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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RSIxidor" data-source="post: 7787835" data-attributes="member: 6695558">It does seem that mobility here is going to be important as most enemies in the bestiary don't seem to have the ability to attack a retreating enemy as a reaction. That's going to vary by table, of course.Champions and Fighters both can take feats at 8 to have a bonus reaction that can only be used for shield block (but shield still has to be raised).Fighters at 12 can take a stance to keep their shield raised for the combat. Shield Ally champions can have their shield always raised without action at 20. I think those are the only things that improve the action economy in a straightforward way. Champions with shield ally have some cool tricks they can add when defending allies (my favorite being the ability to use their champions reaction and shield block with one reaction, though it's unclear if this works with the level 8 feat). Fighters and clerics can add more things that can be reduced by the reaction than just attacks (energy, spells, damage from reflex saves, etc). These are less straightforward to calculate as far as whether they make up for the opportunity cost of giving up your action and reaction.I'm worried that most shields will break quickly. I think at low levels even those who have boosts to their shield abilities might want to wait until they have a more durable shield. I haven't done much analysis of the DPR of low-level monsters, so it's possible that this is less true than I think. Shield Ally Champions probably are the most capable of using the shield at low levels but you're still hurting your action economy by choosing to use it.And of course, most shield-users aren't that sticky Only fighters getting AOO means other shield-wielders can't do much about enemies just walking away from them to hit something squishier when they see a shield raised before them. At higher levels this improves, with stuff like champions getting AOO and a difficult terrain aura.My thoughts are that shield-wielding to get tankier is a choice (and one I'll probably build out a few times), and that if you really drive the build it can be a significant damage reducer, but removing combatants from a fight with big hits and using mobility to outmaneuver enemies will generally be more effective at reducing incoming damage than shield-blocking would be.</blockquote>

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