Martial Archetype: Shield Warden
Shield Wardens are warriors that have mastered the use of shields as implements of combat. Those who train in this archetype sacrifice attacking power to focus solely on defensive might, safeguarding themselves and their allies from enemy attacks.
Shield Warden Features
| Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3 | The Best Offense, Aggressive Engagement |
| 7 | Parrying Thrust |
| 10 | Sentry Stance |
| 15 | Shielded Psyche |
| 18 | Survivor |
The Best Offense
Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use shields as weapons. You can don or doff a shield as a bonus action. While you are wielding a shield, it is considered to be both a shield and a martial weapon, and you use the stats listed in the "Attack Shield" sidebar instead of those listed in the Player's Handbook. Also, if you wield two shields, you can receive increases to your Armor Class from both shields.
Aggressive Engagement
Also at 3rd level, you've learned how to persistently harry your enemies, forcing them to focus on you. Once per round, when you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can engage the creature until the start of your next turn.
While it is within 5 feet of you, a creature engaged by you has disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn’t target you.
Parrying Thrust
Starting at 7th level, you can counter enemy strikes with a well-timed thrust from your shield. When you are wielding a shield and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you. If this does cause the attack to miss, you can force the attacker to make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Strength modifier + your proficiency bonus. If it fails, the attacker is stunned until the end of its next turn, or until it is damaged.
Sentry Stance
Starting at 10th level, you've developed a fighting stance that allows you to fend off attacks more effectively by holding your ground. If you haven't moved since the start of your turn, you can enter this stance as a bonus action.
Until the start of your next turn, your speed is 0 and can’t increase, you have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, as well as Strength (Athletics) checks. Attack rolls against you have disadvantage, and you can’t take reactions. While you're in your Sentry Stance, attack rolls have disadvantage against creatures of your choice while they are within 5 feet of you.
You can use Sentry Stance a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier. You regain all spent uses when you complete a short or long rest.
Shielded Psyche
Starting at 15th level, through intense meditation and breathing exercises, you've learned to defend yourself against mental attacks as well as physical ones. When you enter your Sentry Stance, you now gain advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
Survivor
At 18th level, you attain the pinnacle of resilience in battle. At the start of each of your turns in combat, you regain hit points equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point). You don’t gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points or if you have more than half of your hit points left.
Attack Shield
Cost: 10 gp
Armor Class (AC): +2
Damage: 1d6 bludgeoning
Weight: 6 lb.
Optional Rule: Trade-off Attack
This subclass is designed to have its Armor Class be significantly higher than other classes. If it seems too high, you can use this optional rule.
Whenever you use a shield for an attack as part of the Attack action, you lose any increase to your Armor Class from that shield until the start of your next turn. If the shield has the two-handed property, you instead lose only half (rounded up) of the Armor Class increase from that shield.
Variant: Shield Types
If your DM allows it, you and your allies can utilize the variant shields listed in the "Variant Shields" table below. Note that these shields do NOT count as weapons for any character unless a trait or feature specifically allows that character to. When one of these shields is used as an improvised weapon, the Light property and the damage listed are not used.
| Shield Name | Cost | Armor Class (AC) | Strength | Stealth | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckler | 1 gp | +1 | - | - | 1d4 bludgeoning |
2 lb. | Light |
| Lantern Shield | 5 gp | +1 | - | - | 1d4 piercing | 3 lb. | Light, special |
| Kite Shield | 10 gp | +2 | - | - | 1d6 piercing | 6 lb. | - |
| Heater Shield | 10 gp | +2 | - | - | 1d6 bludgeoning |
6 lb. | - |
| Scutum | 30 gp | +3 | Str 13 | Disadvantage | 1d6 bludgeoning |
15 lb. | Special |
| Pavise | 50 gp | +4 | Str 15 | Disadvantage | 1d8 bludgeoning |
30 lb. | Heavy, two-handed, special |
Special Shields
Shields with special rules are described here.
Lantern Shield. When you have a lantern shield equipped, you can use an action to affix a lantern onto the lantern shield, or remove a lantern that is affixed to it. You can only have one lantern on the shield at a time. If you doff a lantern shield while a lantern is affixed to it, the lantern falls to the ground at your feet.
When you have a lit lantern affixed to a lantern shield, you can use a bonus action to force one creature within 5 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Dexterity modifier. On a failure, the target is blinded until the start of its turn. The target has disadvantage on the save if it's in darkness, and automatically succeeds if it's in bright light.
Scutum. When you have a scutum equipped, your movement speed is halved. Creatures you choose gain a +1 to their Armor Class while within 5 feet of you.
Pavise. When you have a pavise equipped, your movement speed is halved. As an action, you can plant a pavise in the ground at a point within your reach, facing away from you. While planted, the pavise is able to provide full cover to objects and creatures behind it, or in front of it.
A creature with two free hands that is within 5 feet of a planted pavise can use an action to attempt to pull it from the ground. They must make a Strength check with a DC equal to the Strength score of the creature that planted the pavise. The creature automatically succeeds on the check if they are behind the pavise.
On a success, the pavise is no longer planted, and the creature that pulled it can choose to stow it, drop it to the ground at their feet, or hold it. Holding a pavise without donning it provides no benefits. If a creatures pulls a planted pavise from the ground while standing behind it, they can instead don it as part of the same action.
Patch Notes
Version 1.0
Initial Release
Version 1.1
- Removed Aggressive Engagement's skill contest, engaging now succeeds automatically.
- Limited Aggressive Engagement's effect to a 5 foot range.
- Added Dexterity saving throw to Parrying Thrust.
- Added advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks to Sentry Stance.
- Added a limited number of uses to Sentry Stance.
- Nerfed benefit Sentry Stance grants to allies.
- Removed the Reflective Thrust class feature.
- Added special properties to the lantern shield, scutum, and pavise variant shields.
- Added Optional Rule: Trade-off Attack.