RelentlessImp
2007-09-15, 05:10 PM
Alright... this is a question that's been burning with the creation of my latest character, a Chaos Gnome Duskblade, with glamered elven chain and an animated light shield.
According to the DMG, Animated is as follows:
Upon command, an animated shield floats within 2 feet of 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 penalty, and nonproficiency.
My question pertains to the Shield Bash special attack, so...
According to the SRD...
Shield Bash Attacks
You can bash an opponent with a light shield or heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon and a light shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
So my question goes as this; can one Shield Bash with an Animated Shield in its animated state? Or must one actually take it in hand to shield bash with it? Neither the description of Animated nor of Shield Bash say either way, but I'm beginning to think that it can't be done.
To those who have been involved in more rule lawyering than me; can a Shield Bash with an Animated shield be done?
According to the DMG, Animated is as follows:
Upon command, an animated shield floats within 2 feet of 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 penalty, and nonproficiency.
My question pertains to the Shield Bash special attack, so...
According to the SRD...
Shield Bash Attacks
You can bash an opponent with a light shield or heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. Used this way, a shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon and a light shield as a light weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.
So my question goes as this; can one Shield Bash with an Animated Shield in its animated state? Or must one actually take it in hand to shield bash with it? Neither the description of Animated nor of Shield Bash say either way, but I'm beginning to think that it can't be done.
To those who have been involved in more rule lawyering than me; can a Shield Bash with an Animated shield be done?