Shield bonus but without the Shield

[cartejos]

The feat Inlindi School from DotU says you can sacrifice your shield bonus to AC for half that as a bump to Attack with Light weapons. It never states you have to have a shield.

So my question is what are the methods of getting a high "Shield Bonus" value without having a shield?
-No Shields
-Bonus must be at least 2, and preferably in multiples of 2 for a clean divide

A good +4 Shield Bonus to AC can eliminate the penalties for twf, which can be done other ways, but it is also a flat bonus to attack that has more value than just negating two weapon fighting.

Two Weapon Defense only gives +1 (+2 when fighting defensively)

Edit: This is for two weapon fighting, looking to get a shield bonus that doesn't use a shield, Dastana and Chahar-Aina considered

Edit 2: Small bonuses, as a +1 or such, aren't worth a feat or a level. +2 Bonuses might be worth a feat, and +4 bonuses may be worth a level. Bonuses higher than that are what I am shooting for.

[Marcotix]

If you don't have a shield bonus their is nothing for you to sacrifice. No bonus then.

[Falontani]

Shield spell gives +4 shield bonus to ac.

[BowStreetRunner]

If you are just concerned about leaving your hands free, there are a couple of items that might server your purposes.
An animated shield (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm#animated).
A ring of force shield (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/rings.htm#forceShield).
The Shieldbearer spell (SC 188).

[AnimeTheCat]

Well... If you're looking to two weapon fight without penalty, why not just use a Shortsword and Spiked Heavy Shield? Best done as a fighter because it's feat intensive but:

Shield Focus (Heavy)
Improved Shield Bash
Two Weapon Fighting

Gets you a +3 shield bonus to AC with any heavy shield. Getting a +1 shield makes that a +4 shield bonus to AC. With your combat style, you can sacrifice your +4 shield bonus to AC to negate the attack penalty for fighting with two weapons.

I don't condone it, but that's one way to two weapon fight and get a shield bonus while using a shield. Otherwise... Complete Warrior has the Improved Two Weapon Defense feat that changes the +1 (+2) shield bonus when fighting with two weapons to a +2 (+4 when defensively fighting) bonus... But that's adding another penalty without getting any benefit, all you're doing is sacrificing your AC to use a feat that isn't even getting you back to where you started attack bonus wise.

[Inevitability]

The Greater Two-Weapon Defense feat grants a +3 shield bonus to AC while wielding two weapons.

The Coat of Arms spell can get you a +6 shield bonus for several minutes: more with some Reserves of Strength shenanigans.

[cartejos]

If you don't have a shield bonus their is nothing for you to sacrifice. No bonus then.

There is no spoon, but more words in the Original Post to read

[Goaty14]

Gnome Twist Cloak found in Races of Stone gives a +1 shield bonus to AC (which is a shield, and thus stacks with shield-feats). Proficiency (exotic) allows the bonus to apply to opposed touch attacks as well. There is not a downside for non proficiency.

[cartejos]

Gnome Twist Cloak found in Races of Stone gives a +1 shield bonus to AC (which is a shield, and thus stacks with shield-feats). Proficiency (exotic) allows the bonus to apply to opposed touch attacks as well. There is not a downside for non proficiency.

The Battle Cloak gives a Shield Bonus the Twist Cloth is Armor Bonus that lets you apply it to touch attacks
The Battle Cloak still requires a hand, the Twist Cloth doesn't work as wanted.

[Fouredged Sword]

This seems good for an abjurant champion legacy champion build that can get +16 shield ac from the shield spell and still have silly good AC with greater luminous armor.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Take Improved Shield Bash and use a spiked light shield (since it only applies to light weapons) as your offhand weapon. A +3 light shield negates the TWF penalties when trading the shield bonus, and a +5 light shield gives an extra +1 to hit.

Use a light mainhand weapon and use armor spikes to make your offhand attacks, and just carry a shield normally. Or get an animated shield and use an Elven Court Blade with armor spikes, since Inlindl School applies to any weapon you can finesse.

Take Shield Specialization (PH2) and a heavy shield gives up to +4 to hit with a +5 enhancement. You can also take Shield Ward (PH2) and still apply that shield bonus to your touch AC and against combat maneuvers, since Inlindl School only sacrifices your shield bonus to AC.

[tyckspoon]

If you want to just go all-in on this idea: Abjurant Champion + Legacy Champion to advance effective Abj. Champ level + Shield spell. Abjurant Champion gets +1 to the bonus granted by Shield for every Abjurant Champion level; if you go all 10 levels of Legacy Champion you can be Abjurant Champion pseudo-level 13. Which doesn't help much, since that puts the total bonus at an odd level, so let's take back one of those levels and see if we can sneak in 2 levels in Argent Savant, which gives a +2 bonus to any [Force] spell that increases AC. So you're looking at a Shield worth 4 (base) + 12 (Abjurant Champion 'class levels') + 2 (Argent Savant) = +18 Shield AC, which you can turn into a +9 to hit. Oh, and your Greater Mage Armor gives +8 Armor as well.

..huh. You know, assuming you allow Legacy Champion to increase your effective level past where the original class ends, that's not as silly a build as I thought it would be. Near-full casting progression from Legacy Champion and Abjurant Champion, pretty decent defensive numbers, probably averaging out to 3/4 BAB over the career. Reasonable gish.

[daremetoidareyo]

You should take a look at the swash shielder build in the E6 Iron Chef comp.

Two weapon defense gives you a shield bonus,

There's a Divine feat are you burn a turn Undead for a + 4 to your Shield bonus

There's the shield spell which grants a plus four shield bonus

There is the shield-bearer spell which grants and unseen servant to hold a shield up for you, I hope it's a tower Shield

[cartejos]

If you want to just go all-in on this idea: Abjurant Champion + Legacy Champion to advance effective Abj. Champ level + Shield spell.

Lets go... Deeper

Be a Kobold White Dragonspawn (No Loredrake, not supreme cheese)
The Dragonspawn is +1 level Spellcasting, as is the Kobold Ritual, Greater Rite of Passage

LA Buy-off happens at level 3(I think)

Sorcerer can have 3/4 BAB with an ACF I recall
BAB is a real issue with this build

Sorcerer 4/Paragnostic Apostle 2(For the BAB)/Fighter 1(BAB)/Abjurant Champion 5/Argent Savant 2/Legacy Champion 6

Shield: +4(Base)+2(Paragnostic Apostle)+2(Argent Savant)+5(Abjurant Champion)+5(Legacy Champion)=18

Caster Level: 19

Edit: Gets a +18, just like the one I'm quoting from, but I don't quite see the one I'm quoting from working out with the prerequisites for the individual classes.

[ExLibrisMortis]

The psionic power force screen provides a shield bonus, similar to the shield spell. A psionic abjurant champion would gain a somewhat higher total shield bonus (due to the augment), but it doesn't negate magic missile as the arcane version does.

[Darrin]

If you fight defensively, Greater Two-Weapon Defense gives you a +6 shield bonus. If you convert that into a +3 attack bonus and don't pay any attention to how many feat slots you're wasting, that's actually a somewhat decent trade-off: -1 attack bonus,
+2 dodge bonus, and you can stack a few "fighting defensively" effects on top of that. Dual wield a pair of broadblade shortswords, for example, for an additional +2 dodge bonus. Add Deadly Defense (Complete Scoundrel) for +1d6 damage.

Hmm. It occurs to me... Two-Weapon Defense and Improved Two-Weapon Defense both offer a +2 and +4 shield bonus respectively. Those bonuses *do not go away* when using Greater Two-Weapon Defense. They don't *stack*, so you use the highest shield bonus, but they haven't been negated... so presumably, you could convert them as well for a +1 and +2 attack bonus... so assuming those stack with the +3 attack bonus from GTWF, that's a +6 attack bonus for fighting defensively, or a net +2 attack bonus with a +2 dodge bonus.

However, I don't see any compelling reason to believe that these untyped attack bonuses would stack, seeing as they come from the same source (Inlindl School).

Twin Sword Style (PGtF) can also give you a +2 shield bonus, but only against a single opponent... I'm not sure what happens if you convert that into an attack bonus. Does it only apply to your designated opponent?

[cartejos]

If you fight defensively, Greater Two-Weapon Defense gives you a +6 shield bonus. If you convert that into a +3 attack bonus and don't pay any attention to how many feat slots you're wasting, that's actually a somewhat decent trade-off: -1 attack bonus,
+2 dodge bonus, and you can stack a few "fighting defensively" effects on top of that. Dual wield a pair of broadblade shortswords, for example, for an additional +2 dodge bonus. Add Deadly Defense (Complete Scoundrel) for +1d6 damage.

Hmm. It occurs to me... Two-Weapon Defense and Improved Two-Weapon Defense both offer a +2 and +4 shield bonus respectively. Those bonuses *do not go away* when using Greater Two-Weapon Defense. They don't *stack*, so you use the highest shield bonus, but they haven't been negated... so presumably, you could convert them as well for a +1 and +2 attack bonus... so assuming those stack with the +3 attack bonus from GTWF, that's a +6 attack bonus for fighting defensively, or a net +2 attack bonus with a +2 dodge bonus.

While I can see a use for it, I do not believe fighting defensively is all too effective. However, with just improved two weapon defense, that's a +1 to attack and a +1 to AC just for wielding two weapons. Not very efficient, but may be helpful to keep in mind


However, I don't see any compelling reason to believe that these untyped attack bonuses would stack, seeing as they come from the same source (Inlindl School).

Twin Sword Style (PGtF) can also give you a +2 shield bonus, but only against a single opponent... I'm not sure what happens if you convert that into an attack bonus. Does it only apply to your designated opponent?

I don't believe the separate attack bonuses would stack, as they are from the same feat. However, that Twin Sword Style gives a circumstantial shield bonus, but that shield bonus can still be converted, but when it is converted it would no longer recognize the source of the shield bonus, and apply itself as a general bonus to attacks. Even though it doesn't seem all that powerful it still seems.... dubious.

[ShurikVch]

Note: dip in Exotic Weapon Master PrC (CWar) allow to take Twin Exotic Weapon Fighting stunt, which can - if coupled with Two-Weapon Fighting feat - reduce TWF penalty for light exotic weapons to -1/-1

[Thurbane]

This is also handy to know for a Knight build, with their Shield Block class feature. If you don;t have a shield bonus, it's a dead feature.

In addition to what's already been mentioned, here's some more sources of shield bonus (sorry if any have already been brought up):


Coat of Arms spell (CM)
Combat Cloak Expert feat (PHB2)
Deflect spell (PHB2)
Dragonmark Shield spell (Dragonmarked)
Force Screen (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/forceScreen.htm) power
Reaping Talons feat (ToB)
Shadow Adept 4 PrC (PGtF)
Shield of Thought feat (RoE)
Summon Warforged Champion spell (FoE)
The Crawling Shield (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20061023a) item