Shield questions: Greaves, Feints

Landwalker · 12-07-2011, 09:19 PM

Below is a house-rule I use in my game regarding shields and cover:

A character may forgo his ability to Block in exchange for using a shield as cover. The degree of cover for a standing character is equal to the shield's DB (so DB 1 gives Very Light cover, DB 2 give Light, and DB 3 gives Medium). Crouching or kneeling increases the cover by one step. Being in a shield wall also increases the cover by one step.

The normal hit locations covered by a shield for purposes of hit location are:

DB 1 — The shield-side hand and forearm, as well as the chest.
DB 2 — The shield-side hand and arm, the off-side shoulder and upper arm (assuming the character is presenting a staggered stance, and only against attacks from an angle where that would be possible), the neck, and the torso.
DB 3 — Both arms (assuming as above), the neck, the torso, the thighs, and the knees.
When a character is using a shield for cover, their Move is halved. The character may attempt to move at their full Move by making a roll against DX-DB.

Obviously, they're pretty simplified. Something I threw together fairly quickly when one of my players wanted to use his shield to take cover from goblin archers, but they work for me and seem like as good a place to start as any.

12-07-2011, 09:19 PM	#3
Landwalker Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cumberland, ME	Re: Shield questions: Greaves, Feints Below is a house-rule I use in my game regarding shields and cover: A character may forgo his ability to Block in exchange for using a shield as cover. The degree of cover for a standing character is equal to the shield's DB (so DB 1 gives Very Light cover, DB 2 give Light, and DB 3 gives Medium). Crouching or kneeling increases the cover by one step. Being in a shield wall also increases the cover by one step. The normal hit locations covered by a shield for purposes of hit location are: DB 1 — The shield-side hand and forearm, as well as the chest. DB 2 — The shield-side hand and arm, the off-side shoulder and upper arm (assuming the character is presenting a staggered stance, and only against attacks from an angle where that would be possible), the neck, and the torso. DB 3 — Both arms (assuming as above), the neck, the torso, the thighs, and the knees. When a character is using a shield for cover, their Move is halved. The character may attempt to move at their full Move by making a roll against DX-DB. Obviously, they're pretty simplified. Something I threw together fairly quickly when one of my players wanted to use his shield to take cover from goblin archers, but they work for me and seem like as good a place to start as any.