E.N. Armoury - Shields

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E.N. ArmouryShields

A Complete Armour Sourcebook - Volume II

Written byAdam Windsor

Additional Material & Editing By The ENWorld Armoury Team

Illustrations Marcio Fiorito, Matthew Cuenca

Cover and LayoutM Jason Parent and Mark Alexander Clover

Art Director &Project LeadDenise Robinson

The ENWorld Armoury Team (August ’05)Peter M. Ball, Mark Alexander Clover, Suburbanknght,

Russell Morrissey, Joe Mucchiello, Ryan Nock,M JasonParent, Denise “dextra” Robinson, David Sanders,

and Adam Windsor

d20 System” and the “d20 System” logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms of the d20 System Trademark License version 6.0. A copy of this License can befound at www.wizards.com/d20.

Dungeons & Dragons® and Wizards of the Coast® are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other countries and are used with Permission.

Some content included herein is derivative of existing Open Game Content as indi-cated in the Section 15 of the Open Game License included at the end of this document. All contents, regardless of designation, are ©2005 E.N. Publishing. E.N. Publishing logos, product lines, and product titles are Trademarks of E.N. Publishing.

This edition of E.N. Armoury: Shields is produced under version 1.0a of the Open-Game License, version 6.0 of the d20 System Trademark License and the current version of the System Reference Document by permission of Wizards of the Coast, subsequent editions of this product will incorporate the most current versions of the license, guide, and document.

© 2005 E.N. Publishing

Declaration of Open Game Content and Product Identity: All text on pages 2 through 25 of this document are released as Open Game Content under the Open Game License version 1.0a. The only text that is not released as Open Game Content under this dec-laration are all E.N. Publishing logos, product names, and product line names.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Shields 2 A History of Shields 2 Statistics 3 Racial Preferences 5Chapter 2: Shield Variants 6 New Shield Materials 8 New Weapons 11 Craftmanship 11 New Special Materials 12Chapter 3: Fighting & Feats 13 Tricks & Techniques 13 Variant Shields Table 14 Feats 15Chapter 4: Classes of the Shield 17 Faithwarden 17 Knight Herald 19 Ramshield Berserker 21 Shieldmage 23 Tower Legionnaire 26Chapter 5: Shield Magic 28 New Spells 28 Magic Shields 29 Shield Enhancements 29 Specifi c Magic Shields 30 New Alchemical Items 31 Deity of Shields 31 New Domains 31OGL 32

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E.N. Armoury - Shields

ShieldsWelcome to E.N.Armoury, a series of d20 ‘mini-sourcebooks’ focusing on particular forms of armour and other protective equipment, and their roles in real-world history and in classic d20 fan-tasy games. Each book concentrates on a single category of protective items, describing not only the equipment itself, but those who use it, its his-tory, and variations on the theme. Each book in the series is quite rules-intensive and includes many optional rules throughout the text, often in sidebars. Some of these rules work well inde-pendently, but a majority work best when all the optional rules are applied, as some detract from the usefulness or usability of the equipment while others enhance the equipment.

which was sometimes covered with metal plates. The edges were reinforced with decorated metal strips, and a wooden reinforcing spine ran down its entire length, broadening out in the middle to form a boss.

It was not until 900 years ago that a new shape of shield arrived: the familiar kite, or ‘Norman’ shield. This is the elongated triangular shield commonly depicted in the jousting scenes of modern films. The kite-shaped shield became a typical shield for mounted troops, since its elon-gated shape provided good protection for the left side of the body, the area most vulnerable to lance thrusts.

Around 500 years ago, the variety of shield designs multiplied significantly, but they can generally be grouped into three types: those held in the hand, those worn on the arm, and those intended to be placed on the ground and used as shelter (usually for archers). This is roughly the level of develop-ment assumed by the standard d20 rules, and by this book.

Shields are unique in the d20 game because they can readily be used for both offensive and defen-sive purposes. A shield-bearing character enjoys better protection than those without shields, but also has the option of using the shield to attack their opponents. With the appropriate feats, they can even take advantage of both the offensive and defensive bonuses at the same time. These unique capabilities make the shield an important tool in the successful adventurer’s armoury.

The term ‘shield’ is a generic word covering all defensive weapons - usually of wood or metal - which are carried either on the arm on in the hand opposite to the one holding the offensive weapon. Shields were in use as long ago as the Bronze Age over an extremely wide area, including Europe and the Middle East. Shields were used by the ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Assyrians, and Persians in a variety of shapes: rectangular, oval, and round. Materials used included leather, leather-covered wood, and wickerwork, often overlaid with deco-ratively embossed or engraved thin metal plates. Evidence has been found that several types of shields existed more than three thousand years ago. Engravings on a 3,600 year old Mycenaean dagger clearly show two types of shields. These were probably made from layers of oxhide,

A History of ShieldsSam

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StatisticsThe main categories of shields in the core d20 rules are described below.

Bucklers: The smallest and lightest type of shield is the buckler, the basic structure of which consists of a strong iron plate - round, square or occasionally trap-ezoidal - fitted on the inside with a strap designed to loop over the arm. The rim is often reinforced with a strip of riveted metal.

Light and Heavy Shields: These two categories are similar in basic design, though they differ in size and weight. They can be of many shapes - round, oval, or kite - but regardless of shape they share two impor-tant characteristics. First, the surface of these shields tends to be concave toward the defender’s body. That is, the edges curl slightly forwards of the centre. This deflects the force of an opponent’s blows into the centre of the shield, rather than allowing them to glance off and possibly strike the defender. Second, they are fitted on the inside with two straps, called enarmes. The wearer passes his arm through the first strap (which can be adjusted with a buckle) and grips the second strap with his hand. On all but the most rudimentary shields, the inside is also lined with cloth and leather in order to give the arm some protection against the impact of enemy’s blows. Such shields were often emblazoned with heraldic devices to iden-tify the user. These devices were either painted onto the shield itself, or stitched into a cloth and leather covering which protected the shield from damage and could be comparatively cheaply replaced.

Tower Shields: This is a large wooden shield, nearly as tall as its bearer and often at least as wide as his shoul-ders. Unlike the light and heavy shields, the tower shield is usually concave away from the body, with the edges curling back from the centre. This is because the shield is so large that any deflected blow would not risk striking the defender. This shape tends to reduce the impact of the attacker’s blows on the defender’s arm. Tower shields are generally rectangular in their basic shape, though the top and bottom are often rounded. The surface of these shields is often covered by a cloth or leather sleeve, and they are sometimes reinforced with iron bands. Like the light and heavy shield, the tower shield has two straps

If you want to model an earlier level of shield development than is assumed by the standard d20 rules, you can do so by making the following changes:• Remove the buckler• Increase the armour check penalty of light and heavy shields by 1, and that of tower shields by 2.• Increase the arcane spell failure percentage of all shields by 10%• Rename ‘steel’ shields to ‘bronze’ shields and reduce their hardness to 8 (all metal weapons and armour should have their hardness similarly reduced)

If these more primitive shields are the only kind available in your campaign, then their costs can remain unchanged. If these more primitive designs are available in addition to those with the standard statistics (for instance, if your campaign has an advanced culture interacting with a more primitive one) then you should either reduce the price of the primitive versions to two-thirds that of normal, or increase the price of the standard versions by one-half, depending on which versions are more common in your campaign.

on the back: one for the arm and one for the hand.

By the nature of their design, each shield is clearly intended to be worn on the user’s off-hand arm, cover-ing the body while the primary hand is used to strike with a light or one-handed weapon. With the excep-tion of the buckler, however, most shields are large and cumbersome enough that carrying them in this fashion for long periods of time can be very uncom-fortable. For that reason, light and heavy shields often have a third strap, running across the shield near the top. This strap allowed the shield to be hung over the shoulder or over a saddle mount, or the strap could be loosened enough to slip it over the owner’s neck, such that the shield hung down across his back.

Due to its greater size, the tower shield could not be carried hung on a shoulder or a saddle mount, but many did have two metal chains near the top of the inside of the shield. A soldier could slip his arms though each of these straps and carry the shield over his back. When carried like this, the shield would often clear the ground by only a few inches.

Optional Rule:Primitive Shields

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Type of Shield AC Bonus Max Dex Bonus

Armour Check Penalty

Arcane Spell Failure

Crit Range Hardness

Buckler +1 - -1 5 % N/A N/A 10

Light Steel +1 - -1 5 % 20/x2 N/A 10

Light Wooden +1 - -1 5 % 20/x2 N/A 5

Heavy Steel +2 - -2 15 % 20/x2 N/A 5

Heavy Wooden +2 - -2 15 % 20/x2 N/A 10

Tower +4 +2 -10 50 % N/A N/A 5

Table 1-1: Shields - Static Information

Size Buckler Light Steel Light Wooden Heavy Steel Heavy Wooden Tower Spikes

Tiny or smaller

75 sp0.5 lb.

45 sp0.6 lb.

15 sp0.5 lb.

10 gp1.5 lb.

35 sp1 lb.

15 gp4.5 lb.

+5 gp+0.5 lb.

Small 15 gp2.5 lb.

9 gp3 lb.

3 gp2.5 lb.

20 gp7.5 lb.

7 gp5 lb.

30 gp22.5 lb.

+10 gp+2.5 lb.

Medium 15 gp5 lb.

9 gp6 lb.

3 gp5 lb.

20 gp15 lb.

7 gp10 lb.

30 gp45 lb.

+10 gp+5 lb.

Large 30 gp10 lb.

18 gp12 lb.

6 gp10 lb.

40 gp30 lb.

14 gp20 lb.

60 gp90 lb.

+20 gp+10 lb.

Huge 60 gp25 lb.

36 gp30 lb.

12 gp25 lb.

80 gp75 lb.

28 gp50 lb.

120 gp225 lb.

+40 gp+25 lb.

Gargantuan 120 gp40 lb.

72 gp48 lb.

24 gp40 lb.

160 gp120 lb.

56 gp80 lb.

240 gp360 lb.

+80 gp+40 lb.

Colossal 240 gp60 lb.

144 gp72 lb.

48 gp60 lb.

320 gp180 lb.

112 gp120 lb.

480 gp540 lb.

+160 gp+60 lb.

Table 1-2: Shields - Cost and Weight

Size Buckler Light Steel Light Wooden Heavy Steel Heavy Wooden Tower

Tiny or smaller 1 2 1 5 1 5

Small 2 5 3 10 3 10

Medium 5 10 7 20 7 20

Large 10 20 15 40 15 40

Huge 20 40 30 80 30 80

Gargantuan 40 80 60 160 60 160

Colossal 80 160 120 320 120 320

Table 1-3: Shields - Hit Points

Size Light Light Spiked Heavy Heavy Spiked Type (No Spikes) Type (Spiked)

Tiny or smaller 1 1d2 1d2 1d3 Bludgeoning Piercing

Small 1d2 1d3 1d3 1d4 Bludgeoning Piercing

Medium 1d3 1d4 1d4 1d6 Bludgeoning Piercing

Large 1d4 1d6 1d6 1d8 Bludgeoning Piercing

Huge 1d6 1d8 1d8 2d6 Bludgeoning Piercing

Gargantuan 1d8 2d6 2d6 3d6 Bludgeoning Piercing

Colossal 2d6 3d6 3d6 4d6 Bludgeoning Piercing

Table 1-4: Shields - Shield Bash Damage

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In a typical d20 campaign, shields are likely to be such an established and prevalent form of armour that the matter of who first developed them is never even considered, let alone known. Many races might be candidates: the dwarves with their affinity for armoursmithing, the elves with their ancient culture and preference for speed and agility in combat, or the humans with their instinct for whatever will bring them an advantage. They could even be the product of the warlike nature and crude technology used by the goblinoids.

Whereas armour can only be used by a creature of the appropriate size, a creature can make use of any shield they are physically capable of carrying, although not as effectively as they can use a shield of the appropriate size.

A creature can use a shield that is one or more size categories smaller than it. For each size category the shield is smaller than the creature, the shield’s effective AC bonus is reduced by 1. All other statistics for the shield (including the penalty to attack rolls for the tower shield) are the same as normal for a shield of that size and type.

A creature can also use shields that are one or more size categories larger than it. The sta-tistics for the shield (including the penalty to attack rolls for the tower shield) are the same as normal for a shield of that size and type, except that, for each size category larger the shield is larger than the character, the charac-ter suffers the following penalties:• Armour check penalty increases by 1• Arcane spell failure chance increases by 10%• The character’s attack rolls suffer a -1 pen-alty

As noted, many warriors choose to keep their shield strapped over their back when they do not expect to use it in the near future. Some warriors also do this as a form of cheap back protection, hoping that the shield will knock aside any blow from behind.

If a character is flanked while wearing a heavy shield or tower shield on his back, he gains a +1 shield bonus to AC against the flanking char-acters, due to the protection the shield offers. Magical enhancements to the shield’s normal AC bonus do not apply, and the flanking char-acters still receive the usual +2 bonus to attack rolls for flanking their target.

Optional Rule:Inapropriately Sized

Shields

Optional Rule:Shields as Back Protection

Whatever their origins, in the current era shields are more associated with some races than with others. Most dwarven fighters carry shields, for instance, usually coupled with an axe, pick or hammer. Elves often combine the use of a shield with light armour in order to take advan-tage of their speed and agility in combat. Hobgoblins and lizardfolk also make common use of the shield, the former because it suits their militaristic outlook, and the latter because shields are easier to craft and maintain in their swampland homes than armour would be.

Humans, as is usually the case, have many different opinions on the matter. Some humans swear by the shield, while others disdain its use. However, shields are often a popular form of defence for those who can-not afford the cost of the better forms of armour, whatever their race may be. Shields are an inexpensive form of protection, particularly if one is willing to make use of a wooden shield or the even cheaper hide and wicker alternatives (refer to New Shield Materials, page 8).

Just as there are races that commonly use the shield, there are also those who almost never employ it. Orcs and the various giant races, with their strong predilection for two-handed weapons, tend to avoid the use of shields in favour of maximising the strength of their blows with two-handed weapons. Indeed, great physical strength tends to be a common trait of the races that avoid the use of the shield.

Racial Preferences

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Shield VariantsMany efforts have been made to improve the effectiveness of the shield, both in terms of the protection it offers and in its use as a weapon. Herein we cover some of the most common or notorious designs and noteworthy variations on the theme.

In general, use of these shields to defend yourself is covered by the shield proficiency, while using a shield to shield bash requires a martial weapon proficiency. A note will be made wherever a different requirement applies for either attacking or defence.

This light steel shield is circular in shape, with a diameter designed to be just an inch or two greater than the length of its user’s forearm. Though concave in the manner of most light shields, with the edges curling away from the body, the discus shield is noticeably thicker at the centre than at the edges. Most shields are of uniform thickness, to prevent weak spots. Discus shields must always be forged of a high-quality alloy in order to prevent such weak spots from forming.

The reason for the discus shield’s unusual design is that the rim of the shield has been deliberately tempered into a sharp, cutting blade. This allows the user of the shield to slash at opponents with the edge, rather than battering them. In fact, due to its thin, forward-swept edges, the discus shield is not well-suited for bash-ing attacks.

A desperate character can even throw the discus shield, if they wish. The shield must be removed from the character’s arm in order to attempt this. Removing the shield is a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity.

Any time a character rolls a ‘1’ on their attack roll to throw a dis-cus shield, or to slash at a foe, they suffer 1d4 points of slashing damage as they cut themselves with the rim.

Shield Discus ShieldCost 12 gp Arcane Spell Failure 5 %AC Bonus +1 Armour Check Penalty -1Max Dex Bonus: - Shield Bash Damage 1d4Range 10 ft. Shield Bash Critical 19-20/x2Weight 6 lb. Shield Bash Damage Type Slashing

On the shores of a distant chain of islands can be found a breed of giant tortoise. These creatures emerge from the egg with shells that are already close to a foot across, and can conceivably grow to be as tall as a bull elephant - and far wider. Little can threaten these massive beasts, but one of their few predators are native tribes of the area, who hunt the tortoises for their shells.

A great shell shield is a tower shield, constructed from a single, whole shell of one of these creatures. A medium-sized example of one of these shields is close to six feet long and three feet wide. Whereas most tower shields are only slightly concave, a great shell shield has a much more pronounced curve, and is usually about half as deep as it is wide.

In addition to being tougher than the wood of a typical tower shield, the great shell shield can also be used as a makeshift coracle or canoe, capable of carrying one character of the same size category as the shield, plus an amount of gear equal to the weight of the shield itself. Thus a great shell shield sized for a medium sized character could carry that same character and up to 50 lb. of her gear, if used as a canoe. The coracle can be paddled at approximately one mile per hour.

Use of the great shell shield is covered by the tower shield proficiency. A druid with the tower shield proficiency can use a great shell shield without conse-quences to her class bilities, as it is not a metal shield.

Shield Great Shell ShieldCost 90 gpAC Bonus +4Max Dex Bonus: +2Range -Weight 50 lb.Arcane Spell Failure 50 %Armour Check Penalty -10Shield Bash Damage/Critical/Type n/a

Discus Shield

Great Shell Shield

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