Who do you give a shield to?

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I have gone through the game many times with many characters and I just can't seem to figure out who to give what shield to.

The age old argument of offense vs. defence.

 

About anyone who can wear a shield should, IMHO I prefer defense over ofense you may have up to -7 to AC easily, plus most one hand weapon are as deadly as two hand. So you should give shield to about anybody who can, plus you can have a sling and a shield so a big plus to cleric. Jaheira with ** in club and the black something club is quite nice. Misnc is delicate, you could let him dual wield but you really must give you the best plate mail plus anything that can boost his AC however he could use azuregde with a shield too. Keldorn should really use Two hand weapon Carsomyr is really, but really worth it. Korgan with his mastery or high mastery (can't remember) in axes should use Shield. Aerie/Viconia/Anomen should use shield with sling exept Anomen who can survive the front row with the flail of ages. Valygar should also dual wield his katana and Celestial Fury. Imoen/Nalia could also use buckler with that returning magical dagger but (not both as I don't remember if their is another returning dagger).

 

Depends on your style. People have many different views.

I give a shield to Aerie, always. Gave one to Anomen this first and probably last time I have him in my party. He does need one. Although, if no one else needed a shield, he could dual-wield instead, for an abysmal number of attacks per round, if at poor thac0 (no longer poor after some nice spells cast, though, so it's not a big deal). Aerie also has clerical buffs and even stoneskin and the rest of mage niceties, but with her HP a shield is definitely a good addition - and well, dual-wielding with one 'star' in it, is not a good idea. Two-handed staves not good if she can't use a bow.

Jaheira could dual-wield or use a two-handed weapon. Sometimes I make her use a spear or a staff, but generally she gets a scimitar and a shield. With also ironskin, she's completely untouchable.

Imoen or Nalia don't need one. Single-weapon style proficiency is way better than any non-magical shield. And there's no magical shield for a thief.

Recently, I've had Minsc with a shield. Hehe. You get it right: Minsc with a shield. And Celestial Fury. Eeer, now he got the Axe of Unyealding. 10% head chop chance, -1 AC His AC is abysmal at the moment.

So, half of my current party have shields: Sweetie... err. Jaheira, Anomen and Minsc. The cavalier PC gets the Runehammer unless fighting beholders (Balduran's shield).

 

This is slightly but why do you get an AC bonus of up to -2 in single weapon style but not two weapon style?

I know that this is only for game balance but is there really any way to justify it from a practical/realistic veiw?

If someone is holding a long sword and in the off hand a short sword then I assume, that it woulden't take above average str or int to use the short sword to parry attack's as you could do with a shield, and use the long sword to attack at any openings in the target's defense.

 

I gave my shield to Aerie. She sits in the back slinging, and the bonus AC can help if anyone decides to attack her.

 

I usually give Anomen, Jaheira, Aerie, Korgan and Viconia a shield. With the item-upgrade mod Anomen keeps his upgraded family shield that inmproves his AC by 5 and gives him some nice elemental resistances. Jaheira often gets the fortress shield. Aerie gets reflection shield. Korgan ends up with sentinal and viccy with strength enhancement usually gets fortress shield or without strength enhancement reflection shield.

 

For me, Amomen and Jaheira always have a shield. Both become near untouchable, and with spells they are very effective. Plus I think some of the shield bonuses fit them better. Viconia will have one too, for the same reasons. I have never bothered giving Aerie one, because she is never near the front line. Korgan also uses shields because I just like the idea of a dwarf using an axe and a shield.

 

Here are the List of Character with my suggestions about Shields
Jaheira
- She is still effective if you prefer spears especially the impaler than a shield and a scimitar or a club.
Korgan
- He is a fighter and definitely a frontliner, so a shield is a must partnered with an axe.
Minsc
- He'll do with or without a shield but he must have a good combination of other things to make him last longer while using two handed.
Viconia
- He usually uses shield in my party especially the Fortress shield partnered with Sling of Everard or the Flail of the Ages if Anomen is not present in the party.
Anomen
- I have him equipped with a shield partnered with the flail of the ages.
Jan Jansen
- He's designed for Crossbows and not to be equipped with shields.
Haer Dalis
- Can survive without a shield and is more deadly with two weapons ( Celestial Fury partnered with Belm or Scarlet ).
Valygar
- same as Haer
Yoshimo
- He's a one weapon fighter and definitely not a frontliner.
Cernd
- He's still effective without a shield especially with a staff.
Edwin
- Cannot use any shield but can cast protective spells to serve as shields and so are the other Mages ( Aerie, Imoen, Nalia )
Keldorn
- He's good without a shield especially if he is equipped with the Carsomyr and could virtually kill most of the enemies before them killing him.
Sola
- He needs a shield.

[ December 02, 2003, 09:36: Message edited by: Elemental DarkLord ]

 

i always give the shields to viconia - her high dex plus shield bonuses give her the AC needed to not get hit while healing around the battlefield

if viccy's not around, anomen gets the shields

if neither are around, then i don't use shields

 

I find giving Aerie a shild to be a 'must'. Sure she's not at the front line but arrows don't care about that. She's always casting spells and the last thing I want is her to lose some healing spell to a crappy 1d6 arrow.

 

I don't use shields very much, only taking them if the character cannot spend three points to dual-wielding. Since my party is almost always Sorcerer, Minsc, Jaheira, Aerie, Imoen and Viconia, I tend to have a lot of summons -which are a good meat-shield.

So, shield of harmony goes for Aerie, and some other for Viconia.

 

I don't think it is a must to Aerie for her to wear any shield especially if you chose her to be equipped with the staff of the magi. Unless Edwin is there to use the staff, Aerie can still survive the arrows with contingency - stoneskin + protection form normal missiles ( if the enemy is using magical arrows, the stoneskin is enough ).

 

I use shields with just about everyone who can, especially early in the game when HP is low for most people. Minsc with a shield and a mace is fun to watch, though of course for a good chunk of SoA I have him use Lilarcor. Jaheira always gets a shild, darts, and a scimitar. Aerie gets the shield of harmony. My PC, if he can use it, gets the reflection shield. Korgan gets saving grace and a good axe for a while, though by the end of SoA I have him dualling an axe with crom.

Keldorn, of course, never gets one, and rarely does Valygar, as he is too busy using his bow or a spear. The same can be said for the t --> mage girls -- I have them using short bows, and so they can't very well have a shield. IIRC, Cernd can use a shield, if only just a little one, but his staff is just as good, IIRC.

Haer'Dalis is born to dual wield, so no shield for him unless he starts to get the tar beaten out of him. Mazzy needs a shield, and Anomen does too, I would say, preferably a big one like the Fortress. Yoshimo is better off with a bow, and Jan is better off with a crossbow (though I have equipped the weird little guy with a small shield and darts with good results) For both Jan and Haer'Dalis, the "use any item" HLA means some good shields can be used in ToB, and those two sometimes really need that extra bit of protection.

If I have Sarevok, well, he was just born to use a 2 handed sword, so no shield for the most evil NPC you can find. Viconia also needs a shield -- you'd be a fool not to have her with one given her low HP.