Onine/Onineshields

Shields as Defensive Weapons

Sometimes you just want to base a cool character not off his badass armour, his six foot gold sword or hairstyle - but on a shield. There are always times where you just want to backhand some sod with a huge disk of metal, wood, or hide over a steel frame. Well now you can! This is more of an optional alternate rule to use for important characters to give them a little more flavour, and is designed primarily for use with Exalted Power Combat. Extras should have the standard shield rules for simplicity's sake. Shields are wielded in a character's "off hand" however they do not suffer a penalty using them as shields are designed to be an off-hand weapon.

I have provided some basic statistics for mundane shields, and an artifact shield. Shields may parry ranged attacks without a stunt, however they are still subject to the limitations that an ordinary weapon has versus 'unblockable' effects. Optionally you may wish to make the distinction between metal and wood/skin shields. In this case, Steel deals lethal damage and Wood/skin shields increase their rate by 1.

/oninesolars - For a modest selection of Solar shield use charms.

Mundane Shields

Buckler
Speed: +1
Accuracy: +0
Damage +2B
Defense: +2
Rate: 4

Target Shield
Speed: -1
Accuracy: -1
Damage: +3B
Defense: +3
Rate: 4
Minimum: Str-2

Tower Shield
Speed: -3
Accuracy: -2
Damage: +5B
Defense: +4
Rate: 3
Minimum: Str-3

Artifact Shields

Sentinal Rondure
A small and swift shield most commonly a foot and a half in diameter with a small eliptical portion cut from one edge of the rim. The Sentinal Rondure is the primary choice for Exalted mounted scouts, the eliptical space makes it easy for use on a mount. Talented archers can also use shortbows while they have a Sentinal Rondure shield equipped. Melee fighters can wield Grand Daiklaves and other such two handed weapons with a Sentinal Rondure but suffer off-hand penalties when attempting to defend with the shield. Some Dawn Caste exalted have been known to develope powerful charms to allow them to wield the combination with no drop in effectiveness.
Speed: +4
Accuracy: +1
Damage: +3L
Defense: +3
Rate: 6
Minimums: Str-2

Aureole
The most common shield, the Aureole is the Daiklave of defensive artifact weaponry - swift and with excellent protection. The Aureole can range from foot-and-a-half wide circular shields to kite shields to one-by-two foot ovular shields. The Aureoles boast the best balance of the artifact shields and are light enough to be wielded with most weapons.
Speed: +2
Accuracy: +0
Damage: +5L
Defene: +4
Rate: 5
Minimums: Str-3

Grand Aegis
The mightiest shields ever made, the Grand Aegis can be from two and five foot at their longest point and offer incredible protection at the sacrifice of speed. Grand Aegis shields are near impossible to make in the Age of Sorrows, only the Realm, the Bronze Faction Sidereals and the Deathlords have the facilities to construct such massive items of power. Ironically they are also the least likely to construct the shields. Solar and Lunar exalted that posess Grand Aegis most often wield keepsake artifacts looted from tombs and temples. Only the strongest Exalted can wield such artifacts, like Grand Daiklaves the Aegis requires 8 motes to attune.
Speed: +0
Accuracy: +0
Damage +7L
Defense: +5
Rate: 4
Minimums: Str-4

Material Bonus

Wood or Hide: Wood and hide shields are lighter than their metal counterparts, making them easier and quicker to defend with at the cost of sturdiness. Wood and hide shields increase their rate by 1.

Steel: Steel shields are sturdy and durable, dealing lethal damage when used as a weapon.

Orichalcum: In the height of the First Age the Solars were only outnumbered by the armies of Terrestrial Exalted in their use of shields. For single combat the Solars wielded by far the sturdiest and most effective shields. Orichalcum shields gain a +2 to their defense scores and +1 to rate.

Moonsilver: Moonsilver shields warp and shift in the air to quickly meet blows, giving the shield a +2 to rate and +1 to defense.

Starmetal: Of shield wearers the sidereals could be counted as the rarest. Their focus on Martial Arts and tendancy to avoid open combat where one is needed means that Starmetal shields have not been made since the First Age and few were made then. The rarity of Starmetal makes them rarer than Soulsteel shields and those that do exist are powerful artifacts with countless enchantments. The largely nonexistant Starmetal shields are fated to defend their wielders, giving a +2 bonus to defense and +1 to accuracy.

Jade: As footsoldiers and the mainstay of the First Age armies, the Dragonbloods had countless armouries of artifact shields. Jade shields are common if perhaps simple, excelling at no one thing they gain a +1 bonus to rate, accuracy and defense.

Soulsteel: Soulsteel shields are rarely seen, the Deathlords prefer to arm their servants with powerful weapons and armour rather than such comparatively mundane defense. The handful of Soulsteel shields are barbed and horrific monstrosities with twisted wailing visages on their faces that rip and tear at their wielder's enemies. Soulsteel shields gain a +1L bonus to damage and a +2 to accuracy.