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Create Parrying skill guide

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<div class="creature-backlink">[[Skills|« Back to Skills]]</div>

'''Parrying''' is the art of blocking blows with a shield. Every time an attack lands on you while you carry a shield, your Parrying gives you a chance to catch part of the blow on it. It's the classic defensive skill for sword-and-board fighters, and it shines against archers.

__TOC__

== At a glance ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Skill category
| Combat
|-
! What it does
| Blocks part of the damage from weapon hits, if you carry a shield
|-
! How you use it
| Passively, whenever a weapon or fist attack hits you
|-
! Needs
| A shield in your off hand, so a one-handed weapon (or none)
|-
! Skill cap
| 100 (Grandmaster), raised up to 120 with Parrying power scrolls
|-
! Stats it can raise
| Strength (mostly) and Dexterity
|-
! Starting gear
| Choosing Parrying as a starting skill gives you a wooden shield.
|}

== How parrying works ==
When a weapon attack '''hits''' you and you're holding a shield, the game rolls to see whether you parry:

<div style="text-align:center">'''Parry chance = (Parrying − 2 × shield armor) ÷ 100''' (always at least 1%)</div>

On a successful parry:
* Against '''melee''' attacks, the shield soaks up '''half its armor rating''' in damage.
* Against '''arrows and bolts''', it soaks up its '''full armor rating'''.
* A blue flash on your character shows the block.
* There's a 25% chance the shield takes a little wear.

Whatever damage is left over then goes through your armor as usual. Without a shield you can't parry at all, no matter how high your skill is, and Parrying does nothing against spells.

=== Bigger shield or better chance? ===
Heavier shields block more damage, but they're harder to get into position, so your chance to parry drops. Light shields block less, but much more often. At Grandmaster, all of them are worthwhile:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! class="unsortable" | !! Shield !! Armor !! Parry chance at 50 !! Parry chance at 100 !! Melee damage blocked !! Arrow damage blocked !! Weight !! Blacksmith price
|-
| class="nb-art-cell" | [[File:NB_Smith_Buckler.png|link=|Buckler]]
| '''Buckler''' || data-sort-value="7" | 7 || 36% || 86% || 3 || 7 || 5 stones || data-sort-value="50" | about 50 gold
|-
| class="nb-art-cell" | [[File:NB_Shield_WoodenShield.png|link=|Wooden shield]]
| '''Wooden shield''' || data-sort-value="8" | 8 || 34% || 84% || 4 || 8 || 5 stones || data-sort-value="30" | about 30 gold
|-
| class="nb-art-cell" | [[File:NB_Smith_BronzeShield.png|link=|Bronze shield]]
| '''Bronze shield''' || data-sort-value="10" | 10 || 30% || 80% || 5 || 10 || 6 stones || data-sort-value="66" | about 66 gold
|-
| class="nb-art-cell" | [[File:NB_Smith_MetalShield.png|link=|Metal shield]]
| '''Metal shield''' || data-sort-value="11" | 11 || 28% || 78% || 5 || 11 || 6 stones || data-sort-value="121" | about 121 gold
|-
| class="nb-art-cell" | [[File:NB_Smith_WoodenKiteShield.png|link=|Wooden kite shield]]
| '''Wooden kite shield''' || data-sort-value="12" | 12 || 26% || 76% || 6 || 12 || 5 stones || data-sort-value="70" | about 70 gold
|-
| class="nb-art-cell" | [[File:NB_Smith_MetalKiteShield.png|link=|Metal kite shield]]
| '''Metal kite shield''' || data-sort-value="16" | 16 || 18% || 68% || 8 || 16 || 7 stones || data-sort-value="123" | about 123 gold
|-
| class="nb-art-cell" | [[File:NB_Smith_HeaterShield.png|link=|Heater shield]]
| '''Heater shield''' || data-sort-value="23" | 23 || 4% || 54% || 11 || 23 || 8 stones || data-sort-value="231" | about 231 gold
|}

Blacksmiths sell all of these. They can also craft every one except the wooden shield (from iron or colored metal); carpenters make wooden shields from logs.

=== Better shields ===
A shield's armor rating goes up with:
* '''Magic protection:''' ''defense'' +15, ''guarding'' +20, ''hardening'' +25, ''fortification'' +30, ''invulnerability'' +35.
* '''Colored metal''' (for smith-made shields): Dull copper +2, Shadow iron +4, Copper +6, Bronze +8, Gold +10, Agapite +12, Verite +14, Valorite +16.
* '''Exceptional''' quality: +8.
Remember that more armor means a lower parry chance, so a huge magic shield parries less often but blocks a lot when it does.

== Training Parrying ==
* Parrying can only rise when you're '''hit while holding a shield'''. Every hit is a chance to gain, whether or not you parry it.
* '''Below 10.0''' you gain on every attempt, sometimes several tenths at once. Above that, each attempt has a chance to gain 0.1.
* The '''harder the attempt''' is for your skill level, the better your chance to gain. Your chance also drops as you get closer to your Parrying cap and to your total skill cap of '''700'''.
* If you've set Parrying to go down (the arrow in your skills list), gains elsewhere can lower it to make room under your total cap. Lock skills you want to keep.
* Reaching 100.0 adds Parrying to the '''Skills Mastered''' count on your achievements.
* '''Use a light shield while training.''' A buckler or wooden shield gives you a better chance to parry early on.
* '''Let something weak hit you.''' A creature that hits often but softly is ideal: it gives you lots of chances without much danger. Keep bandages ready.
* Training with a friend works well too: one of you holds a shield while the other attacks with a weak weapon.
* Warrior guildmasters, nobles, blacksmiths and iron workers will train you for gold: up to a third of their own skill, at most '''42.0''', for '''1 gold per 0.1''' points. Ask them (or use their context menu) to train the skill, then drop the gold on them.

'''Stats:''' each successful use has about a 2% chance to raise Strength and a smaller chance (under 1%) to raise Dexterity by 1 point. Each stat can rise at most once every 10 minutes, and only if it's set to rise.

=== Suggested path ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Parrying !! How to train
|-
| 0 to 42 || Buy the first points from a trainer (warrior guildmaster or noble).
|-
| 42 to 60 || Carry a buckler and let weak creatures like [[Bestiary/Giant Rat|Giant Rat]], [[Bestiary/Skeleton|Skeleton]], [[Bestiary/Zombie|Zombie]], [[Bestiary/Headless One|Headless One]] hit you while you fight back slowly.
|-
| 60 to 80 || Move on to [[Bestiary/Orc|Orc]], [[Bestiary/Lizardman|Lizardman]], [[Bestiary/Ratman|Ratman]], [[Bestiary/Ettin|Ettin]]. Their hits are bigger, so bandage between fights.
|-
| 80 to 100 || Tough melee creatures like [[Bestiary/Troll|Troll]], [[Bestiary/Ogre|Ogre]], [[Bestiary/Ogre Lord|Ogre Lord]]. At this level, a metal kite or heater shield starts to pay off.
|}

=== Power scrolls ===
[[File:NB_PowerScroll.png|right|link=|Power scroll]]
Parrying tops out at '''100.0''' unless you use a '''Parrying power scroll'''. There are three kinds: ''exalted'' (110), ''mythical'' (115) and ''legendary'' (120). Double-click one to raise your Parrying cap to that number: ''"You feel a surge of magic as the scroll enhances your Parrying!"''

* Parrying power scrolls come from '''champion bosses''': [[Bestiary/Barracoon|Barracoon]], [[Bestiary/Lord Oaks|Lord Oaks]], [[Bestiary/Mephitis|Mephitis]], [[Bestiary/Neira|Neira]], [[Bestiary/Rikktor|Rikktor]], [[Bestiary/Semidar|Semidar]] and [[Bestiary/Silvani|Silvani]]. Each champion boss leaves '''6 power scrolls''' in random fighting, magic, bard and animal skills, handed out among the players who helped kill it. Each scroll is a 110 (60%), 115 (35%) or 120 (5%).
* A scroll only works if it's higher than your current cap. Otherwise: ''"Your Parrying is too high for this power scroll."''
* Champion power scrolls are '''cursed''': they always drop when you die, even from a blessed container. Use them or bank them quickly.
* Raising the cap doesn't raise your skill. You still have to train the extra points.

== Tips ==
* '''Shields need a free hand.''' Two-handed weapons, bows and crossbows can't be used with a shield.
* '''Archers beware.''' A shield blocks its full armor rating against arrows and bolts, so a parrying warrior shrugs off a lot of archery damage.
* '''Pick your shield for the fight.''' A buckler parries most often; a heater shield blocks the most per parry.
* '''Mages, leave the shield at home.''' Shields slow your mana regeneration, just like metal armor.

[[Category:Skills]]

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