Lance Penetration

[Night Ninja]

I did a quick search, and this never came up.

I find that it's pretty daft to have a soldier being able to fend off a couched lance attack by using his shield. That should not happen. Most shields are not strong enough to stop a lance point with the weight of a charging warhorse and armoured man behind it.

Instead, I propose the lance strike should ignore most of the shield and hit the soft squishy stuff behind. There should be significant damage done to the shield, but it should not be rendered completely useless as a penetration usually allows the shield to retain enough material to continue to carry out its intended purpose: that of deflecting strikes and stopping the occasional arrow. That is, if the unfortunate fellow holding the shield survives.

 

[Shik]

Definitely. Couched lance shouldn't be blockable.

 

[Landwalker]

I wasn't under the impression that the shields even attempted to stop the lance point.  I believe the point is more to turn the point aside so it goes somewhere other than through you, not to stop it cold.  And although the animation might not perfectly demonstrate this, that is pretty much what happens.

Cheers.

 

[RaVeN]

You'll have to blame the good shieldsmiths of Calradia for making such inpenetratable shields.

Anyway, didn't the old versions allow crouched lance to pierce through shields? Btw, I support.

 

[MountainBlade]

What Landwalker said. Couched lances are plenty strong anyway.

 

[Redcoat-Mic]

No, because some shields would do the job, depending on the quality and strength, also, your calculation only applies for a head on 90 angle hit, something you'd not be aiming to do when blocking a polearm anyway so what Landwalker said.

 

[Night Ninja]

Yeah, some shields could, but most shields are quite incapable of stopping a lance point. Take the pavise-like things that the Rhodoks carry, for instance. They aren't maneuverable enough to use to deflect, and even a glancing strike should penetrate clean through. Shields just aren't designed to resist a lance.

IMO, the knightly heater shields and the like should be penetrated by a direct hit too, just that the person behind is not so likely take a lance point in the chest because of the thicker wood and metal banding.

 

[rageshrub]

depends on the shield, but if the lance went through wouldn't it render the shield pretty much useless? i remember something about romans using pila with soft metal tips so as to render the shield useless, because when the tip pierced the shield it bent, making it impossible to remove it from the shield and thus leaving the shield to unwieldy to be effective

 

[Trooper5445]

Yes that is true. The fact is your sort of simulate this in M&B because when you have too many arrows on your shield it becomes hard to use it or see behind it.

 

[Art Falmingaid]

I wasn't under the impression that the shields even attempted to stop the lance point.  I believe the point is more to turn the point aside so it goes somewhere other than through you, not to stop it cold.  And although the animation might not perfectly demonstrate this, that is pretty much what happens.

Cheers.

Yeah, this is what I always thought.  And it happens very rarely, but it does even the odds for infantry against cavalry.  So, realistic or not, it makes the game more fun.

 

[Svirfneblic Pimfernickel]

Try having your couched lance parried by a peasant with a club.

 

[buzbybadman]

Yes parrying couched lances is ridiculous, agree with that. 
As for piercing Shields, it would have to bring into account that either you lose half your lance in the shield (making it useless, or shorter with only blunt damage) as mentioned, or your lance breaks after several uses, too powerful otherwise.
Actually quite like the idea of half the lance breaking off and dealing only blunt (to regenerate like arrows), it would give you good reason to try and avoid the shield in the first place, and be more realistic.

 

[DamienZharkoff]

Yes parrying couched lances is ridiculous, agree with that. 
As for piercing Shields, it would have to bring into account that either you lose half your lance in the shield (making it useless, or shorter with only blunt damage) as mentioned, or your lance breaks after several uses, too powerful otherwise.
Actually quite like the idea of half the lance breaking off and dealing only blunt (to regenerate like arrows), it would give you good reason to try and avoid the shield in the first place, and be more realistic.

I concurz