The Book of War, Rule 3.1.5 wrote: An empty hand is a legal target area. A hand on a weapon is considered part of that weapon.
Now, the first part was obvious enough, but I was thrown off by the wording of section two. From how I was taught back in newbiedom up until now, I had understood that the hand rule could be applied to shields as well, since they were battle-intensive equipment. However, as this rule is worded, it seems that only weapons are counted. How should this be interpreted? If a guy manages to wrap your shield with a flail or sword with enough torque to miss you but still get a cheap shot on your knuckles, are you expected to take that hit? It seems like shields should be logistically included, but I'm curious as to a more "official consensus."