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After DMing my campaign this past weekend I have some questions regarding the Ring of Force Shield and RAW vs RAI.
(Quick background - the ring was picked up by the party archer)
Ring of Force Shield
DescriptionAn iron band, this simple ring generates a shield-sized (and shield-shaped) wall of force that stays with the ring and can be wielded by the wearer as if it were a heavy shield (+2 AC). This special creation has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance since it is weightless and encumbrance-free. It can be activated and deactivated at will as a free action.
Based on how the description is worded the archer could as a free action deactivate the ring, make a full attack action, then as another free action reactivate the ring. Thereby gaining the benefits of the the +2 AC for the entire round (other than for any attacks that might come his way durring his attack action). This seems broken to me and am wondering if this was what was intended for the item.
I have not problem with the item being usable at will but think that the action should be a swift/immediate/interupt rather than free.
It's probably overvalued to begin with. +2 Animated Heavy Steel shield isn't notably more expensive than a Ring of Force Shield. I guess it's good for Wizards, or something.
It seems reasonable for the archer to be able to do that. It was probably designed with a caster in mind. A caster could get the same effect for less with a +1 mithral buckler, which also has 0% ASF and no armor check penalty. The buckler could also be upgraded, whereas it requires a house rule for the ring to be upgraded.
With an archer, it is less clear how the buckler would work. The text says that "You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying [a buckler]", so you shouldn't take the -1 penalty for using a weapon in the off hand. Whether you get the AC bonus after you shoot is less clear.
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I'd be thankful he's just spamming the AC bonus. A Ring of Force Shield is a mini wall of force effect, with all the goodies that comes with (such as magic not being able to pass through it...). With a little thought (and maybe the Equipment Trick [shield] Feat from the Adventurer's Armory) you can do some nifty stuff with that little bugger... ;)
I agree with you, the description for this item is as clear as dirt. Our monk had one. Someone pointed out that it operated like a heavy shield, which he was not proficient with. Therefore, he was not proficient with the ring either.
By RAW, this seems reasonable. But his response was "so, it's just like a shield, but more than a thousand times more expensive? Why would that even exist? And why is the magic version worse than the mundane version? That makes no sense. For the same amount of money,I could hire a guy to walk in front of me and carry a shield. And replace him five thousand times.
I say do what you want, the rules make little sense on their own.
I'd simply let the ring provide its AC bonus at all times, with no wielding or proficiencies required.
Being proficient with the sheild is not important. All that means is that the armor check penalty applies to your attacks as well. The armor check penalty is 0 so seems ok to me. Fact is mages have been doing this with mithril bucklers for a while. If he spend the gold he should get the benefit. It doesn't apply to touch attacks is that mean anything.
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... It doesn't apply to touch attacks is that mean anything.
A Ring of Force Shield generates a mini wall of force. A wall of force blocks magical effects (amongst other things) from passing through it. At least against magical touch attacks, the Ring of Force Shield's AC bonus absolutely should apply (because if the magical effect hits the 'shield' instead of you it's blocked completely, unlike a normal shield where targeting the shield itself is enough to hit with the touch attack).
Thinking of a Ring of Force Shield as a mere encumberance-free heavy shield is undervaluing it completely - and what leads to cries of the thing being 'over-priced' in the first place. It's better to think of it as a very small continuous wall of force (which is what it is), look up that spell, have a fit over what it can actually do, guide your players away from the emergency force sphere (another wall of force-based effect) spell from the Cheliax book, and go from there... ;)
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... It doesn't apply to touch attacks is that mean anything.A Ring of Force Shield generates a mini wall of force. A wall of force blocks magical effects (amongst other things) from passing through it. At least against magical touch attacks, the Ring of Force Shield's AC bonus absolutely should apply (because if the magical effect hits the 'shield' instead of you it's blocked completely, unlike a normal shield where targeting the shield itself is enough to hit with the touch attack).
Thinking of a Ring of Force Shield as a mere encumberance-free heavy shield is undervaluing it completely - and what leads to cries of the thing being 'over-priced' in the first place. It's better to think of it as a very small continuous wall of force (which is what it is), look up that spell, have a fit over what it can actually do, guide your players away from the emergency force sphere (another wall of force-based effect) spell from the Cheliax book, and go from there... ;)
So, you are saying that you can sunder the force shield from a ring of force, assuming that you can get through its hardness of 30 and its 180 HPs?
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So, you are saying that you can sunder the force shield from a ring of force, assuming that you can get through its hardness of 30 and its 180 HPs?
Yup... although the guy wearing the ring could just reactivate the thing with a free action on his next turn, so sundering it in the first place may be an exercise in futility (or a demonstration of raw power for some!).
