Your Defence skill will be called into play whenever you are attacked by an enemy using a projectile, a hand-held weapon, or a bow. The extent of your Defence skill determines how much of the impact of the blow you are able to dodge or negate by extra-ordinary reflexes and agility. Computer Controlled Characters tend to attack using weapons and therefore your Defence skill will be of great importance when you attempt to battle your way through the likes of Goblin Town or Kenkria's Monastery. Each time you are struck a blow, your Defence is reduced slightly for a period of around ten seconds because of the effort taken to dodge it. This means that if you are unfortunate enough to be assailed by a large number of enemies, each blow will have a progressively greater chance of causing damage. Every ten seconds you regain your balance and pose fully, at which point your Defence returns to its maximum.