Before introducing any elaborations, it is wise to recap the rules of Fudge regarding shields.

From Section 4.31, Melee Modifiers:

Subtract the value of a shield from the opponent’s weapon skill. A small shield has a value of +1 in melee combat only, while a medium shield has a value of +1 in melee combat and +1 to defense against ranged attacks (if the shield material is impervious to the weapon). A large shield (+2 in all combat) is cumbersome to lug around. The larger the shield carried, the more the GM should assess penalties for things such as acrobatic and other fancy maneuvers. Shields can also be used offensively to push an opponent back, for example, or knock someone over.

From Section 4.23, Alternating Combat Turns:

Each attack is an Opposed Action: the attacker’s Offensive skill (Sword, Melee Weapon, Martial Art, etc.) against a defender’s Defensive skill (Shield, Parry, Dodge, Duck, etc.). This type of combat takes longer than simultaneous rounds, but some players feel it gives a character more control over his own fate.

From Section 4.35, Hit Location:

If the attacker wins the combat round, but not by the minimum relative degree needed to hit the called target, the defender names which part of the body — or shield! — is hit. This will most likely be general body (if there is no shield), but it could be the off-hand, which would carry a lesser combat penalty than a wound to the torso. The GM may have to fudge some here.

So, we can see that shields

1. impose a trait penalty to attackers in close combat,
2. can be used as a defensive skill in alternating combat turns, and
3. can be a hit location chosen by a defender when an attacker attempts to hit a called target and succeeds in the attack roll, but not by the required relative degree.

Naturally, I want to use all of these ideas, add a few more, and integrate them into an organic whole. The following is my version of shield rules for Fudge.

When simultaneous combat rounds are used, a shield’s combat value imposes a penalty to the attacker’s trait. For example, Combatant A, armed with a two-handed sword, attacks Combatant B, armed with a longsword and shield. Combatant A has the skill Two-Handed Sword: Great. Since Combatant B is using a shield, Combatant A’s Two-Handed Sword skill is reduced to Good to reflect the increased challenge. The advantage of this rule is that it increases the probability for both fighters to fail to land blows in simultaneous combat rounds when both are using shields, since the minimum rolled degree is Poor.

When alternating combat turns are used, a shield’s combat value confers a bonus to the defender’s trait. For example, Combatant B has the skills Longsword: Good and Shield: Good. If the two fighters are engaged in alternating combat turns, then Combatant B’s Shield skill is increased to Great whenever the skill is used in defense. Combatant A does not suffer a penalty to attacks against Combatant B in this case. The reasoning here is that the shield is superior to any weapon when it comes to defense. It is simply easier to block an attack with a shield than it is to parry one with a weapon. Whilst it might be reasonable to make Shield an easier skill to learn instead of granting its wielder a bonus, it fails to emphasize a shield’s inherent superiority in action and only has meaning if objective character creation rules are being used. The bonus, however, has meaning regardless of the character creation method.

A shield can be used offensively to push or knock over an opponent. The shield’s combat value is used as a penalty to the opponent’s trait in simultaneous combat rounds or as a bonus to the shield-user’s trait in alternating combat turns. The offensive damage factor is +1 for most shields.

When a ranged attack is made against a defender with a shield, the defender may use the Dodging skill or Shield skill as part of an opposed action if aware of the attack. If the Shield skill is used, the defender retains the trait bonus as described above.

When a ranged attack is made against a defender with a shield who is unable or unwilling to put up an active defense, the shield acts as protection for the relevant hit location(s).

In all events, a shield acts as protection for any hit location it covers. This includes the arm wielding the shield, the torso (from attacks where the shield is interposed), and, if the shield is large enough, the legs (again from attacks where the shield is interposed). The head may also be protected if the defender is ducking or the shield is raised, although the latter may expose other parts of the defender’s body.

Other details, such as shield durability and resistance to specific weapons, will be addressed in a future article.