House Rule: Breaking Shields

This is a house rule for Basic/Expert (Moldvay/Cook) D&D or Labyrinth Lord, adapted from the Trollsmyth 'blog's "Shields Shall be Splintered!" house rule.

House Rule: Breaking Shields to Avoid Damage

Fighters, dwarfs and halflings, when wielding a shield, can choose to avoid all damage from a single melee opponent's weapon by sacrificing that shield. The shield is broken and ruined by this action, no longer providing its bonus to AC.

These classes can also sacrifice a wielded shield when targeted by a spell or magic effect that allows a saving throw to avoid some or all damage, when the shield could reasonably be expected to help avoid the damage (e.g., the fireball spell). The shield can be sacrificed in one of three ways: 

1. to avoid some of the spell or effect's damage when a saving throw to avoid that same amount of damage is failed
2. to avoid all of a spell or effect's damage after a saving throw to avoid all damage is failed
3. to avoid all of a spell or effect's damage after a saving throw to avoid some of the damage is successful