Shields

Shields are an important addition to a warrior's protection. With a shield at hand it is possible to deflect a foe's blow before it can even hit the armour, thus raising the chances of survival significantly. It also is good for saving the armour from fatigue, since continous blows are not good for any material. Numerous shields have appeared throughout the history of Britannia, each having its own use for the adventurer. However, it should be noted that, logically, a shield can only be used together with a one-handed weapon.

The most common shields, sorted from weakest to strongest, are these:
 * Buckler - A small metal shield with a protection value of 1.
 * Wooden shield - A round wood shield with a defensive value of 2.
 * Spiked shield - A round shield with spikes, has a defensive value of 2 and an attack value of 2.
 * Decorative shield - A big metal shield with a defensive value of 3.
 * Brass shield - A large metal shield with a defensive value of 3.
 * Curved heater - A big metal shield with a defensive value of 3.

Besides these basic classes of shields, there exist special shields that have better properties than normal ones.


 * Magic shield - Part of the magic armour, with a defensive value of 4.
 * Dupre's shield - A special shield made for Dupre, infused with magic.
 * Shield of Monitor - A shield with the coat of arms of Monitor, otherwise exactly a Decorative Shield.
 * The magic shield that is part of the Pagan magic armour is found in the Obsidian Fortress.
 * Kiran shield - Gives a mana bonus of +5.
 * Mage shield - Protects against 20% of magic attacks.

For a list of shields (and other armour) seen in Savage Empire, see Primitive Armour.

There are also several shields available found on the Serpent Isle. See Serpent Isle Shields.

Also worth mentioning is the Jeweled shield found in Ultima V, which turned out to be worthless.

History
Shields first came into use in Ultima V, where several varieties were available. This trend continued with Ultima VII, introducing the shields pictured here.

The list of available shields changed significantly in Ultima IX. Besides the Kiran and Mage shields noted above, four kinds of mundane shields existed, in rising efficency: small round shield, shield, middle round shield and kite shield.

Triva

 * The magic shield is a specialty of the Order of the Silver Serpent in Ultima VI, and the blacksmith Gherick can make one with a curved heater and a gold nugget, after getting permision from the Order.
 * Despite Gherick's quick work, previously, in Ultima V, merchants claimed that making a magic shield took nearly a hundred years.