Here is the text from the Shield Block general feat on page 266:
Shield Block (reaction)
Trigger: While you have your shield raised, you would take damage from a physical attack.
You snap your shield in place to ward off a blow. Your shield prevents you from taking an amount of damage up to the shield's Hardness. You and the shield each take any remaining damage, possibly breaking or destroying the shield.
Here is the text explaining Hardness:
Hardness
Whenever a shield takes damage, the amount of damage it takes is reduced by this amount.
So I have two questions:
Is the remaining damage applied TWICE: once against me, and once against the shield?Does hardness also reduce the damage applied against the shield?
Reading carefully above, I believe that the answer is YES to both questions. The Shield Block feat prevents "you" from taking damage equal to the shield's hardness. After that, the you and the shield "each" take "any remaining damage."
So this is my understanding of how the feat works:
*An orc does 10 slashing damage against my Champion. I react with Shield Block with my steel shield (hardness 5, 20 hp).
*I reduce the damage to me by the shield's hardness (5). I only take 5 damage.
*The remaining 5 damage is then applied both to me and to the shield.
*I take 5 damage, and the shield takes 0 damage because it has hardness 5.
Is this correct?
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Pretty sure you only apply hardness once so the shield would take 5 damage.
Pretty sure you only apply hardness once so the shield would take 5 damage.
Yup.
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Thanks, all.
And yeah, if that's the intention I think the CRB's wording could use some clarifying in a future printing...
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just so I'm clear.
The orc does 10 slashing damage, the shield block reduces the damage by 5 points do to hardness. then the remainder of the damage is done to the shield and the champion.
So the orc that does 10 points of damage has the damage reduce but ends up doing 10 points of damage anyway (5 points to Champion and 5 points to shield)?
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just so I'm clear.
The orc does 10 slashing damage, the shield block reduces the damage by 5 points do to hardness. then the remainder of the damage is done to the shield and the champion.So the orc that does 10 points of damage has the damage reduce but ends up doing 10 points of damage anyway (5 points to Champion and 5 points to shield)?
Yes, but it only works out to be “the same damage” when the damage is twice the hardness. If it was 6 points of damage it would have been 1 point to the shield and 1 to the character. 15 points of damage would be 10 to each for 20 total.
Still, better the shield then you.
After using the shield block reaction make you lower your shield?
After using the shield block reaction make you lower your shield?
No. Nothing ever says that.
Furthermore, a RAW argument could be made that even if your shield is broken (or destroyed) by the block, the effect to AC persists until its regular expiration, you just can't raise it again until repaired.
Thanks, all.
And yeah, if that's the intention I think the CRB's wording could use some clarifying in a future printing...
Agreed that wording is confusing.
Where it gets worse is if there are multiple types of damage being dealt.
And where there are resistances and weaknesses involved. There are steps laid out in PC p406 but the timing does not seem to be clear. At least to me.
You are talking with 5-year old past :)
You should make an alias: "The Ghost of Forum Posts Past"
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make an alias: "The Ghost of Forum Posts Past"
Your invocation was a success! Here I am!
Now how do you feel as The Principal Forum Necromancer?| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
make an alias: "The Ghost of Forum Posts Past"Your invocation was a success! Here I am!
Welcome to the club.
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Welcome to the club.
I always had a vague feeling there was some kindred spirit around here. It appears now you always has been ... or maybe always would be here. Time is confusing as always.
You are talking with 5-year old past :)Thanks, all.
And yeah, if that's the intention I think the CRB's wording could use some clarifying in a future printing...
Agreed that wording is confusing.
Where it gets worse is if there are multiple types of damage being dealt.
And where there are resistances and weaknesses involved. There are steps laid out in PC p406 but the timing does not seem to be clear. At least to me.
My wife a warpries had her shield raised and was attached by som wraith or something attacking 2 or 3 times.
She used the shield block reaction to block the damage of the first attack and gm said that made you lower your shield arguing that's how it works then attacked 2 more times which I'm sure is wrong..and btw this was a society game
You are talking with 5-year old past :)
I'm OK with that.
The problem hasn't been fixed in five years -and I'm not OK with that.
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She used the shield block reaction to block the damage of the first attack and gm said that made you lower your shield arguing that's how it works then attacked 2 more times which I'm sure is wrong..and btw this was a society game
The wraith is certainly able to attack multiple times. I don't think that is what you meant, just pointing out that it is what you wrote.
But I agree with the others in this thread. Shield Block does not cause you to lower your shield. Shield Block doesn't say that it does that, and nothing else indicates that it should.
Also, it would make Quick Shield Block partially unusable. The requirement of Shield Block is that you have your shield raised. If your shield lowers when you use Shield Block, then you couldn't use Shield Block a second time even if you have the reaction available to use on it.
Since this is a society game, it would be worth bringing up the chain. Especially if there were long-lasting consequences to the ruling.
She used the shield block reaction to block the damage of the first attack and gm said that made you lower your shield arguing that's how it works then attacked 2 more times which I'm sure is wrong.
The only rule we have about raising a shield is the action Raise a Shield. There is no way to unraise that. Given that this it is a common situation to be attacked after blocking with a raised shield. You would expect it to be covered in the rules. Nothing else is mentioned so it just works.
Your GM is just filling a gap in the rules that Paizo left empty intentionally.
Potentially a shield can be broken then it wouldn't provide its raised benefit.
If a GM let the disarm action function against a shield I would be OK with that as well.
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You are talking with 5-year old past :)Thanks, all.
And yeah, if that's the intention I think the CRB's wording could use some clarifying in a future printing...
Agreed that wording is confusing.
Where it gets worse is if there are multiple types of damage being dealt.
And where there are resistances and weaknesses involved. There are steps laid out in PC p406 but the timing does not seem to be clear. At least to me.My wife a warpries had her shield raised and was attached by som wraith or something attacking 2 or 3 times.
She used the shield block reaction to block the damage of the first attack and gm said that made you lower your shield arguing that's how it works then attacked 2 more times which I'm sure is wrong..and btw this was a society game
That was really wrong. Try to explain to your GM again and if he/she insists try to call for a Venture-Captain to solve the question.