Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Questions about fencing and two-weapons skills

phiwum · 09-07-2020, 07:54 AM

Thanks for the confirmation, Jimmy.

In looking carefully at these rules, I discovered I was making an error with my starting stats PC using a main-gauche. His stats are ST 9, DX 12, IQ 11, the bare minimums for a fencer. But a main-gauche has a DX -1 modifier, so he can use two rapiers, but not a rapier and main-gauche! A bit odd.

The two-weapons skill has an additional comment that makes me wonder. The text reads:

Any character can
fight with two weapons at once – if one of the weapons
is a dagger, main-gauche, or spike shield, or if some
combination like net-and-trident or two cesti is being used.

Now, as far as I know, the only attack with a spike shield is shield rush. If we take this text literally, it seems to say that any character with a spike shield can attack with his primary weapon AND shield rush with adjDX -4 on the same turn. (Curiously, it does not seem that one can do this with a regular shield.)

This seems implausible, but it's what the text implies.

Another issue that seems to follow from this is that a character with two weapons and a spike shield (which is, after all, a weapon) can avoid two extra hits by "parrying" with the spike shield each turn. Again, on a literal reading, he couldn't do this with a regular shield.

Here's what seems sensible to me:

A shield rush can't be a second attack. You can't hit with one weapon at the same time you're rushing forward to knock someone down.
Maybe (maybe!) a two-weapon skilled character could get an additional hit-stopping benefit when using a shield, but it wouldn't depend on what kind of shield.

09-07-2020, 07:54 AM	#3
phiwum Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Boston area	Re: Questions about fencing and two-weapons skills Thanks for the confirmation, Jimmy. In looking carefully at these rules, I discovered I was making an error with my starting stats PC using a main-gauche. His stats are ST 9, DX 12, IQ 11, the bare minimums for a fencer. But a main-gauche has a DX -1 modifier, so he can use two rapiers, but not a rapier and main-gauche! A bit odd. The two-weapons skill has an additional comment that makes me wonder. The text reads: Any character can fight with two weapons at once – if one of the weapons is a dagger, main-gauche, or spike shield, or if some combination like net-and-trident or two cesti is being used. Now, as far as I know, the only attack with a spike shield is shield rush. If we take this text literally, it seems to say that any character with a spike shield can attack with his primary weapon AND shield rush with adjDX -4 on the same turn. (Curiously, it does not seem that one can do this with a regular shield.) This seems implausible, but it's what the text implies. Another issue that seems to follow from this is that a character with two weapons and a spike shield (which is, after all, a weapon) can avoid two extra hits by "parrying" with the spike shield each turn. Again, on a literal reading, he couldn't do this with a regular shield. Here's what seems sensible to me: A shield rush can't be a second attack. You can't hit with one weapon at the same time you're rushing forward to knock someone down. Maybe (maybe!) a two-weapon skilled character could get an additional hit-stopping benefit when using a shield, but it wouldn't depend on what kind of shield.