Blocking

Blocking is an is 3 + half Shield or Cloak skill, dropping all fractions.

(Defense Skill/2)+3

It is the only way to stop missile weapons (arrows, bolts, thrown spears) without Parry Missile Weapons. Unlike dodging, it is not penalized by encumbrance.

If you’re strong enough to grab and lift someone, you can block with his body!^[1] This can be particularly powerful if your opponent is well-armored and you have more ranged enemies to defend against.

For taking cover behind large, immobile objects (such as tables, pavises, and castle battlements), see cover.

Even More Blocks[]

You can block more than once, but at a -5 penalty for each additional block, -10, -15 etcetera. Weapon Master allows this penalty at half, following a -3, -5, -8 pattern.^[2]

FAQ[]

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-3.html#SS3.4.2.24

For added realism, you can say that a failed shield block vs. a rush results in slam damage to the arm behind the shield. That's not in the Basic Set, but it seems fair.

Blocks do not work against Close attacks unless they occur in the same second as stepping into it: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/faq/FAQ4-3.html#SS3.4.3.6

Quotes[]

Kromm in 2008[]

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?p=563199#post563199

you get one additional block or parry per hand, regardless of number of hands or number of attacks

in reference to Force Extension:

As for the shield itself, I'd allow the arm itself to count as a shield to block -- it's an indestructible force! Use the standard Parry for an arm as your Block score, which is DX/2 + 3.

This is actually superior to using the Shield skill at default!

Kromm in 2013 on Using Multiple Shields[]

Kromm replied August 2013 at http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=1635191&postcount=8 regarding this:

If you have two or more shields:

You get one unpenalized block per shield.
You use the best DB among them against attacks from the front.
Even against attacks from the side, you can block (still at -2) and benefit from the best DB on that side.
You can do shield bashes as Dual-Weapon Attacks.
You never, ever sum DB, however.
I would allow him to commit both shields to a single frontal block, analogous to Cross Parry, for +2 to his Block score

PK in 2009[]

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=64987

"one of the benefits of Extra Arms" in response to:

Karate and Judo state that you can parry once with each hand, and that the cumulative penalties for parrying (-4 or -2 with TBAM) more than once accrue separately for each hand.

If a character takes Extra Arms, is he able to parry in this manner with each of the extra hands?

Mirroring Kromm's statement the previous year

House Rules[]

References[]

↑ Basic Set, p.375
↑ Martial Arts, p.123

[1] Basic Set, p.375

[2] Martial Arts, p.123

[1]

[2]