Help with defense against touch attacks!

[Lord Pendragon]

Angle trick is the reason btw why I heard several DMs houseruling that shield does not work at all in melee combat.

How interesting. So basically if the shield can't be completely nullified in melee with a 5' step, then just nullify it with Rule 0. That would mean that Shield provides a +7 AC bonus vs. missiles, and stops Magic Missile? How....unfortunate....for the players in such games.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hexes would give you always a 50% chance of sidestepping the shield.

Huh? Hexes would give you no chance of sidestepping, in a one-one-one situation.

With squares, if you're adjacent to an opponent, his Shield covers four adjacent squares, and you can reach five squares with a one-square step (or staying still). However he orients his Shield, there's one square that isn't covered. You don't know which one it is, but it's there.

With hexes, if you're adjacent to an opponent, his Shield covers three adjacent hexes... the same three hexes you can reach with a one-hex step (or staying still). If he centres the Shield on you at the start of each round, you can never get around it with a one-hex step.

-Hyp.

 

[Darklone]

According to an old sketch from the wizzies page, shield spell guarded 3 squares adjacent to you.... so I ruled two for hexes.