Shield Usage skill
Shield Usage skill is used in determining the effectiveness of an arm-worn or held shield in blocking attacks. The stats that assist in blocking (from most to least important) are Reflex, Discipline, and Strength.
Shield Usage
To use a shield, just hold one in your left hand and fight something. Alternatively, shields may be worn on the arm (see below).
You may adjust the amount of shield skill you are actively using via the STANCE command.
Training Strategies
Below about 50 ranks, shield is not a terribly effective defense. However, shield coupled with the evasion skill is the most effective means of defending against ranged attacks. You will be unable to effectively use larger shields' higher protection values until your ranks in Shield Usage increase. There is a contest in shield that examines the stats used in your defense (Reflex, Discipline, Strength) and compares that to the weight of the shield to see if you have full use of your ability to block. When working normally this "penalty" is truly a trivial thing and most likely only impacts very young characters. Most characters have no penalty whatsoever from the weight of shield. At low ranks in skill, small non-hindering shields are your best bet. Target shields from the goblins west of the Crossing make a good starter shield.
At 50 ranks you gain the ability to load ranged weapons while wearing a shield. An arm-worn shield will penalize shots fired by a longbow, short bow, or composite bow. Arm-worn shields will not protect you while holding a loaded longbow, short bow, or composite bow.
As skill approaches 100 ranks, moving to medium-sized shields will begin to pay off. Larger shields are generally more hindering, but with more skill in shield your defense will improve at an increased rate compared to the shield's maximum appraised protection. Shield defense will increase at a slower pace after the maximum appraised protection has been reached.
In combat, the amount of experience gained from an attack is relative to the amount of the attack stopped by your shield. If shield is not learning well enough, a reduction in evasion stance may help.
Arm-worn Shield Notes
The ADJUST verb changes any shield to allow wearing on the arm. Adjusting it again will revert it to shoulder-worn.
The maximum size of shield you can wear on your arm is based on your guild's facility with armor:
- Armor Primary - Can wear large shields (tower, kite, etc.) or smaller
- Armor Secondary - Can wear medium shields (oval, buckler, etc.) or smaller
- Armor Tertiary - Can wear small shields (buckler, targe, target, etc.)
There is a 4th circle requirement to arm-wearing a medium or large shield, to exclude commoners from wearing medium shields.
Note: An arm-worn shield's protection may be capped based on size. Small shields' protection caps at good protection, medium shields' at great, and large shields' at tremendous.
Clerics can arm-wear an infused Shield of Light shield that is medium in size, an exception to the size rule above.
Different classes of ranged weapons interact differently with arm-worn shields:
- Slings are not affected in any way.
- Light Thrown and Heavy Thrown weapons are not affected in any way.
- Crossbows can not be loaded with an arm-worn shield until reaching 50 ranks of shield.
- Stick bows receive both a loading penalty and an accuracy penalty when used with an arm-worn shield.
The exceptions to the stick bow penalty are as follows:
- A Paladin wearing a medium or small shield.
- A Barbarian wearing a small shield.
- A Ranger wearing a small shield with See the Wind active.
Appraisals
From worst to best: none, poor, low, fair, moderate, good, high, great, impressive, tremendous, impressive, and god-like.