SRD:Heavy Shield

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Heavy Shield
Martial One-Handed Melee
Critical: ×2
Range Increment:
Type: Bludgeoning
Shield Bonus: +2
Maximum Dex Bonus:
Armor Check Penalty: −2
Arcane Spell Failure Chance: 15%
Hardness (Steel): 10
Hardness (Wood): 5
Size Cost Damage Weight hp
Steel Wood Steel Wood Steel Wood
Fine 10 gp 3 gp 5 sp 1-1/2 lb. 1 lb. 1 1
Diminutive 10 gp 3 gp 5 sp 1-1/2 lb. 1 lb. 2 1
Tiny 10 gp 3 gp 5 sp 1 1-1/2 lb. 1 lb. 5 3
Small 20 gp 7 gp 1d2 7-1/2 lb. 5 lb. 10 7
Medium 20 gp 7 gp 1d4 15 lb. 10 lb. 20 15
Large 40 gp 14 gp 1d6 30 lb. 20 lb. 40 30
Huge 80 gp 28 gp 1d8 75 lb. 50 lb. 80 60
Gargantuan 160 gp 56 gp 2d6 120 lb. 80 lb. 160 120
Colossal 320 gp 112 gp 3d6 180 lb. 120 lb. 320 240

Description[edit]

You strap a shield to your forearm and grip it with your hand. A heavy shield is so heavy that you can’t use your shield hand for anything else.

Wooden or Steel: Wooden and steel shields offer the same basic protection, though they respond differently to special attacks.

Shield Bash Attacks: You can bash an opponent with a heavy shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. Used this way, a heavy shield is a martial bludgeoning weapon. For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon. If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next action (usually until the next round). An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.

Enhancements[edit]

Shield Spikes: When added to your shield, these spikes turn it into a martial piercing weapon that increases the damage dealt by a shield bash as if the shield were designed for a creature one size category larger than you. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack.

Table: Heavy Spiked Shield Damage
Fine Diminutive Tiny Small Medium Large Huge Gargantuan Colossal
1 1d2 1d3 1d4 1d6 1d8 2d6 3d6 4d6

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.

Compared to a regular heavy shield, a heavy spiked shield costs 10 gp more and is 5 lb. heavier.


Heavy Shield Material Enhancements
Material Cost1 Hardness Hit Points Special
Masterwork Steel 170 gp 10 45
Masterwork Wood 157 gp 5 15
Darkwood 257 gp 5 15 Reduce armor check penalty by 2 (min 0),
1/2 weight
Dragonhide 340 gp 10 15 Non-metal armor
Mithral 1020 gp 15 45 Reduce armor check penalty by 3 (min 0),
Reduced ASF by 10%,
1/2 weight
Adamantine 2020 gp 20 60 Bypass hardness less than 20
Deep Crystal 1020 gp 10 45 Does not rust, psionic
Mundane Crystal 170 gp 8 37 Does not rust
Cold Iron 40 gp 10 45 Magical enchantments cost an additional 2,000 gp.
Alchemical Silver 190 gp 8 15 −1 damage
  1. The given costs include the masterwork component.
  2. Unlike other weapons, shields do not gain an enhancement bonus on attack rolls from being masterwork quality. Instead their armor check penalties are lessened by 1.


Magical/Psionic Weapon Enhancements
Bonus Value Additional Cost1 Hardness Increase2 Additional hp2
+1 +2,000 gp +2 +10
+2 +8,000 gp +4 +20
+3 +18,000 gp +6 +30
+4 +32,000 gp +8 +40
+5 +50,000 gp +10 +50
+6 +72,000 gp3 +12 +60
+7 +98,000 gp3 +14 +70
+8 +128,000 gp3 +16 +80
+9 +162,000 gp3 +18 +90
+10 +200,000 gp3 +20 +100
+11 or more + bonus × bonus
× 20,000 gp
+ enhancement bonus × 2 + enhancement bonus × 10
  1. Increase total cost for magical enhancement by 2,000 gp for cold iron weapons.
  2. Unlike the additional cost, the increase the weapon's hardness and hit points are only gained from its enhancement bonus, not its special abilities.
  3. If the weapon has a magical bonus greater than +5 or a special ability worth more than +5, the weapon is epic. Multiply magic cost by 10.
Magical/Psionic Armor and Shield Enhancements
Bonus Value Additional Cost Hardness Increase1 Additional hp1
+1 +1,000 gp +2 +10
+2 +4,000 gp +4 +20
+3 +9,000 gp +6 +30
+4 +16,000 gp +8 +40
+5 +25,000 gp +10 +50
+6 +36,000 gp2 +12 +60
+7 +49,000 gp2 +14 +70
+8 +64,000 gp2 +16 +80
+9 +81,000 gp2 +18 +90
+10 +100,000 gp2 +20 +100
+11 or more + bonus × bonus
× 10,000 gp
+ enhancement bonus × 2 + enhancement bonus × 10
  1. Unlike the additional cost, the increase to the armor or shield's hardness and hit points are only gained from its enhancement bonus, not its special abilities.
  2. If the armor or shield has a magical bonus greater than +5 or a special ability worth more than +5, then it's epic. Multiply magic cost by 10.

See Also[edit]



Back to Main PageSystem Reference DocumentArmor

Facts about "Heavy Shield"
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