Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tsh77769 03-10-06, 02:20 AM	First of all in the DM's guide I clearyly see the section on rules for magic armor, but not a section for rules on magic shields. However, content and context as well as the shileds and armor being listed together in the same table in many books leads me to beleive that the same rules apply to both. I understand that armor/shields can be enhanced up to +5 and that this applies to their AC? I also understand that this stacks with the base AC provided by the shield and does not replace it. So a +5 buckler would provide a total of +6 to AC. Otherwise a +5 buckler and a +5 heavy shield would both be +5 to ac and that is just plain stupid. I saw a magical weapon enhancement called defending weapon. It allows you to transfer the attack bonus into AC bonus. I also saw that shields which have spikes on them can be enhanced both as a shield and as a weapon, you jsut have to pay for each feature seperately as they are seperately applied ot either the shield component or the weapon component. So, if I have an enhanced shield with spikes can I also have the spikes be enhanced as defending weapons? If so, would the bonuses stack? For example, if I understand everything correctly, a +5 light shield with spike enhanced with +5 defending weapon woudl equal a total of +12 to AC?? Tsh77769
RavenDrake 03-10-06, 03:45 AM	Yes, shields are combined with armours, and most special armour abilities(except for a few specifically named) can be applied to sheilds as well. All shields provide a Shield bonus to AC. That means that any enhancement bonus put on a shield enhances its shield bonus... a +2 Buckler provides a total shield bonus of +3 to your total AC. Also remember that, as a named bonus, Sheild bonuses do not stack with each other, but they do stack with Armour bonues, dodge bonuses, Profane or Holy bonuses, etc to determine your total armour class. As for shield as weapons: You don't have to have spiked shields to have them enhanced as weapons: 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. From the section on Shield Bash attacks. So a regular shield OR a spiked shield can be enhanced as a weapon, a spiked shield just does more damage. And, if enhanced as a weapon, it can have defending added. And If so enhanced, it can transfer up to it's full WEAPON enhancement bonus to AC. Thus, yes, you can have a +5 Light Shield which is also a +5 Defending weapon. If you do, you can have a Maximum of +11 to your Armour Class (+1 Shield bonus base, +5 Shield enhancement bonus, and +5 Untyped Bonus to AC from defending). Of course, it will also cost you 97,000gp. Also, certain DM's (For example, myself) will say that if you declare a defending weapon active while weilding another weapon(such as using a defending wepaon shield and a longsword, or Defending Armour spikes and a Longspear), then you take Two Weapon Fighting Penalties with it, whether you attack with it or not. (a highly unpopular opinion, I know, and I've been decryed for it before, but there you go.)
Tsh77769 03-10-06, 11:32 AM	Actually I can see the logic of the TWF thing as you stated becasue you are actively using it as a weapon, a defeneding weapon, but a weapon none the less. If you used a dagger to parry and thus gained an AC bonus, that would be two weapon fighting and it is the same sor of concept, so yeah, I get you. Anyways, thanks for the quick response. tsh77769