Tower shields and large+ creatures

[Kershek]

Let's say a Barbarian-classed Ogre wants to use a shield, but he doesn't want to bother with those wussy large shields. He wants to use a Tower shield as fitting for someone of his beef!

Could he use a tower shield like a medium-sized character would use a large shield? If so, would I just double a large shield's bonus and give him +4 AC? Or should I trim it to +3 AC? Can he even do this?

How about a Huge monster, like a Storm Giant? What kind of shield would he use?

 

[Orco42]

IMO the ogre would use a tower shield as a "large shield" (ie +2 ac ect).

If he wanted a tower shield he would just get a shiled that is about 2x the size of a normal tower shield.

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

Shields and armor scale just like weapons do.

The shield that a medium sized character uses as a small shield is not the same as a small character's large shield. The fittings of the shield are designed for a user of a certain approximate size.

A large shield that an Ogre uses, wouldn't be the same thing as a tower shield for a medium creature. (It doesn't have wheels or a bracing stand on the bottom for one thing.) It would simply be a scaled up version of a human's large shield.

Regardless of the actual size of the shield, though, you are supposed to use the AC bonuses listed in the PHB.

Yes, that's right. If the Tarrasque used a large shield, it would only give it a +2 to AC, despite the fact that a decent sized army could hide behind it.

 

[kreynolds]

Actually, it makes perfect sense. The larger a creature, the lower their AC. Large creatures take an inherent penalty to armor class because they are easier to hit. The only thing that would change on a larger shield is hardness and hit points of the shield itself because it is bigger/thicker/more material. Otherwise, it offers the exact same bonus.

A medium creature can only get so much cover from tower shield made for his size. Conversely, a large creature can only get so much cover from a tower shield made for his large size. Also, a large creature can't use a tower shield made for a smaller creature. He must use equipment that has been designed for him. For example, a buckler designed for a large creature is still a small shield for him. For a medium-size creature, in relation to the smaller size, the very same buckler is not a small shield but a medium-size shield, which is unuseable because there is no such thing as a medium-size shield for medium-size characters. They are small, large, and tower.