Block

To block (in the context of the Evade/Block/Parry system) is to outrightly prevent a physical attack using one's shield, stopping the attack before the attack equation has even come into play. The check to determine whether an attack is blocked occurs after the check to determine whether the attack is evaded, but before the check to determine whether it is parried.

Shield Defensive Strength Formula

The first step when calculating a character's shield Defensive Strength (DS) is to determine the 'Base Value' portion of the formula. It is necessary to truncate (round down) each factor and to truncate the result after each operation.

Base Value

• Base Value = Shield Ranks + (Strength bonus ÷ 4) + (Dexterity bonus ÷ 4)

Example: A character with 55 shield ranks, 23 strength bonus and 29 dexterity bonus would have a base value of:

55 + 5 + 7 = 67

The second step is to enter the base value and the values for the other factors in the appropriate order.

Shield DS (vs Melee)

• ((Base Value × Shield Size Modifier × Stance Modifier) ÷ 1.5)) + 20 (Natural Shield Bonus) + Shield Enchant Bonus = DS

Example: With a 67 base value and a large shield with an enchant bonus of +20, the shield DS for this character would be:

OFF: ((67 × 1.15 × 0.50) ÷ 1.5)) + 20 + 20 = 65 DS

DEF: ((67 × 1.15 × 1.00) ÷ 1.5)) + 20 + 20 = 91 DS

Perform the operations one at a time, working from left to right, and truncate after each step.

Shield Size Modifiers (Melee)

Replace 'Shield Size Modifier' in the melee formula above with the appropriate value from this table.

Shield Size	Modifier (vs Melee)
Small	0.85
Medium	1.00
Large	1.15
Tower	1.30

Stance Modifiers

Replace 'Stance Modifier' in the formula above with the appropriate value from this table.

Stance	Modifier
Offensive	0.50
Advance	0.60
Forward	0.70
Neutral	0.80
Guarded	0.90
Defensive	1.00

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Chance to Block

The odds for an outright block are determined by comparing the defender's Shield Use skill to the attacker's level. Against a like-level foe, 1x training will yield about a 5% chance to block in stance offensive; 3x training, about 15%. Other factors that affect the chance to block include:

• The passive combat maneuver Block Mastery will increase this chance by 5% per rank.
• shield size
• certain stats (probably strength and dexterity)
• stance
• positioning: Kneeling reduces one's chance to block by 25%; being prone reduces it by 50%

While a shield does increase one's bolt defensive strength more than one's melee defensive strength, it is not normally possible to outrightly block a bolt spell.

See Also

• Evade
• Parry
• Block Mastery

External Links

• Combat Guide: Factors, on Play.net

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