This is a basic idea that I've never got around to trying out and would like some feedback on.
Instead of providing AC a shield provides a chance to block or parry an attack of 5% for each point of AC the shield would provide. Shields can only be used in this way by characters who are proficient with them.
Anything that would increase the AC provided by the shield increases the chance of blocking an attack by 5% per point of AC.
So a basic heavy shield would have a block chance of 10%, a +5 heavy shield would provide a block chance of 35%, a +5 heavy shield on a character with Shield Focus would provide a 40% block chance, and so on.
Thoughts? Criticism?
Does the shield take damage if it parries/blocks an attack?
Would this rule apply to the shieldspell? Or a ring of force shield?
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This is a basic idea that I've never got around to trying out and would like some feedback on.
Instead of providing AC a shield provides a chance to block or parry an attack of 5% for each point of AC the shield would provide. Shields can only be used in this way by characters who are proficient with them.
Anything that would increase the AC provided by the shield increases the chance of blocking an attack by 5% per point of AC.
So a basic heavy shield would have a block chance of 10%, a +5 heavy shield would provide a block chance of 35%, a +5 heavy shield on a character with Shield Focus would provide a 40% block chance, and so on.
Thoughts? Criticism?
It certainly makes equipping for a tanking role (which is both really hard to do for little pay-off the way AC works currently) a little easier. Would the block chance stack with thinks which provide a miss chance, or would a player take the better of whatever miss-chance sources there are?
I'd like to see blocking as at least a swift action. It takes a bit of concentration to actively protect yourself.
If this were carried through, I'd like to see a feat where you could trade a point or two of BAB for an extra 5% block chance, akin to power attack/deadly aim/etc...
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This sounds like a cool idea, but I think overall, it just makes shields worse. Say for example, you're playing the "tank" character with a really high AC, and enemies have a 10% chance to hit you, due to your +2 Tower Shield. Now you change it to being a block chance, so enemies now have a 40% chance to hit you, with a 30% chance of you blocking. Combining these together, enemies now have a 28% chance to hit you, compared to the 10% they used to.
Add in the fact that it adds a bunch of unnecessary dice rolling, and you have a system that, while possibly more engaging for the players involved, both skews the game math and lengthens combat.
Does the shield take damage if it parries/blocks an attack?
Would this rule apply to the shieldspell? Or a ring of force shield?
Well, a shield or armor doesn't currently take damage when it's AC is the difference between a hit and a miss, so I'd say no to it taking damage when it blocks.
At first blush I'd say no on the Shield spell as it's not being "wielded" (and this would effectively make it as good as a level 2 spell). Yes on the ring, provided that the wearer is proficient with heavy shields.
It certainly makes equipping for a tanking role (which is both really hard to do for little pay-off the way AC works currently) a little easier. Would the block chance stack with thinks which provide a miss chance, or would a player take the better of whatever miss-chance sources there are?
I'd think it would be it's own separate thing. If a character had 20% miss chance and 10% block chance, the attacker would roll their miss chance and the defending character would roll their block chance.
This sounds like a cool idea, but I think overall, it just makes shields worse. Say for example, you're playing the "tank" character with a really high AC, and enemies have a 10% chance to hits you, due to your +2 Tower Shield. Now you change it to being a block chance, so enemies now have a 40% chance to hit you, with a 30% chance of you blocking. Combining these together, enemies now have a 28% chance to hit you, compared to the 10% they used to.
Add in the fact that it adds a bunch of unnecessary dice rolling, and you have a system that, while possibly more engaging for the players involved, both skews the game math and lengthens combat.
I didn't make it clear, but my intent would be that the character would choose to either use their shield in the standard "passive mode" or to use it in "active mode" to try to block the attack.