Novels2Search

Chapter 31.1

Here is what one of the Half-Orc Guards looked like:

[https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AL9nZEWWmTb4qHx9mRUWLDQ6X1kpxfMausnHdUhRQj-69KGDfFamIZvZBoKWZRvO_YSxeyjYkye4VuXQaLV1QtWpASd57XXpSbMJN2iU8IEHILSjP1qHzgtAZggECeGwhvVQTMDQlNMekCcalO4nlNbwyHwO=w1013-h826-no?authuser=1]

They each have eight feats and really high stats. I consider these very advanced NPC characters in the game, and it costs Drescher a lot to have his city generate them. They are also very deadly. Because they have all four levels of Weapon Training, they get an additional +15 to hit. With the +3 axes, that is +43 to attack before they roll the dice. When they hit, it will be 48 damage on each attack. Jace would die quickly from facing only three of these fighters if they could flank him.

In addition to showing the character sheet of these more advanced NPCs, I also wanted to take the time to explain shields. There are five levels of Shield:

Buckler +1 AC

Small Shield +2 AC

Medium Shield +3 AC

Large Shield +4 AC

Tower Shield +5 AC (Additional +5 vs. Ranged attacks)

The Shield Training feats start at +2 and go up to +15, just like all the other training feats. The guards above only go up to +10. You only get this bonus when you raise your shield. Normally when you take the Raise Shield action, you get the shield’s defense added again. The guards have +2 large shields, so they provide +6 to AC. Combined with their natural AC and Full Plate, they have an AC of 26. When they raise their shields, they get the +10 from the feat and the +6 from the shield again, for a total of 42.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Here is a description of the shields with benefits and negatives:

Bucklers can be worn on your arm, and you can still use both hands freely. You can raise your shield but only benefit from the first training feat.

A small shield needs to be held in your off-hand. You can use up to the second Shield Training feat (+5) when you raise your shield. Small shields are the largest shield you can hold and still take the Dodge action. You can’t raise your shield and Dodge in the same round.

Medium Shields use up to the third Shield Training feat (+10). You can not Dodge while holding them. They are the largest shield you can use and still get two attacks when taking the Raise Shield action.

Large shields can utilize all four of the Shield Training feats (+15). However, when you Raise your shield, you can only make one attack that round. This might sound like a huge penalty, but since you can only do criticals on one of your attacks, your second attack doesn't do that much damage when fighting against powerful enemies with a big damage reduction. Also, the large shield is the largest shield that can be worn on the hip or back when not in use and can be equipped for one action. This is only true for medium-sized characters. Smaller characters (Halflings, gnomes, goblins) must keep this shield in their inventory when not in use.

The Tower Shield also uses all four of the Shield Training feats. When you raise it, you cannot attack that round; however, it makes you immune to ranged attacks. Also, the tower shield is so large that all medium-sized characters must hold it or keep it in your inventory. You can not wear it on your back or on your hip. This means you have to enter your inventory to equip it. Giant characters don’t have this restriction.

Shields do not have levels like other pieces of equipment. Instead, their size is their level. A buckler can only hold 50 mana worth of spells. This is enough for a burst spell that changes something by 10, but nothing more. Then as the shields get bigger, they increase by 50 mana each so that a tower shield can hold 250. A permanent crit protection spell costs 200, so that will only fit in a large or tower shield.