Tower Shield Headaches.

[Joker]

I am completely and utterly lost when it comes to the rules of using Tower Shields.
I have created a group of 12 NPC's, four of which have Tower Shields. The point of the four was that they would jump in and provide cover (total?) for the weaker (in hp terms) members of the party.

Here are a few situations where I am confused. The W's are walls, the M's are Mages, the T's are tower shield characters and the F is the center of a fireball.


WWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
MMM
MMMTF
MMMT
MMM
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

This isnt the exact composition of the party but that is irrelevant right now. The two NPC's with the Tower Shields had readied actions to provide total cover from a fireball they somehow knew was going to be cast. The fireball strikes the Tower Shield and goes off.
So who gets hit by the fireball and how many bonusses do they get on their reflex and do any of them get evasion/improved evasion as a result of the cover?

Also, if an enemy charges one of the fully exposed mages, do any of the Tower Shield NPC's (who are using their shields to get total cover) get an AoO? I would say no because it states that they give up all attacks to gain total cover but I'm not sure.

And last (for now ), do the NPC's with Tower Shields have to say which way their shields are facing so they only get cover against one side? Or do they have total cover, period? Or can an enemy just walk up behind him and attack them then?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

EDIT: As a poster below points out, tower shields are "clarified" (with about two additional pages of rules) in the 3.5 FAQ. Bad, bad, bad rules. A lot of the below is thus "officially" wrong, but in my own game this is yet another area where I'm going to pretend the Sage never spoke.

many bonusses do they get on their reflex and do any of them get evasion/improved evasion as a result of the cover?

First, fireball is a spread effect. Spreads turn corners. Cover from a tower shield -- even total cover -- won't help at all. (Note that in the description of burst effect spells, the protection from total cover is explicitly mentioned.)

Second, so far as I'm aware (and discounting any additional rules, such a special feats and the like), a tower shield grants total cover only to the person using it.

Also, if an enemy charges one of the fully exposed mages, do any of the Tower Shield NPC's (who are using their shields to get total cover) get an AoO? I would say no because it states that they give up all attacks to gain total cover but I'm not sure.

I agree. If they cannot attack, they don't threaten. If they don't threaten, they can't take attacks of opportunity.

And last (for now ), do the NPC's with Tower Shields have to say which way their shields are facing so they only get cover against one side?

No, although that's how tower shields worked in 3.0, which is probably why you're confused. (And why they changed the rules.) The bearer of a tower shield that chooses to use it in that fashion gains total cover, more or less period.

Or can an enemy just walk up behind him and attack them then?

This would require facing rules, which core 3.5 just doesn't have.

 

[kjenks]

Most of this is covered in the revised Tower Shield rules in the Main 3.5e FAQ.

 

[Joker]

Right, thanks. I should be spanked for not checking the FAQ before coming here.

 

[kjenks]

>>Whack!<<

 

[Joker]

Why do I get the strange sensation you're enjoying it more than I am ?

 

[qstor]

Most of this is covered in the revised Tower Shield rules in the Main 3.5e FAQ.

I agree with the way the Sage handled it. I've see players abuse the tower shield rules to prevent any type of attacks even from above like a giant or a fireball. Just my two coppers..

Mike