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I really like how blocking with a shield is a reaction that grands DR, but can dent the shield. That's a fantastic option for combat. I also like how Half-Orcs can use their reaction to get a +1 bonus to spell saves. More options are almost never a bad thing, and both of these are great additions to the game.
What I don't like, however, is having to spend an action to prepare for something that might not even happen. It's really boring and uninspired design, they don't make any sense (Why would someone be fighting with a shield but not be using it? Why would an Orc be more susceptible to magic if he isn't squinting his eyes or whatever the f*ck the preparation action implies they do?) and their benefits don't warrant an entire action in my opinion. My suggestion: Get rid of the preparation actions completely.
For shields, give the AC bonus all the time and keep the reaction to raise it for DR.
For Half-Orcs, change Superstition to a reaction (similar to their new Level 9 Ancestry feat) and give them something more interesting at level 9.
Also, for Dwarves, change Ancient Blooded to be less like Superstition.
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Yeah, it's kinda blah that if I want to both move and cast virtually any spell in the game in the same turn, my shield becomes dead weight.
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I'm okay with one action to ready a shield at the start of combat, but thereafter it should just work. The reaction is fine, re-raising it every turn has proven boring in practice. My players with shields rarely remember to actually raise it, or prefer to do other things with their turn.
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It's because it's a conditional bonus and it makes sense. You see it all the time in fantasy action movies. Good guy thinks he's gonna get hit brings shield up. He does get hit but is able to use shield to block the blow.
If you want to take another swing you can but you leave yourself open to an attack, instead you can bring up your shield and protect yourself.
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Raising a shield is not just putting it up and let it protect you; it means actively deflecting blows, something like fighting with an off-hand weapon.
I'm okay with one action to ready a shield at the start of combat, but thereafter it should just work. The reaction is fine, re-raising it every turn has proven boring in practice. My players with shields rarely remember to actually raise it, or prefer to do other things with their turn.
I agree with this idea, and I would extend it to Dueling Parry as well (Though I'd like to see Dueling Parry made more interesting than just giving you an AC bonus equal to a shield. As written it's also really boring). It should grant its bonus until you use it for an attack or something like that.
...instead you can bring up your shield and protect yourself.
That's what the reaction for DR is for, and that makes sense. As I mentioned already, I love that idea.
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Spending an action to use your shield each round is no different than spending an action to use your sword each round. I think the real issue is that folks are used to it working differently than in first edition, but they should remember that shields have more utility than they did previously. I find the way shields now work to be excellent, though of course the section for blocking damage and acquiring dents needs to be reworded when the rulebook comes out, hopefully with an example so it is laid out explicitly.
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Then how about leaving the +2 bonus on raising shields (or using an offhand weapon defensively to parry, or whatever else they come up with in the future), and still letting me use Shield Block if I have one equipped, rather than raised?
That doesn't make my shield dead weight because I wanted to do something crazy like both move and cast a spell in the same turn. I can still use a reaction to get something out of it.
True about proficiency, but you only need two feats if you are in a class that doesn't give Trained in either. If you want to go sword and board + armor with a Wizard, then yes, you need two feats.
Increasing those proficiencies over Trained is not something you can do with feats, instead: it comes "for free" from your class.
About actions: you are losing a -10 attack to raise that shield; how good can it be? Instead you gain +2 AC, that is very useful. It's a matter of choice, if you decide to use a shield you are investing something (hand + action) for more defensive capability.
Using shield as a reaction only may seem good from a point of view, but in that case it's working only against a single attack from a single enemy. I'm not sure it's convenient.
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Here's a separate question. Do Expert, Master or Legendary proficiency in shields respectively increase the AC bonus from raising a shield by +1, +2 or +3? (If not, what's the point?)
What if the shield itself is Expert, Master or Legendary? (I figure the answer here is no, since E/M/L armor does not appear to raise its AC. Here there actually is a point if it doesn't increase the AC bonus, since it at least raises Hardness.)
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Raising a shield is not just putting it up and let it protect you; it means actively deflecting blows, something like fighting with an off-hand weapon.It does mean that, you are right. Having played a shield user though for 6 weeks now, it is also as dull as dishwater as an action.
Two handed weapon fighter; attack, attack, attack.
Archer; attack, attack, attack
Shield fighter; attack, attack, raise my shield 'just in case'.
Yes, defending is not as exciting as attacking. Nevertheless, the rhythm of battle could work out as move-attack-defend and then block as a reaction rather than move-attack-attack. But does the math work out? ("Move" is in there mostly to shorten my calculations. But if a fighter is being defensive, forcing an opponent to move every turn is a good tactic.)
Imagine two fighters, Hawk and Dove. Due to similiar proficiency, abilities, and armor, the two each have a 65% chance of hitting each other on their first attack and a +4 Strength bonus. However, Hawk wields a greatsword (1d12+4 damage) in two hands and Dove wields as heavy steel shield and a longsword (1d8+4 damage).
If Dove is not defending by raising his shield (maybe he had to draw his sword that turn), Hawk has a 13/20 chance of hitting on his first attack (3 of those 13 are critical hits) and 8/20 chance of hitting on his second attack (1 of which crits). That works out to (25/20)(1d12+4) damage, average 13.125 damage, per turn. If Dove has raised his shield for its +2 circumstance bonus to AC, that comes to (19/20)(1d12+4) damage, average 9.975 damage, per turn.
In contrast, with his one attack, Dove has a 13/20 chance of hitting on his first attack (3 of those 13 are critical hits) for (16/20)(1d8+4) damage, average 6.8 damage, per turn.
9.975/6.8 = 1.47. Hawk's combat style is 47% better.
Dove could use his reaction to block with his shield and absorb 5 damage. A rough estimate is that 9.975 - 5 = 4.975 damage would get through, but the real value is 9.975 - (1 - (7/20)(12/20))(5) = 9.975 - 3.95 = 6.025, because Dove can't block if Hawk doesn't hit. Of course, if Hawk does not hit, Dove's shield will last longer. The shield block tactic works for two rounds, then Dove will have to drop his shield and draw another because it will be broken.
As far as I can tell, the rules do allow Dove to replace his shield in mid-combat: Drop the broken shield as a free action, Step away to avoid Hawk's attack of opportunity, Interact with another shield on his back to get it in place on his arm, and Raise a Shield with the new Shield. The Interact action replaces a Strike action, so Dove's damage goes down.
But Dove cannot afford the bulk of multiple heavy shields, so maybe he should switch to a light steel shield. The light shield gives only a +1 circumstance bonus to AC, so Hawk's damage would go up to (22/20)(1d12+4) - (1-(6/20)(11/20))(5) = 11.55 - 4.175 = 7.375 damage per turn. That tactic favors Hawk, so forget it.
Instead, the best shield-block tactic is to block once per combat and repair the heavy shield between encounters. In a two-round fight, Hawk would deal 2*9.975 - 5 = 14.95 damage on average and Dove would deal 2*6.8 = 13.6 damage on average. Those two values are close to each other, but the third round goes to Hawk. Even at 1st level, two fighters would have enough hit points to battle for three or more rounds.
Instead, I propose that you have the shield bonus to AC as a reaction (similar to Rogue's nimble dodge), then I have a choice of two meaningful reactions, of which I can only take one; raise shield for the bonus to AC or shield block if the attack is going to hit me. That makes carrying a shield useful without spending every round stating the obvious.
That is the fighter's 1st-level Reactive Shield feat. It can be combined with the 8th-level Quick Shield Block to also block.
Math simulation of 2H vs S&B fight
Just a little correction: in the shield block calculation you used the hit chances where Dove is not getting the +2 AC (or +1 AC) from his shield. The heavy shield should block 3.425 points of damage on average, and the light shield 3.7 points instead.
But what if they stand still, using all three actions without moving?
In a typical round before the shield is broken, with a triple Strike Hawk will do average (21/20)(1d12+4) 11.025 damage before shield block, which saves (1-(9/20)(14/20)(19/20))(5), or about 3.5 damage. So, around 7.5 average damage: really not much better than Stride/Strike/Strike.
Dove instead can do Strike/Strike/Raise Shield, for (29/20)(1d8+4) 12.325 average damage.
It seems like the one wielding the shield is much more advantaged in a static battle, while the two hander is the one who should try to move around or find another, better way to use his third action than trying to roll that 20.
I find it interesting.
A side note: the benefit of using a shield improves a lot when you are getting attacked by more than one enemy.
Here's a separate question. Do Expert, Master or Legendary proficiency in shields respectively increase the AC bonus from raising a shield by +1, +2 or +3? (If not, what's the point?)
Not exactly.
Instead if your TEML in shields is lower than your TEML in armor, you lose the difference.
So if you're an armor Master and shield Trained, raising a shield does bupkis.
(Or rather: shield raised = same AC as if you threw it on the ground, your AC with it equipped and lowered is penalized by 2)
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Math simulation of 2H vs S&B fightJust a little correction: in the shield block calculation you used the hit chances where Dove is not getting the +2 AC (or +1 AC) from his shield. The heavy shield should block 3.425 points of damage on average, and the light shield 3.7 points instead.
Thank you for the correcton. I copied my numbers from the wrong line.
But what if they stand still, using all three actions without moving?
In a typical round before the shield is broken, with a triple Strike Hawk will do average (21/20)(1d12+4) 11.025 damage before shield block, which saves (1-(9/20)(14/20)(19/20))(5), or about 3.5 damage. So, around 7.5 average damage: really not much better than Stride/Strike/Strike.
Dove instead can do Strike/Strike/Raise Shield, for (29/20)(1d8+4) 12.325 average damage.It seems like the one wielding the shield is much more advantaged in a static battle, while the two hander is the one who should try to move around or find another, better way to use his third action than trying to roll that 20.
I find it interesting.A side note: the benefit of using a shield improves a lot when you are getting attacked by more than one enemy.
Yes, a benefit that affects every attack (either all of the character's own attacks or all the opponent's attacks) has more benefits with more attacks.
I am curious about the action economy and how it could make the turns more interesting. As ClanPsi said in the beginning, a lot of the options are boring. Could say Demoralizing an opponent (see The cheese of Intimidation (Demoralize)) be useful enough that Demoralize-attack-attack would be better than attack-attack-attack?
But most special actions that help a character's attacks are balanced against the maximum number of attacks, so at best it works out as Special-attack-attack rather than Special-attack-defend or Move-Special-attack. Feint, a trained Deception action, is an exception that helps only one attack, but it requires training in Deception, a good Charisma bonus, and an opponent weak in Perception. And the flat-footed condition from Feint is easier to obtain other ways, such as flanking.
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Shields should always add to AC because (a) that's part of how shields work, by being in the way in general, and (b) because a shield user is giving up damage potential to wield the shield, which gets more pronounced as weapon levels go up.
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Shields do indeed just passively cover and protect a large amount of your body just by passively existing on your arm. And requiring you to spend actions to benefit from protection gives me one of two weird images - the first being that all shields are like collapsible handfans that fold up when not raised, the second being someone just letting their arm hang dead like dragging a body while their primary hand is the only thing they bother raising or doing anything with.
Now, the way that a raise shield action works for me in my head is that if you spend the action, you improve your shield bonus. Maybe by half your strength modifier, and also adding your str modifier or half your str modifier to the shield's hardness for a Block action you take that turn. This would fit with how if you had a weapon there instead you'd be adding str to damage, and would help out str which is still one of the lesser ability scores. Or maybe reserve the str bonus to the block, while the defense bonus from active guard is your proficiency bonus or some other flat bonus.
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It seems a lot of people here are only comparing Raise Shield to Strike, as if Strike is the only other option in combat. With all of the extra options classes in the playtest get, surely there is more to do than just Strike, and having these abilities I mentioned taking actions to prepare for significantly limits the number of cool actions you can take in combat.
@Fuzzypaws Hahaha, I know, right? It's ridiculous.