While wearing these light melee weapons, can I still use my hands for other purposes? Casting spells, throwing daggers, etc?
Claw Blades is the one I was most concerned about :\
While wearing these light melee weapons, can I still use my hands for other purposes? Casting spells, throwing daggers, etc?
I would like to know the answer to this too.
They're light weapons, so you'd think that hand isn't considered a "free hand"; like holding any other light weapon such as a dagger or a sickle.
If I was wearing Spiked Gauntlets or Claw Blades, could I hold another weapon with that hand? A heavy shield?
I want to say no to all, but I'm not sure.
They're light weapons, so you'd think that hand isn't considered a "free hand"; like holding any other light weapon such as a dagger or a sickle.
All fist-type weapons are light weapons. Gauntlets, Spiked Gauntlets, Cestus, etc. SKR post.
A year or so ago, Mark made a post saying all light weapons require a free hand to use, which would mean you can't hit someone with your gauntlet if you're using that hand to hold a crossbow (or whatever). This would also apply to armor spikes (which the question was directly addressing) as well as barbazu beard, blade boot, etc. There is currently a tiny bit of controversy over this (specifically whether it's binding in PFS) and there's a FAQ request building up on Jason's post about it.
Regardless of what you think of that, the assumption should be that if the item doesn't need to be held (Because it's a glove or whatever) that you can wear it and hold things with that hand. Otherwise the free gauntlets everyone gets with most medium and heavy armors just get tossed in the bin, since you probably want to use a sword or whatever.
So I would say with confidence you can wield a heavy shield in a hand wearing a gauntlet (or gauntlet-like item).
I would say without confidence that you could attack someone with the gauntlet (or gauntlet-like item) as long as you used, say, a free action on your turn to "wield" the item, which would mean you're no longer wielding whatever was in your hand. (This doesn't work so well with shields, since they have significant actions to stop using, but for potions/wands/swords/etc it works pretty well, I think.)
Makes sense. Thanks Grick.
|
| 1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Grick's comment is similar to what I was already thinking. I'm currently designing a character who will use a guisarme (two handed reach weapon) as his primary weapon. I was figuring I'd give him a spiked gauntlet as a backup weapon, for when he needs to hit something 5 feet away instead of 10 feet away.
Since dropping an item is always a free action, I figure he'll just drop the guisarme with the gauntlet hand, while continuing to carry it with the non-gauntlet hand, and that will free up his spiked gauntlet to punch somebody. He'll still be carrying the guisarme around, but he won't be wielding or threatening with it, because he doesn't have it in both hands.
My only question in all this is what type of action it is to grab the guisarme again with the free hand. It might count as "drawing" a weapon, but since it's already carried in one hand and not sheathed, I'd think it would be an easy action than that. As a GM in a home game, I'd probably call it a free action, but my PC will be for PFS, so I'd want an official ruling, preferably before it comes up.
|
|
Grick's comment is similar to what I was already thinking. I'm currently designing a character who will use a guisarme (two handed reach weapon) as his primary weapon. I was figuring I'd give him a spiked gauntlet as a backup weapon, for when he needs to hit something 5 feet away instead of 10 feet away.
Since dropping an item is always a free action, I figure he'll just drop the guisarme with the gauntlet hand, while continuing to carry it with the non-gauntlet hand, and that will free up his spiked gauntlet to punch somebody. He'll still be carrying the guisarme around, but he won't be wielding or threatening with it, because he doesn't have it in both hands.
My only question in all this is what type of action it is to grab the guisarme again with the free hand. It might count as "drawing" a weapon, but since it's already carried in one hand and not sheathed, I'd think it would be an easy action than that. As a GM in a home game, I'd probably call it a free action, but my PC will be for PFS, so I'd want an official ruling, preferably before it comes up.
Oh, the humanity!
I've been involved in at least two threads and about 1000 posts trying to resolve this!
We'd all like an answer to the 'changing grip' question! Some think it should be a move action (like drawing a weapon), some think it should be a free action (like dropping an item) and some think it's not an action at all (like nocking an arrow as part of an attack with a bow). I'm not going to go through the arguments here because I don't think I could take another 1000 posts! : )
Good luck!
My only question in all this is what type of action it is to grab the guisarme again with the free hand.
It's a free action.
if you're wielding a 2H weapon, you can let go of the weapon with one of your hands (free action). You're now only carrying the 2H weapon, not wielding it, but your free hand is now free to attack or help cast spells or whatever. And at the end of your turn if your free hand remains free you'd be able to return it to grip your 2H weapon so you can still threaten foes and take attacks of opportunity if you want.
Some people argue it takes a move action. This breaks archers.
Some people argue it's not an action at all, in order to use abilities that require a free hand. (IE: Threatening with a two-handed weapon while only holding it with one hand while also using Deflect Arrows)
I'll let you decide which interpretation is more reasonable.
Here's the answer you were looking for.
You can wield a weapon in a hand using a spiked gauntlet... the spikes don't interfere with normal hand function (else the description would say so). The disadvantage compared to the normal gauntlet is just the cost.