No, you only get the two weapon fighting penalty if you actually attack with both weapons. You can carry around two daggers and if never take more attacks than your BAB allows for, then you take no penalties.
You still threaten with it though.
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A Shield is a weapon.
It can be enchanted as a weapon.
It is a valid choice for the Weapon Focus feat.
It is part of the "Close" Fighter Weapon Group.
It listed in the Weapon section in the Core Rulebook as a Martial Weapon.
It can be used as a mainhand weapon, and a Heavy Shield can be wielded with two hands for x1.5 strength to damage.
A Shield is a Weapon.
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The rules treat the Shield as a weapon.
History shows the shield as a weapon.
It is strange assumption that a shield is simply some sort dead weight flimsily strapped to one's arm in poor attempt to protect one's self from blows.
It is weapon, and has been used as such the world around.
Tell Captain America a Shield isn't a weapon.
Tell Leonidas.
Leonidas? Spartan king? just checking.
The rules are quite clear, however. You never take penalties to hit if you are just carrying something in your off hand. Indeed, you can switch off hands with iteratives (1st attack sword, 2nd shield, 3rd sword) and STILL take no penalties.
it's only if you attack with both weapons at the same time that penalties kick in, i.e. 'extra attacks with the off hand'.
So the answer is, yes, a shield is a weapon, and no, you don't take penalties unless you attack with it.
==Aelryinth
Leonidas? Spartan king? just checking.
The rules are quite clear, however. You never take penalties to hit if you are just carrying something in your off hand. Indeed, you can switch off hands with iteratives (1st attack sword, 2nd shield, 3rd sword) and STILL take no penalties.
it's only if you attack with both weapons at the same time that penalties kick in, i.e. 'extra attacks with the off hand'.
So the answer is, yes, a shield is a weapon, and no, you don't take penalties unless you attack with it.
==Aelryinth
Eh, I have to disagree with you on the switching attacks part. The shielded fighter archetype has an ability that specifically allows for that, so no switching even if you aren't getting extra attacks.
You only incur TWF penalties if you actually two weapon fight for an extra attack.
If you have BAB +11/6/1 and attack with sword, then shield, then sword, you are not using TWF.
If that same person attacked 3 times with his sword, then between turns used his shield to deliver an attack of opportunity... he is still not using TWF.
If he just holds the shield and never attacks with it at all, he is not using TWF. Should his sword get disarmed by a foe between his turns and then another foe tries to race by, he still threatens with his shield and can make an AoO with it, and he is still not using TWF.
If said person attacked 3 times and then added an off-hand attack with his shield, then he *is* using TWF.
Note that this only applies to light and heavy shields, barring some feat or class feature, only they can be used as weapons at all. Bucklers and Tower Shields cannot.
Ok... Then what the hell does the 5th level shield fighter ability do?See here.
Also, see here.
At 5th level, a shielded fighter gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls when making a shield bash. These bonuses increase by +1 every four levels beyond 5th. With a full-attack action, a shielded fighter may alternate between using his weapon or his shield for each attack. This action does not grant additional attacks or incur penalties as two-weapon fighting does.
This ability replaces Weapon Training 1.
I guess you could read that you could use it with two weapon fighting and use either your shield or your sword for all of your attacks, but with out TWF it's basically wasted text.
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It would be no different than an Unarmed Strike which every character has, for some Medium and most Heavy armored guys, they automatically come with Gauntlets. Does that mean that they automatically take TWF penalties just for wearing them? No, but they have the option to use them if they need, just like the shield. Same with Unarmed Strikes. Or Armor Spikes. You can actually have out a sword and a dagger, and not TWF, just using one or the other for all your attacks. It's only if you use both, getting the extra attack for TWF, or in some cases with magic items, if you are benefiting from it (as a weapon), you would take the TWF penalties, like a Defending Weapon, for example. You do not need to use a +3 (AC) Shield as a weapon to get the AC boost.
That 5th level Shield Fighter ability does nothing, other than give a more limited weapon training that won't allow for use of gloves of dueling. There's a reason you never see anyone recommend that archetype...
It would I suppose allow you to vary which weapon is used with normal BAB attacks and which is used with the TWF extra attacks. Presumably, that could mean "two weapon fighting" with only the primary hand to never have to take the str penalty to damage of the off-hand on any attacks. Maybe. It's poorly written, I don't think the author who wrote it was clear on how the TWF rules actually worked. If someone w/ BAB 20 (4 attacks) and quickdraw throws daggers at 4 different people, he is neither two weapon fighting nor multiweapon fighting.
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Yes, you can use different weapons for your normal number of attacks per round, and can even take AoO's with a different weapon if you need, such as a character with a Reach Weapon and say Imp Unarmed Strike or Armor Spikes. It's really only if you are getting the extra attack, (or getting a special benefit from a magic item like a off-handed Defending Weapon) are you TWF.
Awe...there's nothing left for me to say... :(
The sohei monk can.
The sohei monk can.
The sohei monk can cause he has weapon training and turns the world to mush.