| Falkner |
I disagree on the shield damage assertion of 8d8.
The brawler close weapon quality states "The Brawler's damage..." "When wielding a close weapon, she uses the unarmed strike damage of a brawler 4 levels lower...." "If the weapon normally deals more damage than this, its damage is unchanged."
The bashing quality and spikes both increase the base damage of the shield. Medium heavy shield goes from 1d4 -> 1d6 -> 1d8 -> 2d6 going up 3 steps. This is the weapons 'normal damage' referenced above by my reading.
So long as your unarmed damage is less than 2d6... you use the shields damage. When it goes over you use the unarmed damage instead. That's how I read those abilities stacking up.
Tossed on top of something like the vital strike chain...4x(8d8+bonuses) is a bit ludicrous.