Draft:Shield
A shield [ increases your defense when equipped in the Shield slot. It makes you harder to hit in checks using that defense; it does not absorb landed damage as body armor does. Omega 0.90.4 has eight shield types, and its separate Shield slot permits using one together with a two-handed weapon.[1]
Shield comparison
Add the individual shield's enchantment to base defense for its actual contribution. Base value is a valuation input, not a shop quote; none of these shields is Julie's fixed stock. Generation level affects ordinary random generation, not the level at which you may equip the shield.[2]
| Shield | Base defense | Weight | Base value (Au) | Generation level | Additional effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckler | 1 | 20 | 10 | 0 | None |
| Small round shield | 2 | 40 | 20 | 1 | None |
| Large round shield | 3 | 100 | 50 | 2 | None |
| Heater shield | 4 | 200 | 75 | 2 | None |
| Hoplon | 5 | 300 | 150 | 3 | None |
| Tower shield | 6 | 500 | 200 | 4 | None |
| Plasteel shield | 7 | 20 | 1000 | 6 | None |
| Shield of deflection | 6 | 200 | 2000 | 7 | Noncursed: deflects bolts; cursed: vulnerability |
The shield of deflection has a fixed initial enchantment of +6. Ordinary generation changes this to +6 if uncursed, +7 if blessed, or -7 if cursed, for net defense +12, +13 or -1. Its Justiciar reward is blessed +6 because the reward copies the template directly.[3]
Getting a shield
New gladiators receive an uncursed +0 large round shield on registering at the Arena, without having to win a fight. Registration requires Strength 13 and Agility 12 and is refused to existing Legion or Order members. The Order eventually awards a blessed shield of deflection on becoming Justiciar, not on first joining.[4]
All eight shields are eligible for random treasure, including treasure-bearing monsters' random possessions and pawn-shop stock. Ordinary acquirement lets you choose shields but chooses the type randomly; blessed acquirement lets you pick a specific shield. It still uses random blessing and enchantment, so a blessed acquirement can produce a cursed shield.[5]
Shield names reveal their type without identifying every property of the individual item. Identify a find before putting it into use: a negative enchantment reduces defense, and a curse prevents normal removal. The pawn shop's fully identified stock exposes these properties before purchase.[6]
Random properties
The first seven types draw a nonnegative initial enchantment P, with probability 1 / 2k+1 for P = k. A separate blessing draw is 60% uncursed, 20% blessed and 20% cursed, with positive or negative strength uniformly 1 through 10. Uncursed copies retain P, blessed copies become P + 1, and cursed copies become -(1 + P). Deflection shields substitute a fixed initial P = 6.[7]
Shields occupy 10/135 of the ordinary generator's category draws, followed by an equal candidate choice among eight types. The source-level filter can reject a candidate and restart the draw; consequently neither that fraction nor one eighth is an unconditional final drop probability. See the shared generation filter. Fixed guild gifts skip this generation.[8]
Shields and blocking
The shield's bonus is always included while it is in its slot, regardless of the height of an incoming attack. Tactical Block and Riposte actions are an additional part of melee defense, and work even without a shield. Conversely, wearing a shield does not remove the penalty for a combat sequence containing no blocks or ripostes.[9]
A noncursed shield of deflection also makes ordinary missile bolts, firebolts, lightning bolts and icicles miss when they reach you. It does not reflect them and does not stop melee or area explosions. Cursed, it removes existing deflection and adds vulnerability rather than supplying this protection.[10]
Strategy
A noncursed light shield is useful even for a two-handed-weapon user. Compare actual enchantment as well as type: a +3 large round shield matches a +0 tower shield's six defense at one fifth of the weight. That comparison is about defense, not a claim that every generated large shield has +3.
Heavy shields add progressively smaller benefits per added weight. At equal enchantment, moving from hoplon to tower adds only one defense for another 200 weight. Plasteel provides seven base defense at buckler weight and is a substantial physical improvement over mundane shields. A noncursed deflection shield normally gives a larger total bonus and bolt protection, but adds 180 weight over plasteel.
Improving shield enchantment can help defense without increasing burden, but it is not risk-free: the enchantment explosion check applies to shields too. Blessing and curse removal are different operations, and a deeply cursed shield can resist a weak blessing or be destroyed by a stronger one.
Read Defense and protection for exact hit checks, matching blocks, burden thresholds and the distinction between defense, absorption and immunity.
Throwing a shield
Using f on a shield is not a shield-bash attack. Shields have zero damage rating, so a throw reaching a creature that can carry treasure is handled as an offering. A creature unable to carry treasure ignores the offering and the shield drops at its square; an unobstructed throw to empty ground also drops it. The recipient's reaction to a gift is separate from the shield's defense value. A cursed shield already in use cannot be thrown to get it unstuck.[11]
References
- ↑ defs.h in Omega 0.90.4, lines 677–678 Glyphs; iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, lines 290–304 Shield definitions; aux1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 330–343 Defense and absorption; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 1345–1454 Hand and shield slots.
- ↑ aux1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 330–335 Shield contribution; site1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 164–182 Armorer stock; aux2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 522–535 Valuation; item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 7–41 Generation.
- ↑ iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, lines 290–304 Properties; item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 206–219 Generation; guild2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 659–664 Reward.
- ↑ guild1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 319–348 Registration; guild2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 637–670 Justiciar succession.
- ↑ item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 7–41 Treasure; lev.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 382–393 Monster possessions; site1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 1043–1052 Pawn stock; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 715–722 Acquirement.
- ↑ iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, lines 290–304 Names; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 221–278 Display; inv.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 1354–1358 Curses.
- ↑ item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 206–219 Shield construction; item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 506–533 Random properties.
- ↑ item.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 7–41 Candidate and level checks.
- ↑ aux1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 330–335 Equipment; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 189–218 Tactical defense.
- ↑ itemf2.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 558–589 Status effects; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 253–295 Bolts; effect1.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 378–413 Explosions; mmelee.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 55–148 Melee.
- ↑ iinit.h in Omega 0.90.4, lines 290–304 Zero damage ratings; command3.c in Omega 0.90.4, lines 223–310 Throwing, gifting and landing.