Block

To Block (in the context of the Evade/Block/Parry system) is to successfully interpose a shield between a physical attack and its target, thereby, preventing the combat resolution roll from taking place. 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.

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, which 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.

Shield Defensive Strength Formula

The first step when calculating a character's shield defensive strength (DS) bonus 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 + trunc(STR bonus ÷ 4) + trunc(DEX 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 Attacks

Melee Shield DS = [(Base Value × Size Modifier × Stance Modifier) ÷ 1.5] + 20 (Shield Bonus) + Enchant Bonus

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

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

Stance OFF

[(67 × 1.15 × 0.50) ÷ 1.5] + 20 + 20 = 65 DS

Stance DEF

[(67 × 1.15 × 1.00) ÷ 1.5] + 20 + 20 = 91 DS

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

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Shield DS vs Ranged Attacks

Ranged attacks include arrows, hurled weapons and bolts, both from crossbows and magical bolt spells such as Minor Shock (901).

Ranged Shield DS = Base Value × Size Modifier + Size Bonus/Penalty × Stance Modifier ÷ 1.5 + 20 (Shield Bonus) + Enchant Bonus

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

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

Stance OFF:

67 × 1.80 + 8 × 0.50 ÷ 1.5 + 20 + 20 = 82 DS

Stance DEF

67 × 1.80 × 1.00 ÷ 1.5 + 20 + 20 = 125 DS

Shield Size Modifiers (Ranged)

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

Shield Size	Modifier (vs Ranged)
Small	1.20
Medium	1.50
Large	1.80
Tower	2.10

Shield Size Bonus/Penalty (Ranged Only)

Replace 'Shield Size Penalty/Bonus' in the ranged formula above with the appropriate value from this table.

Shield Size	Size Bonus/Penalty
Small	-8
Medium	0
Large	+8
Tower	+16

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Shield Stance Modifiers

Replace 'Stance Modifier' in the formulas above with the appropriate value from this table. The same values are used for both the melee and ranged formulas.

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

See Also

• Shield
• Evade
• Parry
• Block Mastery
• Combat Guide: Factors, on Play.net

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