Magic shield with a weapon enhancement bonus


Rules Questions


Do you track the enhancement bonuses as-a-shield and as-a-weapon together or separately for purposes of maximum bonus acheivable?

That is, given a shield that's, say, +5 and blinding (+6 combined), can you then also make it a +4 disruption (+6 combined) weapon? Or can both "halves" combined only reach +10?

Liberty's Edge

I don't think you can apply weapon enhancements to a shield. You can however apply them to shield spikes as a separate enchantment.

Dark Archive

see wrote:

Do you track the enhancement bonuses as-a-shield and as-a-weapon together or separately for purposes of maximum bonus acheivable?

That is, given a shield that's, say, +5 and blinding (+6 combined), can you then also make it a +4 disruption (+6 combined) weapon? Or can both "halves" combined only reach +10?

In my opinion, this statement on Masterwork items stops you from putting weapon enhancements on a shield, unless it is on shield spikes, at which time they are treated as seperate from the shield (aka you could have a +5 shield of Heavy Fortification (+10 total) with +5 shield spikes of wounding and speed (another +10 total)):

from the PRD:

Quote:


Even though some types of armor and shields can be used as weapons, you can't create a masterwork version of such an item that confers an enhancement bonus on attack rolls. Instead, masterwork armor and shields have lessened armor check penalties.


Guys, it explicitly says you can enhance a shield this way.

Page 462, third paragraph:

"A shield could be built that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC."

Dark Archive

see wrote:

Guys, it explicitly says you can enhance a shield this way.

Page 462, third paragraph:

"A shield could be built that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC."

okay, so according to the rules, you can have a shield with weapon enhancements + shield spikes with weapon enhancements?

how about this:

Spoiler:
+5
+1 spell storing
+2 disruptive
+2 flaming burst (1d6 1d10 on crit)

spikes:
+4
+2 icy burst (1d6 1d10 on crit)
+2 holy (2d6 vs evil)
+2 shocking burst (1d6 1d10 on crit)

+9 to hit 1d6+str +1d6 fire, 1d6 cold, 1d6 shocking, (2d6 vs evil), dc 14 will save or destroy undead.

on a crit - 2d6+(str*2) +1d10 fire, 1d10 cold, 1d10 shocking, (2d6 vs evil), dc 14 will save or destroy undead.

all this plus whatever spell you put on it?


Happler wrote:
okay, so according to the rules, you can have a shield with weapon enhancements + shield spikes with weapon enhancements?

No. The rules never say the spikes on a shield can be enhanced separately from the shield-as-a-weapon as a whole; that's an idea you came up with on your own. What p.153 says under Shield Spikes is "[A] spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right", Note that the item being made into a magic weapon in its own right is a "spiked shield", not "shield spikes". The text is, except for the word spiked, identical to the text for heavy and light shields on p.152 and 153.

So, we can magically enhance a shield (spiked or not) as a piece of defensive gear. And we can magically enhance a shield (spiked or not) as a weapon. The question then is, do you track the enhancement bonuses as-a-shield and as-a-weapon together or separately for purposes of maximum total bonus achievable?

Dark Archive

see wrote:
Happler wrote:
okay, so according to the rules, you can have a shield with weapon enhancements + shield spikes with weapon enhancements?

No. The rules never say the spikes on a shield can be enhanced separately from the shield-as-a-weapon as a whole; that's an idea you came up with on your own. What p.153 says under Shield Spikes is "[A] spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right", Note that the item being made into a magic weapon in its own right is a "spiked shield", not "shield spikes". The text is, except for the word spiked, identical to the text for heavy and light shields on p.152 and 153.

So, we can magically enhance a shield (spiked or not) as a piece of defensive gear. And we can magically enhance a shield (spiked or not) as a weapon. The question then is, do you track the enhancement bonuses as-a-shield and as-a-weapon together or separately for purposes of maximum total bonus achievable?

actually glad to hear that, was hoping that I missed something. :)

From what it looks like, you track the enhancements together.
From the PRD:

Quote:
A shield could be built that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC.


That only explicitly mentions costs. So does it mean that making a shield a +2 weapon is, like making it energy resistant, something that simply adds cost? Or is it something like adding fortification, that both adds cost and counts to the maximum enhancement bonus?

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16

The reason you include spikes on any shield you're going to be doing damage with is for the extra size increase to damage.

The optimal mix would be something like:

+5 Lg. Shield of Bashing and Ghost Strike, with +3 of other enhancements and as many energy resistances as you can stack on it, with +5 Defender Shadow-striking APtitude +1 (Affinity if using TOB for your favorite stance), with an Augment Gem of Missile Deflection attached for +5 AC and auto deflect first shot vs. ranged attacks.

Yes, this little gem of a shield is valued at 300,000 gp+

Dmg? Base 2-12 + .5 Str +1-5 + Any spec tree bonuses from your primary weapon. Bypasses all DR and hits incorps, +3 Th if you use stances. Note that, because of the Bashing Enhancement, even if you assign all Weapon bonuses to Defender, the shield retains +1/+1 From the Bashing Enchantment, which is actually an ARMOR modification.

An interesting idea here, if you like to frustrate enemies, is to add Arrow Attraction to the shield. With Shield Spec, this puppy adds +18 to your AC against all Ranged Attacks, and auto deflects the first shot. Nobody close to you is ever going to get hit by touched attacks, and neither are you.

To afford a shield like this, you're going to need Ancestral Relic, or Epic Levels. A Shield can be enchanted with DR 30 to all elements, but it'll cost your +330k to get it done...

===Aelryinth

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16

To the OP: I asked that specific question of Sean Reynolds a long time ago on his home page/site.

To Wit:

A Shield can have up to +10 of armor enhancements, and of course can take whatever supplemental enhancements that are just +gp on the side to the limit of your cash.

In addition to this, a Shield can be seperately enhanced as a weapon, with up to +10 of weapon enhancements accruing to it.

The one thing he didn't answer is if the hardness/hp of all the enhancements STACK. I'm inclined to allow them...anyone investing that much into a shield should have something nearly unbreakable, IMO.

==Aelryinth


Aelryinth wrote:

To Wit:

A Shield can have up to +10 of armor enhancements, and of course can take whatever supplemental enhancements that are just +gp on the side to the limit of your cash.

In addition to this, a Shield can be seperately enhanced as a weapon, with up to +10 of weapon enhancements accruing to it.

Thanks.

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