Armor And Shields Revisited

Rather than including shields as part of a character's Armor Class, they can be used to deflect a number of successful attacks, depending on the size of the shield.  The table, above, provides the various types of armor available in the game.  When an attacker makes a successful attack, the defender can attempt to use his shield to deflect the blow.  There is a 50% chance that a shield deflection attempt will be successful.

The number of opportunities to deflect attacks is related to the size of the shield.  A player can try to use their Buckler to deflect a maximum of one attack per combat round.  A Round shield can be used to deflect attacks twice per combat round, and so on.  Of course, the shield can only be used in this way if the attack comes from the front or side, and the character is not surprised.

Changing shields to work, as described above, makes the shield a much more powerful addition to a character's equipment.