Question on Shields Absorbing Hits

#1

Looking at the shields in Basic Armaments under Armor and Defense (pg 33), it shows that Wood Shields Absorb 2 hits before attrition. Please provide a example how this works. Does this mean (1) up to two successful attacks are absorbed per the Round before a third attack does attrition damage? Or (2) up to two Attrition rolls are absorbed during one successful attack?

#2

Speaking merely as a reader myself, here. Neither 1 or 2 exactly. Description for the wooden shield seems to say, in less elegant words:

Soak up 2 hits before applying attrition to the item.

It could be 2 hits in the same round, 1 hit this round and 1 hit the next, or even 2 hits within days of each other. After the 2 hits, regular attrition rules apply. There’s also an implication shields could be repaired to refresh these extra hits.

Both 1 and 2 as you described would be really overpowered. This is my take on it. Hope it is of some help.

#3

Hello Aeinar, Thank you very much for your response and answer. That makes perfect since. I was reading too much into how it could work. I was also thinking my original thoughts were making shields over powered.

#4

It looks like the way that you gave an example here treats the shield absorption kind of like charges? So i.e. Enemy attakcs for 7 minus 6 for base armor and shield abosorbs 1/2 Hits. Next Round same attack numbers and now the shield can no longer take any more hits and is now only attrition, right? In this final example the enemy attacks again and now the PC takes the reamining 1 hit which means they take attrition. Am I getting this right?

#5

Here is the listing on page 33.

Wooden Shield: Absorb 2 hits before attrition

Steel Shield: Absorb 3 hits before attrition

My take: When you suffer (non destroying) attrition, you may assign it to the shield. Depending on the type, it can absorb this attrition a few times before it’s actually crossed off your sheet.

#6

Oh, okay. So the shield can take an attrition and not necesarrily any remaining DMG from enemies?

#7

Your shield can just take basic attrition multiple times before being finally crossed off.

#8

So are we saying a wooden shield will be crossed off when it takes a third hit?

Hit 1, Hit 2, then Hit 3=Attrition

#9

I believe its crossed off when it takes the 2nd hit.

#10

This is how I see it as well.

It can be hit by attrition twice before it is crossed off on the second hit. If Destroy attrition comes into play, you may consider using the YES/NO die to see if it is destroyed outright or if the fiction makes sense to destroy the equipment outright. You could also just DESTROY one of the hits it can absorb and then makes the shield like any other piece of equipment (takes one attrition).

#11

Good to know, thanks. Would be nice if an authority could weigh in here to let us know for certain.

Also, to make shields more complicated (LOL)… after you clear out a room, you get to ‘take a breather’ and recover 1 equipment or skill. If you chose the shield, will it be brought back to ‘full health’ (for lack of a better term)?

#12

Yes, and that’s what makes a shield so useful.

#13

I rule that if you take a breather, and it only recovers one ‘use’ of the shield

#14

You can do this but make the player roll the YES/NO die. If YES, then they can recover both!