Rules

Enchanted Realms Rulebook

Basic Game Rules

Shields

Anyone can carry a shield to increase the Defense score by +2. To do this typically requires the off-hand to be free, as stated above. Thus, if using a weapon with a heavy or ammo-use property, then most shields cannot be used; however, there are a few exceptions. Further, if the weapon used required two hands, then a shield would be unusable, unless explicitly stated to be an exception. A further restriction when using a shield with any weapon that is not light will cause attacks to be made at disadvantage. However, this penalty is removed once trained in the shield-use skill.

Also if the shield is not already equipped in hand, then an action is require to place it at the ready. Dropping the shield while equipped can be done freely, but grabbing it back from the ground or putting it away via a guige and storing it in an orderly and comfortable manner would require an action.

Finally, the shield cannot be used in an offensive manner as a weapon from the off-hand without having a skill that would permit this, but if having such a skill, then the blitz-weight is what the shield uses as a weapon-weight value. However, if using a shield in the primary dice pool, it will act as an improvised weapon.

Type	Defense Bonus	Receptions	Exceptions	Restrictions / Removed By	Enc Wgt	Blitz Wgt	Market	Maint
Buckler	0	Bashing:+1 Slashing:+1	2H Melee Wpn	Only Light / Shield-Use	3 lbs	n/a	75	1
Round	+1	Bashing:+1	None	Only Light / Shield-Use	4 lbs	0	90	2
Regular	+2	—	None	Only Light / Shield-Use	6 lbs	0	125	3
Crescent	+2	Slashing:-1 Fire:-1	Polearms	Must have Style:Polearms Combat Init -2	5 lbs	n/a	150	4
Tower	+2	Bashing:1R Piercing:1R Slashing:1R	None	Unusable w/o Shield-Use To Hit -2 Penalty	8 lbs	1	175	6

Buckler:	A buckler, sometimes called an ecranche, can be made from metal or wood, and can be carried in one hand, strapped to a wrist or shoulder. This allows using two-handed melee weapons that have a normal 5-ft reach: bastard sword, great axe and war maul. This does not add anything to the shield bonus portion of Defense; however, it will add +1 to the Receptions against Blunt and Slashing damage. Further, these bonuses are cumulative with any that come from armor. A buckler cannot be used with the shield-blitz skill.
Round Shield:	This is a small shield forged in metal or crafted from wood, which is carried in one hand. For all intents and purposes, this is the same as a regular shield, except it grants only +1 to Defense, but it does have an extra bonus against Blunt attacks. If used in a shield-blitz attack, the shield has a weight-damage value of zero points.
Regular Shield:	When the term “shield” is used without specifics, this is the type that is usually perceived. It adds +2 to Defense in the Shield category. If used in a shield-blitz attack, the shield has a weight-damage value of zero points.
Crescent Shield:	This is a specially crafted shield designed to be used when one obtains the shield hand skill. More details are explained in the skill description, but it these shields allow polearms, which often require two hands, to use the groove of this shield as the balancing hand. However, this causes the attacks to suffer a -2 penalty. It adds +2 to one’s Defense total. However, due to its design and technique, it cannot be part of a shield-blitz attack.
Tower Shield:	The tower shield is a very large guard which not only adds +2 to the Defense but also reduces a point of damage from Blunt, Piercing or Slashing damage against each die pool that hits. This offers the best defensive protection of all shields; however, it cannot be wielded even with light weapons without having the shield-use skill. Even then, its cumbersome size and shape force all melee attacks from the one employing it to have -2 on all d20 dice rolled. It adds +2 to one’s Defense total. That said, if in a shield-blitz attack, the strike will count as a medium weapon for calculating extra damage.