Difference between revisions of "Tower shield of Ignorance"

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{{flavour|A shield unearthed from the remains of a ruined city. It bears an inscription written in an ancient language. Scholars and wise men laboured for countless hours to decipher it, and in time, a translation was finally settled on:
 
{{flavour|A shield unearthed from the remains of a ruined city. It bears an inscription written in an ancient language. Scholars and wise men laboured for countless hours to decipher it, and in time, a translation was finally settled on:
  
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+10 [[tower shield]]
 
+10 [[tower shield]]
  
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-4 [[INT]]<br>
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-4 [[Intelligence]]<br>
 
rN+
 
rN+
  
 
==Desirability==
 
==Desirability==
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Not a great find for a mage or a gnoll, but definitely worth considering for any bruiser.
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The '''tower shield of Ignorance'''<ref>{{source ref|0.30.0|art-data.txt|791}}</ref> is certainly a large shield. [[Kobold]]s and [[Spriggan]]s are unable to wield it, while other species will need high Shields skill and/or strength to mitigate the shield encumbrance. The intelligence penalty only makes it harder to cast spells. However, it offers better protection than regular tower shields, and comes with a nice resistance.
  
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For most characters, the '''tower shield of Ignorance''' is ruled out simply by virtue of it being a [[tower shield]]; [[size|small]] or smaller characters can't wield it, and medium-sized characters need to invest a tremendous amount of [[experience]] into their [[Shields skill]] to mitigate a tower shield's severe penalties. Large, hybrid, and [[formicid]] characters have a significantly easier time of it, but the arguments against the shield continue. -4 [[intelligence]] is a huge penalty for any spellcaster, and since any non-[[Trog]] character can benefit from learning at least a little magic, this is relevant in almost all cases. Finally, while the shield of Ignorance offers an impressive amount of [[sh]]ielding plus a rank of occasionally-helpful [[negative energy]] resistance, it's often more tempting to take advantage of the [[fire]], [[cold]], or [[poison]] resistances you can find on non-artefact [[buckler]]s and [[kite shield]]s.
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Overall, while casters and [[Gnoll]]s may want a different option, most characters who'd use a tower shield will appreciate this one. A +8 tower shield of [[resistance]] might be preferable, but you first need to find a tower shield of resistance, then use [[scrolls of enchant armour]] on it.
  
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However, for heavily armoured fighters that don't particularly care about spellcasting, this shield offers a tremendous boost to survivability, and a tower shield's penalties to physical combat are quite manageable even with a relatively moderate investment of 15 Shields. Also, the shield's high enchantment allows wearers to invest the [[scrolls of enchant armour]] they would have used on a more mundane tower or kite shield into the rest of their equipment. Just be wary of sources of intelligence damage -- characters who would choose to make use of a tower shield are unlikely to prioritize intelligence, and some wearers might find the shield leaving them dangerously close to [[stat zero]].
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Note that, on low Int characters, the intelligence penalty can put you in real risk of [[stat zero]]. If your character has low intelligence, wear with caution.
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The shield of Ignorance combos particularly well with an [[amulet of reflection]]; reflect all the projectiles you'll be blocking back at your attackers!
 
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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*Prior to [[0.25]], this was known as the large shield of Ignorance.
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*Prior to [[0.25]], this was known as the '''large shield of Ignorance'''.
 
*Prior to [[0.20]], this shield gave +4 [[AC]], reduced intelligence by 6, and only had a +6 enchantment. Also, it had *[[Curse]] property (33% chance to recurse itself on equip).
 
*Prior to [[0.20]], this shield gave +4 [[AC]], reduced intelligence by 6, and only had a +6 enchantment. Also, it had *[[Curse]] property (33% chance to recurse itself on equip).
 
*Prior to [[0.19]], this shield had +2 [[EV]] and only a +2 [[AC]] bonus.  
 
*Prior to [[0.19]], this shield had +2 [[EV]] and only a +2 [[AC]] bonus.  
 
*Prior to [[0.15]], this shield had a +8 enchantment level.
 
*Prior to [[0.15]], this shield had a +8 enchantment level.
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==References==
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<references />
  
 
[[Category:Unrands]]
 
[[Category:Unrands]]
 
[[Category:Shields]]
 
[[Category:Shields]]

Latest revision as of 20:37, 17 October 2023

Version 0.30: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.
A shield unearthed from the remains of a ruined city. It bears an inscription written in an ancient language. Scholars and wise men laboured for countless hours to decipher it, and in time, a translation was finally settled on:

"With a shield like this, who needs to think?"

Shield of ignorance.png the +10 tower shield of Ignorance

+10 tower shield

-4 Intelligence
rN+

Desirability

The tower shield of Ignorance[1] is certainly a large shield. Kobolds and Spriggans are unable to wield it, while other species will need high Shields skill and/or strength to mitigate the shield encumbrance. The intelligence penalty only makes it harder to cast spells. However, it offers better protection than regular tower shields, and comes with a nice resistance.

Overall, while casters and Gnolls may want a different option, most characters who'd use a tower shield will appreciate this one. A +8 tower shield of resistance might be preferable, but you first need to find a tower shield of resistance, then use scrolls of enchant armour on it.

Note that, on low Int characters, the intelligence penalty can put you in real risk of stat zero. If your character has low intelligence, wear with caution.

History

  • Prior to 0.25, this was known as the large shield of Ignorance.
  • Prior to 0.20, this shield gave +4 AC, reduced intelligence by 6, and only had a +6 enchantment. Also, it had *Curse property (33% chance to recurse itself on equip).
  • Prior to 0.19, this shield had +2 EV and only a +2 AC bonus.
  • Prior to 0.15, this shield had a +8 enchantment level.

References

  1. ↑ art-data.txt:791 (0.30.0)
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