Elanor's Guide to the Disc

TPA / SFP Shields

Be advised that if a shield cannot be used to block in combat, that is if it is not a ‘real shield’ then your impact shield will be vastly weaker than if cast with a ‘real shield.’

TPA will in fact be about as weak as SFP for comparison, if not weaker.

 

EFF Shields

This table contains "best guesstimates" for bonuses for the various EFF shields. These ma.sp.def levels represent a trade-off between tming and blocking attacks, and other peoples' perception of what is a decent proportion of attacks to block may vary from yours!

Following some changes made in early 2004, it seems that tming above about 330 bonus from EFF is extremely rare. This is shown by the red line in the table. Bonuses below the red line are believed to be the minimums for effective blocking, and are not given with tming in mind.

Note that ma.sp.def may not the only skill that needs to be increased with heavier shields. The author is convinced from his own experience that higher spell methods when casting EFF contribute to the ability of the shield to withstand harder impacts, and reduce the likelihood of the shield being knocked out during combat.

Table 1. Standard Shields

Shield

Weight (lb)1

Min ma.sp.def2

Source (Not all verified)

Small Leather

2

?

Griffith Cwlyd's Tannery, Plaza of Broken Moons, Ankh-Morpork

Mounted Pewter Shield *

1 6/9

?

Engraved goods stall, Djelibeybi Bazaar. This is the smallest and lightest shield available for use in casting TPA and SFP or performing Major Shield, but it's of no use in EFF.

Medium Leather

4 4/9

100

Griffith Cwlyd's Tannery, Plaza of Broken Moons, Ankh-Morpork

Wooden Djelian

5 5/9

120

Djelian soldiers & recruits, Djelibeybi

Small Wooden

6 2/3

130

Gribot's Armoury, Lancre Street, Ohulan-Cutash; Brerand's Armoury, Tenth Egg Street, Ankh-Morpork

Small Metal

8 8/9

165

Baldwin's Smithy, Filigree Street, Ankh-Morpork; Brerand's Armoury, Tenth Egg Street, Ankh-Morpork; Weapon and Armour Shop, Elm Street, Ankh-Morpork; Smithy, Easy Street, Ankh-Morpork

Cloud Dragon

8 8/9

165

Snail shop, Player shops

Ephebian Round

10

180

Ephebian soldiers & recruits, Djelibeybi

Kushi Umbrella

11 1/9

190

Jun Cla Dey, Bes Pelargic

Medium Bone

11 1/9

190

Ankh Morpork Palace Guard Armoury

Medium Wooden

13 1/3

210

Gribot's Armoury, Lancre Street, Ohulan-Cutash; Bodyguards, Ankh-Morpork; Guard, Hubwards gate, Djelibeybi

Medium Metal

17 7/9

270

Royal Market Smithy, Sto Lat; Brerand's Armoury, Tenth Egg Street, Ankh-Morpork; Captain Carrot, Ankh-Morpork; Bandits, Bandit Camp; Fighters, Sur terrain roads

Thousand Rose

17 7/9

270

Snail shop, Player shops

Large Wooden

20

300

Gribot's Armoury, Lancre Street, Ohulan-Cutash

3 Star

26 2/3

370 (450? for maximum blocking)

Snail shop, Player shops

Large Metal

26 2/3

370 (450? for maximum blocking)

Royal Market Smithy, Sto Lat; Weapon and Armour Shop, Elm Street, Ankh-Morpork

Tsortean Metal

27 7/9

430 (520 for maximum blocking)

Tsortean soldiers & recruits, Mansion security guards, Djelibeybi

Large Copper Wall Shield (premium grade material)

32 (approx)

500+? (600+? for maximum blocking)

Custom Armour Shop, Djelian Guard Guildhouse, Djelibeybi

* Not a real shield. Does not work with EFF.

 

Table 2. Weights (pounds) Given by Ug Ogg for Custom Shields3

Size


Material


Quality

Inferior

Low

Medium

High

Premium

 

 

Small

Leather

3

3

3

3

3

Bone / Wood

4

5

5

5

5

Everything Else

8

8

8

9

9

Silver / Copper

 


9

10

10

11

11

 

 

Medium

Leather

6

6

7

7

7

Bone / Wood

9

10

10

11

11

Everything Else

16

16

17

18

19

Silver / Copper

 


19

20

21

22

23

Large

Leather

8

9

9

10

10

Bone / Wood

13

13

14

15

16

Everything Else

22

23

24

25

26

Silver / Copper

26

27

29

30

32

 

1 Heavier shields are harder to knock down, so will stand up better to attacks, but require a higher binding bonus to lift into orbit, and a higher defensive bonus to control effectively. A heavier shield will also swoop less for a given bonus, this may be beneficial for tm'ing the ma.sp.def skill, and if the shield is part of a multi-layer defense as a low swoop rate means less knock-outs (but more damage to the next layer).

2 These are guidelines and represent a tradeoff between optimal tming and good blocking. Use the shield at a lower bonus to tm. It will block more at a higher bonus.

3 These are the weights given by the armourer when ordering the shield, not neccessarily the accurate weights of the finished shield.