Shields

Shields add considerable amounts of Avoid and Defense, along with additional Damage Reduction/Absorb (DR), albeit with a small Hit penalty.

Defensive characters like Illusion Ninjas and Iron Defense Knights greatly benefit from shields; Illusion's success rate is based on Avoid, and Iron Defense directly puts the Knight in harm's way. A number of shields also have zero or caster-focused stat requirements (INT/PIE), so even back row dedicated magic-users can use shields to help protect against enemy Rangers or Chivalry-using Knights.

Three shields also act as an either-handed weapon, allowing you to dual-wield shields, but require the Hammer skill instead.

Armor Table Reference