Shield Punch

​Any character equipped with a shield can choose to forego its protection and gain an extra attack known as a shield-punch. The shield-punch is treated as a normal, secondary weapon attack; the primary weapon suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls that round and the shield-punch attack is rolled with a -4 penalty. A character may use his reaction adjustment due to a high Dexterity score to offset these penalties.

Alternatively, the character can substitute his normal attack for a shield punch, with no penalties. The exact characteristics (i.e., damage and speed) of each type of shield are noted. If the character is trying a shield-punch, he must announce his intention while declaring his combat action and forfeits the defensive benefit of the shield for the round. The character moves into the square of his opponent on his base initiative, then executes the shield punch and backs out into his own square again on the following initiative phase.​

Key Points

Must be proficient with shield

Damage, from a successful shield punch, can be traded (before the die roll) for a chance at knockdown