Dodging, Shields, and etc.

[Anferis]

Well my first question is why I have more DS with a short sword than with a broadsword.

Example :

(Short sword)

A kobold swings a short sword at you!
AS: +16 vs DS: +44 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +14 = +21
A clean miss.

(Broadsword)

A kobold swings a short sword at you!
AS: +16 vs DS: +34 with AvD: +35 + d100 roll: +16 = +33
A clean miss.

Another question I have is what shield size is best for 3x dodging and 2x shield use? I'm more interested than DS over block percentage so I assume medium or small, but I'm not really sure as I've never really had a sword and board character.

[Celephais]

Did your encumberance change between swings? Did you have the effects of FoF going w/ the Broadsword swing?

I don't really feel like doing out the math (it's all there on play.net), but I'm pretty sure you want a small shield if you 3x dodge.

[Anferis]

No encumbrance change. Not sure what FoF is. Thanks for the shield use info.

[Celephais]

Force on Force... so if there were multiple kobolds attacking that can have an affect.

There are SHITTONS of factors in DS... different rooms have lighting issues, or otherwise... best way to test is to have another person swing at you. What's your OHE training like? If you have no skill they've admitted that parry DS w/o skill is ALL fucked up.

[thefarmer]

Force on Force.

Basically, your DS drops a percentage for the number of creatures attacking you greater than your Multi-Ops training can make up for.

[Anferis]

Both instances was 1v1. My OHE training is full. From level 1-2 my DS dropped 7 points. I don't know how, why, or how to raise it, but that could be troublesome. I miss being a caster, all the AS and DS stuff is confusing.


Edit:
From 2-3 my DS went from 37 to 69. This is extremely confusing to me.

[Latrinsorm]

Different rooms can have substantially different DS modifiers. This is less important once you have more than 2 DS.

More broadly, as a square DS is not a major concern for the overwhelming majority of the game. You should expect to get hit many times during a hunt and train accordingly. This generally takes the form of being able to take a hit (redux, heavy armor) or avoiding being attacked entirely (hiding).

[Borismere]

What is the best combination for dodge ranks and shield ranks for the most DS?

[Latrinsorm]

3x each. :D