Shields

[Thirdbase]

Do you use shields as DCV, Armor, or both?

[Derek Hiemforth]

In Fantasy Hero, I've always used them as DCV (and bonus to Block) as described in the books. However, I don't see anything wrong with defining them as Armor with an Activation Roll or something if you wish to do that instead.

I wouldn't recommend allowing them to act as both... that seems too powerful. If you did do that, maybe set it up as a Multipower, so it could be either a DCV/Block bonus or Armor, but not both simultaneously.

[mattingly]

I normally build them as DCV, but when I want to get more detailed, I build them as a Multipower with Armor and DCV. The DCV is used in most situations, but when there's an attack that you know the shield won't help you avoid (like a charging rhino), you can brace it in front of you so that it will absorb some of the damage.

[Spyritwind]

Hmmm ... interesting. I was thinking about how to treat shields for small characters such as a halfling? A large shield is too big for them to use and so they couldn't wield a shield with a DCV bonus of three and so would only be able to use a medium shield of plus two. I'm thinking of allowing medium shields as though they were large and a small as a medium for small characters and a buckler as a small.

[Old Man]

Originally posted by Spyritwind
Hmmm ... interesting. I was thinking about how to treat shields for small characters such as a halfling? A large shield is too big for them to use and so they couldn't wield a shield with a DCV bonus of three and so would only be able to use a medium shield of plus two. I'm thinking of allowing medium shields as though they were large and a small as a medium for small characters and a buckler as a small.

The DCV benefit from the shield shouldn't change as the small guy can already have a DCV bonus for size.

[Super Squirrel]

Here is a crude example of how I would use a shield in my campaign.

Long Shield 20 Pt Multipower Reserve
1) +4 DCV, RSR(Shield Use[3/2 skill]) 1u
2) Armor 6 rPD / 6 rED, Cannot attack while using power

[The Mad GM]

Originally posted by Super Squirrel
Here is a crude example of how I would use a shield in my campaign.

Long Shield 20 Pt Multipower Reserve
1) +4 DCV, RSR(Shield Use[3/2 skill]) 1u
2) Armor 6 rPD / 6 rED, Cannot attack while using power

How about:

3) +4 Lvls with Block
4) Missle Deflect (just hide behind it like in Braveheart)

Admittedly, the lvls with block are not as beneficial in a big melee as the overall DCV, but it seems more like the special effect, and against one superior opponent, it might be more useful. Heck, these slots only cost a point. With that in mind...

For the more whimsical/swashbuckling:

5) +6" running, only downhill (Legolas in TT), additional +4", if surface is slick (toboganning, anyone?) Requires Dex Roll
6) +4d HTH (smash)
7) +2d HTH AP (edge smash)

The list goes on...

[NuSoardGraphite]

I use them as DCV.

If an attack misses because of the shield DCV or the character uses the Shield to actively block an attack, the damage is rolled vs the shield. I usually use these stats:

Size/Body:

Buckler/3
Medium/4
Large/5
Wall/6

The defense of the shield depends on its material composition (hard wood= Def-4, +1Def if it had hard leather coverings, Def 6 for a wooden shield with metal inlaid, and Def-7 for an Iron shield etc)

[LordGhee]

In the first campian I ran back in 1st additons FH I found the shild rule lackey. The suloution was that you could use them passsive, active, or combat.
If you used them as combat you need the skill to get the full value and you got the Dcv from all attacks.
If you used them active the shield acted as a wall with endurance nned to hold it up and perception of the incoming attack to move it to the side to recived the attk.
This is how a roman would use a shield, he held it up to cover the soulder down to the ankle. any attk from that hex side would hit the shiled in those location.. since this was a campain based in Richard the lionheart time a norman kite shield use d on a hosre to cover the left side of the knight except the head.
Passsive is where the shild is set down or worn on the back for example. attacks that hit it treat it as a wall.
after twenty years of gaming with a lot of renactors this has work very well.

Lord Ghee

[Markdoc]

I use shields as DCV or OCV for a block ONLY.

In the old days, we tried allowing them to act as armour, but that was grossly unbalancing. A guy with decent armour and a big shield could walk cheerfully into a hail of balllista bolts, confident in the fact that they would bounce off his 14 DEF Plate armour plus shield combo (stops all the body from a 4d6HKA on average!).

Missile deflection is a skill. You can do it with a shield, but Tajima the Arrowcutter did it with a naginata, and modern practioners use a wooden sword. It's not built into a shield. A shield does make you harder to hit with an arrow - that's what the DCV bonus is for.

As for using it as a wall, that makes as much sense as bracing yourself so the impact lands on your breastplate.... If you want to avoid damage from an impending impact, go fluid, don't brace.

In truth, a shield will soak up some damage from an attack, so I could see some argument for allowing it to act as extra armour (not a wall though - stun will still go through from the impact - this I know from experience!). But from a game balance point of view, I do not allow it.

Shields do not normally take damage in a block. The point - as with a weapon - is to slide or bounce the attack away, not stop it dead. Of course someone can always attack your shield and try to damage it.

As for offensive use of a shield, you can use it as a weapon - even a non-spiked shield can still be used as a club - but it takes an OCV penalty equal to the DCV bonus and does only +1-3 d6 HA, depending on size. You can certainly hit harder and more accurately with a club.

[AnotherSkip]

well sheilds do break with real weapons, if you use the armor option make it ablative.

are you going to soak upp the attack and _hope_ you find another sheild before the next combat or are you gonna just let the attacks slide off and hope you don't get killed?

just another evil but true fact.

[The Mad GM]

My earlier comments about possible shield multipowers were intended for swashbuckling, non-real games. It also assumed a fair amount of GM discretion, and the assumption that the power was in fact a skill. I was just throwing out possibilities, and Missle Deflect came to mind. I also don't seriously consider the 'running' slot as a reflection on real world shield use. It just sounded like fun.

In my games, shields are typically DCV only, or used as an alternate weapon without offhand penalties for a block or martial block. But I run fairly loose, and if the players set up a situation where the shield is acting more as armor, I'll run with it, but it would be a fairly unusual situation.