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Hello everyone!
During the readings and making some tests using PF2e with some friends I found some inconsistencies in Shield Block reaction. So I made some house rules to better it. And I'm sharing here to others user for discussion.
First let's begin with the main problems:
- What damage types are able to block? Ex.: If I'm wearing an Steel Shield and receive an eletric attack, It can block?
- I know that Mark Seifter mation that Shield Block can be done after the damage has been calculated, but this create a meta-game inconsistence and a lack on damage take by shield users.
The most players just use the reaction when the damage was less o equal to Hardness to avoid shield damage and prefer to take the high damages (unless they are to close to die) creating a strage masochist condition where the character will prefer to receive the more dangerous attacks instead the natural reaction of block them.
- The shields resistance is too weak in front of non low level foes. Even a lvl 3 monster can easily broke a shield with a single attack. Ex.: A Giant Eagle can do 2d8+5 with one action attack, easily broken even the Champion's Shield Ally. This also make some champion abilities like quick block useless because how easily such action will broke your shield and make you lost the additional CA bonus.
In order tho fix these problems I made some Homebrew rules:
Shield Resistances
I created a list of damage type resistances that the shields also have in order to avoid some kind of damages to take or not to the shields giving some verisimilitude and increasing shield durability. This resistance is only valid to the shield, not to character that is blocking:
- 5 resistance to Pierce damage - The main idea here is because the main reason to most shields to exist in reality is to block arrows and bolts. It's strange that a shield can become broken and useless after take some arrows even if it trespass the shield and hit the shield user, the damage to the shield is minimal to allow it rapidly became useless. But it's acceptable that some strong pierce attacks like lances stabs or even a critical with arrow or bolt to take some damage to the shield, that's the why the shields have only 5 resistance and not immunity.
- 5 resistance to Fire/Hot damage (excepts persistent fire damage for wood shields)* - OK, if rub a torch in the face of the most creatures the damage is taken because the flesh can easily damaged by the fire, but it's not true to most material including wood shield. Takes some time begin burning a treated wood of a shield with a normal fire, you need a more hot source to instantly burn it.
- 5 resistance to Cold - Just like the fire resistance. The flesh is much more fragile against cold than a wood or steel. So you need to do more damage to break the shield.
- 5 resistance to electric damage (wooden shields only)** - A dry wood cannot conduct electricity, but if the voltage is tho high it can trespass the resistance os the material and starts to damage it and the shield owner. Steel shields are conductors they cannot take electric damage, but also cannot block it.
- 5 resistance to sonic damage*** - You cannot block a sonic damage using a shield. But if you try your shield will reverb and take damage from it.
* Fire persistent damage if not be extinguished will continually burn down the wood shield until it will be destroyed.
** Steel shield can't block or add it's CA against electric damage.
*** Most (if not all) sonic attacks are area attack and cannot be block. But the Fighters REFLEXIVE SHIELD feat can do it, its a choice of GM if it may want to damage the shield.
All this damage (except for the persistent ones) is be reduced only when counting to the shield after the shield Hardness has been reduced. But the shield user don't receive this resistances: Ex.:
- If a Fighter using a wood shield try to block a pierce attack and this attack gives 12 dmg. The shield Hardness will reduce it to 5, after it the rest of the damage will affect each differently, the Fighter will take 7 dmg and the shield will resists to 5 pierce damage and take 2 dmg.
- If a Fighter using a wood shield try to block a similar fire attack with 1 additional persistent dmg and this attack gives 12 fire dmg. The results are the same, except that the both will conitualy receive the persistent damage ignoring the shield resistance and hardness until it will be extinguished.
Shield special immunities and conditions:
- Negative/Positive damage immunity - The shield is an object, not a living/undead creature, so it cannot take damage from positive/negative attacks. But it's CA bonus can be used to try to block it, and Shield Block reaction can block an negative/positive imbued weapon attack. But if that weapon trespass the shield Hardness até last 1 physical damage, you will receive all additional negative/positive damage.
- Order/Chaos/Good/Evil damage cannot affect a neutral shield. If the shield have some alignment/tendency like a Champion Shield Ally it will be afted normally. The shield Hardness will not be effective against such damage because it's a spiritual like damage.
Shield Block Feat
I change the Shield Block Feat to increase the shield life reducing the damage that shield take by half of char lvl. This represents the ability and experience of a high level char using the shield and reduces the shield block inefficiency at high levels.
- When calculate the damage taken by a shield when blocking with it, divide the damage to half of your class lvl rounded to high. Ex.:
If a lvl 1 Fighter with a shield blocks an axe attack and will take 10 dmg, the shield Hardness reduce the dmg to 5 and the both will take the damage. But if a lvl 3 Fighter receive a claw attack of a creature that take 12 dmg, the shield Hardness will reduce the damage to fighter to 7, but the fighter a sufficient skilled to diminish damage to the shield, reducing it to half of his level rounded up, so the 7 dmg to the shield will be divide by 2 (lvl 3/2 = 1.5, rounding up to 2) reducing the shield damage to 3,5, rounding up to 4 dmg to shield.
This way the shield will resists to more strong foes when facing more the lvl 2 adventure.
In order to balance with this new rules I also made some changes to Shield cantrip and to STURDY SHIELD:
Shield Cantrip - Instead of being fully destroyed and cannot be recasted for 10 min, the Shield cantrip has now BT equal to the hardness and the hardness will be reduced with it. So if you block less damage than hardness, next time you cast the Shield Cantrip the hardness will be the rest of your BT. Ex.: If a lvl 1 caster casts shield, and then block 3 dmg, when the caster caster casts shield again in less than 10 min, the hardness and BT of the shield will be 2 and not 5.
The Shield Cantrip will be restore to full 10min after the last cast.
Sturdy Shields - Now the Sturdy Shields are Uncommon but their costs keeps the same.
I'm a brazilian player, so my english is not the best and my references is a translated PF2e. So sorry if I made some bad english.
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Sounds way too complicated to keep track of. I came up with my own rules for shield block: Reduce the attack by the shield's Hardness, like normal. If there is any damage left over it is passed on to the person being shielded, and mark off 1 HP from the shield. Done.
Each time damage pierces the shield it reduces the damage by Hardness and passes the rest on to the player, and suffers 1 point of damage itself. Easy to track and remember. And most of the time there is no need to second guess when to use the shield or not, because you know if it can survive 1 more hit or not.
Thanks for reply.
I admit that is more complicated to track. But it's something like this already happening in core rules.
The damage resistance already something we have to keep track, because always that some one have some kind of resistance and the damage are reduced separated between the char and the shield. But I admit that I put too many resistances maybe remove the fire/cold/sonic and just keep the persistent damage ignoring the shield Hardness is easier and better.
The other immunities it's probably how already work with the core rules. It's just aren't clarified. But I doubt that the shield can take damage from positive/negative sources, or even affected by a tendency . The big problem here is how Hardness work for these damage types? Currently I add this damages if the target really take some phisical damage after Hardness.
To be honest, I liked your solution Samurai! I agree that it keeps the thing simple. But this create some problems too. Ex.: What to do with special shields like Sturdy Shields? If you just reduce 1 HP per hit from it, these magical strong shield become almost indestructible. This also maybe unbalance the Shield Cantrip that will became almost useless compared to such strong shields. This maybe create a shield race for players with non-fighter like classes once that anyone can buy a shield and begin blocking with it if just take the Shield Block feat. Maybe removing it from General Feats and put it in Champion Archtype?
But your idea is really interesting. But instead reduces 1 HP why not just remove the shield damage? Just damage the shield when someone directly attacks it this way take things even faster. The special shields like Sturdy Shields will be useful only because it's increased Hardness . The only problem maybe the Shield cantrip block. But I have another idea for it.
I will make a new post based in this idea as another alternative to shield block!
I'm a brazilian player, so my english is not the best and my references is a translated PF2e. So sorry if I made some bad english.
- - If you block with a Shield Block reaction you no longer take damage to the shield, just reduce the damage you take by Hardness.
- - Electricity damage ignore Metal Shields Hardness.
- - Positive/Negative/Order/Chaos/Good/Evil damages ignore Hardness, except for some special shields*.
- - The Shield still can be damage if someone directly attacks it, just like any other item.
- - Shield Block feat is no more a General feat, it's now a Class/Archtype feat that can be acquired as Archtype part of Champions feats (Feat 4) .
*Some different material shields and magical can use their Hardness against some types of damage:
- - Cold Iron Shields also use their Hardness to block Chaos damage.
- - Silver/Mitral Shields also use their Hardness to block Evil damage
- - Spellgard/Reflecting Shields also use their Hardness to block Positive/Negative/Order/Chaos/Good/Evil/Electricity if they are from magic source.
To avoid fighters/champ's only block ability, I changed the Shield cantrip too:
- - Shield cantrip now are now 2 actions (Verbal,Somatic) but if not destroyed it can be sustained with 1 action using the default Sustain a Spell rules.
- - If you Block with Shield Cantrip it's destroyed but you can cast it again .
- - If used to block Magic Missiles, just block 1 missile and +1 additional for each Heightened (3rd,5th,7th,9th).
These alternative rules are based on Samurai homebrew rule for blocks in order to improve the shield block rules, and keep the game faster and easier to master.
I'm a brazilian player, so my english is not the best and some of my references is a translated PF2e. So sorry if I made some bad english.
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Sounds like you want shields to break less often. May I suggest:
A shield sustains 1 HP each time it is used to successfully to block damage.
Finally, a new attack action allowing for the targeting of protective shields specifically:
Sunder (A) (attack): Make a strike against an opponent, but instead apply the damage to their shield. Damage in excess of the shield's hit points is applied to that shield's wielder.
Cheers.
Your eagle doing 2d8+5 has an average damage of 10. Hardness will reduce that to 5, which both the player and the shield will take. It will actually take 2 blocked strikes from that eagle to break the shield, and then it's an easy repair to get the shield back up and running. How long are most combats? 2-5 rounds probably? That seems just about right to me.
There is nothing preventing you from carrying more than 1 shield. Dropping a broken shield is a free action, then you just need to draw your second shield and you're good to go for another few rounds.
Another possibility is to find a way to get the Shield Cantrip. You don't have to repair the Shield Cantrip,
Better shields start becoming available at Level 4, Sturdy Shields. There are a whole mess of them that are quite good. Especially when combined with Champion/Cleric which gets feats to improve their shield.
Often the complaint comes up "but then I need to rely on my GM being generous and making those better shields available!" But I'd like to remind everybody that's not a problem with the shield rules, that's a problem with the GM.
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<stuff>
Cough.
Forge WardenCough.
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Sounds like you want shields to break less often. May I suggest:
A shield sustains 1 HP each time it is used to successfully to block damage.
Finally, a new attack action allowing for the targeting of protective shields specifically:
Sunder (A) (attack): Make a strike against an opponent, but instead apply the damage to their shield. Damage in excess of the shield's hit points is applied to that shield's wielder.
Cheers.
My rules only apply a point of shield damage if the shield is pierced. If the Hardness blocks all of the damage, it suffers no damage itself.
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<stuff>Cough.
Forge Warden
Cough.
I'm not sure quite what you're getting at. Is that intended to exemplify what I wrote, or counter it?
Forge Warden is a pretty nifty shield, and it has a few thematic abilities, but as a primarily defensive implement it's not the strongest or the weakest.
The best defensive shields are the Sturdy Shields.
"Regular" shields are typified by the Steel Shield, hardness 5, BT 10, HP 20. The formula is double Hardness for BT, four times hardness for HP.
Sturdy Shields have a better ratio: 4x Hardness for BT, 8x hardness for HP. Those suckers can take a real beating before breaking.
The Spined Shield is an interesting entry, as it has some number of spines which can absorb extra damage. That could be the best shield for taking a really big hit on as the magic of the shield regenerates the spines. Plus you can shoot spines which is nifty.
The big point of all of what I'm writing in this thread is that shields seem not to be intended as a "I just have Resistance all the time" item, but rather as a situational defensive tool. In that, they excel, and they are, for the most part, perfectly functional. They raise AC, they absorb hits when you want to, and they can reduce damage from a couple hits before needing to be repaired. And you can carry more than one if you really want to be sure you always have the option of using a shield.
Heck if you're low level and taking out goblins or whatever, pick up THEIR shields after you take them down. Even if they're banged up a bit, it's still free resistance...
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Your eagle doing 2d8+5 has an average damage of 10. Hardness will reduce that to 5, which both the player and the shield will take. It will actually take 2 blocked strikes from that eagle to break the shield, and then it's an easy repair to get the shield back up and running. How long are most combats? 2-5 rounds probably? That seems just about right to me.
OK, let's think better about this!
You are a playing with a Fighter, then you and your party face an 2 Giant Eagles. One of these Eagles moves (1 action) and start to attack you (other action) and roll 2d8+5 of dmg, and you have a shield with 10 BT. You really want to risk loose your shield AC trying to block it!? And remenber it have another action to attack you more even before it's turn ends.
The first of all, if your GM allow you to use block after know the DMG, you will only block if the damage is low, and you take the most os high damages. Creating the damage gap where the shield owner only take high damages creating an ungly meta-game, turng the fight much more Machine Coded and making a masoquist like char kkk
If your GM don't allow it (in the fair name of the coherence) almost all players will not risk to loose you shield AC because the eagle can roll a 16!
You are not risking to loose a shield in 2-5 rounds, you are risking in the first attack!
And this become worst. If you are a more multi-defense class like a Champion that can use Shield Block to protect the others, many times you have to face a shield lost or do a bad/strange interpretation or you can even loose your powers (a champion that don't protects the more weaker companion because he are afraid to loose his shield).
Let's be honest, the core Shield Block is useless if are not in a really low level adventure or if you don't have a magical reinforced shield.
There is nothing preventing you from carrying more than 1 shield. Dropping a broken shield is a free action, then you just need to draw your second shield and you're good to go for another few rounds.
Oh! I see a character carrying 4 shield in his back!? Are you selling shields?
As GM I will never allow a player to rapidly take a shield that are attached over other shields without wasting a last 3 actions! And even you are carrying just 1 additional shield, you still have to waste an action releasing the shield from your back (this probably with just one hand becouse you are holding a weapon with the other), other action to take this new shield and another one to rise it. So you loose you entire turn to change shields! (and the your foe probably will attack you again! And you can loose your shield again)
Remember that you can loose your new shield too fast facing a just level 3 monster and this will become worse as the adventure progress.
Another possibility is to find a way to get the Shield Cantrip. You don't have to repair the Shield Cantrip,
Yea, but it will broke automatically in first block (don't matter the damage), then will have to wait 10min to cast it again. Even the idea of carry 2 shield is way better, and you don't have to loose a Class Feat to do it.
Better shields start becoming available at Level 4, Sturdy Shields. There are a whole mess of them that are quite good. Especially when combined with Champion/Cleric which gets feats to improve their shield.
This create the another problem that I mentioned. The Magical Shields Races. At level 4 all martial class players now are looking for a magical shield, all the humanoid martial class foes will have a magical shield (or will be constantly will loose their shield agaisnt players, or the GM will stop to count the NPC shield HP because is too painful), maybe even the innkeeper's daughter will already have a magical shield kkkk.
Often the complaint comes up "but then I need to rely on my GM being generous and making those better shields available!" But I'd like to remind everybody that's not a problem with the shield rules, that's a problem with the GM.
Maybe because the GM wants that the magical itens become magical!? Some thing like: You conquest a dungeon and found a magic sword! Cool! You defeated a strong foe and take his magical shield! Nice!
I don't want to change all mundane thing to magical ones just because you need change your shield to a better magical one because the old one became outdated. I don't want the chars always needing to magically upgrading their itens per level likes they are olds smartphones needing to be replaced.
'm a brazilian player, so my english is not the best and some of my references is a translated PF2e. So sorry if I made some bad english.
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<stuff>Cough.
Forge Warden
Cough.I'm not sure quite what you're getting at. Is that intended to exemplify what I wrote, or counter it?
Forge Warden is a pretty nifty shield, and it has a few thematic abilities, but as a primarily defensive implement it's not the strongest or the weakest.
Its a level 10 shield with the approximate durability of a level 1 steel shield. And way too expensive to carry "more than one"
Forge Warden: Hardness 6, HP 24 (BT 12)
Steel Shield: Hardness 5, HP 20 (BT 10)
Even the Lion's Shield (a level 6 item) has more hp! (Hardness 6, HP 36)
And here's the kicker, you can't use a Forge Warden's shield--for its ability, you know, the reason you own one--unless you block an attack with it and have the shield take damage. That's two attacks from a cave bear (a trivial fight at Lv -4) to break that shield (average damage is 15).
Fight a triceratops (moderate at Lv -2) and its average damage will break the shield in one hit (67% odds).
Fight a deinonychus (tough at Lv -1) and its minimum damage is only 3 points shy of breaking the shield (with a 10% chance of destroying it outright!)
The point is, just because Sturdy Shields are fine as written does not mean that ALL shields are fine.
Sounds like you want shields to break less often. May I suggest:
A shield sustains 1 HP each time it is used to successfully to block damage.
Finally, a new attack action allowing for the targeting of protective shields specifically:
Sunder (A) (attack): Make a strike against an opponent, but instead apply the damage to their shield. Damage in excess of the shield's hit points is applied to that shield's wielder.
Cheers.
interesting but such new attack maybe will aggravate the problem of normal shields weakness. Because instead the shield receive damage only when blocking, it will only receive damage when directly attacked. The main problem is that even if not rised the shield can be attacked. But if we limit the Sunder attacks to only attack rised shields this can be a interesting way to break a shield when using my alternative shield block rules and also can make some class feats like Shield Warden, Shield Reckoning and Reactive Shield more interesting:
[b]Sunder (A) (attack): Make a strike against an opponent, but instead if the opponent shield is risen, apply the damage to their shield. Damage in excess of the shield's hit points is applied to that shield's wielder.[/i]
Risen Shield AC: A risen shield have the same AC that their holder including AC from an equipped armor but cannot include the shield AC bonus . Bucklers receive +1 AC bonus because their small size.
With Sunder being the only way to damage shields, Shield Warden and Shield of Reckoning reactions can be used to protect allies without risk to damage the shield and creates interesting new opportunities to use Reactive Shield reaction.
New revision for my Alternative Shield Block Rules.
- - If you block with a Shield Block reaction you no longer take damage to the shield, just reduce the damage you take by Hardness.
- - The Shield Block only affects physical damages.
- - The Shield still can be damage if someone directly attacks it, just like Sunder attacks.
- - Shield Block feat is no more a General feat, it's now a Class/Archtype feat that can be acquired as Archtype part of Champions feats (Feat 4) .
To avoid fighters/champ's only block ability, I changed the Shield cantrip too:
- - Shield cantrip now are now 2 actions (Verbal,Somatic) but if not destroyed it can be sustained with 1 action using the default Sustain a Spell rules.
- - If you Block with Shield Cantrip it's destroyed but you can cast it again .
- - If used to block Magic Missiles, just block 1 missile and +1 additional for each Heightened (3rd,5th,7th,9th).
New Action Sunder:
Sunder [1 action] (attack): Make a strike against an opponent, but instead if the opponent shield is risen, apply the damage to their shield. Damage in excess of the shield's hit points is applied to that shield's wielder.
Risen Shield AC: A risen shield have the same AC that their wielder including AC from an equipped armor but cannot include the shield AC bonus. But Bucklers keeps their +1 AC bonus because their small size.
Obs.: Reactive Shield Class Feat doesn't count for Sunder because the shield rises only during the reaction.
Tnx:
These alternative rules are based on Samurai homebrew rule for blocks in order to improve the shield block rules, and keep the game faster...
I removed non physical damages from the blocks, because when the jdripley commented about the Cleric Shield Feats, I re-read it and notice that EMBLAZON ENERGY Feat allow the player to chose what additional damage type the Shield can block from acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. So it cannot block those damages by defaut (another miss explanation for Shield Block in core rules found out of their description).
Thank rainzax for the idea about Sunder.
Sturdy Shields are not magical, they are just very well made.
I agree that many of the special shields are not amazing. That's why I'm pointing out Sturdy Shields as being the items to be going for if you want to be using a shield.
The designers of the game intend the player to know how much damage is coming before deciding whether to block. I get that some people don't like how that pans out, but that's a personal style thing. But according to the rules and the designers of the game, it will never be a surprise if your shield gets broken, and if you're playing it another way and find it's hurting shields, be aware that it's YOUR way of playing that's hurting shields, not the rules for shields as written in the game.
Against the complaint that any enemy, or a few enemies, can attack you a few times in a round - that is irrelevant to the discussion about shields. You need your reaction to block, and you only get one reaction a turn (aside from a few higher level class feats), so you can only block once per turn. Yes it's dangerous for your character to be attacked repeatedly, but the shield will only ever take a max of one attack per turn.
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Sturdy Shields are not magical, they are just very well made.
That's funny.
STURDY SHIELD ITEM 4+
ABJURATION MAGICAL
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Sturdy Shields are not magical, they are just very well made.That's funny.
STURDY SHIELD ITEM 4+
ABJURATION MAGICAL
Plus it's listed in the magic item section instead of the regular shields and armor listing. That alone is a cue that they are special items, not something anyone can buy at the general store...
Against the complaint that any enemy, or a few enemies, can attack you a few times in a round - that is irrelevant to the discussion about shields. You need your reaction to block, and you only get one reaction a turn (aside from a few higher level class feats), so you can only block once per turn. Yes it's dangerous for your character to be attacked repeatedly, but the shield will only ever take a max of one attack per turn.
Uh! Not exactly, some feats allow to reuse-it again:
QUICK BLOCK FEAT 8
CHAMPION
You can block with your shield instinctively. At the start of each of your turns, you gain an additional reaction that you can use only to perform a Shield Block.
Sorry I don't intent to create a rule war. The main propose of this topic is discuss how to improve the Shield Block rule to become more plausible and more balanced between several situations where the core rule doesn't work or even make sense.
So I point the most of the cases where the original rule create abnormal situations.
When I was testing some situations for Sunder, I notice that many cases where I can do some strange damage situations, like a rapier broking a shield! 😂 So I had the idea to change it from a action to be an additional Weapon Trait for some weapons:
This way if a char that have one of these weapons can choose to attack a shield risen instead of it's wielder.
This weapons was choice was made in the fact that these weapons are based in tools that were used to cut wood (axes) and broke and bend steel (hammers). So make sense that such weapons can easily damage shields and I removed the lighter options (those who have Finesse or Agil) to avoid have too many weapon with that trait and to represent that the stronger ones is better to do such job.
Now i'm thinking how can make a Monk Feat to include Sunder as disarmed attack.
To avoid fighters/champ's only block ability, I changed the Shield cantrip too:
If you can make a strike against an opponent and if the opponent's shield is risen, instead yo can attack their shield. If destroyed, damage that excess the shield's hit points is applied to that shield's wielder.
Risen Shield AC: A risen shield have the same AC that their wielder including AC from an equipped armor but cannot include the shield AC bonus. But Bucklers still keeps their +1 AC bonus because their small size.
Obs.: Reactive Shield Class Feat doesn't count for Sunder because the shield rises only during the reaction.
Weapons with Sunder Trait:
Sunder Strike - Feat 2 [Monk]:
If you can make a strike against an opponent and the opponent's shield is risen, instead you can attack their shield with unarmed attacks. If destroyed, damage that excess the shield's hit points is applied to that shield's wielder.
You can also broken other non-equiped things using your bare hands, like divide rocks, broke tiles in half, brake down doors and windows, break containers or open any object forcefully! You can use your monk's unarmed attack proficiency instead of Athletics skill to Force Open an object, you don't receive the -2 from not using a crowbar. When used in this way you always broke the object, even if have a Critical Success.
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In fact even if this amulet idea made the things more simple, it's still keeps the fact that shields still an so much expensive (not even in value, but in size too) to be as consume itens even more than they are in reality (real shields don't break from rapier attacks) when you are in an army or are a knight running around everywhere with a squire and a horse it's ok. But in role play this represents that you are very limited to carry many of it around.
Hello everyone I have far from this forum for a time while I was reading some more books and played a little.
Now I back with some more alternative Shield Rules in more simplified and easier to apply that better the shields (specially the mundane ones) without making then too much resistance or indestructible at same time that's creates many new strategic options for the combat.
I removed the Sunder rules in trade of a simple resistance/weakness/vulnerability inspired in some elemental/vegetal monsters and itens. That's also helps to unarmed and natural attacks to exploit some shields weakness without need to rework the monsters abilities.
So follow my new homebrew rules for shield blocks:
- The Wooden Shields (including darkwood) now have Piercing/Bludgeoning Resistance, Fire Weakness and Axe Vulnerability equals to the shield Hardness value.
- The Metal Shields (like steel, adamantine, cold iron, mithral, silver and orichalcum) now have Piercing/Slashing Resistance, Acid Weakness and Hammer Vulnerability equals to the shield Hardness value.
- The Dragonhide Shields depends of the base shield material. If it's build over a wooden shield their resistances/weakness/vulnerabilities are equal to wooden shields, if made over a steel shield is equal to the metal shields. But it's immunities can surpass the weakness ..⁴
I'm also adding a new high-grade class Wooden and Steel shield based in Darkwood and Silver/Mithral high grade versions. This shields costs x20 more than standard-grade ones . This new shields help to fill the lack between the normal and sturdy shields and helps druids with stronger wooden shields:
I also made some balances for some Specific Shield that is strangely weaker than their typical high-grade counter parts, making then a little more resistant a standardizing them based on their size:
To avoid fighters/champ's only block ability, I changed the Shield cantrip too to become more useful to block and make the use of this Cantrip more strategic:
I also made change in Mending because the default Mending magic is completely unbalanced and is useless:
Obs.:
¹ The main reason to change the steps is to solve the weirdness to know the damage value before choose to block (now the choice can be based in weapon and damage type) that is considered by many people including myself as a metagame (imagine a char that is constantly calculating how strong is the attack coming before choose if it will react to it) and the cases where the the char immunities/resistences/weakness from Step 3 is automagically added to the Shield just because you are just wield it. So there's no more know damage before block and no more auto-shared resistance/weakness/vulnerabilities with the shield.
² It's just to clarify that a normal Shield Block reaction to only blocks the physical damage, the exceptions is where the char has the ability to shield block some special case like cleric EMBLAZON ENERGY feat.
³ Once that the Shield Block is little stronger now, this helps to balance the feat. It's also help to prevent a strange number of players with shielded light casters like mages/sorcerers using shields to block at low levels!
⁴ This create a new interesting use to Dragonhide Shields when using in conjunction with an ability like Emblazon Energy.
⁵ The Wooden Shield from CRB (Pg. 277) is weaken than their counter-parts in Crafting & Treasure (P.g 587) working like a cheaper low-grade version. Probably this was made in order to avoid it become equal to it's steel counter part in Equipament chapter. As with these rules they have a diference between resistance/weakness/vulnerabilities they now have a clear diference and I add this standard version here too.
⁶ I put a limit in Sturdy Shields to avoid it's become too much resistance with new rules. This also helps to give more utility for the Adamantine shields
Another homebrew regarding shields and their rules.
This is very easy to use and to implement and has worked very well in our combats.
Buckler +1AC, 3 Hardness, 6 Breakvalue, 2 Structure.
Wooden shield +2AC, 3 Hardness, 12 Breakvalue, 3 Structure.
Steel shield +2AC, 5 Hardness, 20 Breakvalue, 3 Structure.
Tower shield +2AC, 5 Hardness, 20 Breakvalue, 3 Structure.
(+4Accover action)
Hardness and Breakvalue for magic shields & special material equal their normal hardness and uses their current hp for breakvalue.
Shields have bonus AC as normal rules when raised and stop an amount of damage equal to their Hardness when blocking as normal.
Shield block can only be used against melee attacks as per rules.
All types of Shield have a fixed breakvalue.
On a normal hit, if the total damage of the attack before reductions equals the BREAKVALUE of the shield, the shield gets one structure damage. (if the shield was used blocking, not otherwise)
On a critical hit, if the total damage of the attack before reductions equals the HARDNESS value of the shield the shield gets one structure damage. (if the shield was used blocking, not otherwise)
OBS: Precision damage and/or non physical damage like poison damage & non leathal damage is NOT counted for structure damage purposes.
When a Shield has structure damage it is damaged but can be used normally. It can be repaired by crafting as normal.
If the shields structure becomes 0 the shield is destroyed and can not longer be used nor repaired.
Repair
ExplorationManipulate
Source Core Rulebook pg. 243
Requirements You have a repair kit.
You spend 10 minutes attempting to fix a damaged item, placing the item on a stable surface and using the repair kit with both hands.
You can repair one structure damage each 10 minutes. The GM sets the DC, but it’s usually about the same DC to Repair a given item as it is to Craft it in the first place.
You can’t Repair a destroyed item.