Is Sword and Board viable?

[BlueBlackRed]

I've seen both styles in action.
Whichever one you use, you need to have backup to augment what you give up.

If you go all offense with a greatsword barbarian, then you will probably need your own personal cleric.

If you go for the sword and board option, then you will be taking and doing less damage so you'll need some additional damage dealing from your party.

The basic 2 option, S&B vs 2H, scale evenly until you get your floating shield.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Mogelschild (Cheat Shield), as we call the Animated Shield.

But I think it works pretty well. It depends a lot on what kind of group you have. If you have a dedicated healer available, you will probably fare well with a two-handed weapon, but without that, it simply hurts to much. Even with the Cheat Shield, the one-handed weapon wielder will still have a slight (2 points) advantage.

It would probably be fairer if the Combat Expertise would gain a similar benefit as Power Attack when using a shield (2 x or 1.5 x penalty to AC if using a shield). The Cheat Shield would still reduce this advantage, though.

 

[Ourph]

A shield adds another layer of AC bonus that can 1) carry magical enhancements; and 2) stack with other magical armor.

With armor you're limited to a maximum +5 magical enhancement bonus (pre-Epic). With armor + shield that max doubles, plus you get the base shield bonus. Combine this with the fact that enhancements to armor and shields cost less than AC from other sources (deflection, natural armor, etc.) and shields look pretty good to me.

 

[Endur]

Sword and Board is more about flexibility than maximum damage. Two handed weapon is about maximum damage.

With a longsword, you can use the shield for extra defense, or swing the longsword with two hands for extra strength and extra power attack damage. Only drawback is 2d6 vs. 1d8 base weapon damage.

Likewise, You can fight from horseback with longsword where some GMs won't allow a 2 handed weapon to be used from horseback (horse's head gets in the way).

You can use a longsword in tight quarters where you can't use a two handed weapon.

You can hold something other than a shield in the off hand ... i.e. a wand, swing from a rope or chandalier, climb a ladder, etc.

 

[Enkhidu]

...It would probably be fairer if the Combat Expertise would gain a similar benefit as Power Attack when using a shield (2 x or 1.5 x penalty to AC if using a shield). The Cheat Shield would still reduce this advantage, though.

If you're going to adjust Combat Expertise to make weapon and shield more attractive, then its a fairly simple thing to add "This benefit does not apply when using an animated shield" to it.

 

[Enkhidu]

...You can hold something other than a shield in the off hand ... i.e. a wand, swing from a rope or chandalier, climb a ladder, etc.

Or (my favorite) a bow.

One of the best "flexibility" combinations I've see is a longsword/bastard sword wielder with a buckler and a bow in the off hand and a glove of storing in the weapon hand. Switching styles as a free action from round to round means more full attack actions.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Which is true, though you do not get any benefit from a buckler when you attack, and you take a -1 penalty when you attack while using a buckler.

Buckler defense lets you keep it though.

 

[heimdall]

Don't forget about the team maneuvers using shields in the PHB II (Team Shield Maneuver and Wall of Steel). With sword and board these become options if the appropriate feat/proficiency is in place for the team leader and the BAB is met for team members in Wall of Steel. The first can save a comrade as you kick him 10 ft. back to the cleric, the second means you can provide additional shielding to your spellcaster at your own expense.

 

[Quartz]

I tried to address this issue in a thread which got lost in the crash. Someone came up with a new feat, Shield Expertise (pre-req was Combat Expertise, maybe Weapon Focus: Shield as well), which simply gave +2 AC per -1 BAB and that seemed to largely, but not entirely, fix the issue for me.

For the PHB2 it would be

Shield Expertise

 

[werk]

I voted other because I really feel that it depends on how the DM creates his encounters. If he makes the party go up against over-levelled bad guys, then the extra AC may be a complete waste. If he has the party up against comparably levelled bad guys, then the AC is very beneficial and works like it's supposed to.

So, yes, under the right conditions.