Two-weapon Shield Fighter

[Epe]

Hello all,

I have a problem / difference in opinions whit using two-weapong fighting rules and AOO rules for the following kind of a situation. I tried Looking from PHB, DMG and from the internet for the TWF rules that include AOO whitout success. Hope here is someone that can help me whit this. (see feats below)


Am i allowed to use 2 shields (Heavy shield is described as one-handed martial weapon) whit the TWF feats?
How does AOO in this case happen? Can i use either of my shields for the AOO whit the exception that off hand does only 1/2 str in dmg?
If i AOO do i take AC penalty in AOO even thou the the improved shield bash feat?
Does the Imp. Shield Bash apply on both of my shields? or do I in any case lose other shield bonus from AC while shield bashing?

Situation
I have a lvl 3 Human Fighter whit following Ability scores Str17, Dex16 & feats (5)
The Character uses a Spiked Darkwood Heavy shield (piercing) as main and Heavy Mithral Shield (bludgeoning) as off hand weapon (metal and a wooden shield for in case of rust monsters or other material destroying creatures). The following questions came up and i would like to get a wiser opinion before we start the campaign.

Dual shields (home brew special ability from Shield warrior, converted to a feat by the approve of my Gm) (starting feat)
Dual Shields: A shield fighter always gains a shield bonus regardless of which direction he is attacked. While using two shields he gains the bonus from both to his AC.

Improved Shield Bash [General] (fighter bonus feat lvl 1)
Prerequisite; Shield Proficiency.
Benefit; When you perform a shield bash, you may still apply the shield’s shield bonus to your AC.
A fighter may select Improved Shield Bash as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Two-Weapon Fighting [General] (starting feat)
You can fight with a weapon in each hand. You can make one extra attack each round with the second weapon.
Prerequisite; Dex 15.
Benefit; Your penalties on attack rolls for fighting with two weapons are reduced. The penalty for your primary hand lessens by 2 and the one for your off hand lessens by 6.

Two-Weapon Defense [General] (lvl 2 fighter bonus feat)
Prerequisites; Dex 15, Two-Weapon Fighting.
Benefit; When wielding a double weapon or two weapons (not including natural weapons or unarmed strikes), you gain a +1 shield bonus to your AC.
When you are fighting defensively or using the total defense action, this shield bonus increases to +2.
Special; A fighter may select Two-Weapon Defense as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting (This is a from DDO and also approved by my Gm) (lvl 3 feat)
Prerequisite: Strength 12+, Two Weapon Fighting
Benefit; When wielding a one handed weapon in your off-hand, you take penalties for fighting with two weapons as if you were wielding a light weapon on your offhand.


Ps. Thank you in advance and sorry for possible misspellings :smallwink:

[Twurps]

I'll attempt an answer without any regards to the homebrewed feat, because you know, its homebrew, you can formulate and use that howerver you/your DM want.

1: yes. You can hold a shield in each hand without the use of feats, and use the main-hand one to attack (or both at very stiff penalties). With the TWF feat, you can attack with both.
2: An AoO uses your main hand only. regardless of TWF. The 'double hit' feat however (MH p21) allows you to also make an attack with your off-hand during an AoO. It requires TWF and iTWF.
3: No. The 'shield bash' feats allows you to retain your AC bonus, also: see 4.
4: Yes. nowhere in the shieldbash's description does it limit itself to just 1 shield. Just like you can use weapon focus (short sword) on 2 short swords with TWF.

Note: 3.5 doesn't use any 'facing' rules. so the 'regardless of which direction he is attacked from' clause in the homebrew feat seems mute.

[Darrin]

1. Am i allowed to use 2 shields (Heavy shield is described as one-handed martial weapon) whit the TWF feats?


Yes. It helps if you have Agile Shield Fighter or Oversized TWF. But you normally can't stack two shield bonuses with each other, so only one shield bonus can be applied to your AC. Looks like you have a custom feat down below that allows you to stack two shield bonuses.



2. How does AOO in this case happen? Can i use either of my shields for the AOO whit the exception that off hand does only 1/2 str in dmg?


When you get a chance to make an attack of opportunity, you can attack with any weapon that you would normally be allowed to attack with on your turn. Since you can shield bash on your turn, you can make a shield bash as an AoO. You can use either shield, and since this is not an offhand attack, you get your normal Strength bonus. TWF penalties only apply during your turn, not on AoOs.



3. If i AOO do i take AC penalty in AOO even thou the the improved shield bash feat?


If you shield bash on an AoO and don't have the Improved Shield Bash feat, you can't apply the shield's bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn. If you do have the Improved Shield Bash feat, then you keep your shield bonus.

If you have two shields, you can attack with one on an AoO, and use the other shield for your AC. If you have two shields and Improved Shield Bash, it shouldn't matter which shield you attack with or which shield you defend with, so long as they both have a similar shield bonus.



4. Does the Imp. Shield Bash apply on both of my shields? or do I in any case lose other shield bonus from AC while shield bashing?


Yes, it applies to both shields. If you have two shields and Improved Shield Bash, your AC doesn't change. If you have two shields but no Improved Shield Bash, then it may matter which shield you attack with and which shield provides a bonus to AC.



Dual shields (home brew special ability from Shield warrior, converted to a feat by the approve of my Gm) (starting feat)
Dual Shields: A shield fighter always gains a shield bonus regardless of which direction he is attacked. While using two shields he gains the bonus from both to his AC.


Ok. Well, if you take Improved Shield Bash with this feat, then I'd say you can shield bash with both shields and keep the AC bonus from both. I'm a little puzzled by the "regardless of which direction he is attacked". 3.5 rules got rid of facing, so the default assumption is that a shield always provides an AC bonus regardless of what direction you're attacked.



Two-Weapon Defense [General] (lvl 2 fighter bonus feat)


I would recommend against this. You already have two shield bonuses, what do you need another AC bonus for?



Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting (This is a from DDO and also approved by my Gm) (lvl 3 feat)


This is in Complete Adventurer, and yes, this allows you to wield two heavy shields and still treat your offhand attack as a light weapon for the purposes of calculating TWF penalties. The Agile Shield Fighter feat from PHBII does something similar.

Also might be worth a perusal: TWF OffHandbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?279079).

[Curmudgeon]

You can only bash with an off-hand shield by the normal rules.
Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon
Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a light shield, using it as an off-hand weapon.
You cannot bash with a tower shield, nor can you use your shield hand for anything else. Given that you need house rules to fight with two shields, you should be asking your DM what the rules consequences are; we really can't help without picking your DM's brain.