Deflect on a Shield

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

I really wish that piecemeal Deflect wasn't something that they kept in this game.

I really wish that deflect wasn't something that they kept in the game. Absent deflect, if we look at two fighters with equal skill with a parry bonus (DB, combat reflexes, enhanced active defenses, retreat) are best off attacking as follows:

• PB +0: Deceptive attack down to skill 12, resulting in defense 9, hit chance 47%.
• PB +1: Deceptive attack down to skill 12, resulting in defense 10, hit chance 38%.
• PB +2: Deceptive attack down to skill 12, resulting in defense 11, hit chance 29%.
• PB +3: Deceptive attack down to skill 12, resulting in defense 12, hit chance 21%.
• PB +4: Deceptive attack down to skill 10, resulting in defense 12, hit chance 14% (going down to 12 is almost as good; 13.6% vs 14.3%).
• PB +5 or more: forget about deceptive attack. Make as many attacks as possible at modified skill 16 or better, fishing for crits.

Two fighters with medium shields (or fencing weapons) and combat reflexes, using retreats and stepping forward on their turns, are already sitting close to the degenerate case (PB+4), adding deflect pushes it over the edge.