[DF] Dragonbone Shields

[ZmbeHntr]

DF 8 introduces Dragonbone as a +24 CF modifier for weapons.

Could a shield be made out of Dragonbone?

If they can, what CF would be fair? Shields can be used as weapons, but the modifiers for shields are way more expensive that the equivalent weapon modifier. Weapons list Meteoric as +19 CF and Orichalcum as +29 CF. Shields list Meteoric as +99 CF and Orichalcum as +149 CF.

[Christopher R. Rice]

I've been using +84 CF. My thinking is thus: If +19 CF for meteoric iron weapons = 20 you can look up how many steps it takes from 20 to go to 100 = +99 CF (it's three) on the Speed/Range chart (p. B550). For Orichalcum it's +29 CF or 30 and then +149 CF or 150, or...three steps. So +24 CF is 25 or about halfway between 20 and 30 on the Speed/Range chart and going three steps up is between 70 and 100, halfway between that is 85, so Dragonbone shields logically should be +84 CF.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

I've been using +84 CF. My thinking is thus: If +19 CF for meteoric iron weapons = 20 you can look up how many steps it takes from 20 to go to 100 = +99 CF (it's three) on the Speed/Range chart (p. B550). For Orichalcum it's +29 CF or 30 and then +149 CF or 150, or...three steps. So +24 CF is 25 or about halfway between 20 and 30 on the Speed/Range chart and going three steps up is between 70 and 100, halfway between that is 85, so Dragonbone shields logically should be +84 CF.

Shouldn't that be 4 steps? 20 -> 30 -> 50 -> 70 -> 100, or a x5 increase. So +24 CF should raise to +124 CF (halfway between x100 and x150).

[Kalzazz]

Hmmm, I would be tempted to go with +29, since, orichalcum shields are metal, and metal shields by basic set shopping are 5x cost of non metal shields, so 5*29 is more or less lawn dart of 149, since dragonbone effects are very similar to orichalcum (less breaking), but don't need to be metal

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

Shouldn't that be 4 steps? 20 -> 30 -> 50 -> 70 -> 100, or a x5 increase. So +24 CF should raise to +124 CF (halfway between x100 and x150).

I don't count the modifier itself, but yeah, I boffed the math on the last part. I got no excuse.

[ZmbeHntr]

Sounds good to me. I figured it was somewhere between the price of Meteoric and Orichalcum.

Anyone know why shields are so much more expensive for the same modifier than weapons?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by ZmbeHntr

Sounds good to me. I figured it was somewhere between the price of Meteoric and Orichalcum.

Anyone know why shields are so much more expensive for the same modifier than weapons?

Much more material.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by ZmbeHntr

Anyone know why shields are so much more expensive for the same modifier than weapons?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that, for dragonbone, it may not need to be. Meteoric and orichalcum are because you're replacing normal metal with magic metal in a weapon (notice both are limited to metal weapons), and wood with magic metal in a shield. The difference is, most likely by design, equivalent to applying the meteoric/orichalcum modifiers to an iron shield (see note 4 on Basic p.287). A meteoric shield winds up in the same sort of price range as a meteoric weapon of similar weight.

Dragonbone is already limited to wooden weapons, which means it seems logical to apply it to shields directly. However, it's not clear if you would be able to make a large plate of dragonbone as would be needed for a shield. The only other place dragonbone is used is as scale armor, which suggests you can at least make small plates out of it.

I'd be tempted to disallow dragonbone shields, with the explanation being that you can't make a large plate of dragonbone, and the meta-reason being that it would make orichalcum shields pretty pointless (if you go with the lower CF) and/or make dragonbone shields bizarrely more expensive than dragonbone weapons of the same weight (if you go with the higher CF).

[Sunspark]

I'd say that as long as you have a reasonably intact breastbone or shoulder blade, you could use that for a shield fairly easily. (Assuming, of course that dragon skeletons are anything like other vertebrates and scale up with their size.)