Shield Mastery

So we had this discussion in linkshell about Shield Mastery. One linkshell member keeps saying how "Shield Mastery" from m.head augments and "Shield Mastery" in general effect the size of your shield and increase the shield size thus making it the best head in the game. We of course disagreed and told him it only effects how much tp you get on a sucessful block and gives spell interruption effect down in certain situations.

Anyone else have people saying this?

Job Trait Overview

Game Description: Grants TP bonus when blocking an attack with a shield.
In order to receive TP from being hit, it requires that the unblocked hit would have done more than zero damage. If you would have taken 0 damage (due to an effect such as Stoneskin or Phalanx), no TP will be gained even if your shield blocks.
Prevents spell interruption from attacks that are blocked with the shield during spell casting. Any attacks that are not blocked by the shield still have a chance to interrupt.
It is speculated that on shield block, one would gain 1 extra TP with Shield Mastery I, 2 TP with Shield Mastery II, and 3 TP with Shield Mastery III.Information Needed
Adoubeur's Pavise adds exactly 1 TP when blocking for 6 TP total. Store TP does not play a role.

As far as I know, when I played, NOTHING would increase the size of your shield other than the size of your shield.

Shield Mastery level's increase TP when you block with shield.

It also prevents spell interruption if you cast and a shield block activates.

For some reason he says he's done "extensive testing" and without shield mastery gear on he blocks for 30 and without he blocks for 0 with no buffs. I still don't believe it, i've been a career pld since game started and have yet to see anything to suggest that he is correct.

One point of shield mastery gives 100% spell interruption down when an attack is blocked and each individual point adds 1 tp extra per block. SM would not improve the block rate or damage reduction as shield size would.

As far as M. head being the best helm, it is really only the best when you can capitalize on having a very high block rate against a large number of swings (Cleaves/Hundred Fists).

Could he be confusing Shield Def Bonus?

No he swears up and down and I quote "Shield Mastery Skill + makes your shield go up a size, as if it were a bigger shield, blocking more and better" We went into great lengths; I even explained to him it doesn't and that i'm a career pld aegis/ochain and it's never done that. Yet he continues to say I don't know what i'm talking about. I just figured there was either some information that has changed recently that I was unaware about, or he was crazy.

Well all hope is lost for him!

This is the point at which you tell him to post that "extensive testing."

And yeah, I've never heard anything about shield mastery affecting block DMG- much less changing your shield size.

I mean.. Kaiser schaller can get shield mastery+3. IF that affected your shield size, that'd turn a kite shied(size 3) into a Ochain(size 6.) Which pretty clearly isn't happening.

"Shield Mastery Skill + makes your shield go up a size, as if it were a bigger shield, blocking more and better"

This also goes against the inverse relationship of chance block to blocked damage. Smaller sized shields generally have higher block rate but reduce less damage, larger size shields generally block more damage but block less frequently (excluding Och/Aeg of course). So a bigger shield does not "block more" but arguably does "better" (if by better he means higher mitigation).

I'm just pointing out that he could kind of solve that himself, regardless of speculating size of shield. A few simple tests would let your friend discover this (I think he's been doing too much 'extensive' testing :)

This sounds like the guy that told me, "More racc in gear gives me a higher crit rate when I shoot."

Drugs are bad... Mmmkay