So I guess I am curious how this would work. If the fighter gets two attacks, then they can attack with their shield with one arm and a weapon in the other? I figured the shield would treated as an off hand weapon with no modifiers, but there's nothing RAW to support that I guess.
So I guess I am curious how this would work. If the fighter gets two attacks, then they can attack with their shield with one arm and a weapon in the other? I figured the shield would treated as an off hand weapon with no modifiers, but there's nothing RAW to support that I guess.
There are no specific rules for using a shield as a weapon; most DMs would treat it as an Improvised Weapon and follow the normal rules for that. A character with two attacks per action can make one or both of them with an Improvised Weapon if they have one.
You would still add your Strength modifier to the attack and damage roll, but since most characters are not proficient with Improvised Weapons, you generally wouldn't add your Proficiency Bonus to the attack roll. (Characters with the Tavern Brawler feat would be the main exception to this.)
So I guess I am curious how this would work. If the fighter gets two attacks, then they can attack with their shield with one arm and a weapon in the other? I figured the shield would treated as an off hand weapon with no modifiers, but there's nothing RAW to support that I guess.
Off handed weapons do not receive their modifiers when they are being used as a Bonus Action (or Nick) attack. When you are making an second attack with your Standard Attack action (which you are describing) and you decide to use the 'off handed' weapon, you absolutely receive your modifiers.
So I guess I am curious how this would work. If the fighter gets two attacks, then they can attack with their shield with one arm and a weapon in the other? I figured the shield would treated as an off hand weapon with no modifiers, but there's nothing RAW to support that I guess.
Off handed weapons do not receive their modifiers when they are being used as a Bonus Action (or Nick) attack. When you are making an second attack with your Standard Attack action (which you are describing) and you decide to use the 'off handed' weapon, you absolutely receive your modifiers.
If you're using the "bonus action for an extra attack" rule from light weapons (or Nick), the bonus action attack has to be made with a Light weapon, which a shield is not. So in order to use the shield for an attack, I think it would have to be one of your regularly-available attacks from the Attack action... unless there's a feat or something to get around that limitation, I haven't seen one but I'm still not super familiar with the 2024 rules yet.
Edit: I just looked again, and the rules of the Dual Wielder feat allow an off-hand bonus action attack with "a Melee Weapon that lacks the Two-Handed property." Rules for improvised weapons seem to suggest that they don't qualify as "Melee Weapons" for purposes of rules that require one... but maybe there's an official ruling on that?
[...] Edit: I just looked again, and the rules of the Dual Wielder feat allow an off-hand bonus action attack with "a Melee Weapon that lacks the Two-Handed property." Rules for improvised weapons seem to suggest that they don't qualify as "Melee Weapons" for purposes of rules that require one... but maybe there's an official ruling on that?
Depending on the specific object wielded as a makeshift weapon, a DM could allow that based on the rules:
Weapon Equivalents. If an improvised weapon resembles a Simple or Martial weapon, the DM may say it functions as that weapon and uses that weapon’s rules. For example, the DM could treat a table leg as a Club.
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This from the new Sage Advice may be of interest:
If you attack with a Shield—most likely as an improvised weapon—do you keep the +2 bonus to AC?
Attacking with a Shield doesn’t deprive you of the Shield’s bonus to AC.
This was just posted like an hour ago: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/sae/sage-advice-compendium#SAC-Item2
pronouns: he/she/they
So I guess I am curious how this would work. If the fighter gets two attacks, then they can attack with their shield with one arm and a weapon in the other? I figured the shield would treated as an off hand weapon with no modifiers, but there's nothing RAW to support that I guess.
There are no specific rules for using a shield as a weapon; most DMs would treat it as an Improvised Weapon and follow the normal rules for that. A character with two attacks per action can make one or both of them with an Improvised Weapon if they have one.
You would still add your Strength modifier to the attack and damage roll, but since most characters are not proficient with Improvised Weapons, you generally wouldn't add your Proficiency Bonus to the attack roll. (Characters with the Tavern Brawler feat would be the main exception to this.)
pronouns: he/she/they
Off handed weapons do not receive their modifiers when they are being used as a Bonus Action (or Nick) attack. When you are making an second attack with your Standard Attack action (which you are describing) and you decide to use the 'off handed' weapon, you absolutely receive your modifiers.
If you're using the "bonus action for an extra attack" rule from light weapons (or Nick), the bonus action attack has to be made with a Light weapon, which a shield is not. So in order to use the shield for an attack, I think it would have to be one of your regularly-available attacks from the Attack action... unless there's a feat or something to get around that limitation, I haven't seen one but I'm still not super familiar with the 2024 rules yet.
Edit: I just looked again, and the rules of the Dual Wielder feat allow an off-hand bonus action attack with "a Melee Weapon that lacks the Two-Handed property." Rules for improvised weapons seem to suggest that they don't qualify as "Melee Weapons" for purposes of rules that require one... but maybe there's an official ruling on that?
Are you subscribed to SAC somehow? How do you know when stuff is posted?
There were a variety of announcements on the site about the new Sage Advice thing when it was posted.
To be clear, it’s not a regularly released thing you can subscribe to; it’s just a collection of rulings and errata they posted once.
pronouns: he/she/they
Depending on the specific object wielded as a makeshift weapon, a DM could allow that based on the rules: