What's this do for Tower Shield?

[SangoProduction]

From Spheres of Power, Equipment sphere.


Tower Shield Mastery
You may ignore the attack penalty for attacking while carrying a tower shield. You can also bash with a tower shield, dealing 1d8 bludgeoning damage with it (1d6 Small). You and others modifying or enchanting a shield you possess may treat tower shields as heavy shields for the purposes of enchantments (such as bashing) and shield spikes. Additionally, any tower shield you are wielding has its maximum Dexterity bonus increased by 1 and its armor check penalty reduced by 1, +1 for every every 5 base attack bonus you possess.

So, the primary drawback of a tower shield is "You take penalties, and don't really get much more out of it." This gets rid of the attack penalty, and lets you bash (read: dual wield) with tower shields. The dexterity and armor check penalties rarely matter for someone going with heavy armor anyway. And, you could always put the shield down, or otherwise stowed, if you needed to get rid of the penalty.

Yes. It's not as good at doing damage as THF. But does this talent make it a not bad option, if you have to have a shield, for one reason or another? Or am I misunderstanding?

[stack]

On its own, you are spending a talent for +2 AC (more or less). It makes the tower shield usable, basically, though you still have weight and armor check penalty (though that is slowly reduced).

The further reaching effects come in when you get into the Shield sphere. Being able to bash with the tower shield makes it usable for some Shield sphere abilities when it wouldn't be otherwise and a couple talents have increased effects if using a tower shield.

Also two-handing a tower shield lets you basically beat people with a door, which is fun. :smallbiggrin:

[Fizban]

I don't know what the relative cost is for sphere abilities, but yeah that does sound like a near-tautology. If the only reasons to not use a tower shield are removed, there is no reason to not use a tower shield. If you consider a shield build use-able to begin with, then the only question is weather the net benefit of +2 AC, +1 bash damage, and option to activate tower shield-ness (however it works in Pathfinder) is worth the cost of a sphere thingy.

If the problem is that you want validation for your desire to do something besides two-handing, you should probably try to stop doing that and just play what you want. There are people on the internet who will agree or disagree, and if you have a particular group in mind then you can see what builds fly in their games, but if you're just messing around then you shouldn't need validation from anyone.

[stack]

Note that a shield will also boost your touch AC if grabbing the Deflecting Shield talent from the Shield sphere. Tower shields are a +2 advantage here too.

So if using Shield sphere heavily and not invested in Dex, its definitely worthwhile. If just looking to boost your AC, less of a priority, but still not a bad deal. Low strength Dex build...obviously not.

Do you have a build in mind?

[SangoProduction]

If the problem is that you want validation for your desire to do something besides two-handing, you should probably try to stop doing that and just play what you want. There are people on the internet who will agree or disagree, and if you have a particular group in mind then you can see what builds fly in their games, but if you're just messing around then you shouldn't need validation from anyone.

Not seeking validation. I was just making sure I didn't miss something about tower shields.


Note that a shield will also boost your touch AC if grabbing the Deflecting Shield talent from the Shield sphere. Tower shields are a +2 advantage here too.

So if using Shield sphere heavily and not invested in Dex, its definitely worthwhile. If just looking to boost your AC, less of a priority, but still not a bad deal. Low strength Dex build...obviously not.

Do you have a build in mind?

Sort of, not really. More of a gimmick because class was canceled, and I was bored. ...and the build only came around because I saw the tower shield specialization thingy.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?548431-I-think-I-made-a-functional-tank!&p=22758485#post22758485

[Necroticplague]

Yes. It's not as good at doing damage as THF. But does this talent make it a not bad option, if you have to have a shield, for one reason or another? Or am I misunderstanding?

Nah, you've basically got the gist of it. First party adds a lot of annoying restrictions to things that render them near-useless, third party material tends to have content to let you ignore these restrictions in the name of actually being fun to use. Just like the other Talent that lets you use weapons that normally need supports to fire while simply standing, rendering them much more usable (though, sadly, it doesn't apply to the weapon this would be the most useful to). Or compare Sea Combat with the otherwise hilarious hoops people go through the get full-round attacks with two pistols.

[Menzath]

I haven't read spheres yet, but if you use 3.5 feats there are two separate ones that both add shield ac to touch AC.
And dual wield.... Thrikeen(or other four armed or more equivalent) with girallons blessing and that's some nice multiweapon shield bashing.
Not including the fun enchants on the shield spikes.

[Fizban]

Not seeking validation. I was just making sure I didn't miss something about tower shields.
Fair enough, it just seems like that's a familiar thread we have on occasion so I mentioned it.