Mythic Adventures - Sacrificial Shield Path Ability

[Exocrat]

Sacrificial Shield (Ex)::

Once per round when you would
normally be hit by a weapon attack, you can use your
shield to block the attack. You must be using a shield in
order to use this ability. Subtract your shield’s hardness
and hit points (see Table 7–12 on page 175 of the Core
Rulebook) from the damage of the attack and apply the
remaining damage to your hit points. If the shield takes
enough damage to destroy it, it’s destroyed. Otherwise,
it gains the broken condition, even if the damage was
not enough to give it the broken condition under other
circumstances. You can expend one use of mythic power
when using this ability to negate any damage dealt to the
shield, though you still take any damage that exceeds its
hardness and hit points. You can choose to negate the
damage after the damage is rolled.

Questions.
1) Does 1 point of damage give my adamantine heavy shield the broken condition? Or does the damage need to be more than the shield's hardness?
2) How does this ability interact with sneak attacks and other precision damage?
3) How about non-physical damage that's dealt by a weapon?
4) If you spend a mythic point to negate the damage, is the shield still broken? Because 0 damage is "not enough to give it the broken condition under other circumstances."
5) Presume the shield has the broken condition. Can you still use it for this ability?
6) If you use a broken shield as a sacrifical shield, does it automatically get destroyed? Or does it still need to take enough damage to destroy it?
7) Can you use a Ring of Force Shield with this ability? If so, how do the broken and destroyed conditions interact with this?
8) How does non-lethal damage interact with a sacrificial shield?
9) Can you use this ability when flat-footed?
10) How does this ability interact with Shield Other?

[Captain Zoom]

Unfortunately, I think you've got the same info as the rest of us, and probably the same questions. Personally, I think they need to fix this power... at least say it doesn't break the shield if the damage does not exceed the shield's hardness.

[Captain Zoom]

When I was brainstorming my mythic character, I came up with this idea for using this ability:

Get a mythic shield! A Minor Artifact can be broken, but not destroyed (through normal means). A Major Artifact is immune to hit point damage and can't gain the broken condition.

You might want to check with your GM before you build a character around this idea though...

[Liam Warner]

As Captain Zoom said you have the same info as the rest of us that said my answers would be . . .

1) Does 1 point of damage give my adamantine heavy shield the broken condition? Or does the damage need to be more than the shield's hardness?

I'd say it needs to be more than the shields hardness but if it is then it gains the broken or destroyed condition. That is . . .

Hardness 10/HP 20
Damage = 6 no harm to shield or yourself.
Damage 11 = 1 point of damage to shield (1 hp) broken but no harm to yourself.
Damage 31 = 20 points of damage to shield, 10 points absorbed by hardness and 1 point of damage to you shield destroyed.

2) How does this ability interact with sneak attacks and other precision damage?

I'd say precision damage can be blocked but damage your not aware of can't i.e. if your flatfooted (sneak attack) you can't move your shield in the way of it but if they're aiming at your knee and you know it you can move your shield in the way.

3) How about non-physical damage that's dealt by a weapon?

Hmmmmm logic would say that things like fire and electricity would go through it but rules/description would imply it just stacks on the total for pass through i.e. if you do 1d8 (slashing) + 1d6 (fire) + 8 (assorted mods) you apply the total to determine if it gets past the shield or not.

4) If you spend a mythic point to negate the damage, is the shield still broken? Because 0 damage is "not enough to give it the broken condition under other circumstances."

Not sure how that works (or what your negating with) but I'd say (wild shot in the dark) while you can negate damage to yourself you can't negate it to your shield. So it still winds up broken/destroyed before you get hurt and the chance to negate remaining damage.

5) Presume the shield has the broken condition. Can you still use it for this ability?

Again I don't know the broken condition but I'd say yes its just more likely the next attack will destroy it. That is the ragged shards of your cracked and splintered shield (10hp out of 20) absorbs the blow before crumbling off your arm.

6) If you use a broken shield as a sacrifical shield, does it automatically get destroyed? Or does it still need to take enough damage to destroy it?

As above I'd say it still needs the damage to destroy it but you don't reset the hp. I.e. attack 1 = 6 shield has 14 hp, attack 2 = 12 shield has 2 hp, attack 3 = 8 shield is destroyed and you take 6 points of damage.

7) Can you use a Ring of Force Shield with this ability? If so, how do the broken and destroyed conditions interact with this?

Balance would say GM rules no, rules would say errata this as you have an indestructable shield (same as a major artifact) that has infinite hardness/hp.

8) How does non-lethal damage interact with a sacrificial shield?

Still destroys it but what gets past is non-lethal I'd say (although if it were my game I'd probably rule it turns the damage into lethal as shards of the shield and the like drive into your arm).

9) Can you use this ability when flat-footed?

As above no if your not aware of it you can't try to stop it.

10) How does this ability interact with Shield Other?

I'd say it doesn't shield other magically transfers the damage someone else takes to you while this shoves your shield between you and an attack. You can't place your shield between you and a magically transferred injury and the ability states when an attack targets you so I don't think it can be used to protect someone else.

[Eridan]

Exocrat wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

Questions.
1) Does 1 point of damage give my adamantine heavy shield the broken condition? Or does the damage need to be more than the shield's hardness?
2) How does this ability interact with sneak attacks and other precision damage?
3) How about non-physical damage that's dealt by a weapon?
4) If you spend a mythic point to negate the damage, is the shield still broken? Because 0 damage is "not enough to give it the broken condition under other circumstances."
5) Presume the shield has the broken condition. Can you still use it for this ability?
6) If you use a broken shield as a sacrifical shield, does it automatically get destroyed? Or does it still need to take enough damage to destroy it?
7) Can you use a Ring of Force Shield with this ability? If so, how do the broken and destroyed conditions interact with this?
8) How does non-lethal damage interact with a sacrificial shield?
9) Can you use this ability when flat-footed?
10) How does this ability interact with Shield Other?

1) Already answered

2) Damage is damage
3) Damage is damage
4) Spending a myhtic point negates the damage to the shield und avoids the broken condition. You get the damage normally if the damage was very high and exceeds the hardness+hitpoints of the shield.
5) Sure why not.
6) The broken condition dont 'stack' so you can use it until it gets enough damage and is destroyed.
7) Good question. A magic item that act like a shield can be damaged like a shield ? Ask your GM.
8) Damage is damage
9) Already answered
10) SO only triggers if 'you' get damage. It dont protect your shield (against sunder as an example)