This table contains "best guesstimates" for bonuses for the various EFF shields. These ma.sp.def levels represent a trade-off between tming and blocking attacks, and other peoples' perception of what is a decent proportion of attacks to block may vary from yours!
Following some changes made in early 2004, it seems that tming above about 330 bonus from EFF is extremely rare. This is shown by the red line in the table. Bonuses below the red line are believed to be the minimums for effective blocking, and are not given with tming in mind. It may be that at these bonus levels players tend not to use a shield with a low enough block rate to have a decent chance of a tm.
Research initially carried out in 2003 and repeated in 2009 suggests that EFF shields tm ma.sp.def best when they are blocking 50% of attacks. At this point, TMs may occur as frequently as every 50 attacks that the shield attempts to block.
Note that ma.sp.def may not be the only skill that needs to be increased with heavier shields. There is some evidence that more binding is required to cast EFF on heavier shields.
| Shield | Weight (lb)1 | "50%" ma.sp.def2 | Blocking ma.sp.def2 | Source (Not all verified) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shield Brooch | ? | - | - | Wearable. Search the garden of the Artificiers Guild in Sto Lat. This can be used as a "shield" component in spells and rituals. Following changes made in 2009, the use of this shield for sfp, tpa and major shield is limited, as the shield it creates is weaker than one created with a "true" shield. |
| Mounted Pewter Shield | 1 6/9 | - | - | Engraved goods stall, Djelibeybi Bazaar. This is a furniture item that can be used as a "shield" component in spells and rituals. Following changes made in 2009, the use of this shield for sfp, tpa and major shield is limited, as the shield it creates is weaker than one created with a "true" shield. |
| Small Leather | ? | ? | < 100 | Griffith Cwlyd's Tannery, Plaza of Broken Moons, Ankh-Morpor |
| Medium Leather | 4 4/9 | ? | 100 | Griffith Cwlyd's Tannery, Plaza of Broken Moons, Ankh-Morpork |
| Wooden Djelian | 5 5/9 | ? | 120 | Djelian soldiers & recruits, Djelibeybi |
| Small Wooden | 6 2/3 | ? | 130 | Gribot's Armoury, Lancre Street, Ohulan-Cutash; Brerand's Armoury, Tenth Egg Street, Ankh-Morpork |
| Small Metal | 8 8/9 | ? | 165 | Baldwin's Smithy, Filigree Street, Ankh-Morpork; Brerand's Armoury, Tenth Egg Street, Ankh-Morpork; Weapon and Armour Shop, Elm Street, Ankh-Morpork; Smithy, Easy Street, Ankh-Morpork |
| Cloud Dragon | 8 8/9 | ? | 165 | Snail shop, Player shops |
| Ephebian Round | 10 | ? | 180 | Ephebian soldiers & recruits, Djelibeybi |
| Kushi Umbrella | 11 1/9 | ? | 190 | Jun Cla Dey, Bes Pelargic |
| Medium Bone | 11 1/9 | ? | 190 | Ankh Morpork Palace Guard Armoury |
| Medium Wooden | 13 1/3 | 200 | 220 | Gribot's Armoury, Lancre Street, Ohulan-Cutash; Bodyguards, Ankh-Morpork; Guard, Hubwards gate, Djelibeybi |
| Custom Large Bone High Quality |
Approx 15 | 210 | 240 | Ug Ogg |
| Medium Metal | 17 7/9 | ? | 270 | Royal Market Smithy, Sto Lat; Brerand's Armoury, Tenth Egg Street, Ankh-Morpork; Captain Carrot, Ankh-Morpork; Bandits, Bandit Camp; Fighters, Sur terrain roads |
| Thousand Rose | 17 7/9 | ? | 270 | Snail shop, Player shops |
| Large Wooden | 20 | ? | 300 | Gribot's Armoury, Lancre Street, Ohulan-Cutash |
| 3 Star | 26 2/3 | ? | 370 (450? for maximum blocking) | Snail shop, Player shops |
| Large Metal | 26 2/3 | ? | 370 (450? for maximum blocking) | Royal Market Smithy, Sto Lat; Weapon and Armour Shop, Elm Street, Ankh-Morpork |
| Tsortean Metal | 27 7/9 | ? | 430 (520 for maximum blocking) | Tsortean soldiers & recruits, Mansion security guards, Djelibeybi |
| Large Copper (or Silver) Wall (or Tower) Shield (premium grade material) | 32 (approx) | ? | 500+? (600+? for maximum blocking) | Custom Armour Shop, Djelian Guard Guildhouse, Djelibeybi |
| Size | Material | Quality | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inferior | Low | Medium | High | Premium | ||
| Small | Leather | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Bone / Wood | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Everything Else | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | |
| Silver / Copper | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | |
| Medium | Leather | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Bone / Wood | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | |
| Everything Else | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | |
| Silver / Copper | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | |
| Large | Leather | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Bone / Wood | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
| Everything Else | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | |
| Silver / Copper | 26 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 32 | |
1 Heavier shields are harder to knock down, so will stand up better to attacks, but require a higher binding bonus to lift into orbit, and a higher defensive bonus to control effectively. A heavier shield will also swoop less for a given bonus, this may be beneficial for tm'ing the ma.sp.def skill, and if the shield is part of a multi-layer defense as a low swoop rate means less knock-outs (but more damage to the next layer).
2 These are guidelines and represent a tradeoff between optimal tming and good blocking. Use the shield at a lower bonus to tm. It will block more at a higher bonus. The 50% blocking bonuses are approximate, where given, from 2009 research
3 These are the weights given by the armourer when ordering the shield, not neccessarily the accurate weights of the finished shield.