrote:

Mithral's wording does make it seem like the opposite.

I think this has to do with making the weapon lighter; something made of mithral weighs half as much as normal. Although, I imagine that most of the weight of a cestus would be in the metal and not the leather anyway. Shrugs. I'm not gonna worry too much about it if a player showed up at my PFS table with one.