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My little kobold swashbuckler just made level 3 and am considering gear upgrades. Then i read somewhere that Bucklers can't be used to shield block- so the question becomes, what i can my little guy do with his buckler. I could turn it into a Throwing buckler for lulz, but can it be upgraded to be more? Shield Spikes don't really feel his style, though he's not beyond using a Dragon's Crest.
in the vein of gear, what else could my kobold use? he's a braggart, and likes to boast about his draconic heritage.
Thanks much.
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Shield Block works with Bucklers. It is just that Swashbucklers don't get that ability by default. They can still take it as a feat.
Bucklers can be very effective for a more defensive minded Swashbuckler but you do need to take the relevant swashbuckler feats for it to be really effective.
Elegant Buckler changes the circumstance bonus for the buckler to +2 rather than the default +1 when you raise it; bringing the AC bonus in line with steel shields. It also lets you regenerate panache if your opponent critically misses.
At 10th level you can get the Buckler Dance feat so you can spend one action to put yourself into a stance where you continuously have a buckler raised without needing to spend actions each round.
Shield Block can be taken whenever you get a general feat which allows you to use the shield block reaction (This does use up a reaction each round so you will loose some potential damage as you will not be able to make Opportune Ripostes).
The basic buckler can take a lot less damage than a steel shield making it very easy to break in comparison. However, this can be overcome and a buckler can be made so it is just as effective at taking blows as a steel shield (although it is more expensive to do). This works because the limit on the damage that a shield can take ends up being the maximum hardness, and maximum hit points from the reinforcing rune. You can therefore use a rare material to make your buckler alongside the reinforcing rune and you can reach those same limits as any other shield with a reinforcing rune.
"Bucklers can't shield block" is a premaster issue, where the Sturdy Shield was a specific item that could only be a regular shield. You can put a Reinforcing Rune on your buckler and shield block with it just fine, assuming you spend a general feat to get Shield Block.
"Bucklers can't shield block" is a premaster issue, where the Sturdy Shield was a specific item that could only be a regular shield. You can put a Reinforcing Rune on your buckler and shield block with it just fine, assuming you spend a general feat to get Shield Block.
I came here to say similar.
It has always been rules legal to Shield Block with a Buckler.
It was recommended against because bucklers had low hardness and HP. It was also recommended against to use Shield Block with special shields like a Staff-Storing Shield for the same reason. At mid or high level play, enemies would one-shot your Buckler. You would get better use out of keeping the Buckler intact by not using Shield Block and instead relying on the bonus to AC only.
That changed with the introduction of Shield Runes. Keep up to date on the runes for your Buckler and you can absolutely use Shield Block with it.