If you don't like it ban it from your game. But as far as the rules are concerned the guy wielding his heavy spiked shield two handed is just fine.
Just be glad he isn't a fighter with close weapon group training, shield mastery, the two-weapon fighting feats, and gloves of dueling, wielding dual +5 impact spiked heavy shields, while enlarged.
So what you're telling me is that having a high AC at level 11 and doing mediocre damage is better than overland flight, slay living, summon monster 6, blade barrier, disintegrate, planar ally, flesh to stone, or wall of force.Nothing the fighter can do at 11th is overpowered unless it involves killing something with incredibly high damage, stun locks, or telling reality to sit down and shut up while he beats physics to death with his bear shield.
I rather think that's an entirely different can of worms to open. One has to compare like to like. It's old hat in PF (and D&D<4 ) before it that casters are more powerful, but eventually run out of steam. I don't claim that is balanced, but creating edge cases in a given category is not justified by lack of overall game balance.
drbuzzard, thanks for answering that one even though it was mistakenly quoted with my name. For the record, I have no personal beef with you, just your reasoning in this case. I agree with the apples to apples comparisons, which is why I didn't open the can of worms of the entire Sword-wielding, spell-slinging, heavy-armor-wearing class we lovingly call the Magus and don't ever dare to call it cheese. But that's a debate for another day and another thread.
Since you're so keen to drag easy to find references out of me, here's the ones I think apply directly:
Light Melee Weapons
Shield, light; Cost special; 1d2 (s); 1d3 (m); x2 crit; type B
One-Handed Melee Weapons
Shield, Heavy; 1d3 (s); 1d4 (m); x2 crit; type B
Shields listed on the weapon table as light or one-handed, depending on the type wielded.
Rules for light and one-handed weapons to be used in both hands for purposes of damage bonus, depending on the type wielded.
Playing devil’s advocate, there’s even the reverse situation. Using weapons as a shield:
(on a tangiental note, I didn’t notice that applied to double weapons until now. I smell an idea brewing involving two-weapon fighting and two-weapon defense using a double weapon. Too cheesy? Maybe...)
Ok, I think we get the point with RAW references that “support my point” of using a shield as a weapon, and even added in the stuff for using it two-handed. To be fair, I re-validate my personal opinion that it does stink like cheese, just a little, even to me. But that stench, to me, is balanced by further mechanics like low base damage, the reliance on feat taxes to be viable and comparable as a weapon yet still retain it's AC, and the reliance on the same feats as the two-handed sword guy to boost that base damage die with extra damage. That's one feat heavy dude, just to smack someone with a shield the same way his twin brother can smack someone with a sword. The sword brother will have feats left over to improve his damage further with critical hits, and the shield brother devotes his feats to retaining his AC with his shield-weapon. *shrug* I see enough balance to make it negligible unless seriously munchkin'd. And saying that because he can get his weapon "cheaper" is cheese, cheesifies those people like Rangers who make their own bows and arrows. Alchemists who brew their own potions. Gunslingers who craft their own ammo, and, by the way, get their gun free. Wizards who pen their own scrolls and make their own wands.
This, like using a shield as a weapon, is nothing more than the opportunity to do more with less. Working smarter not harder.
Let's move on to some real-world references. Sorry the list is small, but I'm at work and have limited access to websites. But it still validates my point of view just fine. If you use the logic that you don't have to prove or disprove every minutia, just demonstrate that it exists, then I can use that same logic to back my own stances.
And the problem is? you are investing at least 3 feats to do this and the falchion guy is just doing much more damage due to crit range. I do not see the cheese, it is what the rules allow.
Just to illustrate that a bit:
Our shield-user is doing 1d4+27 three times per round, critting on a natural 20 only, and doing x2 damage. This means we are critting 5% of the time.
Our nodachi user is doing 1d10+27 three times per round, critting on a 15-20, and doing x2 damage. This means we are critting 25% of the time.
On a normal attack, our shield user will do on average 29.5 damage. He will do on average 59 damage on a crit. So if we assume 10 rounds (30 rolls) and 1.5 criticals (round up to 2 for generosity), he'll do 944 damage.
On a normal attack, our nodachi user will do on average 33.5 damage. He will do on average 67 damage on a crit. So if we assume 10 rounds (30 rolls) and 7.5 criticals (round up to 8 for generosity), he'll do 1273 damage (technically 1329 when we include the bleed from the criticals).
So our nodachi-wielder is doing 385 damage more than the shield-wielder - roughly 1\3 of shield-wielder's damage.
Now, he is down 9 AC on the shieldsman. He can regain +4 from a Shield spell. I'm looking for alternate ways to regain that, leaving a 5 AC difference. Personally, I would probably dump CHA down to 8 to equal our shieldsman, dump 1 WIS if possible, and bump INT to 13 - take Combat Expertise*, that would narrow the AC divide to 2 (39 vs 37).
*I readily admit I lack the math necessary to determine how this affects overall damage; it will reduce the nodachi-wielder's attacks to +20\+15\+10. Completely an off-the-cuff guess, but I would assume two fewer criticals and three fewer normal hits - figure 1080.5, still the equivalent of 1 extra round of damage for a difference of 2 AC.
@Undone - Shield Master feat lets you use the armor enhancement bonus as the weapon enhancement bonus.
@KainPen - You should be able to stack a heavy shield with impact and with shield spikes and the bashing enchant and with enlarge person. This should give you 4d6 damage on your shield.
So for the cost of being terrible for 10 levels (not using a magic weapon) you can save on a weapon?
If you're starting pre level 11 this is terrible.
Retraining FTW!
...assuming your GM allows it, of course...