This is a little guide I made to play as a fighter who uses only shields! I hope you like it!
First, choose the Variant Human race. This will give you a feat, and you should choose the Shield Master feat if you are going protection shield fighter, or Tavern Brawler if you want to be an offense shield fighter (proficiency in improvised weapons, which your shield is) which are both key features of this build.
Then, choose Fighter as your class (obviously).
Make your highest score Strength, then Constitution.
Take proficiency in Athletics and other skills of your choice.
Get the heaviest armor you can buy, and 2 shields. Yes, you can only benefit from 1 shield at a time for AC, but you can use the 2 for other things.
If you’re doing a protection build, choose the Protection fighting style (you protecc, you attacc, you… protecc some more) and if you’re doing an offense build, choose the Dueling fighting style-- only 1 of your 2 shields is considered a weapon. You now have a +2 to your shield attacks or the ability to jump in front of your teammates and make them take less damage!
At 3rd level, take the Battle Master, Champion, Samurai, or Cavalier subclass(added cavalier by recommendation of @Jesse_DND).
If you chose Champion, you gain some straightforward combat features. Choose whichever fighting style out of Dueling and Protection you didn't pick as your first as your second.
If you chose Samurai, you gain features that help you in the thick of battle. Also pretty straightforward.
If you chose Cavalier, you gain 1 useless feature unless you plan on riding a horse (Born to the Saddle), but your other features are amazing. Unwavering Mark is extremely useful, Warding Maneuver is like an improved Protection style that can apply to you as well, Hold the Line is great, you can knock people down even better with Ferocious Charger, and Vigilant Defender gets you an extra reaction.
If you chose Battle Master, the maneuvers only specify “weapon”, not “simple or martial weapon”, so your shield can be used for this.
For your manuveurs, include Disarming Attack, Pushing Attack, Sweeping Attack, Menacing Attack, and Trip Attack as some of your choices.
When you gain an Ability Score Improvement/Feat at 4th level, take the Tavern Brawler feat or the Shield Master feat-- whichever you didn't already take.
You may also want the Prodigy feat or a level in Rogue for Expertise in your Athletics checks to shove people.
That’s the end of the shield fighter guide! I hope it was helpful! Tell me anything that I could add/improve on.
One level in Barbarian for rage which gives advantage in Athletics checks.
The Cavalier martial archetype. Unwavering Mark as many creatures as you can by shoving them prone with your shield. Hold the Line so they can't get away from you after you knock them down!
Barbarian Shield Master are actually pretty nasty, well. They were before the Shield Master Nerf last year (2018), that forces the Bonus Action Shove after your normal Attack Action. The Nerf doesn't hit Barbarians as hard because they can use Savage Attacker to get Advantage on attacks.
The Barbarian and Shield Master feat benefit together for a number of reasons:
1) Aside from some of the specific Path of the Totem Warrior abilities and entering Rage Barbarians don't use their Bonus Action for a lot. This leaves it free for Shove. 2) Barbarian powers rarely use Reaction, this leave it open for the Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" reaction usage against AoEs 3) Rage gives Advantage on Athletic checks which makes you much more likely to succeed on the Shove. 4) Danger Sense at lvl 2 gives you Advantage on Dex Saving throws so you're more likely to save and take half or non damage with Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" against AoEs or Shield Bonus to single target Dex Saving spells. 5) Barbarians have reasonable good Dex due to Unarmored Defense for Medium Armor, combined with Advantage on Dex Saves and Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" or the Shield Bonus to Dex this gives you a high chance to save.
My problem with the Battle Master is that you're going to be wanting to use your Bonus Actions and Reactions for Battle Master abilities, not leaving them for Shoves and Shield Master's "Diet Evasion".
To add to what ReptileBounty answered, you are much more likely to succeed shoving if you have expertise and/or advantage in Athletics checks. And shoving can be useful crowd control!
Barbarian Shield Master are actually pretty nasty, well. They were before the Shield Master Nerf last year (2018), that forces the Bonus Action Shove after your normal Attack Action. The Nerf doesn't hit Barbarians as hard because they can use Savage Attacker to get Advantage on attacks.
The Barbarian and Shield Master feat benefit together for a number of reasons:
1) Aside from some of the specific Path of the Totem Warrior abilities and entering Rage Barbarians don't use their Bonus Action for a lot. This leaves it free for Shove. 2) Barbarian powers rarely use Reaction, this leave it open for the Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" reaction usage against AoEs 3) Rage gives Advantage on Athletic checks which makes you much more likely to succeed on the Shove. 4) Danger Sense at lvl 2 gives you Advantage on Dex Saving throws so you're more likely to save and take half or non damage with Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" against AoEs or Shield Bonus to single target Dex Saving spells. 5) Barbarians have reasonable good Dex due to Unarmored Defense for Medium Armor, combined with Advantage on Dex Saves and Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" or the Shield Bonus to Dex this gives you a high chance to save.
My problem with the Battle Master is that you're going to be wanting to use your Bonus Actions and Reactions for Battle Master abilities, not leaving them for Shoves and Shield Master's "Diet Evasion".
Thanks for the advice, I should make a Shield Barbarian guide sometime! However, which feature is "diet evasion"?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
The 3rd Feature of Shield Master: "If you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you can use your reaction to take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, interposing your shield between yourself and the source of the effect."
I call it "Diet Evasion" because it allows the character to take no damage from an AoE, but it uses up their Reaction so it can only happen once a turn and it doesn't provide auto half damage.
Don't forget the 2nd feature which gives you the Shield's bonus to your Reflex Save when you're targeted by single target Dex Saves, this is especially important because it's the Shield's bonus, so a normal Shield gives +2 while +1 Shield gives +3, etc...
This wouldn’t work with the Dueling fighting style as improved weapon wouldn’t gain the +2 bonus to the melee weapon damage as improvised weapons don’t count as weapons. And even if it did, then dual wielding them wouldn’t benefit for Dueling either.
I just took a look at the SRD content for improvised weapons. I don't see anywhere that says an improvised weapon doesn't count as a weapon.
Improvised Weapons
Sometimes characters don't have their weapons and have to attack with whatever is at hand. An improvised weapon includes any object you can wield in one or two hands, such as broken glass, a table leg, a frying pan, a wagon wheel, or a dead goblin.
Often, an improvised weapon is similar to an actual weapon and can be treated as such. For example, a table leg is akin to a club. At the DM's option, a character proficient with a weapon can use a similar object as if it were that weapon and use his or her proficiency bonus.
An object that bears no resemblance to a weapon deals 1d4 damage (the DM assigns a damage type appropriate to the object). If a character uses a ranged weapon to make a melee attack, or throws a melee weapon that does not have the thrown property, it also deals 1d4 damage. An improvised thrown weapon has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.
I just took a look at the SRD content for improvised weapons. I don't see anywhere that says an improvised weapon doesn't count as a weapon.
Improvised Weapons
Sometimes characters don't have their weapons and have to attack with whatever is at hand. An improvised weapon includes any object you can wield in one or two hands, such as broken glass, a table leg, a frying pan, a wagon wheel, or a dead goblin.
Often, an improvised weapon is similar to an actual weapon and can be treated as such. For example, a table leg is akin to a club. At the DM's option, a character proficient with a weapon can use a similar object as if it were that weapon and use his or her proficiency bonus.
An object that bears no resemblance to a weapon deals 1d4 damage (the DM assigns a damage type appropriate to the object). If a character uses a ranged weapon to make a melee attack, or throws a melee weapon that does not have the thrown property, it also deals 1d4 damage. An improvised thrown weapon has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.
Your second point is still correct.
Consider only one of the shields a weapon, and the other a shield.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
Interesting thread @Irrelevant_ibs , Shields generally dont make for very good weapons, spiked ones would be better but the strike force generated is still low due to wind drag and friction. I’d say defensive defensive makes some kind of sense if you are into this idea.
@bill_poole are you a marvel, marvel movies fan by any chance?
Interesting thread @Irrelevant_ibs , Shields generally dont make for very good weapons, spiked ones would be better but the strike force generated is still low due to wind drag and friction. I’d say defensive defensive makes some kind of sense if you are into this idea.
@bill_poole are you a marvel, marvel movies fan by any chance?
There's a lot of debate about this if you take the time to search for it. A good amount of it contradicts your guide. I'm going to pull a couple of things from (This) answer questioning the validity of using a shield as an improvised weapon.
Some terminology first, emphasis mine:
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Improvised Weapons
Sometimes characters don't have their weapons and have to attack with whatever is at hand. An improvised weapon includes any object you can wield in one or two hands, such as broken glass, a table leg, a frying pan, a wagon wheel, or a dead goblin.
Often, an improvised weapon is similar to an actual weapon and can be treated as such. For example, a table leg is akin to a club. At the DM's option, a character proficient with a weapon can use a similar object as if it were that weapon and use his or her proficiency bonus.
An object that bears no resemblance to a weapon deals 1d4 damage (the DM assigns a damage type appropriate to the object). If a character uses a ranged weapon to make a melee attack, or throws a melee weapon that does not have the thrown property, it also deals 1d4 damage. An improvised thrown weapon has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.
It is also worth noting that the "Improvised Weapon" definitions are separate from any of the Ranged or Melee weapon descriptions:
Weapons
-cut for space-
Every weapon is classified as either melee or ranged. A melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet of you, whereas a ranged weapon is used to attack a target at a distance.
Now on to my point:
While Improvised Weapon does temporarily turn a shield into a weapon, it is turned into an improvised weapon. This is not a melee weapon, which by definition the weapon must be in order to benefit from the Dueling fighting style. If you were using a knife to stab something, or a table leg to bludgeon something, these things resemble actual items classified as melee weapons and by the second paragraph of the Improvised weapons definition, may be treated as such and therefore would benefit from Dueling. However, since a Shield is not a weapon, you cannot treat it as a melee weapon when it comes to improvised weapon attacks.
again the post i linked to goes into more depth including links to tweets from Jeremy Crawford supporting these ideas, but this game allows for the flexibility to break rules if your DM allows it. Just wanted to point out that RAW, this isn't possible.
Shield Fighter Guide
This is a little guide I made to play as a fighter who uses only shields! I hope you like it!
First, choose the Variant Human race. This will give you a feat, and you should choose the Shield Master feat if you are going protection shield fighter, or Tavern Brawler if you want to be an offense shield fighter (proficiency in improvised weapons, which your shield is) which are both key features of this build.
Then, choose Fighter as your class (obviously).
Make your highest score Strength, then Constitution.
Take proficiency in Athletics and other skills of your choice.
Get the heaviest armor you can buy, and 2 shields. Yes, you can only benefit from 1 shield at a time for AC, but you can use the 2 for other things.
If you’re doing a protection build, choose the Protection fighting style (you protecc, you attacc, you… protecc some more) and if you’re doing an offense build, choose the Dueling fighting style-- only 1 of your 2 shields is considered a weapon. You now have a +2 to your shield attacks or the ability to jump in front of your teammates and make them take less damage!
At 3rd level, take the Battle Master, Champion, Samurai, or Cavalier subclass(added cavalier by recommendation of @Jesse_DND).
If you chose Champion, you gain some straightforward combat features. Choose whichever fighting style out of Dueling and Protection you didn't pick as your first as your second.
If you chose Samurai, you gain features that help you in the thick of battle. Also pretty straightforward.
If you chose Cavalier, you gain 1 useless feature unless you plan on riding a horse (Born to the Saddle), but your other features are amazing. Unwavering Mark is extremely useful, Warding Maneuver is like an improved Protection style that can apply to you as well, Hold the Line is great, you can knock people down even better with Ferocious Charger, and Vigilant Defender gets you an extra reaction.
If you chose Battle Master, the maneuvers only specify “weapon”, not “simple or martial weapon”, so your shield can be used for this.
For your manuveurs, include Disarming Attack, Pushing Attack, Sweeping Attack, Menacing Attack, and Trip Attack as some of your choices.
When you gain an Ability Score Improvement/Feat at 4th level, take the Tavern Brawler feat or the Shield Master feat-- whichever you didn't already take.
You may also want the Prodigy feat or a level in Rogue for Expertise in your Athletics checks to shove people.
That’s the end of the shield fighter guide! I hope it was helpful! Tell me anything that I could add/improve on.
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
Here are a few other ways to improve your build:
Why do you need expertise/advantage in Athletics?
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
Shield master bonus shove. Now you’ve got advantage! Useful pretty much only if you are defensive, I say.
Barbarian Shield Master are actually pretty nasty, well. They were before the Shield Master Nerf last year (2018), that forces the Bonus Action Shove after your normal Attack Action.
The Nerf doesn't hit Barbarians as hard because they can use Savage Attacker to get Advantage on attacks.
The Barbarian and Shield Master feat benefit together for a number of reasons:
1) Aside from some of the specific Path of the Totem Warrior abilities and entering Rage Barbarians don't use their Bonus Action for a lot. This leaves it free for Shove.
2) Barbarian powers rarely use Reaction, this leave it open for the Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" reaction usage against AoEs
3) Rage gives Advantage on Athletic checks which makes you much more likely to succeed on the Shove.
4) Danger Sense at lvl 2 gives you Advantage on Dex Saving throws so you're more likely to save and take half or non damage with Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" against AoEs or Shield Bonus to single target Dex Saving spells.
5) Barbarians have reasonable good Dex due to Unarmored Defense for Medium Armor, combined with Advantage on Dex Saves and Shield Master's "Diet Evasion" or the Shield Bonus to Dex this gives you a high chance to save.
My problem with the Battle Master is that you're going to be wanting to use your Bonus Actions and Reactions for Battle Master abilities, not leaving them for Shoves and Shield Master's "Diet Evasion".
To add to what ReptileBounty answered, you are much more likely to succeed shoving if you have expertise and/or advantage in Athletics checks. And shoving can be useful crowd control!
Oh yeah, I forgot shoving used Athletics.
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
Thanks for the advice, I should make a Shield Barbarian guide sometime! However, which feature is "diet evasion"?
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
The 3rd Feature of Shield Master: "If you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you can use your reaction to take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, interposing your shield between yourself and the source of the effect."
I call it "Diet Evasion" because it allows the character to take no damage from an AoE, but it uses up their Reaction so it can only happen once a turn and it doesn't provide auto half damage.
Don't forget the 2nd feature which gives you the Shield's bonus to your Reflex Save when you're targeted by single target Dex Saves, this is especially important because it's the Shield's bonus, so a normal Shield gives +2 while +1 Shield gives +3, etc...
This wouldn’t work with the Dueling fighting style as improved weapon wouldn’t gain the +2 bonus to the melee weapon damage as improvised weapons don’t count as weapons. And even if it did, then dual wielding them wouldn’t benefit for Dueling either.
I just took a look at the SRD content for improvised weapons. I don't see anywhere that says an improvised weapon doesn't count as a weapon.
Your second point is still correct.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Consider only one of the shields a weapon, and the other a shield.
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
The image in my head of some giant musclebro beating a gnoll to death with alternating shield bashes is wonderful.
"The Epic Level Handbook wasn't that bad, guys.
Guys, pls."
Same here.
i like linguistics and, well, d&d, obviously. this bio hadn't been updated for 3 years so i figured i'd do that.
Interesting thread @Irrelevant_ibs , Shields generally dont make for very good weapons, spiked ones would be better but the strike force generated is still low due to wind drag and friction. I’d say defensive defensive makes some kind of sense if you are into this idea.
@bill_poole are you a marvel, marvel movies fan by any chance?
I don't dislike Marvel movies. Why?
"The Epic Level Handbook wasn't that bad, guys.
Guys, pls."
I've just seen Deadpool2, there is a CGI bad guy called coleuses whom you reminded me of with the double shielded gnome bashing.. ;)
Say that if you don't have enough spellcasting in your party and you have enough of a tank from other people, you can use Eldritch Knight.
There's a lot of debate about this if you take the time to search for it. A good amount of it contradicts your guide. I'm going to pull a couple of things from (This) answer questioning the validity of using a shield as an improvised weapon.
Some terminology first, emphasis mine:
It is also worth noting that the "Improvised Weapon" definitions are separate from any of the Ranged or Melee weapon descriptions:
Now on to my point:
While Improvised Weapon does temporarily turn a shield into a weapon, it is turned into an improvised weapon. This is not a melee weapon, which by definition the weapon must be in order to benefit from the Dueling fighting style. If you were using a knife to stab something, or a table leg to bludgeon something, these things resemble actual items classified as melee weapons and by the second paragraph of the Improvised weapons definition, may be treated as such and therefore would benefit from Dueling. However, since a Shield is not a weapon, you cannot treat it as a melee weapon when it comes to improvised weapon attacks.
again the post i linked to goes into more depth including links to tweets from Jeremy Crawford supporting these ideas, but this game allows for the flexibility to break rules if your DM allows it. Just wanted to point out that RAW, this isn't possible.
Shoving enemies back with your shield, they contest your Athletics check I believe.