Shield Spell, target: you

[Destil]

Shouldn't this spell have an entry of
Range: Personal
Effect: An invisible, mobile disk of force

Rather than it's current target of you? This makes more sense to me, though it may technichly put the spell in the evocation or even conjuration school... This also removes the sillyness of a potion of shield (since potions require a spell that targets a creature or creatures)...

Other spells for refrence:

Magic Circle Against, and Antimagic Field are both listed with areas, not targets (Magic Circle Against, of course, refrences Protection From which does have a target, but that tells you that it can be cast on one creature). Anitmagic Field ... though Fire Shield is listed as having a personal range and a target of you, when it's an evocation to boot.... humm...


Thoughts? Not a huge issue, it's really only a problem if you want to get rid of potions of shield... but still, it's interesting. The way I see it, spells that don't dirrectly affect you and have a personal range should have effects or areas, not a target of you... if for nothing else it makes potions make far more sense.

 

[dcollins]

You know, that's not a bad analysis. It's water under the bridge at this point, and would require a house rule to change... but if asked how I'd recommend it be changed, I think I might agree with you here.

 

[Hypersmurf]

The "Target: You" line is how they justify only allowing one Shield to effect a given person at a time.

If it was "Effect : a disk of force", then you could cast Shield twice and cover two halves of a battlefield simultaneously.

Instead, the casting of the Shield spell serves to make you "a Shielded person", with half-battlefield protection. A second casting does nothing except extend the duration of your Shieldedness.

-Hyp.

 

[Archer]

Its worded like that so you can't have a potion of shield.

 

[Arcanus]

Or maybe so you can't make it a Persistent metamagic spell

 

[Destil]

Its worded like that so you can't have a potion of shield.

As worded, though, you can make a potion of shield (potions only work for spells that have targets). This is one of the odditys making it have an effect, rather than a target would change.

 

[Destil]

Or maybe so you can't make it a Persistent metamagic spell

As worded you can have a persistant shield. This wouldn't change this, the range is still personal (and thus fixed). Also, persistant spell came out long after the core rules, so the spell was not designed with it in mind at all (no core spells were, one more reason Persistant Spell is the worst feat ever).

 

[Destil]

The "Target: You" line is how they justify only allowing one Shield to effect a given person at a time.

If it was "Effect : a disk of force", then you could cast Shield twice and cover two halves of a battlefield simultaneously.

Instead, the casting of the Shield spell serves to make you "a Shielded person", with half-battlefield protection. A second casting does nothing except extend the duration of your Shieldedness.

Good call, though simply adding "You can only be protected by one shield at any time" would solve this...

 

[hong]

Good call, though simply adding "You can only be protected by one shield at any time" would solve this...

Or better yet, remove the facing restriction entirely. Once you've done that, the fact that shield gives a typed bonus to AC and/or saves (depending on what day of the week it is) should cover everything else. Just reduce the amount of bonus to fit.