Enchanting a Scizore w / a shield enhancement

[Splendor]

Can the Scizore be enchanted as a shield? I.E. to give a +2 shield bonus.

(Which you would lose if you attacked with it.)

[Splendor]

Anyone?

[Chess Pwn]

no it cannot, it's not a shield.

[Blake's Tiger]

I believe you can. Just as a shield can be both and enchanted as both, so too the scizore. However, you'd loose every shield bonus/enchantment on rounds where you attack.

[Maezer]

I don't think I've seen any text that implies a scizore is a shield. It doesn't show up on any shield tables to my knowledge. It certainly doesn't have the rules text that a shield (or spiked shield) has that allows it to be enchanted as a weapon or shield.

As a GM I'd probably say go for it. But as a question on the rules forum, I don't think it works.

[StabbittyDoom]

It works for standard shields because those are both on the shields and weapons lists. Scizore only appears on the weapon list, so therefor it (by strict RAW) cannot receive shield enchantments.

If you want to do it anyway, it's reasonable to allow enchantments treating is as a light shield. The bashing enchantment, however, would either have to be restricted or only apply to using it for bludgeoning. Otherwise it'd be FAR too strong on base dice.

[Murdock Mudeater]

I was under the impression that you couldn't enchant a shield as a weapon. Pretty sure the way around this is the Shield spikes, which can be enchanted as weapons, independently from the enchanted shield. Could be wrong.

[Melkiador]

You can enchant a shield as a weapon. I'm sure someone will be along with the quote shortly.

The problem with the scizore is that it's never described as a shield. There are other non-shield weapons that give a shield bonus, like the meteor hammer. But giving a shield bonus doesn't automatically make a weapon a shield.

[Kazaan]

Basically, shield bonus =/= shield just like armor bonus =/= armor. It has to, explicitly, be a shield in order to be enhanced as a shield.

[Gisher]

Murdock Mudeater wrote:

I was under the impression that you couldn't enchant a shield as a weapon. Pretty sure the way around this is the Shield spikes, which can be enchanted as weapons, independently from the enchanted shield. Could be wrong.

You can enhance a light or heavy shield as a weapon even without spikes. This enhancement is separate from any enhancement that it might have to its shield bonus. As an example a light shield could have a +3 enhancement bonus to the shield AC and also have a +2 weapon enhancement bonus. The +3 bonus would cost 9,000 gp and the +2 bonus wold cost 8,000 gp.

For Melkiador, here are some citations. :)

CRB: Magic Armor wrote:

Shields: Shield enhancement bonuses stack with armor enhancement bonuses. Shield enhancement bonuses do not act as attack or damage bonuses when the shield is used in a shield bash. The bashing special ability, however, does grant a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls (see the special ability description).

A shield could be built that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC.

CRB: Light Shield wrote:

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield. See "shield, light" on Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a light shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a light shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next turn. 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.

Similar language is used in the heavy shield description.