Does a ring of force shield occupy the hand wearing it?

Question

Can a character wearing a ring of force shield use two-handed-weapons or make actions that need both hands and keep the shield-bonus, or is the hand occupied as though using a normal shield?

I'm asking about Pathfinder, but it might not be different in D&D 3.5.

Answer 1

The hand is occupied while it is activated.

It's basically because of the following, I'll bold out the important part:

An iron band, this simple ring generates a shield-sized (and shield-shaped) wall of force that stays with the ring and can be wielded by the wearer as if it were a heavy shield (+2 AC). This special creation has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance since it is weightless and encumbrance-free. It can be activated and deactivated at will as a free action.

So, since you have to wield it as a heavy shield, it will take up your shield slot while it is on.

However, if you feel like it, you can activate and deactivate it as a free action, so turn it off at the beginning of your turn, smack some things around with your 2-hander, and turn it back on at the end of the turn.

(Free actions can only be taken on your turn.)