Shieldless Shield Bonus

[Smeggedoff]

What's the best way to get a Shield bonus to AC if you don't have a shield proficiency?
I mean I've seen two-weapon defense but that's it.

And I figger for 4000 gold you can make an all day Item of Shield by the DMG's item creation rules, but custom items is custom items and not really a feasible thing to rely on when DM's are involved.

Are there any decent magic items that give such a bonus?

Sources so far

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- Two weapon defense tree

- Any shield with an armour check penalty of 0 (e.g. Masterwork Buckler)
--Please note however that the spell failure remains and bucklers are still a detriment to TWF builds (Though imp Buckler Defense helps here)
--Special note is the Beetle buckler. +2 nonmagical AC, can be traded for deflect arrows) (Arms & Equipment Guide)
--Additional, any shield is mutually exclusive with a Monk/Swordsage Wisdom AC bonus

-Dastanas and Chahar-aina Provide a stacking +1 AC bonus to your Leather, hide or chain shirt armour. (oriental adventures)
--Dastanas' require a light armour proficiency, Chahar-aina require Medium.
--it may be possible to benefit by enchanting these separately, check with your DM for a ruling

-Twin Sword Style (Players Guide to Faerun)

-Ring of Force Shield - DMG/SRD 8500gp
-- COUNTS AS A SHIELD! beware interaction with things like Monk/Swordsage Wisdom AC

-Gnome Battle Cloak (Races of Stone p155)
--Requires an EWP, takes up a hand

-Shield Spell/Force Screen Psionics
--Requires Use Magic/Psionic Device or a level dip in an appropriate class

[Kalim]

Is your concern just holding the shield on your arm?

If you don't mind a shield, you can get one that like, hovers around near you, still providing its bonus but leaving your hands free. I don't remember the technical terms for that, though.

EDIT: Oh, proficiency. I'm not sure whether hover-shield thing requires proficiency or not.

[Smeggedoff]

It does, I use an Animated shield for most of my tank/full plate characters.

[HunterOfJello]

You can always use a Buckler/Light Wooden/Light Steel Shield with the Masterwork quality, +1 enchant or greater on it. If you put those on one of those then you can wear it without proficiency without gaining any penalty other than weight and Arcane Spell Failure Chance (which can also be reduced by enchants). The main penalty for using a shield you aren't proficient in is based on the shield's Armor Check Penalty. However, you can use one without hardly any penalty if you use one of the previously listed qualities to reduce the Armor Check Penalty to 0.

What class are you trying to get a shieldless shield bonus for?

[Smeggedoff]

Swordsage, Dual wielding Shortswords.

A magic buckler can be worn without a proficiency? really? huh. That seems oddly simple.

[Duncan_Ruadrik]

Dastanas from oriental Adventures provide a +1 AC if you have a light armor proficiencies. basically, they be bracers that lay ontop of your armor, and (in theory) can be enchanted separately from armor, but I'd just rule that you get the +1 AC, and they cant be enchanted separately. Also, they still count if you wear a shield over them too!

EDIT: the buckler mentioned above by otehrs doesnt even need to be magical. a MW buckler eliminates all chech penalties, and thus a character without proficiency can wear it without penalty. costs 105 gp compared to 1005 gp for a +1 buckler or mithril.

[Smeggedoff]

Oh nice. That's most certainly better than nothing, especially if my DM rules that they can be enchanted.

[Coidzor]

Oh nice. That's most certainly better than nothing, especially if my DM rules that they can be enchanted.

He probably will, since he'd have to actively rule that they can't. The main thing is, only the highest enhancement bonus applies, so the main thing you're getting out of it is paying to get more lesser armor properties or have a couple of big ones without going into epic equipment.

[Smeggedoff]

Ah, dang. Still, a +1 bonus for 25-325gp is pretty good.

[2xMachina]

I think there's an argument that enhancement bonus improves the item, not the char. A +1 Dastana gives 2 armor/shield AC, not 1 armor AC to the wearer, and another 1 enhancement AC for being magic.

Of course, people's AC will sky rocket this way, so your DM might just shut you down.

[Smeggedoff]

Yeah that's true. It seems odd to me that I've never seen them mentioned before if they're such an easy increase to AC.

[senrath]

It's because OA is 3.0 material, so a lot of people don't like using it.

[2xMachina]

I suppose the source is a bit obscure... I think it's in OA, which is 3.0. Both does not help it's popularity.

IIRC, there's another armor there that lays over your armor.

Chahar-aina. You need Med armor prof to use it on pain of 1 ACP, but it is not Medium armor. Lay over light armor, to get 1AC.

Abusing them gets you cheap, cheap ways to buff your AC.

[Smeggedoff]

Hmm, I think someone was a bit liberal with Copy pasta there. Dastana state they can be worn of Leather, hide and chain shirt armour and need a light armour proficiency.
Chumba wumba Chahar-aina need a medium proficiency and state they can be worn over... Leather, hide and Chain shirt :-/

[Duncan_Ruadrik]

OA was updated to 3.5. so... dastanas are all legit peoples if the DM permits. (as with all things)

[2xMachina]

Hmm, I think someone was a bit liberal with Copy pasta there. Dastana state they can be worn of Leather, hide and chain shirt armour and need a light armour proficiency.
Chumba wumba Chahar-aina need a medium proficiency and state they can be worn over... Leather, hide and Chain shirt :-/

Maybe they're meant to be worn together?

2.7k for a cheap +4 for chain shirt armor. Much better than breastplate.

At the end, 75k gets you a whopping +21 armor AC on chain shirt. (+5 from each, +1,+1,+4)

[Leon]

Chumba wumba Chahar-aina need a medium proficiency and state they can be worn over... Leather, hide and Chain shirt :-/

It wont stop you from getting knocked down and you will have to say farewell to your crown...

[Smeggedoff]

Maybe they're meant to be worn together?

2.7k for a cheap +4 for chain shirt armor. Much better than breastplate.

At the end, 75k gets you a whopping +21 armor AC on chain shirt. (+5 from each, +1,+1,+4)

Hmm, now to play a Mr. T build. You got your gold chain shirt, your big chunky bracelets, your massive medallion...

It wont stop you from getting knocked down and you will have to say farewell to your crown...

And it's a shame Drunken monks can't wear light armour cos you'd have to drink a whiskey drink and a vodka drink. Lager drink, cider drink...

[gorfnab]

One feat that might be worth considering if you're dual wielding is Twin Sword Style from Players Guide to Faerun.

[Foryn Gilnith]

If you're dual-wielding, you're quite liable to lose any buckler bonus when you use your buckler hand to attack. Get an Darkwood Heavy Shield instead; it's only 100 gp or so more expensive than the masterwork version, and has that same -0 penalty that makes nonprofiency irrelevant. Then, of course, animate it.

[Thurbane]

Ring of Force Shield (DMG/SRD)?

Force Shield: An iron band, this simple ring generates a shield-sized (and shield-shaped) wall of force that stays with the ring and can be wielded by the wearer as if it were a heavy shield (+2 AC). This special creation has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance since it is weightless and encumbrance-free. It can be activated and deactivated at will as a free action.

Moderate evocation; CL 9th; Forge Ring, wall of force; Price 8,500 gp.

[JBento]

If you have acces to the... Equipment Handbook? maybe? from 3.0 (was never updated, so it's still valid) you might want to consider the Beetle Buckler - it's a buckler that flies around you and gives you a +1 enhancement bonus to AC on top of the regular buckler bonus (and enhancement boni to AC aren't all that common).

[Smeggedoff]

Twin sword style is pretty nice, like dodge but a little better PLUS it stacks with an animated shield, so I could do the darkwood thing too.

I love the beetle buckler generally, but it's still a buckler and would confer penalties to my off hand attacks which two-weapon fighting does not need.
I wonder if you can enchant a beetle buckler to be animated, hmm.

The ring is nice, but a little pricey, sadly it's very existence makes it unlikely my DM will accept a custom shield item for only 4k.

[2xMachina]

You need a +3 shield, so 9k. Animated is +2, and you can only add it on already magic items.

[JBento]

The beetle buckler is naturally animated, as it flies on its own for an indeterminate time as soon as you activate it - except it doesn0t follow the normal anmated rules (no need to have proficiency, even if it mattered for bucklers) and it doesn't apply a +2 price hit on your weapon.

[2xMachina]

Seems nice. Cheap animated shield.

[Person_Man]

Gnome Battle Cloak: This is a cloak that confers a +1 shield bonus if you are proficient with it. Since it provides a shield bonus and is listed as a shield in the equipment chart, you can enchant it with shield enhancements, even though you're just wearing it. Basically it just saves you the expense of having to buy an Animated shield. You can't make a shield bash with it, but you can make Disarm attempts with it (and you get a +4 bonus), though you have to wield it as an off hand weapon like a light shield to do so. Requires Exotic Shield Proficiency to use properly. Note that Fighters can trade their Tower Shield prof to get this instead. Races of Stone pg 155.

[Keld Denar]

Could you enchant a Gnomish Battle Cloak with the Bashing enhancement from the DMG? Hmmmm...

I wonder, could you wield a Gnomish Battle Cloak AND a Weighted Cloak, using your cloaks to serve simultaneously as weapon and shield, allowing you to keep your hands free to either make claw/slam attacks if you have them, or possibly hold a ranged weapon?

[Greenish]

Could you enchant a Gnomish Battle Cloak with the Bashing enhancement from the DMG? Hmmmm...

I wonder, could you wield a Gnomish Battle Cloak AND a Weighted Cloak, using your cloaks to serve simultaneously as weapon and shield, allowing you to keep your hands free to either make claw/slam attacks if you have them, or possibly hold a ranged weapon?

Gnomish Battle Cloak has to be set to your hand just like normal shields to claim the shield bonus. It works like a light shield, you can hold other things in the hand, but you can't attack with them.

[Jornophelanthas]

If you're dual-wielding, you're quite liable to lose any buckler bonus when you use your buckler hand to attack.

This is what the feat "Improved Buckler Defense" solves.

Also, check out the Swashbuckler alternative class feature "Shield of Blades" from PHB2. It replaces the "Dodge" class feature, but only works in rounds when you do a full-round attack with two weapons. Does not require any magical equipment. Not sure if this is something for you, though.