Tower Shields & Cover

[Mercule]

My group has been discussing "odd" characters lately, and one that keeps coming up is a solo fighter using a tower shield.

I'm hoping someone here might have some experience on the matter.

How _exactly_ does the tower shield work?
I know it provides cover to the holder, but what are the specifics like?
Is there a maximum amount of cover possible?
Does the cover bonus work both ways?
Is this how most cover works?
How easy is it to change facing? Automatic?

And...
Has anyone who has seen a tower shield in play comment as to their effectiveness for an adventurer (vs. a phalanx member)?

Thanks

 

[Ranger REG]

If you're using a grid, you can decide where to place the tower shield for the duration of the round.

Select one side or corner of the square. Anyone directly in front of the tower shield and you gain total cover (100%) and vice versa. Anyone who attack you from any diagonal squares and you get half cover (50%) and vice versa.

 

[Wormwood]

edit: double post

 

[Wormwood]

Remember, you can change the shield's facing as a free action on your turn (but *only* on your turn).

Yes, the cover provided affects both sides of the shield (so your target benefits from the shield as much as you do). Keep in mind that your opponent can generally 5' step into a more advantageous position on his turn. Thus you could find yourself -4 to hit him on your turn, but he can hit you at no penalty on his turn.

I had two characters use Tower Shields, and I think they're fun to play. I think they're great for a combat cleric, since you can make yourself immune to AoO's from half the battlefield---useful for spellcasting. Not to mention their obvious advantage when dealing with opponents with ranged weapons.

 

[hammymchamham]

Remember, you can change the shield's facing as a free action on your turn.

Thanks for posting that

 

[drnuncheon]

Yes, the cover provided affects both sides of the shield (so your target benefits from the shield as much as you do). Keep in mind that your opponent can generally 5' step into a more advantageous position on his turn. Thus you could find yourself -4 to hit him on your turn, but he can hit you at no penalty on his turn.

Since you can move the shield as a free action on your turn, you need never suffer a penalty to hit your opponent - simply use a free action to move the shield out of the way, attack, and use a free action to move the shield back.

Your opponent can counter this tactic by readying an action to hit you when you move the shield out of the way, of course - but then you're at least reducing him to a single attack rather than a full attack.

If you don't want to expose yourself at all, your best bet is to ready your own action: if the opponent tries to come around the shield, hit him and then adjust the shield as a free action (which you can do, since when the ready triggers it is your turn).

J

 

[Wormwood]

Since you can move the shield as a free action on your turn, you need never suffer a penalty to hit your opponent - simply use a free action to move the shield out of the way, attack, and use a free action to move the shield back.

You are, of course, correct.

I was mistakenly limiting myself to a single free action per turn.

 

[Ranger REG]

While it is a free action, you can declare the placement of the tower shield one time and it remains in place until your next turn.

I wish I could recall the Dragon issue that provided visual aid diagram for tower shield. I remembered a scanned JPEG picture of the diagram made available on Eric Noah's web site but could not find the URL link.

 

[Wormwood]

REG is right (naturally)

from the D&D MainFAQ
Each round on his turn, the tower shield user decides where
to place the shield, and there it stays until the user’s next turn.
When the user isn’t engaged in combat, he decides where the
shield will be as he is walking around; when combat starts, he
cannot change the shield’s location until his turn.

I knew there was a reason I was restricting myself to one placement per turn. Voila.

 

[Max]

I wish I could recall the Dragon issue that provided visual aid diagram for tower shield. I remembered a scanned JPEG picture of the diagram made available on Eric Noah's web site but could not find the URL link.

Here is what the famous Black Pages from Eric Noah's site had to say about tower shields:
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Tower Shields: How do they work?

Work it like the shield spell - you can move it once per round, on your turn, as a free action, defining which half of the battlefield you orient it against. Opponents that are on the "line of defense" that defines the side of the battlefield you're blocking with the shield would have no more than 50% cover against you (and vice versa). Opponents that are on your side of that line would not be blocked by the shield at all.

Can you Ready an action that lets you duck completely behind the tower shield, giving you 100% cover?

Yes, you can. That of course means you're not doing anything but hiding, though.

If flanked, can you pick one opponent to block 100% and one to block 0%?

Yup.

Would this tactic negate the flanking bonus?

Nope. The second guy is still a threat ... he might break through your shield, or hit you with a touch attack spell, and so on. (Sean Reynolds, 3E board)

Tower Shields Explained: "Sage Advice" in Dragon Magazine #280 includes a diagram (120kb .jpg) and instructions (180kb .jpg) for how a tower shield and shield spell work.
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Unfortunately, I do not have the diagrams available to share. However, Dragon 280 apparantly is the one you want.

Max