I'm looking at the FAQ here and I wanted to make sure I understood this correctly.
Lets say I have a quickdraw shield and the QuickDraw feat, reducing the time to ready/put away the shield to a free action. Lets say I also have a two handed weapon (falchion for example) that I keep in hand at all times. This lets me enter combat and put away the shield (free action), put my other hand on the falchion (free action), give it a full round attack, take a hand off of the falchion (free action), and don the quickdraw shield (free action), effectively letting me do a full round attack while keeping the shield ac bonus on the enemies turn.
Now, what happens if the falchion has the defending weapon property? Can I use it to gain the typeless ac bonus if I attack with it in the method described above? I am using the weapon to make an attack action as specified in the FAQ, so it looks like it would work. I just wanted to make sure because I couldn't find a precedent in the forums. (if there is already a post on this, please pardon my weak google-fu skills)
Oynaz, thanks for the timely response! That's a very good point, the gm most certainly can limit my use of free actions. I'll keep that in mind if I try to use this at the table.
My main concern though is if (baring free action limitations) I can apply the defending bonus on my opponents turn with this series of actions.
To benefit from a defending weapon, you must not only wield it, but attack with it as well. If you don't attack with it, you don't get the bonus (although some disagree that you must actually attack). Once you begin a new round or are no longer wielding the defending weapon, the bonus ends. Simply holding a two-handed weapon in one hand is not wielding it.
See this thread especially the faq link.
Thanks for the link slimgauge! Just finished giving it a quick read through.... I'm probably blind, I'm not seeing where it talks about not wielding the weapon from a dev. I do see a broken link that looks like its supposed to go to an FAQ though. I'm guessing that's the part I'm missing. Unless its the same FAQ I linked earlier. The dates from the forum posts you linked and the FAQ I linked match up, so I'm assuming its the same.
I understand losing the benefit at the beginning of a new round, but it doesn't say anything about wielding. Only that I must make an attack roll with the weapon.
Is there another FAQ I'm missing, or am I just being dumb?
I had trouble with the FAQ link too, but I was having trouble with my whole internet connection at the time, so I thought it was just me.
The definition of the defending quality states "... allows the wielder to ...". Once you're no longer the wielder, you no longer get the benefit.
A defending weapon allows the wielder to transfer some or all of the weapon's enhancement bonus to his AC as a bonus that stacks with all others. As a free action, the wielder chooses how to allocate the weapon's enhancement bonus at the start of his turn before using the weapon, and the bonus to AC lasts until his next turn. This ability can only be placed on melee weapons.
Bold was mine, for reference.
Just now realized you allocate the bonus at the start of the turn, but according to the FAQ you only get the benefit if you attack. I just imagined trying to activate it, an enemies immediate action preventing you from attacking, then trying to take an AoO later without a bonus to hit or ac.
Ok back on track now. The bolded part.
It doesn't say anything there about maintaining the 'wield', only that I must be wielding it to activate it.
Now from the FAQ (might as well put it all here)
Defending Weapon Property: Do I have to make attack rolls with the weapon to gain its AC bonus?
Yes. Merely holding a defending weapon is not sufficient. Unless otherwise specified, you have to use a magic item in the manner it is designed (use a weapon to make attacks, wear a shield on your arm so you can defend with it, and so on) to gain its benefits.
Therefore, if you don't make an attack roll with a defending weapon on your turn, you don't gain its defensive benefit.
Likewise, while you can give a shield the defending property (after you've given it a +1 enhancement bonus to attacks, of course), you wouldn't get the AC bonus from the defending property unless you used the shield to make a shield bash that round--unless you're using the shield as a weapon (to make a shield bash), the defending weapon property has no effect.
Ok so I might be confusing myself further, but here we go: I must make an attack roll to get the benefit, but only when not specified otherwise.
For example: my +1 shocking axe only has shocking after I use a command word and only works when I make an attack roll (though interestingly I seem to remember seeing an FAQ stating that it never turns off, a special case?)
But my +1 defending sword states I get the benefit at the start of the round, and it lasts until my next turn. The FAQ for the defending weapon overrides this, requiring an attack roll.
From the looks of it, I just need to be wielding the weapon at the start of the turn, and make an attack roll with it to gain the full bonus for the rest of the round, until my next turn. I see the part about 'merely holding' a weapon, but i think that means in relation to not attacking at all. The wording seems vague.
Again, if there's something really obvious I'm missing, have mercy on me.
The benefit lasts until your next turn PROVIDED you continue to wield the weapon. If you had, say, a ring of force shield that you activated as a free action, you only get the shield bonus so long as you wield the resulting shield. Same with the defending weapon. If you're not wielding it, it gives you no benefit.
If you're wielding a defending weapon, attack with it, it gets sundered or disarmed, you don't get the AC benefit. Same logic if you stow it.
==Aelryinth
I just took a look at the ring of force shield:
This ring generates a shield-sized (and shield-shaped) wall of force that stays with the ring and can be wielded by the wearer as if it were a heavy shield (+2 AC). This special creation has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance since it is weightless and encumbrance-free. It can be activated and deactivated at will as a free action.
That one explicitly states that it stays with the ring. It's a cool ring too, don't get me wrong. It's providing an actual shield instead of giving the typeless bonus that I was more interested in though. I get what you are trying to tell me ( must wield the sword at all times to get the bonus), but I'm hoping to find a written rule that confirms or denies my current interpretation of the rules I've found. (Wield at start, make an attack, bonus lasts until next turn)
I'm browsing through the pages on magic item activation, but everything I'm reading is saying that if the item has special rules in its description, I should use those. And the entry I found on the magic weapon page says you gain the bonus be wielding (attacking) as well. I suppose this could mean the armor bonus from defending only works while attacking, but that just seems... Silly... Plus the entry in the weapon description
Thanks again for your responses slimgauge!
Aerlyinth, do you know where I could find this in the rules? I know what you are both saying, I'm just trying to find a page with some supporting text at this point.
You're no longer wielding the weapon if it gets sundered, disarmed or stowed. You'd thus lose any benefits the weapon provides. That's just common sense, man...you don't gain the bonus of a magic ring if you take it off, why would you gain the benefit of a magic shield or weapon?
==Aelryinth
NOte on Defending Shields: With the SHield Mastery feat (or Ranger level) you can Shield Bash using the Enhancement bonus of the Shield, and retain the full Weapon Bonus enhancement for Defender, if you so choose.
Uber Shield = +5 Spiked shield of Bashing with +5 Defender Spikes.
==Aelryinth
Thanks for the responses aelryinth!
I was assuming since it explicitly said I kept the bonus until the start of my next turn? Kind of compared it to like using a spell from a wand and then pocketing the wand.
The rules I've found suggest otherwise, as they keep referring to wielding as attacking. If wielding is supposed to mean 'can attack with at any time' then that would change things (although in this case it's free actions to switch from shield to weapon anyway).
I really like the shield spike idea, that essentially accomplishes the same thing. I'm kicking myself for not thinking of that one. I might run with that instead if I were to use this on a character.
Is wielding explained more in detail somewhere? I just checked the combat page and didn't see anything.
Wielding means actively using in the form it was meant to be used in.
Defending is a weapon enhancement, therefore, it only activates if used as a weapon.
Kindly note that SHield spikes are there ONLY to increase the damage. You can enchant any shield as weapon and armor, you don't need spikes. Shield Mastery just lets you use the one, and then 'spend' the other bonus on something else.
There's an enhancement that lets you add the bonus to your saves instead of your AC, but I forget the name of it.
==Aelryinth
As far as losing a bonus from not having an item, the rules for magic items have this to say:
Slot: Most magic items can only be utilized if worn or wielded in their proper slots. If the item is stowed or placed elsewhere, it does not function. If the slot lists “none,” the item must be held or otherwise carried to function.
This might be what I was looking for. The only questions I have now are if this also applies to a weapon (I'm leaning heavily on yes) and does this rule supersede the rules listed for the defending weapon property and the rules in its FAQ.
I'm somewhat of the opinion that specifics trump generalities, in that for defending weapons count as wielded if you attacked with it, especially if I can switch to it as a free action, but close doesn't cut it it seems.
Thanks so much for the help guys!