Rider's Shield + Shield Ward

[fallensavior]

"you apply your shield bonus to your touch AC" and "you and your mount both gain the benefit of the shield's AC bonus." (RoS 158 and PHB2 82 respectively)

My reading is that your mount gets the shield bonus to touch AC, but not disarm/grapple/trip/etc defense bonus.

[XionUnborn01]

I am afb, but if it's written like you wrote it, I disagree with your interpretation.

I think you and your mount both get the shield bonus but only YOU add it to your touch.

[fallensavior]

I am afb, but if it's written like you wrote it, I disagree with your interpretation.

I think you and your mount both get the shield bonus but only YOU add it to your touch.

Then you're not both gaining the same benefit.

[heavyfuel]

Then you're not both gaining the same benefit.

Where are you getting that form? Nowhere in the shield's description does it say "same benefit". It says "shield's AC bonus", and a shield AC bonus doesn't apply to touch AC.


Some attacks disregard armor, including shields and natural armor.

If you happen to have the Shield Ward feat AND happen to be wielding a shield you apply the bonus to your touch AC.


You apply your shield bonus to your touch AC

You are not your mount. Your mount gets the Shield bonus to AC, which doesn't apply to touch AC. Shield Ward only apply to yourself, not others.

Personally, I'd allow it. But it wouldn't be RAW, it would be me buffing shields a little bit because sword and board needs all the help it can get.

[Necroticplague]

"you apply your shield bonus to your touch AC" and "you and your mount both gain the benefit of the shield's AC bonus." (RoS 158 and PHB2 82 respectively)

My reading is that your mount gets the shield bonus to touch AC, but not disarm/grapple/trip/etc defense bonus.
Incorrect. Your mount wouldn't get the bonus to touch AC.

You apply your shield bonus to your touch AC, and on checks or rolls to resist bull rush, disarm, grapple, overrun, or trip attempts against you.
You only apply it to your own touch AC and bonus on combat maneuvers, not anyone else's. Rider's Shield doesn't have anything that overrides this. It only applie's the shield's bonus to the mount's AC.

[liquidformat]

You are better off trying to find ways to use your mounted combat feat more often than to try and get a small bonus to touch ac, using a ride check to negate attacks is just better...

[fallensavior]

Where are you getting that form? Nowhere in the shield's description does it say "same benefit". It says "shield's AC bonus", and a shield AC bonus doesn't apply to touch AC.

It does not just say "shield's AC bonus". It could have if it meant that, but it goes out of its way to instead say "both gain the benefit of the shield's AC bonus."

I suppose order of operations also matters. Are you applying your shield bonus to your touch AC and then both gaining the benefit of the shield's AC bonus, or are you both gaining the benefit of the shield's AC bonus and then applying your shield bonus to your touch AC. This is undefined.

[Necroticplague]

It does not just say "shield's AC bonus". It could have if it meant that, but it goes out of its way to instead say "both gain the benefit of the shield's AC bonus."
That's a distinction without difference in this situation. Shield Ward still only applies to you. At best, that distinction might mean that if your mount takes Shield Ward, they get the bonus to touch AC while you carry the shield.


I suppose order of operations also matters. Are you applying your shield bonus to your touch AC and then both gaining the benefit of the shield's AC bonus, or are you both gaining the benefit of the shield's AC bonus and then applying your shield bonus to your touch AC. This is undefined.
No, it doesn't. Either way, shield ward very explicitly only works for you.

[Seerow]

As a DM I'd allow it just because mounted combat and shield fighting are already weak enough. But like the others said the RAW is clearly against you here so you're asking for a house rule.

[StreamOfTheSky]

What if the mount took the Shield Proficiency feat (it has no prerequisites, like "ability to hold a shield"...) and the Parrying Shield feat (which is Shield Ward, but w/o the extra pre-req and ONLY gives the shield bonus to touch AC benefit...exactly what the OP seems to want) from Lords of Madness, which only requires Shield Proficiency?

Could by RAW the rider's Rider Shield count as the mount's shield?


You gain your shield bonus (and the shield's enhancement bonus, if any) as an addition to your touch AC.

The rider would need Parrying Shield or Shield Ward to add the shield bonus to his own touch AC still, of course. Though hilariously the mount could get it to touch AC even if the rider isn't getting it b/c he didn't invest in the feat(s).