Defense
Play Vocabulary
Defense is a means, tool or practice that counters direct attacks or more subtle manipulations.
A creature or character's Defense is a measure of their general ability to defend themselves, and by default is keyed to the Sinew vital (since the most basic defense is to leap quickly and dexterously out of harm's way).
Defense =
Character.Sinew (by default)
Defense Roll (evade or parry) =
[dAgility] + [(d)Vital] + [armour/shield bonuses] + [relevant adjustments]
Defense Roll (block) =
[dPower] + [(d)Vital] + [armour/shield bonuses] + [relevant adjustments]
Defense Roll (simple) =
[dBase] + [Vital] + [armour/shield bonuses] + [relevant adjustments]
Dice rolls involving sinew as the primary character attribute are those that prioritize the use of the creature's agility, and fine dexterity - how nimble it is - and thus these rolls are known as agility rolls (as opposed to power rolls, mental rolls, or fortitude rolls or magic rolls or any other kind).
A parry defense (as opposed to a block defense) made using a shield during melee combat would also be an agility roll, for this presumes effort is being made to properly position it, as opposed to the shield simply being treated as a piece of armour that may or may not be in the right place at the right time, in which case the character's sinew does not apply (and if the shield is small, such as a little round buckler, might be discounted from the defense entirely). An agile parry with a shield might enable the redirection of blows from weapons that a strength-based defense could not have withstood. Such manoeuvers are less easily achieved with large shields, such as tower shields, or otherwise particularly heavy items, and in this case, only half the defenders' sinew bonus is applied.
A block defense using a shield relies on the quality of the shield and the brute muscle strength of the defender to offset the attack. In this defense, the shield takes the brunt of the impact from the attacking weapon. The character holding the shield is presumed to be able to get the shield into a useful, if not optimal position, to ward against attacks. The defender uses their Muscle statistic in the defense roll.
See also: