All shields must now be strapped to your arm and held in one hand. If you later fall unconscious, you can't drop the shield because it's strapped to your arm. If you regain consciousness, are you still able to Raise the Shield because it's still strapped to your arm, or must you first Interact with the shield to hold it once more? Is it possible to have a shield strapped to your arm but hold other things with that arm when you aren't using the shield? I thought that was the point of the buckler, but is the point of the buckler actually to allow Raise a Shield even when you aren't holding it?
I'd think you'd still have to interact to hold it, you just don't have to go get it and it can't be removed from your person.
All shields need to be held to control it otherwise they just flop around on your arm and get in the way. Even bucklers, which aren't just fancy forearm guards, they are held in the hand.
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AFAIK the only thing that changed is that it is now explicit that shields are strapped.
If you previously allowed shields to be equipped and held with only 1 action when dropped, it should not take the same action to equip them now that they are strapped, and thus not dropped.
I'd think you'd still have to interact to hold it, you just don't have to go get it and it can't be removed from your person.
All shields need to be held to control it otherwise they just flop around on your arm and get in the way. Even bucklers, which aren't just fancy forearm guards, they are held in the hand.
Not bucklers. They can explicitly be used as long as the hand is free, or even if that hand is holding a Light non-weapon.
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All shields must now be strapped to your arm and held in one hand. If you later fall unconscious, you can't drop the shield because it's strapped to your arm. If you regain consciousness, are you still able to Raise the Shield because it's still strapped to your arm, or must you first Interact with the shield to hold it once more? Is it possible to have a shield strapped to your arm but hold other things with that arm when you aren't using the shield? I thought that was the point of the buckler, but is the point of the buckler actually to allow Raise a Shield even when you aren't holding it?
I expect a lot of table variation on that. From a very strict RAW reading, you should be able to have a shield strapped to your arm without holding it with your hand. In that case, it provides no bonus but doesn't go in the way of what you're doing. But I can clearly see a GM objecting that a heavy shield strapped to your arm is severely reducing your ability to use that arm's hand. Also, taking it in hand would ask for an Interact action.
Ask your GM is certainly the best solution.
All shields must now be strapped to your arm and held in one hand.Do you have a rules citation?
All shields, unless specifically noted or described otherwise, must be strapped to your arm and held in one hand, so you can’t hold anything with that hand and Raise a Shield, and you lose the shield’s benefits if that hand is no longer free.
All shields must now be strapped to your arm and held in one hand. If you later fall unconscious, you can't drop the shield because it's strapped to your arm. If you regain consciousness, are you still able to Raise the Shield because it's still strapped to your arm, or must you first Interact with the shield to hold it once more? Is it possible to have a shield strapped to your arm but hold other things with that arm when you aren't using the shield? I thought that was the point of the buckler, but is the point of the buckler actually to allow Raise a Shield even when you aren't holding it?
I think the weird interaction here comes from one simple idea:
Can you hold a shield (not wield, hold) using 0 hands?
The rules for interact in page 268 of the Player Core state that it's an Interact Action to Detach a shield or other item (which...I don't think is referenced anywhere else).
But it's a Free action to use Release to Drop and item. Or to change grip.
So if I want to Drop my shield...is it a Free Action (Release) or an Interact Action (Detach)? Or both, Detaching first and then Dropping?
But if I need to Detach first, what happens if I don't and then use Change Grip? Can I use Change grip? If I could, then I'd be...well holding the shield with 0 hands, so I get the speed penalty but no benefits.
And when I fall Unconcious, I Drop my Held items. But...doesn't the Shield need to be Detached?
I think the rules are slightly unclear, mostly because "strapping a shield to your arm" kind of places the shield in between a Held item (needs hands) and something like armor (which you just wear, but is not in fact a Worn item).
I beleive the intent is that you can use the hand holding the shield in a way like you can your second hand in a Two-Handed weapons: you can let go, losing the ability to use the two-hander (or in this case, the Shield), use the hand for other stuff, but then you need to spend an Interact to be wielding the shield again. The shield remaims strapped to your arm the whole way through, and the only way to get rid of it (to, for example, lose the bulk and the speed penalty) is to Interact to Detach it and the Drop it normally.
But it's pretty unclear, for sure.
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The way it was described to me that clicked was comparing it to a weapon chain adjustment that you "attach/detach" for 1 Action.
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So, when already in-hand normally, you can free "drop" the shield to dangle, but it's still on your arm.
Comparing to the old version also helps understand it.
Previously, there was a design quirk with a non-buckler shield really taking that hand over. If some item or action was written to be 2-H, you would need another Action to "unstrap," before you drop. Grabbing a Healer's Kit off a dying PC to save them? That's a 2-H item if not worn as tools. And there's also odd edge cases where you can't easily *do* the Interact action to unstrap, such as if that one free hand is unusable. If so, you just can't get the shield off yourself.
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Now, if you get in a bad situation and need that hand, you can free-drop the shield and have the hand ready. You still need 1 Action to recover the dangling shield to get it back in-hand and wielded, but the inability to free up that hand at a moment's notice seems to be the target of the change.
Another weird thing is that the shield rules mention that, with GM discretion, you can Raise a Shield with a buckler even if that hand is holding a light object that isn't a weapon. The specific rules for the buckler, however, allow that even without GM discretion.
Yet it's a pacified point. I never heard about GM forbidding players due holding light items in the bucklers hand.
Also we may say that the buckler description is more specific than general shield rules so it takes precedence and at same time don't matter because the GM always has the last word about everything.
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The rule text "you lose the shield’s benefits if that hand is no longer free" implies that you can drop/un-grip a shield and use the hand for something else.
Regarding the question of unconciousness, you could argue both ways - losing the grip or not. I would rule that you keep the shield due to it being strapped and only lose the grip if you decide to ungrip it.
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Can you hold a shield (not wield, hold) using 0 hands?
The rules for interact in page 268 of the Player Core state that it's an Interact Action to Detach a shield or other item (which...I don't think is referenced anywhere else).
But it's a Free action to use Release to Drop and item. Or to change grip.
So if I want to Drop my shield...is it a Free Action (Release) or an Interact Action (Detach)? Or both, Detaching first and then Dropping?
But if I need to Detach first, what happens if I don't and then use Change Grip? Can I use Change grip? If I could, then I'd be...well holding the shield with 0 hands, so I get the speed penalty but no benefits.
And when I fall Unconcious, I Drop my Held items. But...doesn't the Shield need to be Detached?
I think the rules are slightly unclear, mostly because "strapping a shield to your arm" kind of places the shield in between a Held item (needs hands) and something like armor (which you just wear, but is not in fact a Worn item).
I beleive the intent is that you can use the hand holding the shield in a way like you can your second hand in a Two-Handed weapons: you can let go, losing the ability to use the two-hander (or in this case, the Shield), use the hand for other stuff, but then you need to spend an Interact to be wielding the shield again. The shield remaims strapped to your arm the whole way through, and the only way to get rid of it (to, for example, lose the bulk and the speed penalty) is to Interact to Detach it and the Drop it normally.
I would rule that you can Wear a shield (no AC benefit)
Or that you can Hold a shield (yes AC benefit)If you are felled, your shield remains Held or Worn (whichever state it was already in)
It's an Interact action to switch between the two
I guess I'm failing to see how other interpretations gain anything by overcomplicating things?
It's even more simple than that.
If you fall you shield still strapped to your arm but you no longer has its grip, so it cannot be stolen while it was not unstrapped but you are no longer wielding it and while not wielding it you cannot use the Rise a Shield action.
You can recover your shield grip in one interact action to recover the grip and now you are wielding it again and can Rise a Shield Again.
That's how I rule it.
It's even more simple than that.
If you fall you shield still strapped to your arm but you no longer has its grip, so it cannot be stolen while it was not unstrapped but you are no longer wielding it and while not wielding it you cannot use the Rise a Shield action.
You can recover your shield grip in one interact action to recover the grip and now you are wielding it again and can Rise a Shield Again.
That's how I rule it.
What doesnt make much sense from a logical standpoint is having to interact with a strapped shield and then raise it as two actions.
Why not strap it in a way that makes securing it so easy it takes not additional effort to secure and raise together?Loose strapping would take extra effort but sounds not only pointless but actually cumbersome to using the hand for anything else.
A tightly secured shield would be one you could let go of and grasp with no significant effort, it would also not flail about while let go and using the hand for other things.
Honestly if a player with a shield in hand wants to climb I don't care about consider that he/she could remove the grip from shield and climb but probably I would apply a -2 circumstance penalty due the shield straped in your arm doesn't help. In the end I would recommend the player to unstrap the shied and put the it on his/her back before Climb.
I will rarely just say "no, you can't do" instead of "ok, but..."
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Not bucklers. They can explicitly be used as long as the hand is free, or even if that hand is holding a Light non-weapon.I'd think you'd still have to interact to hold it, you just don't have to go get it and it can't be removed from your person.
All shields need to be held to control it otherwise they just flop around on your arm and get in the way. Even bucklers, which aren't just fancy forearm guards, they are held in the hand.
Yeah, I know that is the way by RAW and how D&Desque games have done bucklers the way they are for years and years, but it is weird. Bucklers are held in your fist. They are glorified and ergonomic pot lids you can parry and punch with.
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Yeah, I know that is the way by RAW and how D&Desque games have done bucklers the way they are for years and years, but it is weird. Bucklers are held in your fist. They are glorified and ergonomic pot lids you can parry and punch with.
I've always wanted someone to make the jump and twist/reinvent/fix ttrpg "bucklers" into something else.
IMO big ol' shoulder Pauldrons as free-hand blocking tools fits perfectly.
If preserving more of the "arm blocker" idea is desired, something like a "Brace" or "Blocking Brace" that actually does strap to the forearm would also work well.
Yeah, I know that is the way by RAW and how D&Desque games have done bucklers the way they are for years and years, but it is weird. Bucklers are held in your fist. They are glorified and ergonomic pot lids you can parry and punch with.Not bucklers. They can explicitly be used as long as the hand is free, or even if that hand is holding a Light non-weapon.I'd think you'd still have to interact to hold it, you just don't have to go get it and it can't be removed from your person.
All shields need to be held to control it otherwise they just flop around on your arm and get in the way. Even bucklers, which aren't just fancy forearm guards, they are held in the hand.
Yeah that has always been a niggle for me, that and horses being dramatically faster for travel over distance.
They are dramatically better for reserving stamina irl, but unless you are swapping horses you aren't galloping them long distances without pause, their hearts and bodies aren't made for that sort of stress what with a rider, saddle and gear strapped to them. (One thing 5e does well. Long distance travel on horse lol)