[Autumn]

Shields don't have a lot going for them, they got maybe like 2 skills in soldier and thats really it, to improve upon them (Also Im trying to fit in a talent suggestion for the talent sub-paths being opened up) I'd like to suggest a talent for shields, to give dedicated tank builds a chance in the spotlight, as taking a shield means you're gonna be sacking some of your damage, I don't think a slight nudge in this direction would be too much.

That said, here's what I'll suggest, with reasons as to why:

Shield Mastery - 1.5 Sub Points per rank

Perseverence (5 Ranks)- Increases guarding level by SR* 1 when using a shield and guarding.
Block (5 Ranks) - Increases Armor and Magic Armor by SR* 1 when using a shield, doubled when you are guarding.
Posture (3 Ranks) - Grants a chance equal to SR* 5 that you will ignore knockdown attempts while guarding, while using a shield.

Explainations:

Perseverence: This would be a simple yet effective change, aiding to give more comparable DR when guarding to people using low momentum to do so.

Block: People equipped with shields should inherently just be tankier than people who are not, thats what they should serve as.

Posture: This one is the one that needs the most explaining, it'd be akin to sort of resisting an attempt to break your guard, it'd be a small enough chance to matter, but not one that'd be overbearing, and it'd create some amazing roleplay and reversals in a fight, while keeping it generally focused on tanks.