Tower shield on your back

[PetterTomBos]

One of my players have bought a tower shield. Carrying it on his back.. Does that tactic grant anything crunchwise? Higher AC fror being shot from behind?

Thing is: he's RPing it really well! Gnome with heighissues called "the tower" that carries around that huuge shield for compensation xD

[Tyndmyr]

Crunchwise, no AC benefit for gear that isn't wielded.

Also, D&D 3.5 doesn't generally simulate facing. It's all well and good to play games that do, but to add it to D&D, it causes a number of complications.

[GodGoblin]

There are facing rules in Unearthed Arcana but they would have to apply to everyone. And if you used them you could house rule it as he can gain its benefits when on his back but the penatlies it incures are doubled.

Just a thought but may be unbalanced

[JamesonCourage]

Crunchwise, no AC benefit for gear that isn't wielded.

Also, D&D 3.5 doesn't generally simulate facing. It's all well and good to play games that do, but to add it to D&D, it causes a number of complications.

Yeah, like keeping track of stuff.

Oh, the terror. The terror.

[Tyndmyr]

Pretty much. I already like to reduce the amount of stuff tracked in D&D. Things like spell components or encumbrance are best ignored.

[ThirtyThr33]

In Races of Stone p155 there is the Gnome Battle Cloak. It provides 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 on your back. 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, which can be gotten with either a feat or a level of Fighter and using an alternate class feature to trade Tower shield proficiency for it at lvl 1.

If hes role playing it well and hes already a gnome, id just give him the proficiency feat for free and say the tower shield on his back is mechanically the same as the battle cloak.

I got this info from Person Man's guide here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123630

[Greenish]

In Races of Stone p155 there is the Gnome Battle Cloak. It provides 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 on your back.

You have to be holding it to use it as a shield.

It's basically just a light shield that requires a feat to use.

[Tyndmyr]

Quintessential Sorcerer has a battle cloak that provides a static armor bonus. It's not terribly great, but it's a slight justification for such things.

Like the gnomish battle cloak, it's fairly pointless for it's intended purpose compared to core stuff, but the idea is there.

[ThirtyThr33]

You have to be holding it to use it as a shield.

It's basically just a light shield that requires a feat to use.

You have to be holding it to use it "as a shield". However i believe that you still get the enchantment bonuses while it is equipped on your back. Its more or less a cloak slot item that can have a shield enchantment applied to it.

[ericgrau]

Normally you have to wield a shield to get any bonus, including any enchantments...

I'd just house rule it or ignore it. Perhaps allow him part of his shield bonus. But as pointed out it's a free animated shield without paying for it, heck not even a -2 AB, so you need to make it extremely minor if you even do anything. For example +1 shield AC that only applies when he is flanked and not wielding the shield.

[Fizban]

Well, from the sadistic DM department: sure, it's big enough that you get the normal AC bonus even though it's slung over your back. So that's +4 AC with a -2 on attack rolls. And since you're not wearing it properly, you also take the -10 armor check penalty on all attack rolls and skills that require movement. Have fun with your -12 on all attacks!

Edit: there's a fellow around here who just put up some Legend of Zelda homebrew with a Goron racial trait "Armored Back" or somesuch. What he had it do was negate the attack bonus for being flanked (note that you still count as being flanked). That basically amounts to +2 AC against opponents that flank you, which also seems in line with sentiments here.

[Kerghan]

In 3.0, tower shields used to grant you cover with all the bonuses and penalties that entailed. Now, they grant you a +4 shield bonus to AC and not much else, although the style he's using seems very similar to the kappa shell from Oriental Adventures. However, it is 3.0 as well.

Kappa Shell: Nezumi soldiers occasionally use kappa shells for protection, strapping the hard shell to their backs and crawling on all fours to advance their position. Used this way, a kappa shell functions much like a tower shield, providing nine-tenths cover (+10 to AC, +4 on Reflex saves, with half damage on a failed save and none on a successful save) as long as the covered nezumi remains on all fours, moving at half his speed. Once engaged in melee, a sensible ratling sheds the shell entirely. Humans can use kappa shells as well, but generally find the concept demeaning. A character needs Shield Proficiency to use a kappa shell without penalty.