| 1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |
3) You can choose to enchant a shield as either a weapon or armor. Since the rules are unclear (and I'd like some official ruling on it), I'd go with one of these options:
a) You can choose to enchant a shield as either a weapon or armor. Once chosen, you can't change it. Enhancements made as a weapon don't change the shield properties, and enhancements made as a shield don't help when using it as a weapon (with the obvious exceptions like Bashing).
This I think is the best solution, and maybe even the original intent. I do hope Paizo staff weigh in on this thread though.
Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See "shield, heavy" on Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a heavy shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next turn. An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
SIX times the shield is referenced as being a weapon. It IS a weapon. It is a martial bludgeoning weapon.
the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
The shield can be made into a magic weapon, but making it into magic armor doesn't make it into a magic weapon. Its a separate process.
The text doesn't say or imply that you can't do both. It would be pretty unfair to the player if they can't do both. In D&D passed a certain level non magical gear will do nothing. Its hard enough for a sword and board fighter dumping feats into the shield bash tree to improve their ac and offhanded attacks if one aspect or the other of their character becomes useless because they can't keep up the ac through enhancement or they can't actually damage anything because EVERYTHING has damage reduction.
As for the specific question in the topic: They get the +1 enhancement bonus on attacks if you take the Shield Master feat, since that lets you use the shield's enhancement bonus on your attack and damage rolls. It's what the feat is designed for, so having the effect there without it would be a little silly...
I'd say the weapon enchantments would be for specific stuff like making it flaming attacks or such, rather than the flat +X enhancement bonus since I can't really imagine being specialized enough with shields to want to use attack bonuses and not taking the Shield Master feat line.
Hey, look what you find when you actually crack open a book! I'm glad I thought of it:
** spoiler omitted **
Will you look at that, you specifically can't create a masterwork version of a shield that confers an enhancement bonus to attack rolls.
That's a way better source than this one:** spoiler omitted **...
Excellent post. Masterwork is a quality applied to weapons, armor, and shields when the item is created. When it is applied to shields (including shield spikes) and armor (including armor spikes), it only reduces the armor check penalty by 1 and costs an additional 150g as part of the item creation.
There is such thing as masterwork armor with armor spikes. The armor spikes (and corresponding armor) are considered masterwork. But there's only one classification of masterwork armor -- and it does not add a +1 bonus to attack rolls. Even if the armor spikes are considered weapons, the rules for armor (including those in the masterwork weapons section) override them.
Even though some types of armor [including armor with armor spikes]and shields [including spiked 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.
As for the specific question in the topic: They get the +1 enhancement bonus on attacks if you take the Shield Master feat, since that lets you use the shield's enhancement bonus on your attack and damage rolls. It's what the feat is designed for, so having the effect there without it would be a little silly...
I'd say the weapon enchantments would be for specific stuff like making it flaming attacks or such, rather than the flat +X enhancement bonus since I can't really imagine being specialized enough with shields to want to use attack bonuses and not taking the Shield Master feat line.
1) What book is the shield master feat line in?
2) Without that you have to pay twice as much for a magic armor/magic weapon shield.
As for the specific question in the topic: They get the +1 enhancement bonus on attacks if you take the Shield Master feat, since that lets you use the shield's enhancement bonus on your attack and damage rolls. It's what the feat is designed for, so having the effect there without it would be a little silly...
I'd say the weapon enchantments would be for specific stuff like making it flaming attacks or such, rather than the flat +X enhancement bonus since I can't really imagine being specialized enough with shields to want to use attack bonuses and not taking the Shield Master feat line.
1) What book is the shield master feat line in?
2) Without that you have to pay twice as much for a magic armor/magic weapon shield.
Shield Master is from the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. Quoting from the PRD:
Shield Master (Combat)
Your mastery of the shield allows you to fight with it without hindrance.
Prerequisites: Improved Shield Bash, Shield Proficiency, Shield Slam, Two-Weapon Fighting, base attack bonus +11.
Benefit: You do not suffer any penalties on attack rolls made with a shield while you are wielding another weapon. Add your shield's enhancement bonus to attacks and damage rolls made with the shield as if it was a weapon enhancement bonus.
2) Without that you have to pay twice as much for a magic armor/magic weapon shield.
Yes, that's correct. More than twice as much, actually. You pay for the shield enchantments and the weapon enchantments separately. A +1 shield/+1 "shield as weapon" costs as much as a +1 shield and a +1 weapon added together. No discounts for being the same item.
Personally, I believe that the only way to make a shield into a weapon for enchantment purposes is to give it shield spikes and then enchant the spikes, but that's a different argument. Practice your Search-Fu for a lengthy (and sometimes heated) discussion of the issue.
Hope this helps.