Tower shield + large shield?

Thordain · Apr 5, 2003

A tower shield is a cover bonus. A normal shield is an armor bonus. Can you use a tower shield in your right hand and a normal shield in your left and have them stack?

Pax · Apr 5, 2003

Technically, yes.

Logically, no.

That very thing is one of the reasons people often consider changing Shields to always give a cover bonus.

greycastle · Apr 5, 2003

does a tower sheild help in melee? if so, how?

Pax · Apr 5, 2003

Yes, it helps.

You get a cover bonus from it.

Just like fighting around a door, or a corner.

Brista · Apr 5, 2003

Is it not actually rather better than that?

For instance, I approach the dragon shield set to 90%. I can pretty much laugh it's fire breath off (+4 saves and the equivalent of improved evasion from the shield)

Next it attacks, my shield still being at 90%, I get a +10 AC bonus just from the shield and again am pretty safe

Now my go. As a free action I adjust the shield to 50% get my attacks and then afterwards adjust the shield back to 90% again. Even if the dragon wises up and readies an action for when I move my shield I get full attacks against his standard attacks.

If I take a Disarm action to knock his wand out of his hand he gets no AOO because I have 50%+ cover

I'm genuinely puzzled by these things - they seem utterly broken. What's more it's a real headache thinking about GMing this. I hate house rules but the rules as written seem to force me to be much more creative and tactical with my monsters than I would like to be (I like most of them to simply charge and attack until killed). I don't want every fight to become a simple walkover or some 20 minute chess match of manouevring and counter-manouevring

Hypersmurf · Apr 5, 2003

Now my go. As a free action I adjust the shield to 50% get my attacks and then afterwards adjust the shield back to 90% again.

You can only adjust the shield once per round.

-Hyp.

Pax · Apr 5, 2003

Further, I believe you GIVE the same cover to yoru foe, that you CLAIM from the shield. I'm not 100% on that, though.

Hypersmurf · Apr 5, 2003

Further, I believe you GIVE the same cover to yoru foe, that you CLAIM from the shield. I'm not 100% on that, though.

With melee weapons, definitely.

With reach weapons, almost definitely.

With ranged weapons, there is debate.

-Hyp.

Brista · Apr 5, 2003

Hypersmurf said:
You can only adjust the shield once per round.

-Hyp.

That does help, although it still makes for a very powerful defence. Our fighter could endure the dragon's breath and initiative-winning attack at 90% and then adjust to 50% for his own attack

What is the source for this rule and the rule that it covers your opponent please?

Another question I have is whether there is any guidance in the rules about how much cover you need to make attacks with different weapons. It seems to me that phalanx/legion weapons like shortspear or shortsword might be more effective than larger slashing one-handed weapons. It also seems to me that if you can throw a dart from an arrowslit - anyone who has been around a medieval castle would say you can I think - that you can throw a dart with no penalty from a 90% shield cover.