Can I use Arcane Bond to bond with a shield?


Rules Questions

Silver Crusade

The rules say you can bond with a ring, amulet, staff, wand, or weapon. Since a shield can be used in a shield bash, would that mean it's technically a weapon?

In HeroLab it lets me Arcane Bond with the "Heavy Shield Bash" of my Mithral Shield. Is this legal?

If so, can someone point me to an official Paizo ruling that states I can do this or that a shield is also considered a "weapon" and therefore meets the RAW of Arcane Bond?


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Just arcane bond with your unarmed strike and be done with it.

Scarab Sages

Are there entries for shields on the weapon charts?

Spoiler:
Yes, they are classified as martial weapons.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Only with specific class archetypes that give you that specific ability or buttkissing your GM.

Silver Crusade

Thanks, Artanthos. I appreciate the info.


@LazarX any class can pick up a shield and start wielding it as a martial weapon.

There is absolutely nothing stopping a wizard from bonding to a shield because a shield is a weapon. It is also a shield.


Ice Titan wrote:
Just arcane bond with your unarmed strike and be done with it.

I'm pretty sure you're joking, but if you have a level of monk can you do that by RAW?

Grand Lodge

A Shield is a weapon.

Just to be sure, as it is forgotten quickly...

A Shield is a weapon.


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Tiny Coffee Golem wrote:
Ice Titan wrote:
Just arcane bond with your unarmed strike and be done with it.
I'm pretty sure you're joking, but if you have a level of monk can you do that by RAW?

I'm pretty sure that no, you cannot. Arcane Bond items are always masterwork and can you get your unarmed strike made masterwork? No, I think not. (Now, you could get a manicure though, but that hardly meets the requirements! :P) You could, however, choose your amulet to become arcane bond, have it made Amulet of Mighty Fists, and voila, your unarmed strikes would do a great weapon, should you choose to fight like that :)

But as to the question of having shield as arcane bond item, I see no problem with that, since arcane bond in itself doesn't specify what kind of magic abilities you could enchant on your arcane bond item and since shields are categorized as weapons, albeit with martial weapon proficiency (as we have been pointed out several times already), luckily being proficient with said weapon isn't a requirement. Sure, you'd want to be or become proficient with shields, if you wanted to benefit from the AC the shield provides to its full effect. Aaand before anyone even asks: no, tower shield is not a weapon, since you cannot shield bash with it and it does not have respective stats for being used as a weapon.


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Caught Off-Guard: Now tower shields are weapons. :)


Have one of your arms amputated and replaced with a Construct Arm. Make it Masterwork and hey presto, you can make your unarmed Strike a Bonded Item. :P

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