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I was watching a video and it got me wondering . . .
1) If you had a tower shield and used the standard action to gain full cover special property would you be protected from a Basilisks gaze attack or could it target the shield like a targeted spell and turn you to stone?
2) If you can still be turned to stone when in full cover can you take a standard action to gain full cover from the Basilisk then let go and basically just crouch behind it?
The thing is technically you looking at it (as it looks at you within a certain range). The way the game models this is by just giving a free "sweep the room" once per round on the Gaze attack monster's turn and allowing to focus force another save as a standard action but only onto a single creature. Again technically it happens just at the start of the monster's turn, which will mean the towershield will already have been placed in the way between PC and monster. While one could argue that the monster can just move around to avoid the shield being interposing and allow a "slightly later save" vs the gaze, so to could the shield bearer say "well if were allowing a more flowing time-logic to allow them to get around my shield, couldn't I also slowly move my shield to match?" and we are back to square one.
Personally, I would rule that "you can't be certain that you are properly tracking the monster behind your opaque shield unless you occasionally see the creature" and resulting rule that using the shield like this is just the same thing as averting your eyes (monster gets 20% concealment but you only have a 50% chance to be affected by the gaze each time it procs), the other benefits of interposing with a tower shield, and leave it at that.
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The thing is technically you looking at it (as it looks at you within a certain range). The way the game models this is by just giving a free "sweep the room" once per round on the Gaze attack monster's turn and allowing to focus force another save as a standard action but only onto a single creature. Again technically it happens just at the start of the monster's turn, which will mean the towershield will already have been placed in the way between PC and monster. While one could argue that the monster can just move around to avoid the shield being interposing and allow a "slightly later save" vs the gaze, so to could the shield bearer say "well if were allowing a more flowing time-logic to allow them to get around my shield, couldn't I also slowly move my shield to match?" and we are back to square one.
Personally, I would rule that "you can't be certain that you are properly tracking the monster behind your opaque shield unless you occasionally see the creature" and resulting rule that using the shield like this is just the same thing as averting your eyes (monster gets 20% concealment but you only have a 50% chance to be affected by the gaze each time it procs), the other benefits of interposing with a tower shield, and leave it at that.
You're definately not looking at it. The relevant rules are . . .
Gaze (Ex) Turn to stone permanently (as flesh to stone), range 30 feet, Fortitude DC 15 negates. A creature petrified in this matter that is then coated (not just splashed) with fresh basilisk blood (taken from a basilisk no more than 1 hour dead) is instantly restored to flesh. A single basilisk contains enough blood to coat 1d3 Medium creatures in this manner. The save DC is Constitution-based.
The basilisk's gaze as I read it is a target within 30 feet gets turned to stone as per stone to flesh i.e.
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one petrified creature or a cylinder of stone from 1 ft. to 3 ft. in diameter and up to 10 ft. long
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (object); see text; Spell Resistance yes
so presumably the gaze attack targets one creature in 30 foot to turn to stone if they fail their save and the tower shield say's . . .
This massive wooden shield is nearly as tall as its user. In most situations, it provides the indicated shield bonus to your AC. As a standard action, however, you can use a tower shield to grant you total cover until the beginning of your next turn. When using a tower shield in this way, you must choose one edge of your space. That edge is treated as a solid wall for attacks targeting you only. You gain total cover for attacks that pass through this edge and no cover for attacks that do not pass through this edge (see cover, Core Rulebook 195). The shield does not, however, provide cover against targeted spells; a spellcaster can cast a spell on you by targeting the shield you are holding. You cannot bash with a tower shield, nor can you use your shield hand for anything else.
Which to me reads as you duck behind the shield. You aren't peeking around it from the end of turn round A you see nothing and nothing see's you till the begining of round B when you might look again. However it also say's a spell can be cast on you by targeting the shield which makes me think the basilisk can target the shield to turn you to stone during this period but gaze is defined as . . .
This attack takes effect when foes look at the attacking creature’s eyes. The attack can have any sort of effect; charm, death, and petrification are common. The typical range is 30 feet, but check the creature’s entry for details. The type of saving throw for a gaze attack varies, but it is usually a Will or Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the gazing creature’s racial HD + that creature’s Charisma modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature’s text). A successful saving throw negates the effect. A monster’s gaze attack is described in abbreviated form in its description. Each opponent within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw each round at the beginning of her turn in the initiative order. Only looking directly at a creature with a gaze attack leaves an opponent vulnerable. Opponents can avoid the need to attempt the save by not looking at the creature, in one of two ways.
Averting Eyes: The opponent avoids looking at the creature’s face, instead looking at its body, watching its shadow, tracking it in a reflective surface, etc. Each round, the opponent has a 50% chance to avoid having to attempt a saving throw against the gaze attack. The creature with the gaze attack, however, gains concealment against that opponent.
Which I think is what your doing so for that period your using the shield as full cover the basilisk can't meet your eyes so it can't target the shield. Unless it moves to look at you from a different direction. What I'm unsure of is which specific rules take effect the gaze attack and its averting eyes combined with the tower shields special standard action or the basilisk gaze creature rules that it targets as per flesh to stone and the tower shields rule that a spell can be targetted at the shield to affect the wielder?
Read gaze monster rules maybe?
A gaze special attack takes effect when foes look at the attacking creature’s eyes. The attack can have any sort of effect; petrification, death, and charm are common. The typical range is 30 feet, but check the creature’s entry for details. The type of saving throw for a gaze attack varies, but it is usually a Will or Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 gazing creature’s racial HD + gazing creature’s Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature’s text). A successful saving throw negates the effect. A monster’s gaze attack is described in abbreviated form in its description. Each opponent within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw each round at the beginning of his or her turn in the initiative order. Only looking directly at a creature with a gaze attack leaves an opponent vulnerable. Opponents can avoid the need to make the saving throw by not looking at the creature, in one of two ways.
Averting Eyes: The opponent avoids looking at the creature’s face, instead looking at its body, watching its shadow, tracking it in a reflective surface, etc. Each round, the opponent has a 50% chance to avoid having to make a saving throw against the gaze attack. The creature with the gaze attack, however, gains concealment against that opponent.
Wearing a Blindfold: The foe cannot see the creature at all (also possible to achieve by turning one’s back on the creature or shutting one’s eyes). The creature with the gaze attack gains total concealment against the opponent.
A creature with a gaze attack can actively gaze as an attack action by choosing a target within range. That opponent must attempt a saving throw but can try to avoid this as described above. Thus, it is possible for an opponent to save against a creature’s gaze twice during the same round, once before the opponent’s action and once during the creature’s turn.
Gaze attacks can affect ethereal opponents. A creature is immune to gaze attacks of others of its kind unless otherwise noted. Allies of a creature with a gaze attack might be affected. All the creature’s allies are considered to be averting their eyes from the creature with the gaze attack, and have a 50% chance to not need to make a saving throw against the gaze attack each round. The creature can also veil its eyes, thus negating its gaze ability.
So technically I misspoke on the "it happens at the start of the monster's turn" but even still, at the start of shield-guy's turn, the weapon instantly would become "no longer deployed" opening them to the gaze attack before they put it back in. But the same justifications would apply to me where we can just give "averting eyes" for the use of the shield.