Shields
From NsdWiki
Shields are an ancient way of protecting your vital bits. They're also utilitarian: some people would beat on their shields to insult their opponents or raise morale of troops. Larger shields make a good impromptu resting place or sled.
Shields don't give any bonuses to your armor score. Instead, you can use a shield to perform a Parry. Shields provide a bonus to your Parry Roll. If you put ranks in the Weapon Skill for Shields, you can add these ranks into your Parry Roll. Shields are the only weapon which allow you to parry ranged attacks without the Missile Swat trump.
On your turn, you can also make an attack with a shield. Shields, their bonus to Parry, Harm, and AP to use are listed in the Equipment chapter.