Buffing one-handed weapons [3.5]

[SilverLeaf167]

As most people, I know that wielding an one-handed weapon and a shield is pretty much always vastly inferior to either a two-handed weapon or dual-wielding. Since the mental picture of knights, fencers and other "Einhander" characters is so prominent, and so is the concept of shields, I really would like to find a fix for this problem.

Though many people complain about it, I've never seen a real fix, just some random ideas. I think a lot of these ideas have potential, at least if put together. A couple examples I've seen include

giving one-handed weapons a 2:1 Power Attack ratio (in the main hand)
increasing the AC bonus on shields (would, say, a doubling be totally crazy?) and/or giving them some other benefits (I think applying against Touch attacks, at least partially, wouldn't be unreasonable). Mundane AC tends to become pretty ridiculously low later anyway
What do you think? Would these two ideas be totally ridiculous? Would they do anything to close the gap between 2h and 1h? What other ideas do you have?

I think we all know melee tends to pale in comparison next to magic, we don't need to discuss that here. I'm just trying to fix the gap between two sorts of melee since, well, people want to play melee anyway.

[Ravens_cry]

If you really want to encourage Shield use, I would give them something unique instead of a flat AC boost. While helpful, it's still only really good at low levels. Instead, perhaps they give a miss chance instead? Not much, but enough that feels like it makes a difference.

[hymer]

@ OP: Laudable.

Just throwing out more random suggestions:
1: Let shields give their AC bonuses (sans enhancement) to reflex saves.
2: Make a cheap 'evasion' enhancement for shield, cheaper than a ring of evasion.
3: Give shield users SR equal to their BAB + shield enhancement bonus. This SR only affects effects that the shield user wants it to affect.
4: Add to Shield Specialization (the feat) an ability to use a Deflect Arrows (as that feat) effect against all ranged attacks with a to-hit roll.

Edit: And of course, disallow animated shield.

[SilverLeaf167]

@ OP: Laudable.

Just throwing out more random suggestions:
1: Let shields give their AC bonuses (sans enhancement) to reflex saves.
2: Make a cheap 'evasion' enhancement for shield, cheaper than a ring of evasion.
3: Give shield users SR equal to their BAB + shield enhancement bonus. This SR only affects effects that the shield user wants it to affect.
4: Add to Shield Specialization (the feat) an ability to use a Deflect Arrows (as that feat) effect against all ranged attacks with a to-hit roll.

Edit: And of course, disallow animated shield.
These sound great. Definitely doing at least the animated shield ban, since it's pretty simple to just disallow if anyone ever wants to take it.

Right now I'm thinking of these changes to shields:

Increase the AC bonus on all shields by +2
Modify Shield Specialization to give Deflect Arrows and the shield's base AC bonus to Reflex saves (while wearing the selected kind of shield)
Add a new feat, with Shield Specialization as a prerequisite, that gives you Evasion (while wearing the selected kind of shield)

The Shield Specialization feat might even be modified to remove the increased AC bonus, since I think the new benefits are pretty nice (maybe the Reflex bonus should only be half the shield's AC bonus? Fighters etc. tend to have pretty low Ref saves though).

[Skrag Fellhand]

If you take the proposed "shield specialization" you could recieve 15 to 20% chance to block an incoming attack. This is a shields intended purpose anyway..and one trained in its use properly would be able to block with it at least once or twice a day otherwise its just pretty much encumberance...The tower shield provides cover why cant a basic shield serve its basic purpose..if this is covered in the books some where please let me know as i have not seen it.

[roguemetal]

Well the shield issue has been discussed, how about the one-handed issue? Single-handed fighting was a staple of combat once upon a time when making a mold-made sword or axe was cheaper and easier to come by than making a shield which requires more time and craftsmanship by banding objects together, and so should be an effective style of combat even without a shield.

When I think of einhander combat I think of the ability to support one's blade as needed with one's off hand, and also the stance of the einhander. Two handed combat meant supporting your weapon close to the chest, drawing more power, but making yourself a larger target. (Less true of pole-arms, but ignore that for now.)

Some suggestions for one-handed with/without shield use.
1:Lunge. When making an attack at your full reach you take no penalty.
2:Defensive bonus. When fighting defensively your bonus to AC is a deflection bonus that stacks with other deflection bonuses.
3:Precision. With concentration on a single one-handed weapon you have more control. Choice to apply 1-1/2 Dex to damage instead of Str, but as precision damage. Not for use with Lunge.

Also: Einhander Feat... I dunno about that.



@ OP: Laudable.

Just throwing out more random suggestions:
1: Let shields give their AC bonuses (sans enhancement) to reflex saves.
2: Make a cheap 'evasion' enhancement for shield, cheaper than a ring of evasion.
3: Give shield users SR equal to their BAB + shield enhancement bonus. This SR only affects effects that the shield user wants it to affect.
4: Add to Shield Specialization (the feat) an ability to use a Deflect Arrows (as that feat) effect against all ranged attacks with a to-hit roll.

Edit: And of course, disallow animated shield.

Yes to all of these. I love every one of them.

[Snowbluff]

Remove Animated Shields.

Use more ToB and Duskblade.

One handed weapons fixed forever.

[EtherianBlade]

I have always loved single-weapon fighters, to the point where I would still play one now without any additional special rules. But now that I am making my own rules errata, I have been considering the following feat additions and special rules to make single-weapon fighters as viable as TWF or two-handed fighters.

Feats

Single-Weapon Specialist: The character gains a +1 attack bonus with single-handed weapons and a +1 deflection bonus to Defense. Improved Single-Weapon Specialist and Greater Single-Weapon Specialist grant the same bonuses, which stack.

Single-Weapon Precision: This grants a progressive damage bonus (+1 every few levels) as long as the character wields a one-handed weapon with nothing in their off hand.

Special Rules

Bonuses to disarm and trip attacks with single-handed weapons, to simulate the idea that a fighter using only one weapon has a better center of balance.

Similar bonuses to resist grapples, since they have a free hand to contest with their attacker.

Ability to use a potion as a swift action, provided they indicate they are holding it in their off hand. This would enable a fighter to have an instant heal at the ready.

These are just a few ideas I'm toying around with.

[Tvtyrant]

I would make it so that the weapon bonuses put on a shield act retributively when the shield wielder is struck. 6d6 energy damage isn't much, but applied across a couple attacks and it makes attacking you less than wonderful.

[ericgrau]

As most people, I know that wielding an one-handed weapon and a shield is pretty much always vastly inferior to either a two-handed weapon or dual-wielding. Since the mental picture of knights, fencers and other "Einhander" characters is so prominent, and so is the concept of shields, I really would like to find a fix for this problem.

Though many people complain about it, I've never seen a real fix, just some random ideas. I think a lot of these ideas have potential, at least if put together. A couple examples I've seen include

giving one-handed weapons a 2:1 Power Attack ratio (in the main hand)
increasing the AC bonus on shields (would, say, a doubling be totally crazy?) and/or giving them some other benefits (I think applying against Touch attacks, at least partially, wouldn't be unreasonable). Mundane AC tends to become pretty ridiculously low later anyway
What do you think? Would these two ideas be totally ridiculous? Would they do anything to close the gap between 2h and 1h? What other ideas do you have?

I think we all know melee tends to pale in comparison next to magic, we don't need to discuss that here. I'm just trying to fix the gap between two sorts of melee since, well, people want to play melee anyway.

In core it isn't a bad idea to wield a shield. Outside core shocktrooper mucks things up. The 2:1 power attack idea is a good solution to resolve this, or perhaps 1.5:1 if you also do what's below. Giving at least a partial bonus in the off-hand would be nice for TWFers, but you need to be careful to slightly under-do it. TWF needs to be slightly behind in damage so that it can be slightly ahead with tricks.

The next problem is that shocktrooper dumps your AC into the toilet making a shield pretty much useless. Swap the AC for a miss chance and you're good to go. At least 5% per point of AC, but 10% is probably better. In core it tends to be worth the same as a 10% chance (for example, getting hit 9 out of 20 times instead of 10 out of 20 times). Might as well do the same for the two weapon defense feat.

Or I'd prefer to play without shocktrooper and similar tricks (wraithstrike, etc.) because they also negate 100 other fun builds. Options like this actually reduce player options when you allow them rather than increase options, because they make so many others obsolete. Even if you're an easy going DM, or especially if you're an easy going DM IMO, it's a good idea to ban such things. There aren't many of them. But whatever. However you want to even things out is good. Just seems like more work this way.

[Slipperychicken]

Maybe it would be worth it if a character using a shield may apply the Class Defense Bonus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/defenseBonus.htm) number to his AC as though it were a Shield Bonus (replacing the shield's bonus at lower levels, perhaps stacking with the shield when the character has enough BAB, to keep the AC boost relevant). That's a lot of protection, possibly balancing out the two-handed damage bonuses.


You could try the Armor as DR variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/armorAsDamageReduction.htm) to shields as well as armor, to encourage people's defenses.