Shield
Shields are carried in the left hand, and give a natural +20 to DS, plus the enchantment of the shield. Training in Shield Use increases the defensive capabilities of carrying a shield by roughly +2 DS (defensive stance) for every three ranks , depending on the size of the shield. Carrying a shield negatively impacts a character's ability to dodge attacks. The severity of this impact is determined by the size of the shield.
In addition to increasing a character's DS, shields can potentially outright block melee weapon attacks from landing. But shields will not, ordinarily, block ranged (bolt spells, arrows, thrown weapons) attacks. However, they will provide greater ranged DS than melee DS. (See Block and Evade for additional details.)
Shield Sizes
There are four basic types of shields: small, medium, large, and tower. The size of the shield determines its effectiveness in defense. The larger the shield, the better it defends, but at the same time, the worse it affects your ability to dodge and evade attacks, potentially lowering the overall defense of a character well trained in Dodging. Conversely, a small shield doesn't defend an attacker as well as a large shield does, but it allows for a character well trained in Dodging to evade attacks better. Generally, a character that is very well trained in Shield Use and not well trained in Dodging would benefit more from a larger shield, and a character with more training in Dodging than in Shield Use would benefit more from a smaller shield. When ranks in both Dodging and Shield Use are near equal, there are other factors that may determine what size shield may better benefit a character's defenses.
- Small Shield
- Alternative names: buckler, kidney shield, targe
- Small shields, sometimes called kidney shields or bucklers, are typically worn on the wrist or the back of the hand in a manner that makes the hand less capable of manipulating objects. Small shields typically weigh 6 pounds and lower evade defense by 22%.
- Medium Shield
- Alternative names: heater, heater shield, knight's shield, lantern shield, parma, target shield
- Medium shields, also called target shields, are the standard size shield found within Elanthia. They are the base shield used to determine defensive strength and the ability to outright block an attack. Medium shields typically weigh about 8 pounds and lower evade defense by 30%.
- Large Shield
- Alternative names: aegis, kite shield, pageant shield, round shield, scutum
- Large, or round shields, are large, bulky shields that are more effective at blocking attacks than smaller shields. Large shields typically weigh 9 pounds and lower evade defense by 38%.
- Tower Shield
- Alternative names: greatshield, mantlet, pavis, wall shield
- Tower, wall, or great shields are the largest of portable shields. They're typically large enough to provide complete cover from head to toe, allowing the defender to hide behind the shield until they're ready to make an attack. Tower shields weigh 12 pounds and lower evade defense by 46% due to their large bulk.
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 + (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 Attacks
- Base Value × Shield Size Modifier × Stance Modifier ÷ 1.5 + 20 (Natural Shield Bonus) + Shield Enchant Bonus = Melee Shield DS
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 |
Shield Stance Modifiers (Use For Both Melee and Ranged)
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 |
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).
- Base Value × Shield Size Modifier + Size Bonus/Penalty × Stance Modifier ÷ 1.5 + 20 (Natural Shield Bonus) + Shield Enchant Bonus = Ranged Shield DS
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 |