RSS Facebook Twitter Email
Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions

Shield Enhancement

Rules Questions

Search Thread

Search this Thread:

One of my players is making a shield throwing Brawler. Since he is using his shield as both a weapon and a shield he says that for magicing it he gets 2 pools of enhancement. One as a shield and one as a weapon.
An example of this would be a +1 flaming (+2 weapon) +1 spell storing (+2 shield) shield.
A high level version of this would be a +5 flaming brilliant energy (+10 weapon) +5 spell storing spell resistance (+10 shield) shield.

My question is: is this correct?
Sczarni

Yup.

Though saving up for a +10/+10 Shield is dumping a lot of money on a single item.

I think it also goes above what's available in any given settlement. Your player will have to find a high level weapon/armorsmith to craft it (unless the PC is making it).

Yes. He can also bend and twist things by using the shield master feat to make his +1 (weapon) and +4 (armor) get a +4 to hit and damage (enhancement bonuses don't stack). I recall there are also some ways of meddling with throwing weapons in general (including the shield) and enchantments that are supposed to be ranged or melee only. I can't tell you what they are because I don't remember.

Also remember spell-storing (armor) only takes effect if the PC has been hit, he can't throw his shield, hit somebody, and then fire off a spell stuck in it.

Also also; I'm not sure you even CAN put spell-storing on a shield. It isn't on the shield list (just armor) but I don't remember if that's a hard rule or just a "you can't roll it randomly" rule.

So, if someone did a magical identify or even detect magic it would then register as a +20 magic shield as well as having a +20 hardness and an extra 100 HP?

My next question is: Doesn't that violate the rule
Some magic weapons have special abilities. Special abilities count as additional bonuses for determining the market value of the item, but do not modify attack or damage bonuses (except where specifically noted). A single weapon cannot have a modified bonus (enhancement bonus plus special ability bonus equivalents, including those from character abilities and spells) higher than +10. A weapon with a special ability must also have at least a +1 enhancement bonus. Weapons cannot possess the same special ability more than once.

In addition to an enhancement bonus, armor may have special abilities . Special abilities usually count as additional bonuses for determining the market value of an item, but do not improve AC. A suit of armor cannot have an effective bonus (enhancement plus special ability bonus equivalents, including those from character abilities and spells) higher than +10. A suit of armor with a special ability must also have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.

If you're talking about the effective bonuses part, then no, because it's two +10 items sharing the same space, not a +20 item.

No, think of it and treat it like a double-weapon. Like a quarterstaff or sword-chucks, except one of the weapon heads is a shield and costs half as much to enchant.

It is not +20, it is +10/+10.

This also simplifies pricing. If you had a +2 (weapon)/+1 (shield) you wanted to make +2 (armor), how would you know what price to use? 3k? 7k? 14k?

I see where you are coming from and agree for the most part. I do have one last question though.
Where does it say that a shield should be treated as a double weapon?
I can't find a reference for this. And as far as I know double weapons get special treatment with magic because they are 2 weapons attached to each other somehow. If you break a double weapon in half you still have 2 magic weapons but if Break a shield you just have 2 pieces of a broken shield.
Like I said I don't disagree with you I'm just curious if this is a written rule or a just cuz it's the easiest way ruling.
CRB p152 wrote:
An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Of course it's not that shields are double weapons. It's just that that's the easiest way to think about them.
Sczarni
SeaJay wrote:
Where does it say that a shield should be treated as a double weapon?

It doesn't, and they aren't.

It just helps some people understand enchanting a shield as both a weapon and a defensive item.

But for purposes of paying masterwork costs, and Fame limits (in PFS), or settlement availability, a shield counts as a single item.
Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Shield Enhancement All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Rules Questions