Does anyone shield bash ghosts?

[DrAwkward]

Does anyone ever use Ghost Touch shields? Anyone at all?

What do folks think about the ghost touch property on shields being changed to "+4 bonus to AC vs incoporeal sources"?

[Garth_of_Sarlona]

I posted about this a while back re:touch attacks and GT shields Don't hold your breath!

Garth

[salmag]

uhh...

No.

[Litz]

Wouldn't complain too loud, they might retroactivley convert them to sacred shields (as if we don't have enough already).

[DrAwkward]

I posted about this a while back re:touch attacks and GT shields Don't hold your breath!

Garth

I've pretty much given up on DDO ever implementing touch attacks or "incoporeal attacks" per the SRD. What I'm aiming for is a "quick and dirty" work around to make the property useful in the DDO environment.

I don't know how the ghosties attacks are coded; this might be an easy tweak. Maybe they have some sort of flag or quality on their attacks that can be looked for.

Not holding my breath, though -- it's much more likely they just hard code the BAB a little higher on incoporeal critters and claim "it all works out, on average".

[DrAwkward]

Wouldn't complain too loud, they might retroactivley convert them to sacred shields (as if we don't have enough already).

Holy Shi....elds, you're right.

[Turial]

I think Borro and a few others spaded it out and incorporeal creatures with "touch" attacks just get a higher to hit bonus..I think.

I've pretty much given up on DDO ever implementing touch attacks or "incoporeal attacks" per the SRD. What I'm aiming for is a "quick and dirty" work around to make the property useful in the DDO environment.

I don't know how the ghosties attacks are coded; this might be an easy tweak. Maybe they have some sort of flag or quality on their attacks that can be looked for.

Not holding my breath, though -- it's much more likely they just hard code the BAB a little higher on incoporeal critters and claim "it all works out, on average".

[bobbryan2]

Ghost Touch never should have been added to shields in the first place.

Just remove them from being able to drop from shields from now on.

[Vaypor]

I don't have it in front of me, but I think the name of the sheild is Undeath Ward. Ghost touch, flaming (w/ no flames showing ) and undead bane. Since I rarely shield bash I had to make a concious effort to do it. Frankly, even though THAT shield did ok damage (for a shield), it was just too slow to use the bash function.

Now if they could take damage while running into the shield, while you shield blocked, that would be nice.

So, yeah tried it, don't use it.

[DrAwkward]

I think Borro and a few others spaded it out and incorporeal creatures with "touch" attacks just get a higher to hit bonus..I think.

I guessed as much. If we are lucky, they "flagged" that extra to-hit as something we could look for, and negate or reduce via the ghost touch shield property.

Ghost Touch never should have been added to shields in the first place.

Just remove them from being able to drop from shields from now on.

Ghost touch on shields is common enough (and has been around long enough) that they probably won't phase them out. Especially since, as Vaypor mentions, they have at least one named shield with that effect.

I agree that the offensive version of ghost touch (on a shield) is generally considered worthless. Its one of those properties that lowers the true value of the item, because it raises the repair costs and min level for no practical purpose. Generally, when any of my tank allies fight ghosts, they drop the shield and go two-weapon or two-handed because "with ghosts, your AC doesn't matter, they're gonna hit you". I'm hoping to alleviate that by adding some thematically apropriate defensive value to ghost touch shields.

[DrAwkward]

Here's another idea...

What if there was a combat stance to indicate "I'm using the shield as an off-hand weapon"?

In that stance, you'd lose the AC benefit (unless you have the shield bash feats) but would be able to do a full two-weapon attack chain.

With that stance, offensive properties on shields might be worthwhile, if only to a very specialized kind of character build.

[Clement]

I don't have it in front of me, but I think the name of the sheild is Undeath Ward. Ghost touch, flaming (w/ no flames showing ) and undead bane. Since I rarely shield bash I had to make a concious effort to do it. Frankly, even though THAT shield did ok damage (for a shield), it was just too slow to use the bash function.

Now if they could take damage while running into the shield, while you shield blocked, that would be nice.

So, yeah tried it, don't use it.

Agreed. I have one on a fighter that I bought in the AH cheaply. I was disappointed that it looked like it was cut from an old door, rather than manifesting its flaming property. I've used it, to the bewilderment of my party mates (who wonder why the dwarf is grunting and whiffing at wraiths with an old door), and had the same reflection--good to hit incorporeal undead bonuses, but slower and lower damage than enhancements and a PG axe. And it feels odd to be doing.

But if it was *on fire* I'd never put it down!

[Oxvon]

I rolled a dwarf fighter who is spec in shield bashing. Figured the game was trying to tell me something after pulling +1 to +5 ghost touch shields from the Shroud.

[DrAwkward]

I rolled a dwarf fighter who is spec in shield bashing. Figured the game was trying to tell me something after pulling +1 to +5 ghost touch shields from the Shroud.

Let me know how that works out for you. I started my dwarf that way, but got tired of looking like a one-winged duck trying to fly.

[ahpook]

I believe that mod 7 was supposed to remove GT from shields in the loot table. Anyone on Risia seen a GT shield dropped?

While that won't do anything for the existing GT shields, I'll take it as a fix.

[wolfy42]

I do!!

In fact just the other day I was walking back to the car with some chineese food for me and my wife and the temperature suddenly dropped all around me. At first I thought it was just a cold breeze off the bay, but then I heard a spooky sound "Ooooouuooooooooh".

This being the Bay Area I just figured it was a drunk homeless person as they are more common then Starbucks here, but a few seconds later a white misty form appeared before me. I was suprised, but ready and used my chineese food (Extra spicey) as a ghostly shield to hold it back. The steam coming from the top of the bag seemed to repell the ghost but it was still blocking my path to the car....and my chineese food was getting cold!!

Now I have been married for 7 years and I know that there is literally no excuss at all for coming home with cold chineese food. I can tell my wife "Honey, I'm sorry but I was attacked by a ghost on the way to the car" and it still will be my fault. I was not about to let the night get ruined by a out of tune ghost so I started to thrust my chineese food shield towards the ghost aggressivly.

The Ghostly sound changed to something like "Noooouuuoooouuuuu" as it backed away from me and into the street. Traffic in the Bay Area does not stop for anything live or dead so it was quickly dispersed by a few SUVs and the path to my car was unblocked.

So if you ever need to fight a ghost remember, they don't like chineese food especially the steamy extra spicey kind.

[Talcyndl]

I believe that mod 7 was supposed to remove GT from shields in the loot table. Anyone on Risia seen a GT shield dropped?

While that won't do anything for the existing GT shields, I'll take it as a fix.

I think the weekly dev notes said they were ADDING additional effects to shields. Not that they were removing GT. The result will be fewer GT shields and more with useful effects. At least we can hope.

[Karranor]

Don't forget that Ghost Touch on armor adds that AC to the touch AC the ghosts are attacking. So the shields are actually great as it adds that AC to your AC when otherwise they would completely bypass the shield AC bonus.

So they should be called "Ghost Can't Touch This" Shields...

[Tenkari_Rozahas]

Don't forget that Ghost Touch on armor adds that AC to the touch AC the ghosts are attacking. So the shields are actually great as it adds that AC to your AC when otherwise they would completely bypass the shield AC bonus.

So they should be called "Ghost Can't Touch This" Shields...

Thats what it SHOULD do, but doesnt apparently do in DDO, which is what the threads complaining about, it only makes you able to hit ghosts with the shields.

[unionyes]

I did once. My fighter had yet to pull a ghost touch weapon, and after 'whiffing' a half dozen times in a row I equipped one of the ghost touch shields that I had in my pack and bashed away.

As soon as I pulled a ghost touch weapon I never did it again.

Ghost touch shields are stupid, IMO.