Please make shield DR passive

[Amabel]

ie - you get the benefit of DR even when not actively blocking

We need a reason to carry shields. The pyjama party must end now.

[Aranticus]

ie - you get the benefit of DR even when not actively blocking

We need a reason to carry shields. The pyjama party must end now.

/signed x 29835749016

[Mindspat]

I agree. There should also be a passive DR to different armor.

Shields should provide DR to party members behind them too.

[Roman]

Agree. Even if it's only 1/3 of blocking DR it would be a huge boost to S&B

[Lehrman]

Lol, if shield dr becomes passive, they will just ramp up the damage on mobs to compensate--the same way they ramped up the hitroll to compensate for the pajama toons.

[Aesop]

The essential point of Shield Fighting is to have more defensive fighting tactics. The problem here is that in the current system a person without a shield or heavier armor (also used for protective purposes) can have a better defense than one who is decked out in what amounts to riot gear. The light fighter has better mobility and can "avoid" more damage than his heavy armor wearing friend. Turbine had to have seen this as a potential issue which would be my guess as to why they implemented Blocking DR.

Blocking DR is just what it says it is. It is the person blocking the incoming strike and absorbing the damage. As the person gets better in combat and better equipment the amount of damage they can absorb increases. The problem is that while Blocking an attack the defender has completely lost his damage output allowing the aggresser more time to attack. Additionally if the light fighter needs to for some reason solely defend he can simply pick up a shield and nearly match the defensive heavily armored characters defensive edge.

As I look at it a way that would "help" to partially alleviate the problem is rooted in improving the Blocking system, primarily for those who use Shields actively in combat, and improving the effectiveness of heavier types of armor.


1. Have Armor Add to Blocking DR. Essentially Blocking DR is absorbing a taken hit. SO in this case some of the shock of that hit is absorbed by the heavier armor that the person wears.
cloth=0
light=1
medium=3
heavy=5

This is BLOCKING DR and would not interfere with Adamantine versions of Armor. It would essentially stack.

Additionally for Warforged have their Body types add to Blocking DR as well. Though have it:
Composite=1
Mithril=3
Adamantine=5

2. Now combat is always moving always fast paced. Expecting a character to actively block between swings with perfect timing over an imperfect etwork is not logical or likely... So add a percent Chance to AUTOMATICALLY apply Shield Blocking to Shields.
bucklers=0%
light Shields= 5%
heavy Shields=10%
Tower Shield= 20%
Enhancement Bonus to a Shield = +1% per +1 (so a +5 Buckler would have a 5% chance to Automatically apply the benefits of Shield Blocking)

3. The Feats Shield Mastery and Improved Shield Mastery should be changed to

Shield Mastery= +2% Block Chance, +2 Blocking DR, +1 Shield AC
Improved Shield Mastery= +3% Blocking Chance & +3 Blocking DR

Barring any further Enhancement of these numbers this gives a Tower Shield user with a +5 Tower Shield and both Shield Master Feats a 30% Chance to passively Shield Block an incoming attack


Think of it this way. If I wind up and hit you with a bat while you are wearing jeans and a t-shirt... its going to hurt or break something. If I do the same while you are wearing a set of Full Plate Armor ... its going to hurt, but probably a bit less. Now if I wind up and hit the shield you have braced yourself behind it will probably rattle you a bit and possibly even hurt ... but not nearly as much as if you were in those Jeans and T-shirt. If you havea shield and armor on and I suddenly swing towards the center of your body ... likely you will attempt to block my attack with the big hunk of metal or wood you are holding so as to abosrb the damage and not get hurt... that's the basic idea here.



This doesn't address the issue that of S&B damage output... with the coming addition of the Tempest II and III and Superior TWF granting the TWF more than double the attacks per sequence than the S&B fighter some sort of damage improvement should be implemented.

My suggestion for this is passive Shield Bashing Attacks built into the current animation, like the Hook attacks of GTWF or the Glancing Blows of the THF line. Even two per animation sequence with the Improved Shield Bash Feat adding another would help in a small way. Adding more offensively minded SHields and Shield Enhancements would be another step towards a more balanced combat system.



add: Straight passive always on DR would be overpowered and not resolve the issues that you are trying. It would only encourage a differenct FotM while not promoting diverse character builds

Aesop

[Omega2K]

I disagree with the OP. Shield Damage Reduction works fine as is - when you are actively blocking. However, if this must be a consideration, I recommend Passive Shield Damage Reduction as a Feat with the prerequisites of Improved Shield Mastery and Improved Shield Bash. Not everyone should be granted this power for free, they must make a proper investment.