shields

[luminier]

i have a question as to why shields must count as heavy armour. granted they are heavy, but shouldn't the shield skill be enough to cover the whole "moving effectively with shields" deal? to me it just seems like an unneeded compounding of two skills.

[hsparks]

I was under the impression that different shields depending on weight were classified as different armour.

[anglachel]

At the moment all kind of shields count as 'heavy armour'

[eirikeld]

I will say this much. Having actually used most medieval armor types and a few types of shields, shields are pretty much always plate. If the shield is to be of any use at all, it is plate. They may be made of wood, leather, or aircraft aluminum. They will hinder your movement no matter what, like plate.They block and stop attacks, like solid plate. Even a lightweight small leather shield [which is effectively useless against anything but a thrown rock] is firm, rigid, and at least a couple kilograms. True, not all shields are 12kilogram iron tower shields. But even the smallest and lightest are a few kilograms. This density plus their rigidity makes it perfectly understandable to me to leave all shields as plate until the end of time.

Frankly, I'm amazed you can remove a shield in combat now. Most kinds, it would be exceedingly difficult to do so, as your arm passes through a strap of some kind before your hand finds the handle. However, as this is how the game is coded currently, if you have a shield, but want to be lightly armored, go ahead and remove it in combat to flickup or whatever else it is you wish to do.

[luminier]

well im know shields should be awkward to hold or w/e and so you need a good heavy armour skill to use them but im just saying shouldn't the shield skill cover that as well as determine how well you could use a shield, because really isn't it one in the same?

[tessa]

I'm guessing the reason it's seperate is because a shield skill determines how well you can block with one, while the heavy armour skill determines how well you can maneuver with it.

And upon checking the descriptions of both skills, I'm even more sure of it now.

EDIT:

And I'm guessing the reason this is determined by two skills instead of one is because a shield is obviously armour, and all armour is likely subject to the light/medium/heavy armour code. So, if I'm right, there'd be no easy way to make a shield work with only the one skill without some serious makeover code-wise.

[luminier]

but tessa appraise any shield and it says it is of the armour type "shield" not plate. so i guess for now it's safe to assume "shield" means "plate" even though there are various types of shields.

this is actualyl why i asked this is the first place, or one of the reasons anyways. probably should have included it originally.

[tessa]

but tessa appraise any shield and it says it is of the armour type "shield" not plate. so i guess for now it's safe to assume "shield" means "plate" even though there are various types of shields.

Who said 'plate' has to be the only type of heavy armour? The heavy armour skill even says 'platemail or other types [of heavy armour]'.

[luminier]

i guess your right then.

[luminier]

oh another quick question about shields. sometimes when i wear a shield ill type parry with shield to start blocking the blows with my shield.

yet, sometimes in the fight it will say "you parry his/her blow" instead of "you block the blow with your shield".

are do these two mean the same thing? or am I actually parrying with my weapon and not my shield, even though i typed parry with shield. i can clarify if this is unclear.

[tessa]

Parry and block are two different things, I think.

Block is usable by shields only, and depends on the shield skill, naturally. But shields can also double over as parrying objects, which obviously uses the parry skill.

So, with shields, you have three functions, basically: block (shield skill), parry (parry skill), and 'deflect all damage' (armourstats).

[luminier]

so you'll actually "parry" with your shield then?