Tower Shields and Lightning Bolts

[schnivelbiv]

As far as the shield taking damage if it stops the bolt, I figured it would. At the very least it should give a reflex bonus for granting cover.

 

[frankthedm]

There is a steel tower shield in one of the books, I think arms and equipment. Mine is mithral. As far as getting zapped for more because it is metal/lightning combination, This is not the real world, it is fiction. Just like lightning bolts do not conduct in water, and you don't get zapped more in full plate, metal tower shields act just like any other tower shield, they give +4 AC, -2 to hit, or can grant full cover if you give up your attacks. Nothing special vs electrical attacks.

Wrong.

Shocking Grasp
Evocation [Electricity]
Level: Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature or object touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: Yes
Your successful melee touch attack deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per caster level (maximum 5d6). When delivering the jolt, you gain a +3 bonus on attack rolls if the opponent is wearing metal armor (or made out of metal, carrying a lot of metal, or the like).

 

[Infiniti2000]

Isn't there a variant rule where if an attack misses because of cover, your attack deals damage to the cover? I don't know if that was only 3.0 or not, I can't recall. I believe that is what they are referring to, but I'm not sure if it applies in this instance, since the shield is attended. I'm not sure which takes precedence, that or items only being injured on a saving throw natural 1.

Perhaps, but I pointed out that lightning bolt does not miss due to cover (i.e. you don't even get a cover bonus to your reflex save). It's not an emanation or burst. It's not strictly defined as spread, either, but in choosing of those three options, it's spread. If you choose none of those options, then by the wording in line effect, you get no bonus at all anyway.

 

[schnivelbiv]

frankthedm, your right, against shocking grasp someone would get +3 to hit. But you are wrong for lightning bolts. That sort of misc bonus only comes up under specific spell descriptions. Otherwise you are simply making up rules as you go along and that leads to a bad game.

 

[schnivelbiv]

Under Cover and Reflex saves on page 151 of the 3.6 PHB it says, "Cover grants you a +2 bonus on Reflex saves against attacks that originate or burst out from a point on the other side of the cover from you, such as a red dragon's breath weapon or a lightning bolt"

That’s for only cover not total cover as granted by the tower shield. Improved cover can grant +4 to the reflex save and gives improved evasion. That too is less than the total cover granted by the tower shield. So one would expect that, assuming your tower shield is not broken by the lightningbolt, you should be able to avoid a lightningbolt by hiding behind the tower shield.

 

[ken-ichi]

Lightning Bolt is not a line shaped spread, how would that even work? The bolt travels in a straight line until it hits a barrier where it stops, but goes around corners?
A lightning bolt is a line shaped burst.
I would think that something large enough to give a character full cover is large enough to be considered a barrier that stops line of effect.
Against an opponent taking full cover with a tower shield (usually can't be made out of metal because they weigh 50 pounds made from wood already, but even if made from metal) you can assume that the shield is grounded and does not transmit the electrical attack to the wielder. Even a shocking grasp spell can not hit a person taking full cover from a tower shield, but you could get a +3 to hit him when he is not taking fuill cover, or get the +3 to hit the metal shield itself.
The tower shield will take damage from the lightning bolt spell and is allowed to make a save at either the shield's Ref save (if it is magic) or the wielder's, whichever is higher. As an object it takes half damage from electrical attacks and normally has a hardness of 5 for being wood. If the lightning bolt spell destroys the shield, then the bolt continues through to the full extent of its range, dealing normal damage to anything in its path.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Under Cover and Reflex saves on page 151 of the 3.6 PHB it says, "Cover grants you a +2 bonus on Reflex saves against attacks that originate or burst out from a point on the other side of the cover from you, such as a red dragon's breath weapon or a lightning bolt"

Ah, yet another difference from the PH to the SRD. Beautiful. Thanks, WotC.

A lightning bolt is a line shaped burst.

Well, see, nothing defines it as a burst at all. It's just a line effect. Are line effects bursts? However, without an actual rule, it could be burst, emanation, or spread. Based on the example schnivelbiv quoted above, the PH would indicate lightning bolt is a burst. Based on the description on line effects, however, no.

Even a shocking grasp spell can not hit a person taking full cover from a tower shield, but you could get a +3 to hit him when he is not taking fuill cover, or get the +3 to hit the metal shield itself.

Sure you can. You target the person through his shield. You still only need to hit his touch AC. A tower shield, despite providing total cover, specifically does not protect against Targeted spells. And, shocking grasp is a targeted spell. You could also magic missile someone behind a tower shield.

 

[Bad Paper]

How wide are tower shields? Aren't they just within your 5' square?

A line is effectively 10' wide. Check the uh, PHB I think, for how to aim a line. You start from an intersection of squares and go to another intersection 120' away, affecting any squares they touch. That makes it 10' wide in 2-dimensions, and a 10' cylinder in 3-dimensions.

I can't see how a tower shield would help you.

 

[Endur]

Actually, it is up to the GM. I usually treat lightning bolts that hit water like a fireball. i.e. radius explosion damage. And fireballs don't do any damage to people who are under water when I'm GMing.

There is a steel tower shield in one of the books, I think arms and equipment. Mine is mithral. As far as getting zapped for more because it is metal/lightning combination, This is not the real world, it is fiction. Just like lightning bolts do not conduct in water, and you don't get zapped more in full plate, metal tower shields act just like any other tower shield, they give +4 AC, -2 to hit, or can grant full cover if you give up your attacks. Nothing special vs electrical attacks.

 

[Plane Sailing]

What happens when a character is taking full cover with their metal tower shield when someone casts a lightning bolt at them from the direction of the cover?

By the rules? IMO since lightning bolt is not a spread, the full cover enables them to ignore the damage.

If I wanted to take it a bit further in the name of verisimilitude I'd probably do the damage to the tower shield in this case, even though the rules don't explicitly address that (implicitly in the 'bursting through' statement referenced above)

Cheers