Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shaggy_Shaggs 01-04-06, 10:05 AM	If a character is using Improved Shield Bash to attack with a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon while still using it as a shield, is there any reason he couldn't use it in two hands like a normal one-handed weapon, for purposes of increased Strength-based damage and Power Attacking? If he can do this, would he still retain his shield bonus to AC while using it in this way?
Shaggy_Shaggs 01-05-06, 01:23 AM	Please respond, I want to know if it's legitimately possible to have a shield and a two-handed weapon like this, without resorting to the dreaded floaty shield.
ubernex 01-05-06, 01:45 AM	If a character is using Improved Shield Bash to attack with a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon while still using it as a shield, is there any reason he couldn't use it in two hands like a normal one-handed weapon, for purposes of increased Strength-based damage and Power Attacking? If he can do this, would he still retain his shield bonus to AC while using it in this way? I'll tread carefully on this one, but I'm pretty sure it is legal to do this. If it isn't I would like to see where it is outlawed so I can point it out to a player who is curently using that as his main attack mode. Since Heavy Shield can be used as a weapon, then it could also be weilded two-handed as per the SRD.
Tummult 01-05-06, 04:17 AM	A heavy shield is considered a one-handed weapon, therefore one could use it in 2 hands and add 1.5 times their strength bonus to damage. You can also Power Attack with it. A light shield is considered a light weapon, therefore you recieve no bonus for wielding it in two hands and cannot Power Attack with it. You could hwever, Weapon Finesse it. Lastly, you only retain the shield bonus to your AC while making attacks with it, if you have the feat Improved Shield Bash.
Inigo Carmine 01-05-06, 08:33 AM	Realistically, I can't imagine using a shield 2-handed on anyone, at least not while its strapped to your arm. Even then, I can't see anyone getting their full str bonus to damage with it in the first place. If you unstrapped it from your arm (no longer being able to gain any more AC from it than you would any other weapon), you could probably use one as a 2-handed improvised weapon. A heavy shield is considered a one-handed weapon, therefore one could use it in 2 hands and add 1.5 times their strength bonus to damage. You can also Power Attack with it. For purposes of penalties on attack rolls only. Otherwise its handedness is never mentioned. From the SRD Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a heavy shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). 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. It also says a shield bash is considered an offhand attack; therefore you'd only get 0.5*str bonus to damage. Since its handedness is unknown, I don't know what to say about power attack. I would probably allow it with a heavy shiled, but only treated as a one-handed weapon. That is purely speculation though.
Shaggy_Shaggs 01-05-06, 08:50 AM	The handedness isn't unknown. In the PHB Weapons table, "Shield, light" and "Spiked shield, light" both appear in the Light Melee subsection of the Martial Weapons section. "Shield, heavy" and "Spiked shield, heavy" both appear in the One-Handed Melee subsection of the Martial Weapons section. This is true in 3.5 PHB, I don't know whether this also applies in 3.0.