Can you cast spells with a buckler? If so, is there any change to CTN or other aspects?

If you can't, is there a Talent to allow this?

If not, how do people with weapons and shields cast spells that aren't Psionic?

John

No (all shields are held items; no free hand in this ruleset).

No talent to bypass (no "still spell" equivelent, yet).

They either don't carry a shield, or they don't carry a weapon.

This seems like a fairly major problem. I know of several 'sword and board' templar type characters that have some limited spell casting ability. To categorically say that you are unable to cast any spells when you have a sword and shield in hand seems very limiting. Doesn't affect me personally, but I'm sure there are a number of characters out there in this situation.

There is currently a talent which allows you to cast with a 2H weapon equipped, perhaps a similar talent is needed for sword and shield types?

I'm pretty sure I've seen weapon/shield users cast spells in combat, particularly healing and other spells. Perhaps they are inherently putting weapons away and redrawing them, I'm not sure. I just figured a buckler might be small enough since it's only usable against 1 target.

John

It's pretty clear in the rules, IIRC, as I carry a sword and shield with my character, but only have one in hand in combat, usually the broadsword, being Hurrian's favored weapon. Anyone casting with both in hands is doing it wrong, saved psionic casters...

Okay cool.

Hmm.
Could be a problem here.
Not with this clarification, but with that locally I see a lot of very similar circumstances involving two-handed weapons and the hand-free rule just being ....ignored for being too big a micro-management pain to bother with. It's not helped that a couple of deities have two-handed favored weapons: off the top of my head I recall Neroth, Belisarda, The Fire Dragon, Nier, and Yarris. Kind of awkward for those warrior-priests who like to do right by emulating their patrons.
Is there a rune or a quality that can allow a weapon or shield to double as a basic holy icon?

Eisener is Sword and Board HC of Nier ... uses a bastard sword. I spend a 2 tick action to dump his shield if I have to cast in combat.

I was looking for new ways to boost Kelb's Avoidance He's a caster so has to keep one hand free.

So it's a minimum of 3 ticks to stow the shield and 2 ticks to ready it again? With tier 2 QuickDraw it would be +1 tick to stow, cast and +1 tick to ready again? Not too bad.

John