Is there a downside for a carrying a tower shield as a wizard?

[magicalmagicman]

Since dropping a tower shield is a free action from level 2 an onwards for wizards, it's like a free +4 to ac until your 1st turn which is when you can just drop it and cast a defensive spell, and if your spell was a standard action, you could use your move action to pick the shield back up again before you end your turn. Is there a downside to this strategy? Am I missing something? This seems huge at low levels.

edit:just realized you could pick up the shield again so I edited it in.

[VariSami]

Strength is a dump stat for Wizards and a Tower Shield weighs 45 lbs. You would need a Strength score of at least 13 to be able to carry it around as a part of your light load, which would detract from more important attributes. And if you ever reach medium load due to it, your speed decreases and you start accumulating check penalties.

Also, I suppose in most games where tropes are played relatively straight and subverted for story, rather than mechanical, reasons, a Wizard would not be expected to, nor desired to lug around a huge shield as a safety measure. But surely this question was primarily hypothetical or already presupposed a fitting campaign.

[Allanimal]

Non-proficiency means you will take penalties to all STR and DEX based checks. It weighs 45 pounds. So it alone is a medium load for someone with STR 8-12, a common range for low-level typical wizards. DEX bonus to AC may be reduced due to this.

[Tarvus]

To add to the weight limit thing, technically Free Actions aren't instant.
Free Action
Free actions consume a very small amount of time and effort. You can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally. However, there are reasonable limits on what you can really do for free.
Mostly likely won't come up in your build but is worth considering. I as a DM, tend to run with ">3 require specific adjudication". With my group it comes up more than you'd normally think. For one, that way you don't get builds that toss 100 Quick Draw Throwing Shields first round.

Things like Animated, Bronzewood, Mithral, Darkwood and Blue Ice all lessen or negate the weight issue but require more investment than a cheesy +4 is likely worth to you.

[Tvtyrant]

Not really. The problem is that the tower shield doesn't off much. You get +4 AC (decent) and total cover against everything but spells. If there wasn't a "but spells" qualifier it would be great, but casters are basically immune to arrows anyway, and using the tower shield for cover makes you unable to attack.

[magicalmagicman]

but casters are basically immune to arrows anyway

I must be doing something wrong because archers who rolled higher initiative than me are the biggest problem I am facing with my wizard at low levels. Could you elaborate your point a bit more?

Also I just realized if your spell is just a standard action, you can spend your move action to pick up the shield again.

[Tarvus]

If you're having trouble with Archers, might I suggest picking up Friendly Fire from Exemplars of Evil (p. 27) ASAP?
It's 4th level, so it might be out of your reach right now, but it provides instantaneous invalidation of a ranged attack (i.e. even outside of initiative order).
If you win initiative, you can even do it for round/lvl. And better still? You get to change the target to whomever you please.

Before that, there are other mainstays such as Wind Wall (Wiz 3) and Protection From Arrows (Wiz 2), both from the SRD.

[Tvtyrant]

Wizards can get Abrupt Jaunt, Gust of Wind, Protection from Arrows, and Wind Wall. PfA is a really long term buff, and you can get a wand of it fairly early if need be.

[Inevitability]

If you're having trouble with Archers, might I suggest picking up Friendly Fire from Exemplars of Evil (p. 27) ASAP?
It's 4th level, so it might be out of your reach right now, but it provides instantaneous invalidation of a ranged attack (i.e. even outside of initiative order).
If you win initiative, you can even do it for round/lvl. And better still? You get to change the target to whomever you please.

Man, that spell would be great for ruining execution scenes. Imagine this: The villain is all tied up and gagged, ready to be shot by the firing squad (because this nation is a sucker for tradition or something). All archers fire... and accomplish nothing but taking out most of their own. Stilled Friendly Fire FTW!

[Tarvus]

Man, that spell would be great for ruining execution scenes. Imagine this: The villain is all tied up and gagged, ready to be shot by the firing squad (because this nation is a sucker for tradition or something). All archers fire... and accomplish nothing but taking out most of their own. Stilled Friendly Fire FTW!

I ... I am totally stealing that for my next campaign if you don't mind. Better stilll, its only component is verbal so Silent Spell is all you need for it to be completely foolproof. He could be gagged and bound and still get away.

I wonder if you could attempt a sunder attempt on your ropes with one of the arrows? :smallamused:

[Seharvepernfan]

Since dropping a tower shield is a free action from level 2 an onwards for wizards, it's like a free +4 to ac until your 1st turn which is when you can just drop it and cast a defensive spell, and if your spell was a standard action, you could use your move action to pick the shield back up again before you end your turn. Is there a downside to this strategy? Am I missing something? This seems huge at low levels.

No, you can removed the shield as a free action during a regular move action. Still, use shield up until your turn, then drop it and cast a spell. Cast another spell on your 2nd turn and pick the shield up again, if you want.

[Troacctid]

Tower Shields impose a -10 armor check penalty. If you're not proficient with them--and Wizards aren't--that penalty applies to all Dex- and Str-based checks. Including initiative checks.

-10 to initiative is not usually somewhere you want to be. You're basically saying "I'm just going to always go last."

[Yael]

Man, that spell would be great for ruining execution scenes. Imagine this: The villain is all tied up and gagged, ready to be shot by the firing squad (because this nation is a sucker for tradition or something). All archers fire... and accomplish nothing but taking out most of their own. Silent Friendly Fire FTW!

Fixed that for you, it only requires a Verbal component. Also, that spell is nuts! Its effects are just fine for an all-round sorcerer fighting conjurers :)

[EastbySoutheast]

Granted it uses a spell per day and only lasts a minute per level which at low levels will suck but why not just cast 'Shield' to get the +4 Shield Bonus to AC and be immune to magic missiles without having to use actions to drop your shield or affecting your carrying capacity or other stats?

[atemu1234]

Tower Shields impose a -10 armor check penalty. If you're not proficient with them--and Wizards aren't--that penalty applies to all Dex- and Str-based checks. Including initiative checks.

-10 to initiative is not usually somewhere you want to be. You're basically saying "I'm just going to always go last."

The initiative thing is the biggest pain, i would think.

[Inevitability]

I ... I am totally stealing that for my next campaign if you don't mind. Better stilll, its only component is verbal so Silent Spell is all you need for it to be completely foolproof. He could be gagged and bound and still get away.

I wonder if you could attempt a sunder attempt on your ropes with one of the arrows? :smallamused:

Happy to help. :smallsmile:


Fixed that for you, it only requires a Verbal component. Also, that spell is nuts! Its effects are just fine for an all-round sorcerer fighting conjurers :)

*Casts Maximized Facepalm on self*

[Crake]

To be fair, if the executionee is a known spellcaster, then I would definitely add blindfolded to the bound and gagged bit.

[Troacctid]

Granted it uses a spell per day and only lasts a minute per level which at low levels will suck but why not just cast 'Shield' to get the +4 Shield Bonus to AC and be immune to magic missiles without having to use actions to drop your shield or affecting your carrying capacity or other stats?

The obvious answer is because Shield has a short duration, takes up a spell slot, and requires an action to use.

[RoboEmperor]

Granted it uses a spell per day and only lasts a minute per level which at low levels will suck but why not just cast 'Shield' to get the +4 Shield Bonus to AC and be immune to magic missiles without having to use actions to drop your shield or affecting your carrying capacity or other stats?

Shield won't save you from surprise rounds or from rolling a low initiative.

[Roog]

I as a DM, tend to run with ">3 require specific adjudication". With my group it comes up more than you'd normally think. For one, that way you don't get builds that toss 100 Quick Draw Throwing Shields first round.

Or archers

[ComaVision]

Tower Shields impose a -10 armor check penalty. If you're not proficient with them--and Wizards aren't--that penalty applies to all Dex- and Str-based checks. Including initiative checks.

-10 to initiative is not usually somewhere you want to be. You're basically saying "I'm just going to always go last."


The initiative thing is the biggest pain, i would think.

Armour Check Penalties apply to all Strength and Dexterity skill checks. It won't affect initiative rolls, grapple rolls, or any other non-skill checks.

[Troacctid]

Armour Check Penalties apply to all Strength and Dexterity skill checks. It won't affect initiative rolls, grapple rolls, or any other non-skill checks.

Check the rule again. It says skill checks and ability checks. Initiative is a Dexterity ability check.

[ComaVision]

Check the rule again. It says skill checks and ability checks. Initiative is a Dexterity ability check.

My apologies, I see now it applies to ability score checks if you are not proficient.

[Inevitability]

To be fair, if the executionee is a known spellcaster, then I would definitely add blindfolded to the bound and gagged bit.

Then again, Anthropomorphic Bat is a pretty good race for wizards, isn't it? Blindsense FTW!

[Gale]

According to page 123 of the [3.5] Player’s Handbook removing a shield is a move action, not a free action. Unless I’m mistaken this should inhibit this tactic entirely. A spell caster would be forced to temporarily abandon their shield at the end of their turn or endure the 50% chance of arcane spell failure every round.

[RoboEmperor]

According to page 123 of the [3.5] Player’s Handbook removing a shield is a move action, not a free action. Unless I’m mistaken this should inhibit this tactic entirely. A spell caster would be forced to temporarily abandon their shield at the end of their turn or endure the 50% chance of arcane spell failure every round.


Strapping a shield to your arm to gain its shield bonus to your AC, or unstrapping and dropping a shield so you can use your shield hand for another purpose, requires a move action. If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, you can ready or loose a shield as a free action combined with a regular move.

You missed this part. This is a quote from the srd. But it is questionable whether you can pick it back up the same turn.

[Gale]

Weird, I don't think that rule is listen in the books anywhere. I could only find it on the SRD. Either way I think I would argue that one cannot pick the shield back up on the same turn. It seems to imply the shield is dropped while taking another move action such as approaching an enemy. Therefore your move action is already used up at the end of the turn and you still cannot take another to reequip the shield.

[RoboEmperor]

Weird, I don't think that rule is listen in the books anywhere. I could only find it on the SRD. Either way I think I would argue that one cannot pick the shield back up on the same turn. It seems to imply the shield is dropped while taking another move action such as approaching an enemy. Therefore your move action is already used up at the end of the turn and you still cannot take another to reequip the shield.

You're probably right, but even if you're wrong, you shouldn't be picking up the tower shield anyway. After you cast invisibility, mirror image, or shield, what use do you have for a tower shield? When I employed this strategy I used it solely to survive surprise rounds v.s. archers. It was a very unpleasant campaign.

[Ferronach]

just have a ring of mage armour or shield that can be actived 2-3 times a day as a free action.
You could have it activated by rubbing the ring, turning it on your finger or even by simly saying "Oh Crap!"

[Psyren]

Weird, I don't think that rule is listen in the books anywhere. I could only find it on the SRD. Either way I think I would argue that one cannot pick the shield back up on the same turn. It seems to imply the shield is dropped while taking another move action such as approaching an enemy. Therefore your move action is already used up at the end of the turn and you still cannot take another to reequip the shield.

My PHB has this rule on pages 142-143.

There is a separate sentence about dropping the shield, so "loosing the shield" appears to refer to simply unstrapping it from your arm.

[Troacctid]

just have a ring of mage armour or shield that can be actived 2-3 times a day as a free action.
You could have it activated by rubbing the ring, turning it on your finger or even by simly saying "Oh Crap!"

That would cost a lot more gold than a tower shield.

[Ferronach]

That would cost a lot more gold than a tower shield.

but without all of the negatives :) just have to convert a whole bunch of ladders into 10 foot poles :P