Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Swapping gear in combat should cost an action

I can understand that, but only if there are enough resources to manage. At the moment, one combat action and one other action per turn is a little... frugal. Especially with the very high chance to miss and even if you do hit to find you rolled "used strong language" instead of actually causing damage. I know some of it comes down to both tactics and experience with D&D, and I have none of either.


It's very handy for selling stuff when on a looting spree: park one character next to a vendor and have the others covet steal all the precious things.

Must remember to use the phrase "spam the shit out of" more often.

Yeah, lets make this take even longer...

Bonus action for swapping the currently equipped melee and ranged weapons. Equipping something else in either slot should be a full action point. Yes, action points are few and precious, but weapon swapping shouldn't be a routine thing, especially equipping new weapons. Putting on a new set of armor is flat out ridiculous.

In common with something else I recently replied to, how about making it a player choice? I suppose I don't really see it as being any different to any other element of RP: if you think it should come at a cost, then apply that cost; if you don't, then don't. It's slightly awkward as there is this temptation to "compromise" an otherwise arguably purist play-through when it gets tough, but my feeling is that this should be at the player's discretion rather than the game's unwavering imposition of particular rules. But as ever, where does one draw the line? There's a very wide area between total anarchy and extreme pedantry.

+1

As far as managing the actual inventory doesn't matter either way for me. However I do want to be able to swap between my equiped weapon sets without any kind of penalty.

the swap to shield at end of turn seems like a problem though

Anything that makes combat take longer is not good.

I agree that equipping shield at the end of a turn is a bit cheesy. So maybe only allow armor and potion swapping at the start of each turn, and then lock it until the next turn. Weapon swaps shouldn't take an action unless you want combat to be even more of a grind than it already is.

+1

Agree that you should be able to freely swap between your equipped melee and ranged weapons before you make an attack, but are locked after the fact! As the game plays rn, no matter what weapon I attack with, I always swap to melee weapons before ending my turn so I can take opportunity attacks. Which is silly.

It should cost an action to equip a new weapon/shield/maybe jewelry. You'll be forced to weigh your decisions: "Do I spend an action to draw a bludgeoning weapon that will do more damage against this enemy, or do I keep equipped the piercing weapon the enemy is resistant to and instead use my action to attack/throw a grenade/something else this turn?" 5e RAW you can draw a new weapon as a free action if you drop your equipped weapon, but I think that's too complex/unintuitive for a video game. Plus, that adds more stuff to pick up after a combat ends which this game definitely does not need.

You should not be able to swap your armor/helmet/boots during combat. Really, right in front of enemies who are attacking you, you're going to take off your helmet? Really?

5e rules do not require an Action to change weapon, BUT you need an Action to remove a shield and you of course cannot change armor.

That said, you cannot switch weapons 10 times in a turn either. It is called an "Interaction" in 5e (similar to the Free Action in other editions).

I see no reason to make BG3 more restrictive than the core rules.

Sure, I can pull out my spear and do a Rush, but that is once per Short Rest, and therefore once per combat by definition. Not a big deal.

You get 1 free action a turn. It costs a free action to draw or sheathe a weapon. Given the fact that players, if making the choice that they need a new weapon, would drop their old one on the ground and use a free action to unsheathe the new weapon I usually just say its a free action to change out a weapon, but it is once a turn. It is the effect of the economy on that and enemies arent going to go scrabbling for a shortsword so lets make all of our lives easier.

You are right, to equip or unequip a shield is a full action.

What they havent addressed is clerics who shield and mace it. You cannot, without the War Caster feat, cast a spell if both hands are occupied. Holding a weapon and a shield means you cant cast. So you sheathe your weapon to cast. You cannot unsheathe it now as you used your 1 free action. If someone left your threat range and you were to make an AOO it would be with your fist. That is ultimately the effect of that economy. War Caster is nice for clerics that fight - the ones in the back mainly benefit from the concentration advantage.

If a sword and board wanted to go to 2h glaive id say that is going to be their action and free action, they have bonus and movement left. Otherwise, its never been an issue with the 5e mechanics to do mid battle weapon adjustment.

+1 to this, beat me too it.

Trust in the rules of 5e, please. Weapon swap once a turn? Sure. Swap a shield? Put on or take off your shield, that takes your Action.

+1

One more problem that could be solved by not tampering with 5e.