I had some questions about how Wrestler archetype abilities work with a character wearing full plate armor and a shield:
1. The dedication mentions things like: "Prerequisites: trained in...unarmored defense" and "Your training in the wrestling arts has made you particularly adept at moving, striking, and grappling while unencumbered." Nothing I see in the archetype, though, specifically prohibits you from using any of its feats while wearing light, medium, or heavy armor, or while encumbered.
Q: Are these things simply flavor text, or are there some restrictions on armor and encumberment?
2. With feats like Combat Grab or Snagging Strike, the requirements specify that, "You have one hand free, and your target is within reach of that hand." The feat text also specifies that you must "Make a strike while keeping one hand free." The keeping one hand free bit, I just am not sure if they really wanted to specify that you can't be holding something.
Q: If you have a free hand, with a shield in the other, can you use the free hand both for the strike, as well as to grab or make your enemy flat-footed?
3. Most other feats on the archetype list have the prerequisite "You have a creature grabbed or restrained." Many, like Suplex, also prompt you to "Make an unarmed melee strike against the creature you have grabbed or restrained."
Q: With a shield in one arm, and an enemy grabbed in the other, can you still strike with the hand you're using to grapple/grab/restrain? Can you make other unarmed strikes like a kick or a headbutt?
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I had some questions about how Wrestler archetype abilities work with a character wearing full plate armor and a shield:
1. The dedication mentions things like: "Prerequisites: trained in...unarmored defense" and "Your training in the wrestling arts has made you particularly adept at moving, striking, and grappling while unencumbered." Nothing I see in the archetype, though, specifically prohibits you from using any of its feats while wearing light, medium, or heavy armor, or while encumbered.
Q: Are these things simply flavor text, or are there some restrictions on armor and encumberment?
I also don't see anything preventing you from using the abilities while wearing armor. I think those lines in the rules are just pointing out that the archetype doesn't give or improve your armor proficiencies.
2. With feats like Combat Grab or Snagging Strike, the requirements specify that, "You have one hand free, and your target is within reach of that hand." The feat text also specifies that you must "Make a strike while keeping one hand free." The keeping one hand free bit, I just am not sure if they really wanted to specify that you can't be holding something.
Q: If you have a free hand, with a shield in the other, can you use the free hand both for the strike, as well as to grab or make your enemy flat-footed?
3. Most other feats on the archetype list have the prerequisite "You have a creature grabbed or restrained." Many, like Suplex, also prompt you to "Make an unarmed melee strike against the creature you have grabbed or restrained."
Q: With a shield in one arm, and an enemy grabbed in the other, can you still strike with the hand you're using to grapple/grab/restrain? Can you make other unarmed strikes like a kick or a headbutt?
The Free-Hand trait rules would be applicable here. You can be considered to be both wielding a free-hand weapon and have that hand free - but only while you aren't using one or the other. While you are actively using the weapon, you don't have that hand free, and while you are using the hand, you can't also use the weapon. And unarmed attacks such as a fist generally work as free-hand weapons.
Your scenario of one empty hand and one hand with shield means that you only have the one hand that is free. Abilities like Combat Grab probably wouldn't work because during any action when you are using your hand as a weapon, it stops being a free hand. You also can't use that empty hand to both hold an enemy (making it no longer empty) and strike with it.
But you could shield bash and use your empty hand both at the same time.
Thank you very much for the responses.
Question 1, I think, was covered pretty well: nothing says you can't wear armor or be encumbered.
I actually want to put questions 2 and 3 back up for appraisal though.
Going to the free-hand rules is a good idea I think, but I also wanted to square things with how the game defines unarmed attacks. So, this is what I dug up:
“Almost all characters start out trained in unarmed attacks. You can Strike with your fist or another body part, calculating your attack and damage rolls in the same way you would with a weapon. Unarmed attacks can belong to a weapon group (page 280), and they might have weapon traits (page 282). However, unarmed attacks aren’t weapons, and effects and abilities that work with weapons never work with unarmed attacks unless they specifically say so.
Table 6–6: Unarmed Attacks lists the statistics for an unarmed attack with a fist, though you’ll usually use the same statistics for attacks made with any other parts of your body. Certain ancestry feats, class features, and spells give access to special, more powerful unarmed attacks. Details for those unarmed attacks are provided in the abilities that grant them.”
I think the key take-aways from all of that are, “You can strike with your fist or any other body part” and “Unarmed Attacks lists the statistics for an unarmed attack with a fist, though you’ll usually use the same statistics for attacks made with any other parts of your body.”
Unarmed attacks seems loosely defined as just attacking with your body in some capacity, which is nice because it leaves things open to describe what is maybe cooler or more fitting for your character, if you want to kick or headbutt or such.
In light of that, I think you could mechanically use an unarmed attack, like a kick, followed by use of a free hand. And, if you can do that, it's probably just as well to—for flavor—punch something and then use your free hand, or grab as a part of the attack or such, because the underlying mechanics would be the same: unarmed attack, followed by use of the free hand, with the stipulation that the unarmed attack does not have to be with the free hand, it's somewhat to your imagination.
In light of that, I think you could mechanically use an unarmed attack, like a kick, followed by use of a free hand. And, if you can do that, it's probably just as well to—for flavor—punch something and then use your free hand, or grab as a part of the attack or such,
Yeah, I could go for that.
It wouldn't work so well for things that change your fist attack to have better stats though. Kicking would still be just the regular stats.
You might also look into shield spikes or other such attached weapons to put on your shield. You can use your shield for both making attacks and defending with. Raise a Shield and Shield Block are not impacted by using the shield to make attacks with.
Yeah, I could go for that.
It wouldn't work so well for things that change your fist attack to have better stats though. Kicking would still be just the regular stats.
You might also look into shield spikes or other such attached weapons to put on your shield. You can use your shield for both making attacks and defending with. Raise a Shield and Shield Block are not impacted by using the shield to make attacks with.
Yeah, I know! I was looking at the orc feat Iron Fists and it's specifically a fist improvement. Grr. :)
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it's nice to know my options anyway. Thanks for the shield advice and all the rest. Very helpful. :)
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One more note though: Handwraps of mighty blows apply to all unarmed attacks. So those would improve your kicking power too.