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I’ve Googled this, but all the results seem to be from the Playtest, not for 2E proper. Does a character make the decision to use the Shield Block reaction before or after damage is rolled? The Trigger, “While you have your shield raised, you would take damage from a physical attack” doesn’t seem super clear to me. Obviously making the decision only when you know whether the damage rolled will break the shield, or that the damage rolled is in the sweet spot where the shield’s hardness will keep you alive would be stronger than deciding before damage is rolled, but that doesn’t seem so good that I can’t imagine it was the intended order of operation.
"While you have your shield raised, you would take damage from a physical attack".
1) Did they have the shield raised.
2) Was the attack physical
3) Did the attack hit them.
I've been asking my players after the attack dice have been rolled but before the damage dice have.
"The ogre's club hits you with a resounding smack.
Do you want to block the damage?"
I wait to roll the damage dice* until after they say whether it's blocking or not.
*I make most of my GM attack and damage rolls on the table so the players can see them. If I were rolling behind the GM screen, waiting wouldn't matter.
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In the Knights of Everflame Jason has told the players the damage and they had the option to shield block after that. I think that is the intended order.
I would say after the roll.
But it is pretty hard to say.
In the Knights of Everflame Jason has told the players the damage and they had the option to shield block after that. I think that is the intended order.
That's good enough for me.
Do you remember which episode that was, and what event was happening?
(or even better, what the timing mark was for that in the episode).
Ok, most recent example I remember seeing was oblivion oath #21 at around 54:30.
Yeah, everything I've ever come across makes it clear that you know the amount of incoming damage before deciding to block.
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It's triggered when you 'would take damage from a physical attack', which is step four of damage, after applying resistances, immunities or the like (if an attack did 4 piercing damage and 6 fire damage to a skeleton, but the skeleton had Piercing Resistance 5, it would take no physical damage, for instance). Thus, you should know exactly how much damage is coming of what types, from how I read the book.
I like that, though I think the text could have been a little clearer.
Yeah, definitely.
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In addition to what everyone else has said, the designers have confirmed several times on here that you decide whether to shield block after you know the damage