Shields

A shield increases your defense beyond what armor provides. You must wield it in one hand and use the Raise a Shield action to gain its AC bonus (a circumstance bonus) until your next turn starts.

Raise a Shield (1 action): Gain the shield’s circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.

Shield Block (reaction): If you have Shield Block, when you take damage while your shield is raised, the shield’s Hardness reduces the damage. Both you and the shield take any remaining damage.

Tower Shields: When raised, you can Take Cover to increase the circumstance bonus to +4.

Attacking with a Shield: A shield can be used as a martial weapon (shield bash). You can also attach a shield boss or shield spikes to make it more effective. These can be etched with runes.

A buckler doesn’t take up your hand — you can Raise a Shield with a buckler while holding a simple, lightweight object.