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Eladrinblade
2016-05-22, 01:27 AM
A +5 animated force tower shield that can be activated or deactivated as a free action, like a ring of force shield, and is likewise weightless and invisible.

Weightless, so no max dex or acp.
Invisible, so even when using total cover, you can see what's going on on the other side of it.
Animated, so you can use both hands.
Can be enhanced, unlike like a force shield (supposedly?).
Force, so cannot be sundered and is immune to damage (except disintegrate and the like).
The activation/deactivation isn't necessary, it's just convenient.

Would you ever allow it?
If so, at what cost?

Atarax
2016-05-24, 12:28 AM
A +5 animated force tower shield that can be activated or deactivated as a free action, like a ring of force shield, and is likewise weightless and invisible.

Weightless, so no max dex or acp.
Invisible, so even when using total cover, you can see what's going on on the other side of it.
Animated, so you can use both hands.
Can be enhanced, unlike like a force shield (supposedly?).
Force, so cannot be sundered and is immune to damage (except disintegrate and the like).
The activation/deactivation isn't necessary, it's just convenient.

Would you ever allow it?
If so, at what cost?


I would allow it at high levels with these conditions:

1. They'd have to get it by defeating a spellcaster who was using it

2. It would be an activated effect, like, bound to a magical ring and limited to one use per day.

I might let a high level character use something closer to what you described without limiting it by charges or uses per day if using a tower shield had been central to their combat style all through the lower levels. If it were what the character had dreamed of throughout many lower levels, I might let them have their ultimate bit of combat gear to enjoy the apex of their epicness. Otherwise... I can't see how it's not overkill.

Jane_Smith
2016-05-25, 10:48 PM
Most of this already actually exists in 3.5/Pathfinder.

1: Weightless Armor Enchantment (3.5)

WEIGHTLESS: Armor given this enchantment has no weight at all. In addition to not encumbering the wearer, weightless armor reduces the armor check penalty by 5 (although not to below 0), increases the maximum Dexterity bonus by 4, and reduces the arcane spell failure percentage by 10. Additionally the move rate of the wearer is not reduced by weightless armor.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, levitate; Market Price: +2 bonus.

2: "Force" shield: Riverine (3.5)

This unusual material is made from water under extremely high pressure, usually obtained from the Elemental Plane of Water but sometimes from the blackwater trenches far below the ocean's surface. The water swirls and flows continuously, sandwiched between fields of magical force.

Type of Riverine Item Item Cost Modifier
Light armor +9,000 gp
Medium armor +16,000 gp
Heavy armor +25,000 gp
Shield +4,000 gp
Other items +2,000 gp/lb.

3: Animated Shield (3.5)

ANIMATED: Upon command, an animated shield floats within 2 feet of the wielder, protecting her as if she were using it herself but freeing up both her hands. Only one shield can protect a character at a time. A character with an animated shield still takes any penalties associated with shield use, such as armor check penalty, arcane spell failure chance, and nonproficiency.
Strong transmutation; CL 12th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, animate objects; Price +2 bonus.

Can be enchanted further: Yep
Can be damaged/sundered/shattered/rusted/broken/damaged/made fagile/eroded: Nope

But it is vulnerable to dispels, anti magic fields, etc - as it will destroy it instantly. So be warned. But overall you could just make it a +1 Weightless Animated Riverine Tower Shield and it would function exactly as you want it - long before level 10+ shenanigans as well if you save up for it or have someone craft it for you. Honestly I would say just ditch the riverine and make it out of something like Livingsteel (so it can repair itself from being broken with sunlight + water and a few days for free!) or Ironwood (same stats as normal iron, immune to rust/metal stuff like heat metal). Some Dm's also houserule mithril can't be rusted/erosed (cause, "magic" metal) - but thats up to them.

Note that Weightless and Animated shield enchantments also exsist in Pathfinder - but animated shield has been nerfed/made horrifically bad and useless for a +2 enchantment. I don't know of any force-based special material in pathfinder sadly.

And lastly, if you want to reinforce your shield from being broken if you go the non-force/riverine route? I know a few sources that can help;

Green Ronin Publishing, Medival Players Guide has some new alchemy uses for Lightening and Hardening substances - for +80 gold per pound of material's base weight, you can increase its hardness by +50%. The Harden level 1 wiz/sorc spell from pathfinder can boost the hardness of an object by +50% or by +1 for 1 hour/level (whichever is highest, can be made permanent). And then the spell "Hardening", a level 6 wiz/sorc spell, gives +1 hardness permanently per 2 caster levels the caster has. So, alchemical hardened adamantine tower shield + harden + hardening spells permanetized, in addition to the bonus hp/hardness objects get per +1 point of enchantment they have? Its -almost- impossible to destroy by sundering or direct damage. You would only have to worry about instant-breaks, like the spell Starmantle.

gooddragon1
2016-05-26, 12:06 AM
I'd go with a mithral buckler that has no penalty to attack rolls, you can bash with it, and you do get the ac bonus even if you attack using both hands.

JoeJ
2016-05-26, 01:33 AM
A +5 animated force tower shield that can be activated or deactivated as a free action, like a ring of force shield, and is likewise weightless and invisible.

Weightless, so no max dex or acp.
Invisible, so even when using total cover, you can see what's going on on the other side of it.
Animated, so you can use both hands.
Can be enhanced, unlike like a force shield (supposedly?).
Force, so cannot be sundered and is immune to damage (except disintegrate and the like).
The activation/deactivation isn't necessary, it's just convenient.

Would you ever allow it?
If so, at what cost?

I'd certainly allow it. It just protects you, right? So 5 ranks of sustained protection costs 5 points, or 10 points if you want to make it continuous, so it will keep working even if you can no longer take actions. And, of course, the usual discount for a device if you make it removable or easily removable.

(You didn't specify what game this is for, so I just assumed M&M.)

xyz
2016-05-26, 12:17 PM
Best shield i've ever used is a straight up regular buckler when the GM allowed us to take a "parry" action with small shields. Parried a fighter's greataxe and crit him in the chest for over 300+ damage. He got back up and tried it again, I just parried it again and stabbed him. He realized he was outclassed, so he tried a heavy attack. Parried it, then immediately switched to my concealed greatmaul and pancaked him. That's what you get for invading, scrub.