Shield Bashing

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I am opposed to shield bashing of all sorts. Shields are people, too after all.

Sorry to say this, but: actually, they aren`t.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[thorian]

Let's say I have a +1 shield of bashing, which is a market equivalent of +1, and I want to add shock (+1 equiv.) to my shield as a weapon. What is the price? Is it 9000gp (+3^2*1000) or 6000gp (+2^2*1000)+(+1^2*2000)? The later example being the cost of adding weapon enhancements since the shield is now being used as a weapon.

 

[DM_Matt]

Sorry to say this, but: actually, they aren`t.

Mustrum Ridcully

Well, cr*p. Oh, well, ya win some and ya lose some.

 

[diaglo]

I am opposed to shield bashing of all sorts. Shields are people, too after all.

only if they are Meat Shields. otherwise they are inanimate objects.

 

[Grayhawk]

Now, if someone uses a shield bash as his only attack in a round, what Str modifier does he apply?

0.5x Str bonus?

Or do you believe that your off-hand can change from round to round, as it's written nowhere that you have to decide on handedness upon character creation?

I think that you'd have to be ambidexterious to be able to switch off-hands, so I guess it could be allowed in 3e. As there's no mention of the 3.5 Two-Weapon Fighting feat making you ambidexterious (even though it grants you the same benefits as Ambidexterity did in 3e), I guess you'll be stuck with the shield in your off-hand (unless, of course you choose to wield your weapon in your off-hand instead...) - or is it assumed that all characters are capable of delivering equally strong blows with either hand?

This may be going into house rule territory, but wouldn't it make more sense if characters had a certain handedness, making the off-hand the same at all times?

 

[the Jester]

This may be going into house rule territory, but wouldn't it make more sense if characters had a certain handedness, making the off-hand the same at all times?

On this subject, ever since 1e I've had the pcs roll a d12 and a d20 for handedness. If the d20 is higher, they're right handed; the d12's higher, they're left handed. If the two are equal, the pc is ambidextrous. I stopped using this system in 3.0 when Ambidexterity became a feat but will prolly go back to it now that Ambidexterity is gone.

 

[Grayhawk]

I like that.

Reminds me of rolling for psionics in 1e.

 

[brento766]

whoa.

Let's say I have a +1 shield of bashing, which is a market equivalent of +1, and I want to add shock (+1 equiv.) to my shield as a weapon. What is the price? Is it 9000gp (+3^2*1000) or 6000gp (+2^2*1000)+(+1^2*2000)? The later example being the cost of adding weapon enhancements since the shield is now being used as a weapon.

I would say that it is the cheaper price because one is using it as a shield and the other is using it as a weapon. If we did it the first way then there would be a limit as to how much plus it could be so it couldn't have a +5 armor bonus and a +5 attack bonus

 

[Hypersmurf]

This may be going into house rule territory, but wouldn't it make more sense if characters had a certain handedness, making the off-hand the same at all times?

Oh, I agree. But the Armor Spikes reference suggests that an off-hand attack isn't necessarily made with a weapon held in the off-hand.

I'm asking what the effect on your Str bonus of making an off-hand attack with a weapon not held in the off-hand is.

Let's say I have a +1 shield of bashing, which is a market equivalent of +1, and I want to add shock (+1 equiv.) to my shield as a weapon. What is the price? Is it 9000gp (+3^2*1000) or 6000gp (+2^2*1000)+(+1^2*2000)? The later example being the cost of adding weapon enhancements since the shield is now being used as a weapon.

Actually, I'd say it's 12000. +2² x 1000 for the +1 enhancement bonus to AC and the +1 MPM Bashing ability, and +2² x 2000 for the +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls and the +1 MPM Shocking ability.

A weapon needs an enhancement bonus before you can add weapon special abilities, and a +1 shield isn't "a weapon with an enhancement bonus", it's "a shield with an enhancement bonus".

Since the Bashing ability only causes the shield to act as a +1 weapon "when used to bash", I wouldn't allow weapon special abilities to be added to the shield using that as the basis; a 'proper' enhancement bonus would need to go on first.

-Hyp.

 

[Benben]

Let's say I have a +1 shield of bashing, which is a market equivalent of +1, and I want to add shock (+1 equiv.) to my shield as a weapon. What is the price? Is it 9000gp (+3^2*1000) or 6000gp (+2^2*1000)+(+1^2*2000)? The later example being the cost of adding weapon enhancements since the shield is now being used as a weapon.

I believe the intention is to week the armor enhancements and the weapon ehancements on totally separate chains. The Bashing enhancements is just a way to jump start the weapon chain with the prequisite +1 bonus for further enhancements.

In this case adding Shock brings a +1 weapon to a +2 weapon. The base price for a +2 weapon is 8,000gp. I honestly can't remember if upgraded weapons cost the full ammount of the enhancement, or just the difference, which in this case would be 6,000gp.