[3.5] Rules for Fighting with Shield in Main Hand?

[HaikenEdge]

Are there any rules for fighting with a shield in the main hand? Most of the rules I've read regarding fighting with a shield revolves around the shield being in the off-hand.

Also, are there any rules about spending your turn bashing enemies with the shield in the main hand, before flipping it over to the off hand after the last attack?

[Yuki Akuma]

No one at WotC ever assumed you'd be using a shield in your main hand, but honestly, just roll an attack roll with the shield as your weapon. That's all the rules you need.

I don't think you can use the same weapon in your main hand and then your off-hand in the same attack routine.

[holywhippet]

If you've only got one item in your hands, you effectively don't have an off hand though.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A shield must simply be held for you to gain its benefit to your AC. If you're shield bashing with it you'll need Improved Shield Bash (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#improvedShieldBash) to still get its AC benefit in the same turn, regardless of what hand you hold it in or whether you switch it to your other hand.

In 3.5, it doesn't matter what hand you ever hold anything in. When attacking with only a single weapon, that weapon is always considered to be in your 'main hand' for purposes of game mechanics. This includes weapons that aren't even held, such as armor spikes. For purposes of game mechanics, every limb can always benefit from being a creature's dominant hand.

Furthermore, if you're not using two-weapon fighting to gain additional attacks, then nothing is considered an offhand attack for you, all attacks you make are main hand attacks. You can full attack with a two-handed reach weapon, then use armor spikes to make an attack of opportunity against an adjacent opponent, and none of it is considered an offhand attack. You can hold a sword in one hand and a light crossbow in another, make a full attack striking once with the sword and firing the crossbow at a -5 for your iterative attack, and neither is considered an offhand attack. Offhand only exists when you gain additional attacks from fighting with two or more weapons.

[HaikenEdge]

I'm curious because I have a player who is looking to play a character similar to a halfling Captain America, which is why I'm asking, seeing that Cap seems to use his shield in his main hand, throw it around, then uses it to block attacks.

Or is Cap closer to an Agile Shield Fighter?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I'm curious because I have a player who is looking to play a character similar to a halfling Captain America, which is why I'm asking, seeing that Cap seems to use his shield in his main hand, throw it around, then uses it to block attacks.

Or is Cap closer to an Agile Shield Fighter?

Unless he's using two-weapon fighting to gain additional attacks, every hand is a main hand.

Captain America definitely uses a lot of unarmed strikes, but that's mostly when he doesn't have his shield or when he's using it to block/distract his opponent.

I'd just give him Improved Shield Bash, use it two-handed, and make him a Warblade/Bloodstorm Blade to be able to throw it so that it instantly ricochets back to him. He can wear armor with gauntlets and not even need improved unarmed strike.

[Gavinfoxx]

You know that two handed shields are historic, right? ;) Just two hand the thing!

[HaikenEdge]

I'm mainly looking for a way to get the shield bonus back after a Shield Sling; the build will contain enough Bloodstorm Blade to get Lightning Ricochet, so the shield will be coming back after it's been thrown, and the main thing is how to get the shield bonus back afterwards.

[MeeposFire]

You can actually do a lot worse than using a shield as your main weapon. Consider the heavy spiked shield used two handed with the bashing enchantment on the shield side. Base damage is actually decent and there are some decent shield based feats to use.

[Coidzor]

Ooo, I'd swear there's actually a couple of old shield-fighting char op builds, one of which was basically built around replicating Captain America... Can't remember the names for the life of me though.