Dervish Dance and Animated Shields

[Marthian]

Anyone know how Dervish Dance and Animated Shield would work together?

Dervish Dance:

When wielding a scimitar with one hand, you can use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier on melee attack and damage rolls. You treat the scimitar as a one-handed piercing weapon for all feats and class abilities that require such a weapon (such as a duelist’s precise strike ability). The scimitar must be for a creature of your size. You cannot use this feat if you are carrying a weapon or shield in your off hand.

Animated:

As a move action, an animated shield can be loosed to defend its wielder on its own. For the following 4 rounds, the shield grants its bonus to the one who loosed it and then drops. While animated, the shield provides its shield bonus and the bonuses from all of the other shield special abilities it possesses, but it cannot take actions on its own, such as those provided by the bashing and blinding abilities. It can, however, use special abilities that do not require an action to function, such as arrow deflection and reflecting. While animated, a shield shares the same space as the activating character and accompanies the character who activated it, even if the character moves by magical means. A character with an animated shield still takes any penalties associated with shield use, such as armor check penalty, arcane spell failure chance, and nonproficiency. If the wielder who loosed it has an unoccupied hand, she can grasp it to end its animation as a free action. Once a shield has been retrieved, it cannot be animated again for at least 4 rounds.

This property cannot be added to a tower shield.

I'm not sure, but it sounds like you could use both in tandem and still benefit from Dervish Dance.

[Maxximilius]

Marthian wrote:

Anyone know how Dervish Dance and Animated Shield would work together?

** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **

I'm not sure, but it sounds like you could use both in tandem and still benefit from Dervish Dance.

"A character with an animated shield still takes any penalties associated with shield use, such as armor check penalty, arcane spell failure chance, and nonproficiency."

Sorry, to me it's pretty clear that you are still treated as suffering any penalty wielding a shied would inccur, including in relation to DD.

[Kryzbyn]

That's a pretty strict interpretation. CP, ASF and non-proficiency are core mechanics and not feats or class features per se. I think there's a difference here, but I can see how you'd come to that conclusion.
I'd probably allow it, as a GM. FAQ it?

[Christopher Woldridge]

While you still take the penalties associated with the shield your hand is free. I would allow it while the shield is animated.

[The black raven]

There is no penalty associated with "shield use" in Dervish Dance.

The penalty stands for "carrying a shield in your off hand" and you are definitely not carrying the animated shield, since your hand is free while it is animated.

Clear cut for me : yes, it works.

[Maxximilius]

The black raven wrote:

There is no penalty associated with "shield use" in Dervish Dance.

You mean, besides being unable to use the feat at all ?

[Selgard]

How is your hand free if you are incurring all the penalties of wearing the shield while it's dancing around?

Either the shield is free of you and dancing around and there are no penalties, or the shield is still attached to you somehow and you are incurring the penalties.

The shield seems clear- that you are taking the penalties of the shield while using it even if its animated at the time.

Since shields only grant their bonus and penalties when they are on your arm, and this shield continues to grant both while animated, it seems clear that a prohibition on wielding a shield in your offhand would still be in effect.

-S

[mordion]

If you're still suffering any penalty from using a shield, including not having a free hand, what exactly is the benefit that animated shield provides? If you can't use Dervish Dance, could you also not use Crane Wing, or fight with a two-handed weapon?

[Maxximilius]

mordion wrote:

If you're still suffering any penalty from using a shield, including not having a free hand, what exactly is the benefit that animated shield provides? If you can't use Dervish Dance, could you also not use Crane Wing, or fight with a two-handed weapon?

Crane Wing requires a free hand.

THFighting requires a free hand.
Dervish dance requires you don't wield (use) a shield in your other hand.

Animated shield's description says "a character with an animated shield still takes any penalties associated with shield use".

Not the same situation.

[mordion]

I don't think Dervish Dance says anything about wielding or using a shield, it says you can't carry one.