Post by Lugwy on May 7, 2017 22:41:11 GMT -5
A few days ago while discussing mechanics with Kitsunetsume, one of the subjects raised was the odd circumstance that one of the theoretical builds that is optimised for Blocking would be a lightly armoured sword-and-boarder carrying...a tower shield. This is because tower shields appear to be the gold standard for defense, both Armor and Block-wise, if you can stand the weight, stamina requirement, and low to-hit. The other shields only really seem to be used either for flavour or because the stamina/weight fee of a tower shield is too prohibitive.
For reference, these are the current stats of each shield type as they stand, before augments and material:
As is, if you can equip a light shield, you can use a heavy shield instead for a minor hit in damage (+1 max, -1 min), weight (+2 pounds), and Stamina (+5 Stamina reserved) for equal or slightly better stats and progression everywhere else. The negatives can be easily dealt with in the bigger scheme of things barring circumstances in DM events, but hinging mechanical balance on what may or may not come up in a DM event seems questionable in a persistent world setting (no offense intended to the DMs in this PW). There is also the flavour oddity that a tower shield, which is effectively a mobile barricade, is considered optimal at actively parrying and forcing openings to counterattack with, even though its design seems to imply that it excels at no-selling attacks or otherwise making the wielder harder to hit simply by sheer obstruction, and doesn't really indicate it has an advantage to actively exploit openings in an enemy's attack.
In a fashion similar to the current armour types, I would like to suggest that light and tower shields should specialise in their respective extremes with heavy shields offering a reasonably balanced option between the two. For example, light shields can have high Attack and Block with a low weight and Stamina fee, but suffer from low damage, reduced DC for offensive shield-based attacks (e.g. Shield Slam), and lower defensive capabilities, while tower shields can be the polar opposite, boasting high damage, crowd control, and defensive potential, but suffering from being heavy, unwieldy, and exhausting to carry around.
Below is an example of stat adjustments that could be made for the shield trinity to give each a role. I don't claim to be the best at game balance in Engines, and the numbers are less in stone and more an attempt to put each class of shield into a distinct and identifiable role. In this case the changes are supposed to give light shields a focus in accuracy and parrying, tower shields a niche in solid defensive and damage potential and crowd-control capability, with heavy shields offering a compromise between the two types.
All in all, thanks for reading and offering feedback if you post any.
For reference, these are the current stats of each shield type as they stand, before augments and material:
| Light | Armor: 2.0 + (0.2 per 10 levels) Block: 4 Damage: 7-17 + (1 per 8 levels) Attack: 5 + (1 per 10 levels) Critical: 5.0% chance, 200% multiplier Stamina: 5 Type: Small Weight: 3.0 |
| Heavy | Armor: 3.0 + (0.3 per 10 levels) Block: 4 Damage: 6-18 + (1 per 8 levels) Attack: 5 + (1 per 10 levels) Critical: 5.0% chance, 200% multiplier Stamina: 10 Type: Large Weight: 5.0 |
| Tower | Armor: 7.0 + (0.7 per 10 levels) Minimum Armor: 1 Block: 5 Damage: 5-19 + (1 per 8 levels) Attack: 3 + (1 per 10 levels) Critical: 5.0% chance, 200% multiplier Critical Immunity: 5% Stamina: 30 Type: Tower Weight: 15.0 |
As is, if you can equip a light shield, you can use a heavy shield instead for a minor hit in damage (+1 max, -1 min), weight (+2 pounds), and Stamina (+5 Stamina reserved) for equal or slightly better stats and progression everywhere else. The negatives can be easily dealt with in the bigger scheme of things barring circumstances in DM events, but hinging mechanical balance on what may or may not come up in a DM event seems questionable in a persistent world setting (no offense intended to the DMs in this PW). There is also the flavour oddity that a tower shield, which is effectively a mobile barricade, is considered optimal at actively parrying and forcing openings to counterattack with, even though its design seems to imply that it excels at no-selling attacks or otherwise making the wielder harder to hit simply by sheer obstruction, and doesn't really indicate it has an advantage to actively exploit openings in an enemy's attack.
In a fashion similar to the current armour types, I would like to suggest that light and tower shields should specialise in their respective extremes with heavy shields offering a reasonably balanced option between the two. For example, light shields can have high Attack and Block with a low weight and Stamina fee, but suffer from low damage, reduced DC for offensive shield-based attacks (e.g. Shield Slam), and lower defensive capabilities, while tower shields can be the polar opposite, boasting high damage, crowd control, and defensive potential, but suffering from being heavy, unwieldy, and exhausting to carry around.
Below is an example of stat adjustments that could be made for the shield trinity to give each a role. I don't claim to be the best at game balance in Engines, and the numbers are less in stone and more an attempt to put each class of shield into a distinct and identifiable role. In this case the changes are supposed to give light shields a focus in accuracy and parrying, tower shields a niche in solid defensive and damage potential and crowd-control capability, with heavy shields offering a compromise between the two types.
| Light | Armor: 2.0 + (0.2 per 10 levels) Block: 5 Damage: 5-17 + (1 per 8 levels) Attack: 5 + (1 per 10 levels) Critical: 5.0% chance, 200% multiplier Stamina: 5 Type: Small Weight: 3.0 -1 DC to the Shield Slam and Heavy Shield Bash trees. |
| Heavy | Armor: 4.0 + (0.4 per 10 levels) Minimum Armor: 1 Block: 4 Damage: 6-18 + (1 per 8 levels) Attack: 4 + (1 per 10 levels) Critical: 5.0% chance, 200% multiplier Stamina: 10 Type: Large Weight: 7.0 |
| Tower | Armor: 7.0 + (0.7 per 10 levels) Minimum Armor: 2 Block: 3 Damage: 7-19 + (1 per 8 levels) Attack: 3 + (1 per 10 levels) Critical: 5.0% chance, 300% multiplier Critical Immunity: 5% Stamina: 30 Type: Tower Weight: 15.0 +1 DC to the Shield Slam and Heavy Shield Bash trees. |
All in all, thanks for reading and offering feedback if you post any.
