RebornTheFallen
Mongoose
We had a bit of a "discussion" in my roleplay group last night about Handshields. I've had them for a long time, but this is the first time I had to use them, and I knew someone was going to raise an objection. One of our group referred to them as "Game Breaking" because they apply a -5 DM to the attack roll, which is huge. I believe that yes, they are powerful, but you could limit that by applying a cap to the number of times you could block with them each round (DEX mod, for instance?), and/or requiring a roll (Athletics/dex?) to "catch" the incoming attack and deflect it. And the GM seemed a little confused on the whole Parrying vs. blocking thing, negative DM vs. extra AC.
The way I read it in the CSC is that if the item is listed as a shield in the far right column, it gives extra AC if you catch the attack on the shield. If it's listed as a parrying weapon, it applies a negative DM to the attack. I do believe there should be a roll involved, because this item is much smaller than a shield, and it would take some skill to use it against a fast blade, but other members of the party seemed to think that a roll indicates a significant action, which defending, whether blocking or parrying, is not.
I guess I'm just looking for some clarification. These are supposed to be an awesome item that prevents you from being hit, rather than absorbing damage for you, and is very, very good at it's job. So, here's the starting pistol, folks. Discuss away!
The way I read it in the CSC is that if the item is listed as a shield in the far right column, it gives extra AC if you catch the attack on the shield. If it's listed as a parrying weapon, it applies a negative DM to the attack. I do believe there should be a roll involved, because this item is much smaller than a shield, and it would take some skill to use it against a fast blade, but other members of the party seemed to think that a roll indicates a significant action, which defending, whether blocking or parrying, is not.
I guess I'm just looking for some clarification. These are supposed to be an awesome item that prevents you from being hit, rather than absorbing damage for you, and is very, very good at it's job. So, here's the starting pistol, folks. Discuss away!