[pathfinder] Is it possible to cast with a light shield?

[Mikalo]

I have seen a lot of threads talking about this, in one of which even James Jacobs said that it's actually possible to cast with a light shield moving the weapon on the other hand with a free action. My problem is that I'm going to play pathfinder society and I want to be 100% sure about what I'm going to do, so che master can't screw my build.
What I want to do is:
Free action (move the weapon to the shield hand) > cast a spell or lay on hands > move the weapon back
I don't want to "wield" the weapon, it is actually against the rules, I want to carry it as an object (making it impossible to use with the spell)

This is the thread anyway: http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2kg80?Lay-on-Hands-with-a-light-shield

[Necroticplague]

Not sure about the action cost to swap hands, but the core principle of "put weapon in shield hand, cast, put back" is sound. You can't wield a weapon in the shield hand, but you can certainly carry it in one hand. Note that, regardless of whether your hands are full, a light shield still imparts ASF for arcane spellcasters. Note that spells without somatic components (including all Stilled spells) are entirely unaffected by what's in your hands.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

In Armor Master's Handbook, there's a feat called Shielded Mage which eliminates the ASF for non-tower shields, and lets you use the hand they're strapped to to do somatic components. Might be relevant.

[Mikalo]

I'm not casting arcane spells anyway, so no problem

[Big Fau]

Consider picking up a Third Arm (MIC). If you UMD it you can just pass your weapon to it as a free action.

[Mikalo]

The magic item compendium is 3.5 and I don't get why would I need a third arm when the light shield says I can carry an object, weapons if not used are objects

[GreyBlack]

So. I'm not sure if you've ever used a shield (I've actually trained with sword fighting, mostly Eastern fighting styles but some Western), but it's nigh-impossible to hold a shield and sword in one hand unless the shield is specially designed. In order to hold the shield steady, you really need to grip the inside strap with your hand, otherwise the shield will have little to no balance or protective ability. The shield will flop all over the place, throw you off balance, and make it impossible to defend yourself.

That is, unless you have a specially designed shield which straps directly to your arm and which is immovable. These were usually designed to protect forearms and which we think of as bucklers. So, yes, you can hold a weapon in your buckler hand and cast a spell. But you could also just cast the spell using the buckler hand instead.

[Mikalo]

Read the description of the light shield in pathfinder please. Rules are different from real life

[D.M.Hentchel]

So I know in 3.5 light shields don't prevent somatic components. And in pathfinder the wording looks the same; it specifically states you cannot use a weapon and you can hold items, but remains silent on spell casting, natural attacks, and touch spells. Compare to the heavy shield which prevents from using your hand for anything. The two camps being: You can use a light for anything except weilding a weapon (including holding an item). Or you can only use a light sheild to hold objects (including weilding a weapon).

[Psyren]

No, baseline you cannot do this. Unlike a buckler, shields that are light or greater are both strapped to your forearm and "gripped with your hand" (CRB 152.) Your hand is therefore not considered free while using them. You therefore need extra hands/appendages, a feat that lets you cast with a shield in your hand, or a method of casting that doesn't care about your hands (still spells, psychic spells, verbal-only etc.)

[Mikalo]

I don't want to cast from the shield hand in fact, I want to hold the weapon in it threating it as an object and not actually wielding it

[Psyren]

I don't want to cast from the shield hand in fact, I want to hold the weapon in it threating it as an object and not actually wielding it

You're specifically holding the shield in that hand, so you can't also hold the weapon there too - it's one object per hand. A buckler does not occupy your hand so it can do this, but not a light or heavy shield as written.

[stack]

Description of a light shield from the PFSRD: "You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A light shield's weight lets you carry other items in that hand, although you cannot use weapons with it."

The OP wants to hold, not wield, a weapon in the shield hand while casting with the other hand. Changing hands is a free action. You are allowed to hold objects in the hand wielding a light shield. The fact that it is a weapon is irrelevant because you are not wielding it while in the hand with the light shield, merely holding it. I believe this is completely sound and have done so on a cleric I played once.

[Psyren]

You're correct, you're allowed to hold but not use a weapon there. I retract my previous statement.

In PFS, they may strictly limit your number of free actions per round however so be sure you do everything you need to do with that free hand before occupying it again.

[CharonsHelper]

If you want to avoid any potential issues, you could just have a buckler instead. They're essentially the same thing except that you can't bash with a buckler but can do more with the buckler hand.

But I've seen people do the light shield combo before and it's never been an issue. There is a specific FAQ which allows casting while carrying a two-handed weapon, taking your hand off to cast. This seems very similar.

[squiggit]

No, baseline you cannot do this. Unlike a buckler, shields that are light or greater are both strapped to your forearm and "gripped with your hand" (CRB 152.) Your hand is therefore not considered free while using them. You therefore need extra hands/appendages, a feat that lets you cast with a shield in your hand, or a method of casting that doesn't care about your hands (still spells, psychic spells, verbal-only etc.)

This is emphatically not true. You can definitely cast with a light shield in Pathfinder, that's why clerics use them instead of heavy shields.

I mean the OP outright links to James Jacobs saying that's not true and the text of the light shield itself says you just can't use that hand to hold a weapon.

[Psyren]

This is emphatically not true. You can definitely cast with a light shield in Pathfinder, that's why clerics use them instead of heavy shields.

I mean the OP outright links to James Jacobs saying that's not true and the text of the light shield itself says you just can't use that hand to hold a weapon.

I'm guessing you stopped there and slammed the quote button rather than kept going a couple more posts to where I agreed with the correction :smalltongue:

[squiggit]

I'm guessing you stopped there and slammed the quote button rather than kept going a couple more posts to where I agreed with the correction :smalltongue:

No I read that, but that's talking about switching your weapon to the shield hand, casting a spell with the now free hand and then switching the weapon back.

I'm arguing that you can outright cast spells with your light shield arm without running into the awkwardness of hand switching (which is also what JJ is saying in the OP's quote).

[Psyren]

No I read that, but that's talking about switching your weapon to the shield hand, casting a spell with the now free hand and then switching the weapon back.

I'm arguing that you can outright cast spells with your light shield arm without running into the awkwardness of hand switching (which is also what JJ is saying in the OP's quote).

Nah, I disagree with that - given that even a buckler can get in your way when casting (requiring Unhindering Shield to mitigate), a light shield should be even more restrictive. In practice it's ultimately not a big deal thanks to the hand-switching trick - which JJ himself notably acknowledges as being the root of his belief that you might as well treat the hand as empty on that very same page. But I like the PDT ruling that such "handsy" free actions can be restricted by the GM to keep them in check.

[squiggit]

Nah, I disagree with that - given that even a buckler can get in your way when casting (requiring Unhindering Shield to mitigate)
Unhindered shield doesn't do anything for casting though, as far as I can tell.

[NamelessNPC]

If you are casting divine spells, be careful with spells that need a divine focus and have somatic components, because I don' think you can do both with only one hand

[stack]

If you are casting divine spells, be careful with spells that need a divine focus and have somatic components, because I don' think you can do both with only one hand

I like nailing a cheap wooden holy symbol to the shield. You are presenting it very clearly that way.