[RPG] Does the spell effortless armor reduce the armor check penalty from shields

pathfinder-1espells

Im playing a cleric. I have mithral fullplate and a heavy shield.
The mithral fullplate has an armor check penalty (ACP) of -6. Being mithral changes the ACP to -3. The heavy shield has an ACP of -2.

So with this configuration I have an ACP of -5. When I cast the spell Effortless Armor, does it work on the ACP from the shield, or only works on armor? Lets assume my CL for the spell is 20 so that I can negate upto 5 ACP from the spell.

Armor you wear no longer reduces your speed. You also reduce the armor’s armor check penalty by 1 + 1 per five caster levels (maximum 5).

The spell specifically mentions only armor, but looking under the equipment page for ACP it considers both armor and shield together.

So, in this case when casting the spell with 20 caster levels, am I working with a -2 or 0 ACP?

Best Answer

No, the spell only targets ACP from worn armor, and a shield is not a type of worn armor, even if they have similar rules.

Shields are typically listed alongside armors for the purposes of item stat tables. And yes, shields are described under the "Armor" section in the CRB. However, they are not "considered together". The CRB is just organized this way, and it always mentions armor and shields separately when describing their effects. For instance, regarding armor class:

Armor/Shield Bonus: Each type of armor grants an armor bonus to AC, while shields grant a shield bonus to AC.

Notice how "type of armor" and "shields" are separate. There are other differences too. The CRB also says the following when describing how ACP works:

An armor check penalty applies to all Dexterity- and Strength-based skill checks. A character’s encumbrance may also incur an armor check penalty.
Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, both armor check penalties apply.
Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he is not proficient takes the armor’s (and/or shield’s) armor check penalty [...] The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for shields.

Again, armor and shields are always listed separately, suggesting that the shield is not part of the armor itself. Furthermore, the ACP is not necessarily caused by worn armor; being over-encumbered with items is not any form of armor, but it contributes to the penalty. The only penalty affected by Effortless Armor is the one from the worn armor.

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