Tower shield questions

[Mauricio_MdS]

Hello, everyone. This is my first post here. I hadn't played yet, just finished reading the revised edition and I think I found an error.

When you are using a Tower Shield, your Parry bonus gets an additional +3 against ranged weapons

Tower Shield (+2 parry bonus against ranged attacks)

Which bonus is the correct, the +3 or the +2?

Is this bonus doubled on the opening volleys?

[Deadmanwalking]

The Reward is right at +3. Sorta definitionally, but also because it's the one that changed between editions...the sample character being overlooked and not changed to reflect the new Reward is more plausible than the Reward being changed unintentionally.

As for whether it doubles against opening volleys...I'd be inclined to say no due to precise wording, but either interpretation is viable, and frankly TOR isn't the kind of game where there's likely to be a definitive answer, so go with whichever you (or your GM) decides.

[Angelalex242]

Even if it did double during opening volleys, it's hardly gamebreaking. A nice little extra bonus, to make enemies need to roll an eye and nothing less on their opening volleys.

[Glorelendil]

Here's the wording for shields regarding opening volleys:

If a target is aware of an incoming ranged attack (a warrior advancing to join a confrontation definitely would be) a shield doubles its modifier, as the carrier deftly protects himself.

So, as deadmanwalking suggests, it's the shield value that gets doubled, but the Tower Shield adds to Parry, which does not not get doubled. So TN of 21 + Wits.

[Corvo]

Here's the wording for shields regarding opening volleys:

If a target is aware of an incoming ranged attack (a warrior advancing to join a confrontation definitely would be) a shield doubles its modifier, as the carrier deftly protects himself.

So, as deadmanwalking suggests, it's the shield value that gets doubled, but the Tower Shield adds to Parry, which does not not get doubled. So TN of 21 + Wits.

Look at the table at page 124. Any shield just add of the parry.
And we can argue that in the rule quoted above it's not the shield that is doubled, but its modifier.
Just to say that we can argue even the opposite point, imo

[Glorelendil]

And we can argue that in the rule quoted above it's not the shield that is doubled, but its modifier.
Just to say that we can argue even the opposite point, imo

Could you explain this for me? I don't understand what you mean about "it's not the shield that is doubled, but its modifier". What is the difference?

I'm suggesting that "When you are using a Tower Shield, your Parry bonus gets an additional +3 against ranged weapons" means" is different from "When you are using a Tower Shield, its bonus gets an additional +3 against ranged weapons".

The wording as written suggests a second bonus gets added to Parry, not that the normal bonus increases. So Parry is 12 + Wits + Shield Value + Bonus, not 12 + Wits + Shield Value, where Shield Value = Base + 3.

Not that it is likely to make a difference. 21 + Wits or 24 + Wits...either way it's gonna be a high TN.

[Angelalex242]

Well...

21+Wits (max 4 for a barding) can be hit by 4 dice+attribute on an enemy fairly reliably. (my TN 21 high elf (wits 9 due to lesser ring) got hit by 3 dice+attribute reliably in my last game)

24+wits would take 5dice+attribute...or 4 dice+ a big attribute to hit.

[Glorelendil]

Well...

21+Wits (max 4 for a barding) can be hit by 4 dice+attribute on an enemy fairly reliably. (my TN 21 high elf (wits 9 due to lesser ring) got hit by 3 dice+attribute reliably in my last game)

24+wits would take 5dice+attribute...or 4 dice+ a big attribute to hit.

How many adversaries are there in the game with a skill of 4 in a favoured ranged weapon? Or even favoured skill of 3?

[Corvo]

Could you explain this for me? I don't understand what you mean about "it's not the shield that is doubled, but its modifier". What is the difference?

I'm suggesting that "When you are using a Tower Shield, your Parry bonus gets an additional +3 against ranged weapons" means" is different from "When you are using a Tower Shield, its bonus gets an additional +3 against ranged weapons".
(...)

I understand your point, and it's a perfectly valid interpretation.

I'm just saying that you make a distinction between the "normal shield bonus" (so to speak) and the "your Parry bonus gets an additional +3 against ranged weapons" found in the Tower Shield.
...but "I found no "shield bonus" listed anywhere in the rulebook (maybe there is, just I didn't found), while on page 124 I found a table that defines the game effect of the shields as: "shield= parry modifier +2"

On page 78 the effect of the shield is defined like a positive bonus to the parry : "Usually, the Parry rating of a character is equal to his basic Wits score, modified by a positive bonus if the hero is using a buckler, a shield or a great shield"

I mean that shield bonus is described as a bonus to parry, like for the Tower Shield rule, so maybe there is no distinction for the purpose of the Opening Volley rule, that simply mentions "a shield double its modifiers".

The difficulty of all volleys is equal to TN 12, plus the Parry rating of the target, modified by a shield if one is carried by the target.
If a target is aware of an incoming ranged attack (a warrior advancing to join a confrontation definitely would be) a shield doubles its modifier, as the carrier deftly protects himself.

[Angelalex242]

I dunno, I just know in the game that happened to my TN 21 High Elf, he had to pull out a bag of storms from Radagast as an emergency save because the party was pretty much doomed otherwise. So yeah. Favored 3 dice kills PCs if they don't have an escape clause.