SoM Cover ally

[fearcypher]

active defense:

Active Defense
If you are using a shield and you are attacked by a creature you are aware of while not flat-footed, you may spend an attack of opportunity to increase your shield bonus to AC against that attack by +2. This decision must be made before the roll is made. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, the increase to your shield bonus provided by this talent increases by 1. Talents with the (deflect) tag grant additional effects to this ability. Each use of active defense may only benefit from one (deflect) talent. You may expend your martial focus to use active defense in place of spending an attack of opportunity.

cover ally:

Cover Ally
As long as you have martial focus, you may use active defense to benefit an ally when an ally within your shield’s reach is targeted by an attack.

if a level 1 fighter with a heavy shield used cover ally would the bonus granted be +4(Shield bonus+active defense bonus) or would it just be +2 from active defense

[GM Rednal]

Hmm... this is a tough one. I can see a case being made either way, and we probably need a dev to say for sure. Calling Michael Sayre?

For my part, though, I'd say they only get the bonus provided by Active Defense (+2 in your scenario). This is because of the "you may use Active Defense to benefit an ally" part, which I'm interpreting as "give another character the benefit you would usually receive". The shield's normal bonus to AC isn't from Active Defense, so it probably shouldn't be included. There's also the fact that if both characters have shields, they'd technically be getting a shield bonus to AC twice if you used the full amount, and that's generally discouraged by the rules. I'm inclined to rule against anything that stacks (or at least allows the stacking of) bonuses you normally can't stack unless they explicitly say that's what they do.

On the other hand, when you're literally sticking a shield in front of someone to protect them, I can see why some people might rule it the other way. XD

[Michael Sayre]

My understanding is that you'd give your shield bonus + active defense, but that this bonus would not stack with any shield bonus the ally might already possess since shield bonuses don't stack. The bonus your ally would receive is still a shield bonus since active defense increases your starting shield bonus.

I pinged stack just to make sure since he wrote this, but unless he pops in and contradicts me, assume the above is the official answer.

[Stack]

You only grant the active defense bonus, not the benefit of the base shield.

[Michael Sayre]

Stack wrote:

You only grant the active defense bonus, not the benefit of the base shield.

And thus am I corrected.