Spiked Shields

[RexDart]

So, looking around, it appears for purposes of weapon use, if making a masterwork spiked shield, you only have to pay the "masterwork" cost once (not an additional masterwork cost for the spikes.)

But could you have the spikes made of a different material than the shield itself? Like, say, a Heavy Wooden Shield made with Darkwood, but that has Adamantine spikes because you want to attack things with DR/Adamantine?

Related question: with your garden variety non-masterwork spiked shield, what are the spikes considered to be made of? (For things like fighting a rust monster, perhaps.) Real-world logic would suggest "metal," but by rules logic, I could see an argument that the spikes on a wooden shield are actually themselves wooden.

[NerdHut]

To my knowledge, this all comes down to DM discretion. It's all a little frustratingly ambiguous in RAW. But seeing as an enhancement bonus doesn't improve a shield bash, I think you're right that the masterwork cost only applies once, at the shield/armor price point (I'd still rule that +2 spikes improve the bash though, because magic).

As a DM, I have allowed the spikes to be a different material than the body of the shield, because it makes sense to me that no matter how well the spikes are fixed to the shield, they're separate pieces during construction. It's been years since it came up for me as a player, but I think the ruling was the same.

Garden variety, I'd assume they're roughly the same material as the blade of a typical sword as well, so iron/steel.

[liquidformat]

There is no reason you couldn't make wood or bamboo spikes on a shield or even bone. It is certainly possible and could work just fine. From a real world point of view it doesn't happen because they would be easily broken and hard to affix well to a shield.

Similarly there is no real reason the spike material would be the same as the shield and in the case of a wooden shield it would probably be advisable to make it out of something more durable that can keep an edge.

Taking a quick read through the SRD I would agree you only have to apply the masterwork cost of armor to a spiked shield.

[Troacctid]

An adamantine shield is cheaper than an adamantine weapon and explicitly bypasses DR/adamantine on a shield bash. So in that particular case, I'd recommend just making the whole shield adamantine.

[farothel]

As the Romans had wooden shields with metal shield bosses on them, I would say that indeed the spikes can be a different material than the shield itself. With a metal band or shieldboss, it can easily be attached.

[Darg]

To my knowledge, this all comes down to DM discretion. It's all a little frustratingly ambiguous in RAW. But seeing as an enhancement bonus doesn't improve a shield bash, I think you're right that the masterwork cost only applies once, at the shield/armor price point (I'd still rule that +2 spikes improve the bash though, because magic).

You can enhance the shield as a weapon as long as you pay the price for it in addition to the armor enhancement cost.


An enhancement bonus on a spiked shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but a spiked shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.


A shield could be built that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC.

My groups rule that shield spikes are weapons separate from the armor itself like armor spikes. Basically acting as a double weapon with one half being armor instead of another weapon.

[Drelua]

I would agree with Darg's interpretation, based on this line in from the SRD under masterwork armor I think it's fairly clear:
The masterwork quality of a suit of armor or shield never provides a bonus on attack or damage rolls, even if the armor or shield is used as a weapon.

I would also say that a masterwork shield is not a masterwork weapon, and since a weapon has to be masterwork to be enchanted as a weapon, you would have to pay the extra 300 gp on the spikes to be able to enchant them. The RAW may not be as clear on that point though.

[Jay R]

If there is no clear rule, then ask your DM.

If there is a clear rule, then check it with your DM.