Quick Question

[hydra_ex]

I was playtesting a lvl 4 dungeon I made with a friend, and one of the encounters was a gargoyle. Now, as you know, gargoyles have DR/magic, and the character that my friend was playing only had a magic shield. He insisted that he could shield bash the gargoyle, dealing full damage. I, on the other hand, argued that a shield's enhancements to AC do not make it a magic weapon.

The rule which we were arguing about comes from the description of a shield.



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.


So, even though the +1 Shield, when used to shield bash, does not apply its +1 enchantment modifier, is it still considered a magic weapon?

[Kale_Hagan]

I think it has to have spikes on it to be a weapon. The spikes can be separately enchanted.

[hydra_ex]

I think it has to have spikes on it to be a weapon. The spikes can be separately enchanted.

No, spikes just increase damage.



Shield Bash Attacks

You can bash an opponent with a shield, using it as an off-hand weapon. See Table: Weapons for the damage dealt by a shield bash. 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.




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. You can’t put spikes on a buckler or a tower shield. Otherwise, attacking with a spiked shield is like making a shield bash attack.