How does an Absorbing Shield work?

[Legildur]

From the 3.5E SRD:

Absorbing Shield
This +1 heavy steel shield is flat black and seems to absorb light. Once every two days, on command, it can disintegrate an object that it touches, as the spell but requiring a melee touch attack.

Strong transmutation; CL 17th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, disintegrate; Price 50,170 gp; Cost 25,170 gp + 2,000 XP.

and

Activation
Usually a character benefits from magic armor and shields in exactly the way a character benefits from nonmagical armor and shields—by wearing them. If armor or a shield has a special ability that the user needs to activate then the user usually needs to utter the command word (a standard action).

I read that as the user utters the command word (a standard action) and then may make a melee touch attack the following round to attempt to disintegrate an object.

Or is it all rolled into one (standard) action like the disintegrate spell itself?

Also, can an attended object be struck this way? The scenario is mind is to use the shield to disintegrate a sword wielded by the opponent. Is this a Sunder attempt? Or merely an (melee touch) attack?

And what would be the saving throw for a +2 longsword? Is it simply +5? (2 + half caster level). <edit> Found the answer to this question in the PHB p166: "An item attended by a character (being grapsed, touched, or worn) makes saving throws as the character (that is, using the character's saving throw bonus).... An attended magic item either makes saving throws as its owner or uses its own saving throw bonus, whichever is better."

And I'm guessing that disintegrate ignores hardness...

 

[Moon-Lancer]

i think activation is apart of the tuch attack but i couldent give you a clear cut printed rule.

To hit the sword it would just be a tuch attack but the player could use thier save i think. again no rules, but it feels right...

 

[Infiniti2000]

I read that as the user utters the command word (a standard action) and then may make a melee touch attack the following round to attempt to disintegrate an object.

Or is it all rolled into one (standard) action like the disintegrate spell itself?

I read it as being all rolled into one. The activation rules do not require separate actions. To activate this ability requires a standard action command word. What is the ability? Make a melee touch attack to disintegrate something.

The follow-up question I have on this is what happens if you miss. Is the ability lost? I'd say yes.

Also, can an attended object be struck this way? The scenario is mind is to use the shield to disintegrate a sword wielded by the opponent. Is this a Sunder attempt? Or merely an (melee touch) attack?

That's a really hard question. I'd probably say no, an attended object can't. To 'attack' the attended object, you need to use sunder or disarm and this ability is clearly neither.

And I'm guessing that disintegrate ignores hardness...

That'd be my ruling, too, based on the vulnerability caveat. But, it'd be reasonable to assume hardness still applied.

 

[Twowolves]

Sort of along these lines, does anyone know of a "Spell Storing Shield", one that acts like the Spell Storing property of weapons but only works when the shield is hit in melee, discharging the spell on the attacker only? If not, how would you make such an item?