shield of cavalier + devine strike?

so i have a question and i need an answer. the forceful bash ability of the shield of cavalier allows me to swap a normal attack for a shield bash attack. but does this shield bash count as a weapon attack? i'm trying to work out if my cleric can get an extra d8 of damage with the devine strike ability which normally only affects weapon attacks, so does the shield count as a weapon in this context?. thanks in advance.

I would say so, yes. The description of the attack reads

Forceful Bash. When you take the Attack action, you can make one of the attack rolls using the Shield against a target within 5 feet of yourself. 

Attack rolls have to be either a weapon or magic attack, and there's about this that would indicate it should be considered a magic attack roll.

Quote from The_Ace_of_Rogues >>

I would say so, yes. The description of the attack reads

Forceful Bash. When you take the Attack action, you can make one of the attack rolls using the Shield against a target within 5 feet of yourself. 

 

Attack rolls have to be either a weapon or magic attack, and there's about this that would indicate it should be considered a magic attack roll.

 I actually disagree. You are making an attack with the shield, but nothing in the description of the Shield of the Cavalier says that it counts as a weapon, and the damage type of its bash attack is force, which is described as "pure magical energy". Because this special attack is not a weapon attack, which the Cleric's Divine Strikes feature requires, so they would not get the extra radiant damage.

I agree with Sequilonis.

Since a Shield is not a Weapon, I'd say it's not possible to use Divine Strike:

Divine Strike. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with an attack roll using a weapon, you can cause the target to take an extra 1d8 Necrotic or Radiant damage (your choice). 

I'd add it would be the same for Smites, for example, so you can't use them with Forceful Bash.

I see what Sequilonis and Tarod_ pointed out that the description of Shield of the Cavalier doesn't specifically say that the Shield counts as a weapon.

That made me think of random objects that could be used as a weapon, which led me to thinking about Improvised Weapons.

Specific to Mathisthebutcher's original question, wouldn't his character's Shield count as an Improvised Weapon?

Just curious...

Quote from Laird_Denton >>

I see what Sequilonis and Tarod_ pointed out that the description of Shield of the Cavalier doesn't specifically say that the Shield counts as a weapon.

That made me think of random objects that could be used as a weapon, which led me to thinking about Improvised Weapons.

Specific to Mathisthebutcher's original question, wouldn't his character's Shield count as an Improvised Weapon?

Yes it would. And that would allow the extra d8 from Divine Strike.

However if you choose to do that then you also have to stick to the improvised weapons rule, i.e 1d4 damage and no proficiency to hit instead of the rules from the shield, i.e 2d6+2+mod force damage and being proficient in the attack. Either you are using the object as intended or as an improvised weapon, you can't mix and match.

It’s technically ambiguous, but imo if you’ve taken the Attack Action and aren’t making an Unarmed Strike then you’re attacking with a weapon barring specific language to the contrary such as gish cantrip weaving. Plus, the shield is hitting for about 1d6+2 more than you could with a typical one-handed weapon as a Very Rare attuned once per turn. Especially for the item tier, it’s not generating so much extra damage that stacking the Cleric bonus as well brings it anywhere close to OP.

Quote from The_Ace_of_Rogues >>

It’s technically ambiguous, but imo if you’ve taken the Attack Action and aren’t making an Unarmed Strike then you’re attacking with a weapon barring specific language to the contrary such as gish cantrip weaving. Plus, the shield is hitting for about 1d6+2 more than you could with a typical one-handed weapon as a Very Rare attuned once per turn. Especially for the item tier, it’s not generating so much extra damage that stacking the Cleric bonus as well brings it anywhere close to OP.

 The way I see it, the Shield of the Cavalier gives you a special attack that replaces a normal weapon attack, in a way similar to how an Eldritch Knight could cast a cantrip in place of one of their attacks during the Attack. It's not a weapon attack, or it would say that it is as in the case of the Boomerang Shield's special attack.