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Hello.
Does it cost any action to switch a weapon between your free hands?
The reason I ask is that I got a character with a light shield and a shortspear. I want him to draw a javelin throw it at someone and go back to holding his shortspear with as few actions as possible.
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If it is a Free Action I should be able to do it with no problem:
I put my shortspear into my light-shield hand (free).
I draw a javelin (part of a move action as I got +1 BaB).
I throw my javelin at someone (standard action).
I switch the shortspear back into my main hand (free)
If it is a Swift Action I can't do it as I will end with a free main hand and the spear in my shieldhand.
If it's a Move Action (same as if I had to draw it) I would be able to do it only with Quick Draw, which I would prefer to be without.
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Slightly related: Does it cost any action to switch a weapon from being held 1h to 2h or back?
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Another side question. IF I do have quickdraw is it then a free action to put a weapon away as well, or is it only free to draw it?
Thanks.
If it is a Free Action I should be able to do it with no problem:
I put my shortspear into my light-shield hand (free).
I draw a javelin (part of a move action as I got +1 BaB).
I throw my javelin at someone (standard action).
I switch the shortspear back into my main hand (free)If it is a Swift Action I can't do it as I will end with a free main hand and the spear in my shieldhand.
If it's a Move Action (same as if I had to draw it) I would be able to do it only with Quick Draw, which I would prefer to be without.
I'm pretty sure the RAW is silent on switching hands, but I wouldn't have a problem with this at my table. The only issue I would see is the readying of the shield. I would probably rule that you lose your shield bonus until you can ready it again (in this case, on the next turn you receive.)
Slightly related: Does it cost any action to switch a weapon from being held 1h to 2h or back?
No. So two handed weapon with a caster is no big deal.
Another side question. IF I do have quickdraw is it then a free action to put a weapon away as well, or is it only free to draw it?
No, it is only free to draw it. You still have to take a move action, (that provokes AoO,) to sheathe the weapon.
Hello.
Does it cost any action to switch a weapon between your free hands?
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I looked for it also and didn't find a specific action so I chose (with approval of the players) to go for a Swift action. That takes it between the Free action that would be droping and the Move action that would be sheating it.
So, I figure, a Bard weilding a buckler can, as a Swift Action, shift a weapon from his "right"-hand to his shield-bearing "left"-side to cast a spell without losing the shield A.C. bonus for using the "left"-hand for any non-shielding action.
So, House-ruled I guess...
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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The only issue I would see is the readying of the shield. I would probably rule that you lose your shield bonus until you can ready it again (in this case, on the next turn you receive.)
Minor point here, but he did specify that he was using a light shield which, by the description of the item, leaves the shield hand open for holding (but not using) items like weapons and potions. It's part of the trade off for not getting the higher AC of the heavy shield (which DOES occupy the shield hand). Thus, I wouldn't penalize him by making him "ready" the shield if all he's doing with the hand is holding something briefly.
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Hmm, my problem is that this character is for a Pathfinder Society Scenario. So it would be nice to know if he works as I want him to (being able to wield spear, cast javelin and go back to spear in one turn (even if I have to get Quick Draw).
...because if that's not possible I will have to rethink him a bit, maybe focus more on range.
Thanks to the reply so far though.
Oh and yes it is a light shield for the very reason that it should for all purposes act as a "free hand" when it comes to this example.
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New side question. If I end up having to drop my weapon to the ground. IF I have quick-draw can I then draw it from the ground as a free action?
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Hmm, my problem is that this character is for a Pathfinder Society Scenario. So it would be nice to know if he works as I want him to (being able to wield spear, cast javelin and go back to spear in one turn (even if I have to get Quick Draw).
...because if that's not possible I will have to rethink him a bit, maybe focus more on range.
Thanks to the reply so far though.
Oh and yes it is a light shield for the very reason that it should for all purposes act as a "free hand" when it comes to this example.
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New side question. If I end up having to drop my weapon to the ground. IF I have quick-draw can I then draw it from the ground as a free action?
Making the shift from On-hand to shield hand should be a swift action - I agree with that notion - but there's no RAW that indicates this as canon.
Quick-draw allows you to draw a weapon from a sheath/scabbard only as a free action. Not from the ground, not buried in a tree stump or an orc's skill for that matter, etc, and it does not allow you to put weapons away as a free action.
Robert
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Hello everyone... Its your lovely Vampress here in need of answers!
So I was flying around being Vampy when one of my minions came accross a pesky Sorcerer! This is what happened and need clarification.
This involved a Sorcerer carying a 2 handed weapon. (Longspear) During combat the Sorcerer in question had cast a nasty spell, and took a 5' step back as her free 5' movement rule. (No problems so far)
Then one of my minions stepped up to attack the Sorcerer, "She replies with a attack of opportunity" hence the Longspear and its reach.
I call FOUL... and say there is no way she can cast spells using Verbal, components, symantics.. and then be able to equip the "Longspear" for either defence or attack.
So I guess my question is.. can someone move...attack, take 5' free step.. then Equip a weapon for a attack of opportunity?
So I guess my question is.. can someone move...attack, take 5' free step.. then Equip a weapon for a attack of opportunity?
Your phrasing of the question seems biased toward a negative response. You wouldn't exactly be "equipping" the weapon. Maybe that's just semantics.
In any case, this has been argued about before, and the message board community seems to be roughly equally devided on this point.
Here is one such discussion including my take on the subject, though the entire thread is an interesting read.
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So I guess my question is.. can someone move...attack, take 5' free step.. then Equip a weapon for a attack of opportunity?Your phrasing of the question seems biased toward a negative response. You wouldn't exactly be "equipping" the weapon. Maybe that's just semantics.
In any case, this has been argued about before, and the message board community seems to be roughly equally devided on this point.
Here is one such discussion including my take on the subject, though the entire thread is an interesting read.
I have read alot of the thread, and as you said Blake it is truly divided. I think this will become more of a house rule... like other house rules to benefit the playability.. Like banning the 'Whirling Chain" weapon.
So I guess my question is.. can someone move...attack, take 5' free step.. then Equip a weapon for a attack of opportunity?
Perfectly legal. They are not 'equipping' a weapon they are using their hands. Adding or removing a hand from a grip on a 2H weapon is a NON action. So simple and swift and of so little effort that it does not even count as an action. So yes, mages carring staffs can indeed cast spells and then melee if the opportunity presents itself. Or Longspears. Or any 2 handed weapon they might like to use.
But even assuming the person in question had their Longspear STOWED (and someone tell me how one does THAT?), they could totally legally take a 5 foot step, cast a spell AND draw a weapon (the spear) and get an attack of opportunity when it became possible to do so.
OR they could take a 5 foot step, drop the weapon as a free action, cast a spell as a standard action and pick up the weapon as a move action. Again totally legal and again allowing them to take attacks of opportunity as they presented themselves.
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Hello everyone... Its your lovely Vampress here in need of answers!
So I was flying around being Vampy when one of my minions came accross a pesky Sorcerer! This is what happened and need clarification.
This involved a Sorcerer carying a 2 handed weapon. (Longspear) During combat the Sorcerer in question had cast a nasty spell, and took a 5' step back as her free 5' movement rule. (No problems so far)
Then one of my minions stepped up to attack the Sorcerer, "She replies with a attack of opportunity" hence the Longspear and its reach.
I call FOUL... and say there is no way she can cast spells using Verbal, components, symantics.. and then be able to equip the "Longspear" for either defence or attack.
So I guess my question is.. can someone move...attack, take 5' free step.. then Equip a weapon for a attack of opportunity?
5' steps do not trigger attacks of opportunity. So, unless that "step up" was greater then 5', the sorcerer would not get an AoO on the minion.
5' steps do not trigger attacks of opportunity. So, unless that "step up" was greater then 5', the sorcerer would not get an AoO on the minion.
Ah, my mistake. I misread her post and assumed when she said her minion stepped up she was being descriptive and not feat literal.
If the minion DID use the feat Step Up then their is not Attack of Opportunity, but NOT because the caster cannot make them. It is because a '5 foot step' (the specific special action) never causes an attack of opportunity.
Now if she WAS being destricptive and the minion used normal movement to close with the caster (which some minions are dumb enough to do) then yes your caster could get an AoO.
Hello.
Does it cost any action to switch a weapon between your free hands?
The reason I ask is that I got a character with a light shield and a shortspear. I want him to draw a javelin throw it at someone and go back to holding his shortspear with as few actions as possible.
---
If it is a Free Action I should be able to do it with no problem:
I put my shortspear into my light-shield hand (free).
I draw a javelin (part of a move action as I got +1 BaB).
I throw my javelin at someone (standard action).
I switch the shortspear back into my main hand (free)
Yes, that's a perfectly valid tactic.
The only thing you can't do is attack with a weapon in one hand, switch it to the other hand, and attack again with the same weapon (using TWF).