Can you bash, and not use the spikes?
Technically no. That is to say, it isn't in the rules. One could argue that realistically, you could bash something small enough with the shield but not the spikes, but for anything not large enough to fit between the spikes, they are going to get in the way before the shield hits.
Also, even though one could technically argue about small enough creatures, it would be more difficult to do intentionally than by accident. You want to bash with the shield itself, take the spikes off before combat starts.
could you make a shield half and half, both mithral and adamantine ? picture a fung sway (spelling =) ) or aes sedai symbol from the Wheel of Time series, two slightly curved drops curling around each other (usually one black, the other white, with a small dot in the middle of the opposite color) RPing, depends on the GM, RAW and RAI. I'd guess not
Talk to your GM about it. In my campaign, I'd say no. The effective part of the shield is wood or metal, with the design out front being little more than decoration. I would also disallow a mithral/adamantine alloy outright. Another GM might let you split it down the middle, do a Yin-Yang, or something else. To my mind, though, there is a seam between the metals that just doesn't weld right and ruins the effectiveness after the first hit knocks the plates lose from each other.
So, when you add adamantine spikes to a mithral shield, it no longer counts as silver?
It never counted as silver. It counted as Mithral. And yes, the spikes being the part that do the damage, they are the part that overcome damage resistance.
The shield itself being made of mithral affects the base shield weight, and max dexterity bonus. Since shields don't affect Max Dex, it doesn't even help with that. The spikes still add their own wieght to the overall total of the shield, though (a mithral board does not make adamantine spikes weigh any less).
Alternately, try using Weaponblanch on the spikes to get the Mithral effects in, too. Well, for one hit, at least...
And...
Would an alchemical silver shield with adamantine spikes no longer suffer a penalty to damage?
Wait? What?
I don't recal alchemical silver as having a damage penalty, but yes, the spikes being the damage-y part would negate that. The alchemic silver being the shield-y part would still have it's effect on the shield-y parts.
Just to note, a shield is a weapon, and can be enchanted as one. Would weapon properties added to a shield no longer be in effect if shield spikes are added? If the shield has the Transformative property, which material does it count as once transformed if it has both materials?
Correct. With the spikes in the way, the shield's weapon properties are no longer in effect until they are removed.
I don't know about the transformative property off hand, but would surmise that it would count as whatever material it transformed into regardless of what it was previously or was in its dormant form (in effect having transformed into the new material), and not count as both materials.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons#TOC-Transformative
This is what I am talking about.
I wouldn't let someone put that property on a shield. Magic armor and shields have their own properties. i wouldn't even allow that on shield spikes as they don't seem to me to be legitimately melee weapons so much as an add on to the overall melee effectiveness of a shield.
Also, despite having weapon like characteristics, shields are not weapons (even when studded with spikes, the rim lined with razor blades, and bolstered by the angry spirit of every fourth grade bully to dream of perfecting the atomic wedgie). however, and as always, check with your GM. They might see it differently.
You can put that on shield spikes. Shield spikes are real weapons as much as any other weapon, including a shield. Shields are real weapons too, you know.
Shields are weapons in the game and they are weapons in real life. You can enchant a shield as a weapon, and as a shield, each separately. This is explicitly in the RAW.
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Btw, alchemical silver wouldn't give a damage penalty to a shield bash without spikes as, "On a successful attack with a silvered slashing or piercing weapon, the wielder takes a –1 penalty on the damage roll (with a minimum of 1 point of damage)." Note that it only mentions slashing and piercing weapons and not bludgeoning.
So, once you add shield spikes to a shield with weapon enchantments, the enchantments cease to function?
No.
It's still a shield. If I add a metal tip to my quarter staff is it no longer holy?
Is it even viable in the rules to have spikes of a different material? The rules seem to have a shield, and a spiked shield. There is no, how to put spikes on a shield section.
If it is, and in the case of throwing a shield, what damage are you doing? The d4 of the heavy shield or the d6 of the spiked heavy shield? That is the weapon and material you're using.
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You can have shield spikes of a different material than the shield. This is also true of armor spikes, as you can have mithral armor with adamantine armor spikes. The confusion is from the fact that both the shield, and the shield spikes are weapons, they are part of the same weapon, but can be enchanted separately.
You can have shield spikes of a different material than the shield. This is also true of armor spikes, as you can have mithral armor with adamantine armor spikes. The confusion is from the fact that both the shield, and the shield spikes are weapons, they are part of the same weapon, but can be enchanted separately.
I looked and didn't see anything about shield spikes of different materials. Do you know where I can find that?
Each is a different weapon, and can be made of different material. There is nothing that requires them to be the same material.
Im not seeing that. When I look I see an entry for a shield and an entry for a spiked shield.
The spikes are considered to change the damage and damage type of the shield. That's all they do.
Spikes are NOT enchanted separate of the shield. Instead they become part of the shield and benefit from the shield being enchanted. You don't enchant the spikes on a suit of armor...you enchant the armor and the spikes carry it.
Ergo, the shield counted as mithral/silver when you bashed with it. If you add adamantine spikes, that's the same as sheathing your mithral mace in adamantine spikes and calling it a morningstar...it now deals adamantine and piercing damage, NOT silver/bludgeon.
Weapon enchantments are carried as part of the shield. The spikes are part of the shield and benefit from any weapon enhancements it has.
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And that swirling black/white comma symbol is called the Tai-Chi. It's part of the central tenets of the philosphy of Taoism. It's NOT the Aes-Sedai symbol. Jordan was good, but no, he didn't invent the symbol Korea flies on its flag.
===Aelryinth
The spikes are considered to change the damage and damage type of the shield. That's all they do.
Spikes are NOT enchanted separate of the shield. Instead they become part of the shield and benefit from the shield being enchanted. You don't enchant the spikes on a suit of armor...you enchant the armor and the spikes carry it.
Ergo, the shield counted as mithral/silver when you bashed with it. If you add adamantine spikes, that's the same as sheathing your mithral mace in adamantine spikes and calling it a morningstar...it now deals adamantine and piercing damage, NOT silver/bludgeon.
Weapon enchantments are carried as part of the shield. The spikes are part of the shield and benefit from any weapon enhancements it has.
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And that swirling black/white comma symbol is called the Tai-Chi. It's part of the central tenets of the philosphy of Taoism. It's NOT the Aes-Sedai symbol. Jordan was good, but no, he didn't invent the symbol Korea flies on its flag.===Aelryinth
The funny thing about that example is that a morningstar deals both piercing and bludgeoning damage. If this is how it were handled how would a bludgeoning enhancement on a shield that gains spikes function?
I really don't think it can be made of two materials in the first place.
They can be added later on, but whatever part of the shield is making contact is what would count for overcoming DR.
A spiked shield uses the spikes to do damage so whatever the spikes are made of is what does the damage.
Just take the spikes off to bypass DR X/silver again. There's no reason you couldn't have the spikes designed to screw in and out of sockets placed within the shield.
I dunno what all this nonsense about adding or removing shield spikes is about. a spiked shield is a shield crafted with spikes on it. They are not snap on tools to pop on and off when you need them or if they arent convenient.
As to the topic of different metals to overcome different DR's I'd say adamantine spike on a mithril shield or vise versa would only bypass the DR of the spikes material. Though if DMing I'd say if you wanted to take the lower damage dice to not use the spikes you could and maybe with a -2 for the awkward striking angle to avoid the spikes.
Asta
PSY
By the rules once you add the spikes they take over. If the spiked shield was P or B then you could choose.
Having screw on spikes is GM territory.
I assume you could remove them as easily as you put them on.
I.e. a craft check or unscrewing them. The former will not be something you can do quickly, nor, I think, even the latter. You'd likely need several minutes for even the screw-on types, because they have to be STRONG, you know?
I personally have no problem with a player saying he's going to leave a side of his shield free of spikes so he can deal the lesser bludgeoning damage if he wants to. It doesn't affect the cost of enchanting the shield, it's not a double weapon, and its not imbalanced.
Of course, if you want to make some magic spiked shields that can flatten down to simple studs with a word, I'd make you pay 500 gp and call it a day.
==Aelryinth
The rules don't have anything for removing them. That is also in GM territory. Basically double dipping material types is not intended to happen, and rules don't have a way to do so.
What about a throwing shield? It does not apply shield spikes to damage, so would it count as silver then?
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/armor/shield-throwing
That's what I am talking about.
The throwing shield makes NO logical sense.
It's basically saying that because you are hitting with the edge, it's blunt damage, not spiked...ignoring the fact that piercing spikes are normally placed along the edges as well as the facing of a shield.
So, you're going to have to make a judgement call - does a spiked throwing shield really NOT have spikes around the edge?
If that's the case, you can do bludgeon damage at will by chopping with the rim of the shield, no spikes...the same thing the throwing shield is hitting with.
If it does, then it does piercing damage as the spikes around the rim impale the target.
==Aelryinth
Pretty much. I did not know that shield existed, and it does not make sense, but PF's buckler is not like a real life buckler either.
What do you mean by "make a melee attack and throw the shield any time you could attack"?
Actually it is like a free attack since free actions exist outside of the full attack action. The shield will still provoke AoO's though since it is a ranged attack.