TOPIC: Did anyone use the Cestus in combat?

Gary, Dave R and I were discussing the Cestus at True Realm.  Gary and I thought that it was too powerful because there is no limit to the number of times that its -2 AC ability can stack.  <br /><br />Has anyone (player or DM) seen the Cestus (or multiple Cesti) used in combat?  Do they strip the AC of nightmare monsters down too quickly?<br /><br />I guess it isn't a problem if it isn't being abused but after our discussion, I picked one up for my son's fighter gear.<br /><br />

One party used it very successfully against the demon angel in my room - I think they hit it three times, making it much easier to hit.  However, I think they did not end up killing it anyway before the trumpets blared.<br />

I need to consult with Jeff M, but I think I am inclined to limit the usage somewhat in combat.  <br /><br />

The Paladin in our group used it successfully in both Grind and DC. I think the most damage he did was -6 to the monsters AC. He was pretty geeked when his hits allowed the rest of the party to do damage with lesser slides.

Some sort of limit, like a max stacking of -6 AC might be very reasonable. 

Or the magical effect only occurs once.<br />

I think Jeff's greatest concern was the eventual party with three of them (Paladin, Fighter, and Barbarian).  Since there is no penalty for weapon changes, and in reality they could be worn while wielding another weapon, The trio could wade in and do a maximum of -9 AC to the monster every round. <br /><br />So one thought was to limit the effect to some bottom minimum (say 10AC) the other was to limit the effect to one successful AC reduction per player per combat, so the max reduction would be -9AC if that were the strategy.  <br /><br />I guess a third would be to say the max AC point reduction is -9 total, that way any combination of hits would work, whether it was one Paladin successfully striking three times or three party members striking once.<br /><br />We shall see how the discussion goes...

Jim C was in my group for one run and used the Cestus to good effect- combats didn't go too long with a couple of exceptions, though, where the full effect of repeated armor stripping was seen.<br /><br />It definitely could be filed under the "S.W.A.T." category along with heavy nets, etc. but I don't feel it is overpowered if one person in the party is using it.

I used it in Grind, and took a couple of monsters down by -4 or -6, but by then we'd usually killed them.  With only one player using the Cestus, I'm sure that's typically how it would work out.  With three players using the Cestus, it might stack up pretty quickly.  The -9 Dave is referring to must be assuming the Cestus does -3AC, and I'm pretty sure it's only -2AC, for a max of -6 per round with three in play.  I agree that a monster's AC shouldn't be allowed to go below AC 10, but further limiting of the Cestus would devalue it, and I'm against that. <br />

Could always make it only work once and make it a Red next year - KIDDING!

Yeah, arcbat, I felt the pain of your Cestus a couple times in Grind. It was quite helpful against the nightmare level Efreeti if I recall. Without your hits and AC reduction, some of your teammates would have only been able to hit with crits.<br /><br />For the sake of my poor, working-class creatures and minions, just trying to make a simple living pillaging and marauding, I'd propose it is like the net; its effects do not stack, so a max of -2 AC.<br /><br /> =D

Another possibility would be to limit the AC reduction to once per round in addition to a minimum 10 AC threshold.  That way, it would take a minimum of 3 rounds to knock it down by 6 AC and discourage multiple players from using it simultaneously.<br /><br />