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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==Desirability==
 
==Desirability==
For many characters, the '''tower shield of Ignorance'''<ref>{{source ref|0.29.0|art-data.txt|785}}</ref> is ruled out simply by virtue of it being a [[tower shield]]; [[size|small]] or smaller characters can't hold 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, though a large shield penalty along with a -4 Int malus will render spells extremely difficult to cast. Finally, while the shield of Ignorance offers an impressive amount of [[sh]]ielding plus a rank of occasionally-helpful [[negative energy]] resistance, more helpful resistances can occasionally be found on more mundane shields.
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The '''tower shield of Ignorance'''<ref>{{source ref|0.29.0|art-data.txt|785}}</ref> 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 penalties. The intelligence penalty only makes it harder to cast.  
  
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 often manageable. Also, the shield's high enchantment allows wearers to invest the [[scrolls of enchant armour]] they would have used on a more mundane 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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Casters and Gnolls may want a different shield, but most characters who`d already use a tower shield will like this one. While a +8 tower shield of [[resistance]] might be better suited to your character, first you have to find a tower shield of resistance, and then use [[scrolls of enchant armour]] on it.  
  
In short, not a great find for a mage or a [[Gnoll]], but definitely worth considering for any bruiser.
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Note that, on low-Int characters, the intelligence penalty can put you in real risk of [[stat zero]]. Wear with caution.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==

Revision as of 17:09, 22 June 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] 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 penalties. The intelligence penalty only makes it harder to cast.

Casters and Gnolls may want a different shield, but most characters who`d already use a tower shield will like this one. While a +8 tower shield of resistance might be better suited to your character, first you have to find a tower shield of resistance, and 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. 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