Tower Shield trick

[CryptbornAkryea]

Where can be find the rules that lead to one's self and shield gaining concealment from the shield itself? I'm curious to see that first hand.

[TuggyNE]

Here you are.


You need cover or concealment in order to attempt a Hide check. Total cover or total concealment usually (but not always; see Special, below) obviates the need for a Hide check, since nothing can see you anyway.

(The Special section refers only to invisibility as still needing a Hide check.)


In most situations, [the tower shield] provides the indicated shield bonus to your AC. However, you can instead use it as total cover, though you must give up your attacks to do so.

[tyckspoon]

To expand: The Tower Shield's special feature is that you can use it to give yourself Total Cover. When you have Total Cover, you *and your equipment* are unseeable and usually untargetable, because you are fully hidden behind whatever you are using to give yourself Total Cover. The silly part happens when you realize that your Tower Shield, which you are hiding behind to claim Total Cover, does not stop being part of your equipment when you do this. It's still a piece of armor that you are wielding.. so it gives itself Total Cover, and the whole thing disappears into a weird vortex of RAW.

[CryptbornAkryea]

Hmm... Is there any point at which it specifies 'and your equipment'?

[Umbranar]

Only to make your equipement untargetable aswell...which by RAW could mean that no one can start sundering your shield since it has total cover....weird indeed.

[TuggyNE]

Hmm... Is there any point at which it specifies 'and your equipment'?

I'm not sure. I think it's assumed your attended objects basically do what you do all the time.

Certainly that is no useful RAW out, since if you deny the tower shield cheater their equipment hiding with them, you also deny every single Rogue or Ranger ever their hidden equipment too, and that sort of scorched earth ruling is just completely disproportional.

The best solution is probably to houserule that the tower shield provides "soft total cover", which like regular soft cover does not allow Hide checks nor obviate their need.

[Dr. Cliché]

The best solution is probably to houserule that the tower shield provides "soft total cover", which like regular soft cover does not allow Hide checks nor obviate their need.

Wouldn't it be easier to just say that it doesn't count as your equipment while you're hiding behind it?

[TuggyNE]

Wouldn't it be easier to just say that it doesn't count as your equipment while you're hiding behind it?

It might be easier, but that has a lot of unfortunate side effects. In particular, spells can suddenly do all kinds of things to it since it's no longer an attended object, and either has no save or the often worse saves of magic items. It's also strange to say that a shield you are still actively using, and even probably holding onto, is "unattended".

Better to say exactly what you mean, and no more.