Using Bucklers With Two-Handed Weapons

Melicamp

Ok, maybe it was a house rule (and I'm by no means advocating a change to BG) but when we played AD&D back in the day, we played that the only shield you could use while using a Two-Handed Weapon (ex. Two-Handed Sword, or Bow) was a buckler. Our reasoning was it strapped to the arm and was small enough not to impede the use of the weapon

Did anyone else do this? Or were we just crazy?

Zarakinthish

You're not crazy at all. My group also was of the opinion that bucklers could be used at the same time as a bow for instance. As it stands now, I've found bucklers to be a fairly useless item.

Nifft

There was a buckler-sized shield (called a "targe") which was a part of many suits of full armor. That bonus is already calculated in to the AC granted by that armor -- same as the AC bonus granted by helmets and gauntlets and boots.

The "bucker" seems to be more of a hand-held mini-shield, like the kind shown on the Thracian (left-most guy):

Dee

It's also worth noting that in 3e (and possibly AD&D, I don't know), wielding a weapon in the same hand as a buckler prevents you from benefiting from the buckler's shield bonus.

Nifft

Aosaw said:

It's also worth noting that in 3e (and possibly AD&D, I don't know), wielding a weapon in the same hand as a buckler prevents you from benefiting from the buckler's shield bonus.

Yup. Still super useful for an archer -- basically you ignore the buckler when you're using your two-handed bow, then if some jerk ogre charges your position, you drop your bow and pull out your one-handed melee weapon.

DetroitRedWings25

My group allows it but at a -1 attack penalty, not sure if id like it in baldurs gate.

YozZzZz

It's implemented this way in the Temple of Elemental Evil - you can use a buckler with a two-handed melee weapon, but with a penalty of -1 attack; with ranged weapon it doesn't have any penalty at all. I think such rule gives the bucklers some use, especially for archers.

ScytheKnight

@YozZzZz was definitely something from the rules I liked about ToEE, -1 to Hit is unlikely to lose you a fight, but the extra AC just might keep you alive, especially once you start finding enchanted bucklers so you start looking at a -1 to Hit for +2 or +3 to AC... good trade IMO.

YozZzZz

The game system is a great thing about ToEE, if it had so much attention given to the story and NPCS, it would have been one of the very best RPGs in my opinion.

TGWarlock

What most think of as a buckler is a targe, a diner plate sized sheild strapted to the arm. Bucklers were used in the musketter era. It was a very small sheild, about the size of a large teacup saucer, held in the hand by a handle. It was used with the reapier. You would have young men in the streets banging, or swashing their bucklers with their reapier, signaling others that they are looking for a dual. This is where the term swashbuckler came from.

Kirkor

Bucklers were only useful in vanilla BG1, where you couldn't dual wield.
So you could put a buckler in a thieves offhand.

James

YozZzZz said:

The game system is a great thing about ToEE, if it had so much attention given to the story and NPCS, it would have been one of the very best RPGs in my opinion.

If they can get the rights cheaply and agreement on expanding content don't see any reason why overhaul couldn't bring it up too scratch

Lemernis

There's an enchanted buckler in BG1/EE that's good for a Thief or Mage/Thief, for whom Single Weapon Style makes sense.