Crafting a Mermaid Shield?


Rules Questions


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Hi, guys. I'm not sure if this should be in the rules or the advice section.

I've used the Beginner Box to transition my kids from B/X D&D to Pathfinder. Since 3.x is my favorite version of the D&D rules, I was really excited, but my daughter loves her old B/X character and didn't want to convert her, so I wanted to give them something "special" to give her an attachment to her new character.

I ran Masters of the Fallen Fortress and there's a mundane shield in that module with a dolphin on it. My daughter loves dolphins and grabbed it. Anyway, to make a long story short, she also loves mermaids, so I decided to make it a specific shield that, once per day, can turn her into a mermaid, and then back again.

There's no duration on the item. In fact, were she to turn into a mermaid and then lose the shield, she would remain a mermaid forever. She gains the mermaid swim speed, land speed, and the ability to breathe under water.

Otherwise, it's just a +1 light wooden shield. And now the characters are getting to a level where I'm realizing I kind of need to know what the specifics of the shield are (caster level, cost, equivelant enhancement bonus) in case she wants to add additional enhancement bonuses to it.

Problem is, I don't really understand the crafting rules when it comes to specific items. Might someone be willing to build this for me? Thanks in advance.


You don't need to build it if you are the DM, just make it up. Building it is more for a character who is concerned about price. Just make it a +1 light wooden shield with the other magical property. If she wants to enhance it, these magical properties shouldn't matter, just the cost of going from +1 to +2 or whatever.

Really cool item, by the way. Sounds great!


2 people marked this as a favorite.
SgtHulka wrote:

Hi, guys. I'm not sure if this should be in the rules or the advice section.

I've used the Beginner Box to transition my kids from B/X D&D to Pathfinder. Since 3.x is my favorite version of the D&D rules, I was really excited, but my daughter loves her old B/X character and didn't want to convert her, so I wanted to give them something "special" to give her an attachment to her new character.

I ran Masters of the Fallen Fortress and there's a mundane shield in that module with a dolphin on it. My daughter loves dolphins and grabbed it. Anyway, to make a long story short, she also loves mermaids, so I decided to make it a specific shield that, once per day, can turn her into a mermaid, and then back again.

There's no duration on the item. In fact, were she to turn into a mermaid and then lose the shield, she would remain a mermaid forever. She gains the mermaid swim speed, land speed, and the ability to breathe under water.

Otherwise, it's just a +1 light wooden shield. And now the characters are getting to a level where I'm realizing I kind of need to know what the specifics of the shield are (caster level, cost, equivelant enhancement bonus) in case she wants to add additional enhancement bonuses to it.

Problem is, I don't really understand the crafting rules when it comes to specific items. Might someone be willing to build this for me? Thanks in advance.

Shield of the Tiderunners

Aura faint transmutation; CL 3rd
Slot shield; Price 4,513 gp; Weight 5 lb.
========================================================================
This seemingly mundane shield made from driftwood has the depiction of a dolphin, shark, or some other sea creature on the front. In reality it is a +1 light wooden shield, and once per day upon command, can transform the wielder into a merfolk version of themselves. This transformation adjusts your statistics as follows: Your base speed becomes 5ft., you gain a 50 ft. swim speed (and a +10 racial bonus to Swim checks), you may breath underwater, you gain low-light vision, you gain a +2 natural armor bonus if your natural armor was +1 or less, the aquatic subtype, and the amphibious special quality. Your ability scores and other statistics are unchanged. You remain in this form until you command the shield to return you to your original form. Without the shield (or another like it), you can be returned to your original form by way of dispel magic (DC 14), alter self or other polymorph subschool spell, or through having the Shapechanger subtype.
========================================================================
Requirements Craft Magic Arms & Armor, alter self; Cost 2,833 gp

Notes: The item was priced as a continually active alter self spell (CL 3, Spell Level 2, 2000 gp, multiplied by 2 due to min/level duration), then given a 30% ad-hoc discount for being able to assume only one specific form (in this case merfolk), and then divided by 5 for 1 charge per day; resulting in a price of 3,360 gp for the effect. This was added directly to the price of a +1 light wooden shield and didn't receive the +50% slot modification because similar magic weapons and shields do not suffer this penalty, and it could be an enhancement on the shield as a weapon (since shields also are weapons). The price looks good to me.

Hopefully you and your daughter will find this of use. ^-^


The problem you're running into is actually a general one -- the rules actually don't give a formula for adding additional enhancements to special weapons and armor. If you want to add an extra +1 to that sunsword or light fortification to that celestial shirt, the rules actually don't tell you how much it costs.

For effects like what you're talking about, I would go with Ashiel's pricing and just allow her to add additional effects as though it were a normal +1 shield.


Thanks so much for the advice, guys, and especially Ashiel for the awesome write up!


If you wanted to further customize it, using the version Ashiel created above, give each shield an additional bonus based on the sea creature depicted on the front.

Perhaps the ability to speak with that particular type of creature (dolphins, sharks, eels, et al) and a + to diplomacy vs said creatures, etc.

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