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I currently have a 4th Level Sacred Shield character with a +1 Heavy Steel Shield. Strength is 18. At 5th level, I plan on taking the Improved Shield Bash feat and enhancing the +1 Heavy Steel Shield with the Bashing property.
1) Is the cost to enhance the shield with Bashing property 3,000 gp?
2) Is the shield slam damage: 1d8+9 (+4 STR and +1 magical enhancement and +4 power attack)?
3) Can I use the shield as a two handed weapon for 1d8+13 (+6 STR and +1 magical enhancement and +6 power attack)?
2. Your shield slam damage only gets half your strength modifier I believe for being off-hand, per two-weapon fighting. You also only get half the power attack bonus, so it would be 1d8+5.
1. A character can always choose to use a shield as their primary weapon. This is sometimes seen in TWFing sword & board builds with a heavy shield and light weapon.
2. There is nothing stating the character is TWFing. He could be relying solely on his shield as both weapon and armor, or making only iterative attacks with his shield while holding a weapon.
You do not get the +1 to hit/damage. The +1 is to AC only unless you have the feat Shield Master that requires BAB +11 among other things. You must upgrade the shield separately for damage.
Also, you can two hand a heavy shield like you have. A light shield is considered a light weapon and you can't two hand light weapons.
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The character fights with a +1 Bastard Sword and carries a +1 Heavy Steel Shield for protection. I have no plans on TWFing, because I only have a 10 DEX. I will fight with the bastard sword, until I suffer heavy damage. In that case on my turn, I will drop the bastard sword as a free action, then swift action to Lay on Hands. Then full round attack with the Heavy Steel Shield as a two handed weapon.
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You do not get the +1 to hit/damage. The +1 is to AC only unless you have the feat Shield Master that requires BAB +11 among other things. You must upgrade the shield separately for damage.
Also, you can two hand a heavy shield like you have. A light shield is considered a light weapon and you can't two hand light weapons.
Is the shield considered to be a magical weapon when bashing or do I have to spend 2,000 gp to get the +1 enhancement bonus to attack/damage rolls?
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Brian, you can lay on hands without dropping your sword, perhaps mitigating the need to bash in the first place. Unless you're just doing it for flavor I guess.
Despite the name of this ability, a paladin only needs one free hand to use this ability.
Also, in reply to your comments upthread, it's actually 6k to upgrade from a 2k +1 weapon to an 8k +2 weapon. Not that it matters now. But now you know.
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Bashing is an armor special ability.Brian, you can lay on hands without dropping your sword, perhaps mitigating the need to bash in the first place. Unless you're just doing it for flavor I guess.Despite the name of this ability, a paladin only needs one free hand to use this ability.Also, in reply to your comments upthread, it's actually 6k to upgrade from a 2k +1 weapon to an 8k +2 weapon. Not that it matters now. But now you know.
It is. That's why it doesn't matter. Just making sure that someone knows that 8-2 isn't 5.
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So using the shield as a weapon, requires maintaining two separate pool costs - one for armor class and the other for offense. Does the shield need to be a masterwork weapon (i.e 300 gp) before it can be enhanced with weapon qualities? Or is the 300 gp masterwork requirement waived for it being a masterwork shield for defense (150 gp)?
So using the shield as a weapon, requires maintaining two separate pool costs - one for armor class and the other for offense.
One for armor class + shield special abilities (which includes bashing even though it's offensive) and the other for weapon bonus + weapon special abilities, yes.
Does the shield need to be a masterwork weapon (i.e 300 gp) before it can be enhanced with weapon qualities? Or is the 300 gp masterwork requirement waived for it being a masterwork shield for defense (150 gp)?
This has been hotly debated on the boards and there is no consensus. Consult your GM.
normal damage die is 1d4 so up 2 steps is 1d8 as 1d4->1d6->1d8You do not get the +1 to hit/damage. The +1 is to AC only unless you have the feat Shield Master that requires BAB +11 among other things. You must upgrade the shield separately for damage.
Also, you can two hand a heavy shield like you have. A light shield is considered a light weapon and you can't two hand light weapons.
I realized the damage after I posted. I'm use to the spiked shield damage.
3) RAW yes, but some GMs might homerule otherwise
At option to note would be getting a large sized +1 Bashing Spiked Heavy Shield with Effortless Lace to get 2d6 base damage (3d6 when enlarged) if GM allows it. This would be by default a 2-handed weapon.
Relevant FAQ says you can use it two-handed regardless, since Shields are not tied to simply being off-hand weapons (and therefore can be two-handed, since they have the same handedness rules as other weaponry).
Also, Bashing and Shield Spikes do not stack. We have two FAQs that say they won't stack.
Main FAQ with PDT post confirming the FAQ applies to the relevant discussion.
Klar FAQ which states the size increases of the Klar wouldn't stack with Bashing or Shield Spikes, making them the same effect and therefore unstackable.
So using the shield as a weapon, requires maintaining two separate pool costs - one for armor class and the other for offense. Does the shield need to be a masterwork weapon (i.e 300 gp) before it can be enhanced with weapon qualities? Or is the 300 gp masterwork requirement waived for it being a masterwork shield for defense (150 gp)?
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.
Bashing: A shield with this special ability is designed to perform a shield bash. A bashing shield deals damage as if it were a weapon of two size categories larger (a Medium light shield thus deals 1d6 points of damage and a Medium heavy shield deals 1d8 points of damage). The shield acts as a +1 weapon when used to bash. Only light and heavy shields can have this ability.
Might have been covered already but I didn't see it.
Bashing makes your shield a +1 weapon (for the purpose of attacking, not further enhancements), so you would get a +1 to attack and damage.
As I said, RAW you can two hand a shield - but many find it a logically unsound concept and don't allow it.
Captain America would disagree with that statement.
Also, if you're going to follow that argument to its logical conclusion, making the shield Large-sized would make it more of an unsound concept, because the weapon would be very awkward to use compared to something more appropriately sized for you, and that's something not even the Effortless Lace would fix.
As I said, RAW you can two hand a shield - but many find it a logically unsound concept and don't allow it.Captain America would disagree with that statement.
Also, if you're going to follow that argument to its logical conclusion, making the shield Large-sized would make it more of an unsound concept, because the weapon would be very awkward to use compared to something more appropriately sized for you, and that's something not even the Effortless Lace would fix.
I'm not arguing against it being allowed, I am simply stating the fact that there are people who don't think it's valid so it's something to run past the GM.
As for the large shield, that is just another option that could be allowed or not allowed, and as effortless lace removes all mechanical penalties, so it is arguably no different than an appropriately sized two handed weapon.
Effortless Lace calls out weapons not armour so would it remove the mechanical penalties for bashing but leave them for using it as a shield? As a shield is strapped to your arm and gripped with your hand (in Pathfinder) would you need two laces? Not that I can find any rules for using incorrectly sized armour.