Some questions about shields

[JolarEQ]

I have a couple questions about shields, and I'm hoping someone can help me!

I am playing a fighter that uses a sword and a light shield. I have taken Two-Weapon Fighting. I have Double Slice so I can use my full strength bonus (+5 currently) for damage on my shield bash.

The shield I am using is a +1 bashing light shield. So, with the Bashing, I go from 1d3+5 damage to 1d6+6. Now, when I take Shield Master, would my damage and hit increase? Aside from the removal of the TWF penalty, that is. It says for Shield Master "Add your shield’s enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls made with the shield as if it were a weapon enhancement bonus." Would that increase my hit from +17 (current hit) to +18, and my damage to 1d6+7, since it's a +1 shield? Would it count as +2, due to the +1 and the Bashing? Or would it not bring any of that into account?

Second question. Is there a way to reduce the weight rating of a shield? I know that mithral armor is one category lighter, so a heavy armor counts as medium. Is the same similar for shields? Can I get a mithral heavy shield, and it would count as a light shield? Or does that not work that way? I'm thinking it doesn't, but I thought I'd ask anyway, just to make sure.

Sorry if this was a little rambling, just trying to get all my thoughts out. Thanks for any help in advance!

[Fatespinner]

JolarEQ wrote:

Now, when I take Shield Master, would my damage and hit increase? Aside from the removal of the TWF penalty, that is. It says for Shield Master "Add your shield’s enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls made with the shield as if it were a weapon enhancement bonus." Would that increase my hit from +17 (current hit) to +18, and my damage to 1d6+7, since it's a +1 shield? Would it count as +2, due to the +1 and the Bashing? Or would it not bring any of that into account?

You add only the enhancement bonus (i.e. the "plus" part). Other enhancements such as bashing, arrow deflection, etc. do not improve the bonus to attack and damage.

JolarEQ wrote:

Is there a way to reduce the weight rating of a shield? I know that mithral armor is one category lighter, so a heavy armor counts as medium. Is the same similar for shields? Can I get a mithral heavy shield, and it would count as a light shield? Or does that not work that way?

It does not work that way for shields. The distinction between a light and heavy shield is more in how they're designed to be carried rather than how much they actually weigh. A heavy wooden shield made of darkwood, for instance, does not change the type of shield or how it is wielded, merely the weight of the item for encumbrance purposes.

[JolarEQ]

Fatespinner wrote:

JolarEQ wrote:

Now, when I take Shield Master, would my damage and hit increase? Aside from the removal of the TWF penalty, that is. It says for Shield Master "Add your shield’s enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls made with the shield as if it were a weapon enhancement bonus." Would that increase my hit from +17 (current hit) to +18, and my damage to 1d6+7, since it's a +1 shield? Would it count as +2, due to the +1 and the Bashing? Or would it not bring any of that into account?

You add only the enhancement bonus (i.e. the "plus" part). Other enhancements such as bashing, arrow deflection, etc. do not improve the bonus to attack and damage.

Ok, so it would go up to +18 and 1d6+7 then. I can deal with that. ;)

And yeah, I didn't think the shield would change. I think that was more a "wishful thinking" than anything else.

Thanks!

[Fatespinner]

JolarEQ wrote:

Let me ask this way. If I have a masterwork light shield, and I want to put Bashing on it, do I need to make it a +1 shield first, and THEN add Bashing to it? Or does adding the Bashing automatically make it a +1 shield? (This will also determine if I paid too much to have this done, and I'll have to adjust monies with my GM if that's the case.) The way we did it was, enchanted the shield to +1, and then added Bashing to it. If adding the +1, and having Shield Master, treats the +1 as weapon enhancement, wouldn't adding the Bashing, which also causes the shield to act as a +1 weapon, stack with the +1 already there?

You did it correctly. A weapon, armor, or shield item must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus BEFORE anything can be added to it. Thus, +1 bashing is the minimum for a bashing shield.

And no, the +1 from the bashing effect itself would not stack, because it allows the shield to function as a +1 weapon but does not increase the EXISTING enhancement by 1. Same-type bonuses do not stack, so Shield Master makes your +1 shield into a +1 weapon or bashing lets you treat it as a +1 weapon. The end result is, either way, a +1 weapon.

[JolarEQ]

Fatespinner wrote:

JolarEQ wrote:

Let me ask this way. If I have a masterwork light shield, and I want to put Bashing on it, do I need to make it a +1 shield first, and THEN add Bashing to it? Or does adding the Bashing automatically make it a +1 shield? (This will also determine if I paid too much to have this done, and I'll have to adjust monies with my GM if that's the case.) The way we did it was, enchanted the shield to +1, and then added Bashing to it. If adding the +1, and having Shield Master, treats the +1 as weapon enhancement, wouldn't adding the Bashing, which also causes the shield to act as a +1 weapon, stack with the +1 already there?

You did it correctly. A weapon, armor, or shield item must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus BEFORE anything can be added to it. Thus, +1 bashing is the minimum for a bashing shield.

And no, the +1 from the bashing effect itself would not stack, because it allows the shield to function as a +1 weapon but does not increase the EXISTING enhancement by 1. Same-type bonuses do not stack, so Shield Master makes your +1 shield into a +1 weapon or bashing lets you treat it as a +1 weapon. The end result is, either way, a +1 weapon.

Heh, yeah, just found that out. Sometimes my research is a little slow. ;) I ended up deleting that post, hoping that it would be gone before anybody saw!

But thank you for the response!

[blackbloodtroll]

If you want to make your shield out of a special material, and it does not list a price for shields, then price it as a weapon.

A shield is a weapon.