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[Khegit]

Dwarves like swords. Dwarves like shields. Dwarves like to stab people with their swords. Dwarves like to bash people with their shields? Why not combine the two? Shields with spikes coming out the center could block, and provide an adequate attack if their sword is stuck, or dropped.

[AfellowDwarf]

I'd say that as a drawback, these shields should be able to get stuck in enemies, making the dwarves who wear one of those risk losing their defence.

[Khegit]

Agreed.

[Carp McDwarfEater]

A shield is used to push away someone's weapon and deflect an attack, not to 'block' the full force of an attack since that can destroy the shield and break your arm. For this reason spiked shields were historically almost never used, since it's hard to simply deflect a blow and not get your arm jerked to the side when your enemy's weapon catches on a spike.

Spiked shields also have the drawback of being very annoying to carry around when you're not fighting, which is 99% of the time.

[Khegit]

A shield is used to push away someone's weapon and deflect an attack, not to 'block' the full force of an attack since that can destroy the shield and break your arm. For this reason spiked shields were historically almost never used, since it's hard to simply deflect a blow and not get your arm jerked to the side when your enemy's weapon catches on a spike.

Spiked shields also have the drawback of being very annoying to carry around when you're not fighting, which is 99% of the time.

.....how about a studded shield then?

[stabbymcstabstab]

Fun fact: shields where used to kill people that's the reason a lot of shields were big heavy bashy things, they where used to kill be just as much as swords or axes.

[10ebbor10]

Fun fact: shields where used to kill people that's the reason a lot of shields were big heavy bashy things, they where used to kill be just as much as swords or axes.

Actually, not really. Those large tower shields were fairly rare, and the small light round shields saw much more frequent use. In fact, as time moved on, the size of the shield became smaller and smaller, before disappearing completely.

[Monk321654]

“If I were to pick up this cowering-plate, I would have to put down my second sword,” a Dwarf thinks. “And surely that is madness.”
The Spiked Shield solves this riddle by turning the useless shield into a deadly weapon you can run at people with and then bludgeon to death.

[sackhead]

did spiked shields exist historically or are they and RPG invention like studded leather? I know roman legionnaires were trained to bash with there shields  but that was more to knock them back and stab them with there sword.

[Jheral]

Supposedly there were some cultures who used them - the Scottish targe, for instance, sometimes had a spike fitted to the centre of the shield. For the most part, though, they seem to not have been a real thing. It's probably not all that practical to use a shield in formation if it has spikes, after all. And I imagine shields are too clumsy to use effectively as weapons.

[Funk]

Some Migration Period (a.k.a the time we used to call the dark ages) have a small spike or button like projection.
Other shield pointed boss's.
Small one man shields like the viking or anglo-saxons used are premade knuckle dusters.
The all metal bucklers where often use more as a metal fist than to block.
video of viking weapons being tested
Earlier Greek and roman shield are much bigger and heavier there for use in a formation not lone fighting.

[CrzyMonkeyNinja]

I would like to introduce you, my friends, to the Scottish targe : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targe
These were your regular old wooden, leather-faced, round shields, except they were strap shields, and they could sometimes have a spike attached to their center boss. These are the only historical shields that I know of that have spikes of any sort. The fact that of all the kinds of shield that have developed over the millennia, there were only a few that had actual bladed weapons attached, I think, indicates that they would be best implemented as some sort of artifact, or rare cultural quirk. (Dang, that was, like, the most poncy and verbose thing I have ever said.)

Anyway, I think shields could still have better offensive capabilities. Often times, shields weren't just some passive defense, they would be used, not just to bash, but also to pin you opponent. That is something that I would like to see DF implement.

[Robosaur]

I'd say that as a drawback, these shields should be able to get stuck in enemies, making the dwarves who wear one of those risk losing their defence.

What if the spikes are detachable?