Shields provide active defence and can be used to deflect attacks. They also increase spell awry chance.
Shield Table
| Shield | Deflect Melee | Deflect Ranged | Awry | Move Modifier | Damage Step | Cost | Weight | Free Deflects | Notes |
| Small | +3 | +2 | +1 | 0 | D3 | - | - | 1 | More manoeuvrable against melee attacks |
| Medium | +2 | +4 | +2 | 0 | D4 | - | - | 1 | Standard shield |
| Large | +2 | +5 | +3 | 0 | D4 | - | - | 1 | Strongest ranged protection |
Using Shields
When using a shield, you gain 1 free deflect attempt per round, even if untrained.
If you are trained in shields, you gain an additional free deflect attempt per round and +1 on deflect attempts with the shield.
It is intuitive to intercede a shield against arrows, slingstones, crossbow bolts, and spells that require attack rolls. Deflecting melee attacks is harder because the attacker changes the angle of attack as both combatants move.
Shield Abilities
Abilities that improve shield use include:
- Shield Maiden
- Weapon Mastery (Shield)
- Shield Defence
- Shieldwork
- Aggressive Shieldwork
- Shield Mastery
Materials
Mithril shields reduce Awry by 1 and increase deflect values by 1.
Shield Degradation
When armour would degrade from a telling blow, you can choose for your shield to degrade instead.
Once a shield is damaged, it loses 1 deflect bonus. This continues with each later degradation step until the shield is destroyed.