Great Shield

“Shield? That thing is as tall as me!”
— Hardas son of Kurolas, dwarven warrior, modern

The great shield is significantly larger than a Thorwaler shield and thus the largest shield that a fighter can reasonably expect to carry in a duel. It protects combatants on foot and in the saddle, where its teardrop shape offers good protection to that side of the body. The great shield easily deflects arrows and crossbow bolts, but its weight and size somewhat hinder users fighting on foot.

“Quite a monstrosity. Who would ever use such a large shield?”

— Tjalva Garheltsdottir, Hetja of Prem

“Cavalry units favor this shield, and I once saw the Golgarites combine them with raven’s beaks quite effectively.”

— Geron Bladebreaker, mercenary

Technique	Damage	P+T	AT/PA	Reach	Weight	Cost	Complexity
Shields	d6+1	STR 16	–6/+3	short	6 stn 12 lbs	100 S	simple

Note: Large Shield, 30 structure points, additional -1 penalty to AT for primary weapon

Weapon Advantage: When parrying arrows and bolts, the great shield doubles the shield’s PA bonus and then grants an additional +1 bonus to PA.

Weapon Disadvantage: When two opposing fighters have the same INI value, the one without the great shield always strikes first. If that opponent also uses a great shield, refer to the usual rules for initiative (see Core Rules, page 227). The bearer of a great shield receives a -1 penalty to MOV.