[Minithread] 2h Shields and You.
My cousins the Dual-shielders were shot down.... but there is still hope for the 2h shield! I believe this would bring great flavor to the weapons scene and allow for players to invent interesting setups if implemented properly.
Now, before you complain that this is not "realistic" let us get something out of the way. If a fighter can throw out a string and pull a mob the same size and perhaps even larger than themselves 30 to 40 yards back to them (If someone can link me the clip I would appreciate it. I can't seem to find it.), then its easily believable that someone could wield a body-sized shield to some viable degree. If weapons are being designed with strengths and weaknesses or perhaps even roles, I believe we can find such a place for the 2h shield without stepping on the toes of the 1h/shield combination.
First, let's establish what sort of role this weapon would attempt to take on. I believe a tank/support role is the most fitting, with the possibility for some niche damage builds that are not as good as our damage dealing counter parts. These could be the weapons a tank might prefer in a siege or if they have to solely defend a group. I could see some really good utility with channeled blocks and such during sieges and raids. If needed I can hopefully expand on this with your questions and concerns. For now, lets move on to stats and abilities.
Stats, well this would most likely fall into the heavily armored neck of the woods and grant a higher bonus to health and damage reduction at the cost of damage. Perhaps there will be augments for your equipment and builds that can try to turn this into a damage dealer, but that is not the focus of the weapon and should just be a happy accident.
Alright now for the abilities. I have a few ideas for the basic attacks, these can be expanded upon naturally so any suggestions would be helpful.
First move, Ram, you charge a short distance and smash the target with the sheer weight of you and your shield. Add shield spikes to increase its damage.
Second move, Bash, a simple slamming of the shield for some damage and maybe a stacking slow or debuff.
Third move, Toe-nail Clipper, You raise your shield overhead and slam its bottom into the ground dealing a good amount of damage and tripping the target. Probably want a decent cooldown on that one.
Without a real understanding of how many attacks you can pick up from equipping and talenting your weapons this is the best I could do. But this is purely the offensive side of a 2h shield and this could be expanded on in a monster hunter fashion within a fantasy world that should have a decently high amount of tech knowledge.
As for defensive abilities, as mentioned before they could have channeled blocks that redirect damage from an ally to themselves or other similar moves. let me try my hand at a few. Ill just do 3 to make things simple.
First move, Intervene, You hop a short distance, placing yourself in front of the targeted ally reducing damage they receive for a few seconds.
Second move, Bulwark, You slam your shield into the ground for stability, redirecting attacks made to allies within 5 yards behind you to yourself. AoE attacks are not redirected, they instead deal reduced damage. This move is channeled for a good 8 to 10 seconds and has a moderate cooldown.
Third move, Deflecting Stance, You set your feet and prepare your shield, deflecting projectile attacks that pass through your zone of control. This "zone of control" could be a small 5 yard radius around the user and this would also be a channeled spell.
For the love of god do not freak out if you believe these are overpowered abilities. Use this as a framework and see if you can come up with a better idea or improve on what I have said. This is extremely difficult to suggest properly since we do not know enough about the weapon systems for me to give better examples.
Also, a two-handed shield is not a dual-wielded shield. Thanks for reading.
