Shattered Kingdoms

Why do priests have shield block? Priests are never in front rank. Even heavy armor priests don't go up in front. Shield block is useless. As soon as someone makes a priest they get a polemace and a horse and start standing in the back.

Most groups won't even allow a fist priest to up front unless it's to kill a non aggro NPC that's very tough. Shield Block is useless for a priest. How many priests even hold a shield? They all hold scrolls or staves or some stat mod item. Or a shield if it is a stat mod item or scripted. But they don't use shields.

I'm brining this up because I think priests should loose shield block at jman and gain Enhanced damage I'm not going to say when because that's debateable. Rogues and Swashes don't get it until about Vet. Mercs and barbs start with it so it's hard to pick when a priest would get it. I'm inclined to put it about apprentice or as late as vetran.

Anyone else think about priests and shield block? I'm had 2 Gm priests and neither of them ever had a shield. I never see priests with a shield.

I voted, yes. Priests should swap shield block for e damage

If they gained anything, it should be dodge. E damage really isn't in their concept, and it is a poor substitute for shield block due to the huge difference in what the skills do.

I'm not actually trying to substitute skills. I'm trying to take out a skill that seems useless or doesn't fit with the class and add a skill that would be more realistic and benificial. If a class universally neglects shield use, and universally wields pole weapons and hits things, wouldn't it make sense that they would have E damage and not shield block or even dodge?

I can see why you'd make that connection but to me dodge would be the same thing as shield block. Someone is sitting in second or third rank never dodging instead of getting something useful like E-damage for training.

Most of that argument is valid; removing shield block probably won't break the class, however, there is at least one religious specific spell that would require shield block for priest to be viable. So it probably won't go away. What might be fun for discussion is why bards don't get shield block, and why rogues cannot tumble.

Guess I spoke up to late then.

Why on earth would bards get shield block? They're singers, not warriors!

I've seen priests use shield block. It depends on the priest, but ones that see combat often usually wield shields. For example, Frollith used a shield whenever we went out to pk. It helps reduce damage in general, and when his tank died it let him take enough damage to survive until a missed bash and escape.

I could maybe see shield block being taken from priests, but why in the world would they get enhanced damage?

I've been out with Frollith lots too. At first he would us that harm stave he had then he'd use scrolls. I barely ever saw him use a shield unless it was the crusaders shield. Why don't we let him explain what he liked to do. I've led 3 of the churches and been in a zillion of them and priests just don't seem to use shields. I'm not saying it NEVER happens I'm saying it's very rare.

I mean your example of Frollith is pretty lame. No character Is going to live three and a half years and never hold a shield. Heldorian used to hold
shields too and he didn't even have shield block. How often was Frollith in front row or second row deflecting blows with his shield? I'm sure you going to say lots but I doubt he was ever tanking stuff with pimped out cloth and a shield.



Would a good reason be because they spend years of their lives wielding big heavy mauls bashing and crushing things in painful ways? Would that be a good reason?

Shield block may not be the priests core ability but it seems to make more sense than enhanced damage.

However another way to go about this is yanking shield block from the class in general but then giving out religious specific skills (shouldn't be too big of a leap from spells, code-wise.)

So cloth priests would get dodge, since their faiths presumably have no martial tradition and their outfits are light enough for it. Heavy armor priests would get shield block because of those strong martial traditions.

Light armor priests would flip a coin, I guess.

Enhanced damage might make sense for Sargas or something. Now that we've opened up the religious specific can of worms I think it'd be fun to make priests more varied.