Hello,
I have a few questions about shields, in particular about shield bashing.
First, since shields are listed under Weapons, is it possible to take feats like Weapon Focus on particular types of shields?
Yup.
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Second, when I read the description of shield bashing, it says the following: "You can bash an opponent with a shield, using it as an off-hand weapon." If I take this literally, this implies that if I am holding a shield, and nothing else, that my shield will still count as an off-hand weapon. Surely this can't be the case?
Nah, that isn't the case.
They apparently changed that sentence in 2011, removing the "using it as an off-hand weapon" part.
Edit: I did notice that the description of shields in the 'weapons' section on the SRD has the faulty "off-hand" sentence, while the description of shields in the armor section doesn't.
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If it indeed isn't, can I hold a heavy shield with two hands to add 1 1/2 times my Strength modifier to the damage, just like I could do with any other one handed weapon? Also, if I am wearing a heavy shield and a light shield, and I attack with both of them, are my penalties on attack rolls similar to the penalties I would have if I were to attack with any other combination of a one handed and a light weapon?
You can add 1.5x your Strength mod if you two-hand it, yes.
You calculate your attack penalty as if you were carrying a one-handed and light weapon. Do keep in mind that you only take TWF penalties if you attempt to gain another attack with Two-Weapon Fighting.
Lastly, I am not sure if I understand the feat Shield Focus correctly. It says: "Increase the AC bonus granted by any shield you are using by 1." If I am wearing a heavy and light shield and don't have this feat, I have a shield bonus on my AC of 2. If I take this feat, one way to interpret it is that each of the shields I am holding grants me an extra +1 bonus, so then I would have a shield bonus on my AC of 4. Alternatively, one could interpret this as the heavy shield granting a bonus of 3 and the light one a bonus of 2, and the highest counts, so I would have a shield bonus on my AC of 3. Which interpretation is correct?
Thank you for your time and help.
Shield bonuses don't stack. So even though Shield Focus applies to all shields carried, you only use the highest bonus. So your second interpretation is correct.