Oblivion:Shield

	Shield
School	Alteration
Type	Defensive
Effect ID	SHLD
Base Cost	0.45
Barter Factor	100
Availability (Click on any item for details)
Spells Custom Potions Scrolls Sigil Stones Apparel

Shield M% for D seconds

Shield adds directly to the physical Armor Rating of the subject and is cumulative with worn armor. For example, you end up with an armor rating of 25 if you are wearing no armor and cast a 25% Shield spell, which is equivalent to wearing a full set of Leather Armor; your total Armor Rating would be 50, or 50%, if you then put on a suit of Leather Armor in addition to the spell. Armor Rating is capped at 85% and cannot go higher.

The Shield effect has no negative impact on the caster's Spell Effectiveness.

Notes

• Shield effects only reduce base damage done to you. Magical damage is unaffected by Shield. For that, you will want Resist Magic, Reflect Spell, or Spell Absorption. Spell absorption is best for Atronach birthsigns.
• This effect can be gained for spell making and enchanting via spells or choosing the Breton or Nord race. However, The Greaves of the Crusader adds a powerful and cheap lesser power called Blessing of the Eight: Shield 20% for 60 seconds on touch, for a base magicka cost of 25 (instead of 124). The Snowblind^SI Ability also grants this spell for enchanting after completing the Shivering Isles main quest.
• It is possible to give your character 100% (or higher) Shield effect. Items with 20% or more Shield are:
  • Ring of Lordship (Mania)^SI: 26%.
  • Raiment of Arden-Sul^SI: 25%, together with 11pts Intelligence and 11pts Willpower.
  • Ciirta's Robes^SI: 20%, together with 25 pts Fortify Health.
  • Transcendent Sigil Stones: 20%.

The Active Effects menu will confirm that the total Shield effect is 100%. However, the resulting armor rating is still only 85%, so the extra 15% Shield is providing no benefit.

• When Enchanting, an Elemental Shield effect is often preferable to a plain Shield.
  • For example, a 5% Fire Shield gives you 5% fire resistance and a +5 to your armor rating. A 5% Shield spell only gives you the AR boost.
  • When enchanting using an altar of enchanting, Shield and Elemental Shield strengths are very similar (Shield gives you at most 1 extra point).
  • When enchanting using Sigil Stones, Elemental Shield always gives you a stronger effect than regular Shield. For example, a transcendent Sigil Stone gives 20% Shield or 25% Elemental Shield.
• For spellcasting, the difference between an Elemental Shield and a plain Shield effect can be more significant. The base cost for an Elemental Shield (0.95) is more than twice that of a plain Shield (0.45).

See also

Sections:

• Armor: General information on the physical armor available in the game.
• Oblivion-Armor-Shields Light and Oblivion-Armor-Shields Heavy: Categories listing all of the available physical shields.

Related effects:

• Bound Armor, Fire Shield, Frost Shield, Shock Shield
• Resist Disease, Resist Fire, Resist Frost, Resist Magic, Resist Normal Weapons, Resist Paralysis, Resist Poison, Resist Shock

Alchemy Ingredients

The following ingredients can be used to create a potion of Shield:

Apprentice Beef Bog Beacon Asco Cap Cinnabar Polypore Red Cap Emetic Russula Cap Gnarl BarkSI Jumbo Potato Potato Shepherd's Pie Summer Bolete Cap Withering MoonSI

Journeyman Aster Bloom CoreSI Flax Seeds

Expert Orange Tomato