Really quite simple. Why do both Shield and Mage Armor exist as spells? They're nearly identical in properties, except Mage Armor has a duration 60 times longer than Shield, and Mage Armor is Conjuration while Shield is Abjuration. Additionally, Shield is personal while Mage Armor is touch.
Just there to give those who took Abjuration as a wizard school and also chose Conjuration as a forbidden school something to protect themselves? Is there something more to this that I'm missing?
1. They stack.
2. Shield is useful to casters who wear armor/have Bracers of Armor.
3. And yes, it's there so people who chose Abjuration or Conjuration as opposed schools have easier access to a basic defensive spell.
They stack? Aren't they both AC bonuses of the same type, making them redundant and non-stacking?
Disregard. Missed that shield provides a shield bonus to AC, so they are of different types! Thanks. I knew there was something simple I was missing!
Nearly all arcane spell casters cannot wear shields, so Shield is very good for them, even if they get bracers of armor later.
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Also keep in mind that both spells work against incorporeal touch attacks as well. A spell caster with both of these on actually has a pretty good chance if a wraith happens to slip into melee range of them. Most incorporeal entities won't have a very impressive chance to hit; likely a balancing act to prevent them from hitting 100% of the time, which they almost do anyway (since so many people love heavy armor). Anyway, it's just good to have.
Also history: shield was a spell years before the precursor to mage armor existed.
Also, it's amazingly useful in bar brawls and ambushes...
Also, in their original forms, they had radically different mechanics. Shield as a strong defense; mage armor was less impressive, but lasted all day, and would go away once it had been breached.