Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dnarris 06-06-07, 12:56 PM	I'm starting a new game with a few people and I ended up choosing the fighter role. I plan on being a Dwarven Fighter until I can become a Dwarven Defender. I also plan on using a tower shield. I don't mind the -2 to attacks from using a tower shield, but I don't like the fact that I can't shield bash with it. Are there any feats in any books that would allow me to remove penalities with a tower shield or allow me to use it for shield bashing and shield smash? Plus any other feats that might be useful defensive wise? Also anyone know of any one handed weapons with reach or any way I can wield a two-handed weapon with one hand? It would be nice to be able to use a long spear or halberd while defensive stance is active that way I can threaten a larger range.
InkBlot 06-06-07, 01:13 PM	Halberds don't have reach. I don't know of any feats that help with tower shields, but there are plenty that help with other kinds of shields. If you take those, then your light or heavy shield will protect as well as a tower shield, but allow you to bash et cetera. Shield Block - Heroes Of Battle - First ranged attack in a round automatically misses you, and hits your shield. Shield Specialization - PHBII - Choose one kind of shield, your AC bonus from the shield increases by +1 Shield Ward - PHBII - Add shield's AC bonus to touch AC, and checks made to resist Grappling, Disarms, Trips, etc. Active Shield Defense - PHBII - When wearing a shield, you still threaten and can make AoO's when in full defense. Agile Shield Fighter - PHBII - TWF for shields, but easier to qualify for. Shield Sling - PHBII - Throw a shield as a ranged weapon, and knock over whoever it hits. Shield Charge - Compete Warrior - Make a charging shield bash, get a free trip attempt. Shield Slam - Complete Warrior - Make a charging shield bash, get a free trip attempt, and daze the enemy for one round (requires Shield Charge). Focused Shield - Complete Psionic - While psionically focused, your shield bonus to AC increases by +1. Improved Buckler Defense - Complete Warrior - Keep your buckler's AC bonus while using your off-hand. Useful for those who like big two-handed reach weapons. Phalanx Fighting - Complete Warrior - When using a light weapon (like armor spikes), your heavy shield's bonus increases by +1. If a buddy within 5 feet uses this feat too, then the bonus increases by +3, and you get a +1 to reflex saves. With Focused Shield and Shield Specialization, you'll get the same AC bonus from a heavy shield as you do from a tower shield. With Shield Ward, you get the primary benefits of cover without any of the penalties. With all three feats, you have all the benefits of a tower shield, none of the penalties, and all the benefits (bashing) of a heavy shield. edit: forgot Improved Buckler Defense
Dnarris 06-06-07, 01:19 PM	Excellent list! Thanks. I'm still interested in seeing if there is any weapon I might be able to use that will give me reach while using a shield. I might have to consider not using a tower shield, but I kind of want to pick up the Shield Mate feat from the Miniatures book. If you're using a heavy shield it'll give +1 AC to all friendlies adjacent to you, but with a tower shield it gives +2 AC. +2 AC to all nearby allies makes the feat pretty nice, but +1 AC might not be really worth it.
InkBlot 06-06-07, 01:29 PM	I forgot Improved Buckler Defense in the above list. It is the only way I know of to, through a feat, use a shield and a two-handed weapon at the same time. IBD allows you to keep your buckler's shield bonus while using your off-hand. I also forgot Phalanx Fighting. Phalanx Fighting is similar to Shield Mate. The bonus from your heavy shield increases by +1 if you use it with a light weapon (like armor spikes). If two or more people use this feat while adjacent, the extra AC jumps to +3 and they all also get a +1 bonus to Reflex saves.
Krusk 06-06-07, 01:33 PM	Whip daggers have reach, and i think the concept of them and a tower shield is a little funny. its from arms and equipment. Secrets of sarlonia has a one handed exotic reach weapon, if you are playing eberon. I think it is the spinning sword, but im not sure.
equilibrium17 06-06-07, 01:39 PM	If your DM will consider stuff from outside the major WoTC releases, there is a feat that was published in Dragon magazine called Long Strike. IIRC, it allows you use a Full Attack action to make one strike (no matter how many attack/round you normally get), at +5' distance with a polearm. So with, say, a shortspear, you get a 10' reach attack for one attack. Also, It's not an uncommon houserule to create a feat that allows a longspear to be used one-handed. I've experimented with this in my games, and it does create interesting opportunities for defensive and battlefield control martial builds. You could talk to your DM about this.
InkBlot 06-06-07, 01:41 PM	I'm still interested in seeing if there is any weapon I might be able to use that will give me reach while using a shield. Dungeon Master's Guide, page 145, the kusari gama. It's a light weapon with reach, it can trip, and it gets a +2 bonus to disarm checks. The kusari gama, as it is presented in the DMG, is purely a fantasy weapon. This is how the kusari gama is actually wielded. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPdEgw_WBZs) And this is an adorable little girl performing Wushu. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faxW0GcyyDo&mode=related&search=)
InkBlot 06-06-07, 01:50 PM	If your DM will consider stuff from outside the major WoTC releases, there is a feat that was published in Dragon magazine called Long Strike. IIRC, it allows you use a Full Attack action to make one strike (no matter how many attack/round you normally get), at +5' distance with a polearm. That feat is also in PHBII, under the name Lunging Strike, except that it works with any weapon. It probably wouldn't interest the OP, however, because reach is only useful for defense if it increases your threatened area. There's also a stance from Tome Of Battle which increases your reach by 5 feet for all attacks made on your turn (and thus doesn't increase your threatened area). It can be gotten with clever multiclassing (a one level dip at the right time) or two feats. There's also a power in the Mind's Eye, which was reprinted with small alterations in Complete Psionic, which increases reach. This actually increases your threatened area. However, it's slightly harder to get. You would need at least 4 levels in Psychic Warrior to nab it. Reach (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040827e) is the Mind's Eye version (last power on the page), it works by making your arms longer. Extend Reach is the less creepy Complete Psionic version, with which you telekinetically wield your weapon further away.
Father Dale 06-07-07, 12:06 PM	I'd reconsider the Tower Shield. Not because the Tower shield itself is necessarily a bad shield, but you can't take Shield Specialization/Shield Ward with it. (In theory you could take Shield Ward and it would apply to all shield uses, although some DMs might limit it to just the shield type you have specialization with.) In any event, with Specialization that heavy shield is now a +3 vs the +4 of the tower shield, without the additional problems and restrictions imposed by a tower shield. I'm a big fan of the Dwarven Defender, and they can get massive AC going (even without the stance), especially if they take Combat Expertise/Imp Combat Expertise. You might want to consider looking at exotic weapon master (for use with a dwarven waraxe) to get some additional damage going. The one EWM ability lets you add x2 power attack damage when wielding your EW in one hand. This would let you deal good damage with the waraxe while keeping your AC up with a shield.
Alvoros Darkleaf 06-07-07, 03:39 PM	Shield Block - Heroes Of Battle - First ranged attack in a round automatically misses you, and hits your shield. Don't see this in Heroes of Battle....can't find it on the Consolidated Feat List (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/feats)either. Does this exist? Would like to take this with one of my characters....but I think you just made it up! ;) Alvo
Alvoros Darkleaf 06-07-07, 03:45 PM	Aahhh....nevermind. Found it by searching the consolidated feat list by the word "block"....the feat is called "Block Arrow". Not as good as I hoped, only blocks the 1st ranged missle, not ranged attack. So, won't stop rays, etc. Only an arrow or x-bow bolt. Alvo
AAB 06-07-07, 05:41 PM	Whip daggers have reach, and i think the concept of them and a tower shield is a little funny. its from arms and equipment. Secrets of sarlonia has a one handed exotic reach weapon, if you are playing eberon. I think it is the spinning sword, but im not sure. i don't know how many times i've said this in the last few days: whips and whip daggers do not give you ANY threatened area. they would be less than useless in a defensive role.
Krusk 06-07-07, 07:56 PM	i don't know how many times i've said this in the last few days: whips and whip daggers do not give you ANY threatened area. they would be less than useless in a defensive role. What a shame, he is right, as i reread the whip entry. Please do not expect every single post you make to be read, especially in other threads. So you may "have" to say it many times. But honestly you don't have to say it at all.
AAB 06-07-07, 08:33 PM	What a shame, he is right, as i reread the whip entry. Please do not expect every single post you make to be read, especially in other threads. So you may "have" to say it many times. But honestly you don't have to say it at all. sorry to get snippy, but it just seems like it has come up a lot over the past week. a ridiculous amount.
Neutronium_Dragon 06-07-07, 08:49 PM	The stance from the Tome of Battle is called "Absolute Steel Stance," which admittedly has a nice ring for a dwarven defender type. There are a few other nice options in there too, such as the "Iron Guard's Glare" stance which allows you to impose a -4 penalty on opponents attacking anyone other than you (which helps to focus their attention on you rather than the squishy mage). In fact, if you're trying to play a bulwark/defender type then the Crusader from the ToB might fill the role you're looking for better than the fighter, since the Crusader has a lot more in the way of "Pay attention to ME!" abilities than the fighter does.
StevenO 06-07-07, 09:17 PM	If you want a feat that would allow you to bash with a tower shield I'd instead recommend just using a Heavy Shield and Combat Expertise set a 2. The Heavy Shield's +2 AC combine with the +2/-2 from CE effectively giving you the same AC as the Tower Shield; you may not be able to claim cover from it but you gain the ability to bash and lose all that weight and Armor Check Penalty. With Combat Expertise you can get +5 AC (up to your BAB) which would stack with fighting defensively; improved CE removes the cap allowing you gain an AC modifier up to your full BAB.
Genetic 06-07-07, 09:26 PM	If you really want defensive options, you may want to look into the knight base class from Player's Handbook II. They exist specifically for defending others.
G_Mancer 06-08-07, 02:23 AM	I'm starting a new game with a few people and I ended up choosing the fighter role. I plan on being a Dwarven Fighter until I can become a Dwarven Defender. I also plan on using a tower shield. I don't mind the -2 to attacks from using a tower shield, but I don't like the fact that I can't shield bash with it. Are there any feats in any books that would allow me to remove penalities with a tower shield or allow me to use it for shield bashing and shield smash? Plus any other feats that might be useful defensive wise? Also anyone know of any one handed weapons with reach or any way I can wield a two-handed weapon with one hand? It would be nice to be able to use a long spear or halberd while defensive stance is active that way I can threaten a larger range. Shield Specialization (hevy shield) give an additional +1 bonus. you'd give up 1 ac for the ability to shield bash, and removing the -2 to attack. there is no such thing as a one handed weapon with reach. (unless whip counts... but i dout you'd want to go with whip.) the whole Shield specialization tree (shield ward, agile shield defence/offence) is really good. make a char that uses two shields, bash would be your main wep, and when you dont attack you get the ac of both shields. +6 from full defence( and you still threaten with the shield spec tree)
AAB 06-08-07, 02:53 AM	actually, i think it's been ruled somewhere officially that you cannot gain the AC bonuses from multiple shields (doesn't make sense to me, but i swear i saw it somewhere)
acstrife 06-08-07, 08:19 AM	actually, i think it's been ruled somewhere officially that you cannot gain the AC bonuses from multiple shields (doesn't make sense to me, but i swear i saw it somewhere) Yes you are correct, using two shields you take the higher shield bonus of the two, since both shields Ac's would be (shield armor) which do not stack together for the purposes of AC.