Missile Defense
Defense against missiles equals your dexterity plus the shield's defense (if you have one, including style bonuses):
ranged attack defense = Dex : 2
+ shield defense (if you have one)
+ bonuses
Basic rule
You cannot defend against missiles and thrown weapons with a weapon.Unexpected missile
An unexpected missile may be the last thing you experience.
In combat
If you are unaware of a missile in combat, you have only passive (minimal) defense.Outside combat
If you are unaware of a missile and you are not fighting, e.g. someone ambushes you, you have only minimal defense.
Even if you notice it, you have a -5 WS penalty for a surprise attack, but you can use fight maneuvers (only a total success grants you full speed).
| awareness + 2d6 / 2d6 + | |
|---|---|
| 18 | missile from afar |
| attacker's stealth (ambush) | missile from close range |
How a shooter defends
When shooting and throwing weapons you are fairly vulnerable, because you cannot concentrate on defense as much and you expose yourself to attacks of others. While shooting is your main activity, defense is your secondary action
Shield
If you have a shield in your left hand and throw a weapon with your right hand (or shoot with one hand), you can defend without it limiting your throwing much. A more detailed description is in the chapter Special cases of combat - Fighting with a shield.