Shields basicaly protect you from magical or physical damage.
Some shields give you bonuses or penalties for your Hp, Sap, Stamina and/or Focus stats when they are borne in your left hand.
Basics
Origin : The origin of this item.
Quality : The quality of this shield. The higher the quality, the more protection the shield will offers.
Weight : The weight of this item. If the total weight is too high, your movement speed may be slowed.
Bulk : How much space the item takes in your inventory. Space in each inventory is limited meaning that bulky itms cannot be carried in large numbers.
Hit Points : The hit points of this item. This value will degrade with use. When it reaches 0, the item is destroyed.
Skill : The skill this item requires.
Shield related
Category : category of shields are Small and Large.
Dodge Skill Modifier : when you bear a shield, your dodge
skill may be lowered.
Parry Skill Modifier : when you bear a shield, your parry
skill may change.
Action Malus : The penalty this shield adds to the Total Malus.
Protection : The damage inflicted by each hit you receive is reduced by this factor, maximized by :
Max vs Slash : max hit points substracted for a 'slashing damage' impact.
Max vs Pierce : max hit points substracted for a 'piercing damage' impact.
Max vs Blunt : max hit points substracted for a 'blunt damage' impact.