Sundering a Tower Shield?

[Shin Okada]

A character cannot make attacks with shield. So, which interpretation is correct?

a) A tower shield is a shield and a held item, so use usual sunder rules. But as a character can't use it for shield attacks, the defender automatically fails in opposed attack rolls.

b) A tower shield is a shield and a held item, so use usual sunder rules. But as a character can't use it for shield attacks, the defender treat it as an off-hand non-light (-4 or -10) improvised weapon (-4). Thus, -8 to -14 to the opposed attack rolls.

c) Use "Sundering a Carried or Worn Object" rules. So the attacker rolls for AC of 10 + Tower Shield's size modifier (+0?) + the dexterity modifier of the defender.

d) Any other interpretation.

 

[Starglim]

I have a number of problems with the Sunder rules in 3.5, but by the RAW the answer would be d) The defender makes an opposed attack roll with no penalty.

The Sunder rules clearly contemplate that a shield is treated the same way as a weapon for sundering. The rules do not prescribe a penalty to the defender for an off hand weapon, a weapon that the defender is unable to use as a melee attack (a bow, for example), or other circumstantial modifiers. It is not improvised as it is designed for combat. The only modifier is +4 for a two-handed weapon or -4 for a light weapon. A tower shield is wielded with one hand and it would be silly to treat it as light. Thus its modifier is +0 as a one-handed weapon.

 

[Tatsukun]

I would go with "It isn't a weapon, so it counts as armor. You can't sunder it".

I mean we're talking about a rather large object os metal or hardwood which is made to be hit over and over by weapons. You can apply the "DM may decide how effective some weapons are against certain targets" (not a quote) thing from teh DMG to back it up.

-Tatsu

 

[werk]

Tower shield kinda suck against sunder with hardness 5 and 20hp.

I'm almost inclined to go with #1. It counts as a shield that you can't attack with, so you fail the check.

It comes down to: you can't attack with a tower shield. The worn/carried rules...A carried or worn object’s AC is equal to 10 + its size modifier + the Dexterity modifier...will usually have the same outcome as option #1. It's definitely a carried object.

I'd go with carried object.