Adamantine Tower Shield + Cleric = Gnarly, dude

[two]

First of all, it seems like you CAN make an adamantine tower shield, but the SRD does not supply the cost for it, re:

"Only weapons, armor, and shields normally made of metal can be fashioned from adamantine. Weapons, armor and shields
normally made of steel that are made of adamantine have one-third more hit points than normal. Adamantine has 40 hit
points per inch of thickness and hardness 20.
Type of Adamantine Item Item Cost Modifier
Ammunition +60 gp
Light armor +5,000 gp
Medium armor +10,000 gp
Heavy armor +15,000 gp
Weapon +3,000 gp"

1) How much would a Adamantine shield cost? (light armor? less? more?)

2) Am I correct in thinking that a cleric taking the Tower Shield proficiency could cruise around the battlefield (while using the full cover option) with a (for example) +2 Adamantine Tower Shield and be effectively immune from melee/ranged attacked, and reasonably immune from damage to the shield, and then:

Cast Summon Monster Spells
Buff the Party
Heal the party

etc. all the stuff you can do when invisible that does not "break" invisibility (thus is not an "attack" thus is allowed as per the Tower Shield rules about not attacking when taking the full cover option)?


Seems like a pretty nice option. You are still targeteable by spells but, being a cleric and all, your spell saves are generally sky-high.

Granted, it takes a feat, but being able to ignore AOO's and melee damage is a SERIOUS advantage!

 

[Shane_Leahy]

First of all, it seems like you CAN make an adamantine tower shield, but the SRD does not supply the cost for it, re:

"Only weapons, armor, and shields normally made of metal can be fashioned from adamantine.

From the PHB, Shield, Tower This massive wooden shield...

So no adamantine tower shield...Go for Darkwood instead...

As to the rest, my problem would is that you would have to be next to or in front of those you want to buff or heal. If you have total cover, ie your opponents cannot see you from the front then you cannot see anything in front of you. So a simple readied action "As soon as the cleric moves the shield I charge him" will get past it. Summoning spells would work though

 

[da chicken]

Well, the only reason metal tower shields don't exist in the PH is because they would weigh 100 lbs. It has nothing to do with the fact that metal can't be shaped into the form of a tower shield. As they say, the tower shield is essentially a portable wall or a door. No reason realistically you couldn't make one.

Seeing as mithral weighs the exact same as wood, however, it's pretty easy to come up with a reasonable argument that mithral tower shields can easily exist.

 

[shilsen]

2) Am I correct in thinking that a cleric taking the Tower Shield proficiency could cruise around the battlefield (while using the full cover option) with a (for example) +2 Adamantine Tower Shield and be effectively immune from melee/ranged attacked, and reasonably immune from damage to the shield, and then:

Cast Summon Monster Spells
Buff the Party
Heal the party

etc. all the stuff you can do when invisible that does not "break" invisibility (thus is not an "attack" thus is allowed as per the Tower Shield rules about not attacking when taking the full cover option)?

The tower shield rules do not say that you can get total cover as long as you do not attack. They specifically say that "you must give up your attacks to do so". I would say that means that you must actually have attacks to give up, so you need to take the attack action (a standard action) to do so. So you could get total cover and take a move action, but no total cover and spellcasting.

 

[two]

wow

The tower shield rules do not say that you can get total cover as long as you do not attack. They specifically say that "you must give up your attacks to do so". I would say that means that you must actually have attacks to give up, so you need to take the attack action (a standard action) to do so. So you could get total cover and take a move action, but no total cover and spellcasting.

So you think "give up your attacks" means "take a standard action"?

Essentially?

It is odd wording, "give up your attacks" ...

Plus, anyone know the cost of, for example, a large metal shield, which by the flavor text should be allowed to be made of adamantine?

 

[shilsen]

So you think "give up your attacks" means "take a standard action"?

Essentially?

Yes.

It is odd wording, "give up your attacks" ...

I agree. A little more clarity would have helped.

Plus, anyone know the cost of, for example, a large metal shield, which by the flavor text should be allowed to be made of adamantine?

I can't think of an example provided in the 3.5 core rulebooks, so for shields I'd just do the same thing as in 3.0 and have it cost the same as for light armor, i.e. +5,000 gp. And, according to the rules, no adamantine tower shield.

 

[Wormwood]

I ruled that 'give up attacks' meant 'take the Total Defense option.

[/House Rule]

 

[Ottergame]

I think that "give up your attacks" just means "You can't attack"... you could still take a full round action and still use the tower shield for cover.