Shields and Mithril (in General)

in LOT, is mithril not supposed to be a lightweight and sturdy metal? so should items such as the mithril shield have less of a dx penalty than other shields? (and if you wield a shield, why can you use two handed weapons?)

Sturdy =/= Damage reduction

Armor = absorption of attacks, meaning that a shield with high AC will be thick, dense, heavy, and be able to spread out the energy of a blow. So I'm guessing that a MS would be bigger than other shields, therefore harder to lug around.

It's possible to use a two-handed weapon and a shield. Just strap the shield onto your forearm. For that matter, it's actually possible to use many shields. Two on your forearms, two on your weapons...

*petitions Jon to let us use 2 weapons and 4 shields* xD

A two-handed weapon just means it was *meant* for two hands. More often than not you can still use it one-handed, it'll just be very difficult (hence increased penalty).

scytale, Mithril indeed is supposed to be a lightweight material in lord of the rings, but this is carnage blender and we don't have to follow the same rules.

And as for the 2 handed weapons + shield => big DX penalty, think about somebody using a shield and a sword in 1 hand, it is quite cumbersome, therefore the DX penalty is in place.

:)

Forgot another thing, while mithril is lightweight, think about having to wear a full chain mail or cuirass, along with chain mail leggings and the like.

Mithril armor doesn't have that high of a DX penalty, though indeed the Mithril Shield has. This is most likely because making a Shield from Mithril requires different material properties, mithril is strong but it requires a thick plate to make a shield which would block arrows or bolts from it.

Just to follow up on what Shade said, other metals are probably used in the shield as well. Mithril, at least in Middle-earth, is one of the most expensive metals. The shield may be plated in mithril, and another heavier metal is likely underneath.

=)

oh well, i guess CB is not real life, thanks for shooting down my dream ;) jk