You call upon the indomitable spirits of the warriors who fought in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall. Until the spell ends, you or another willing creature within 30 feet gain the effect and suffer its drawback. The targeted creature chooses one of the following spirits to embody for the duration. A creature cannot benefit from more than one spirit at a time.
Effects:
- The One-Legged Knight: You gain +2 AC and your melee weapon reach increases by 5 ft. But your speed slows to 10ft for the spell duration and you have disadvantage on saving throws to avoid being knocked prone if you moved this turn.
"Consider the plight of the one-legged knight, as he braces his crutch with his shield;
He’ll stand still and wait till you come for the bait, then you’ll find that the bastard won’t yield!" - The Arthritic Crossbow Dame: You gain +2 to ranged attack rolls and and you ignore half and three-quarters cover from nonmagical sources. But you have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws and take 1d4 Necrotic Damage if you move more than 10ft.
"Beware the old dame who’s arthritic and lame, so knee-sprung she barely can stand;
But her hands and her eye are still steady and spry, she’s the best crossbow-shot in the land!" - The Knight who can't hear: When you hit with a melee weapon attack, you deal additional damage equal to half the damage dealt (rounded up). But you become deafened for the duration of the spell.
"Pray do not go near the knight who can’t hear; though he can’t tell command-calls at all,
He reads signs from his friends, and his post he defends with a lightning-fast seven-foot maul!" - The Blind Knight: You advantage on Perception checks based on hearing within 60ft, When a creature enters a space within 10 feet of you, you may use your reaction to Dash. If you Dash toward that creature, you may make one melee weapon attack against it as part of the same reaction. But you become blinded for the duration of the spell.
"No profit you’ll find from the knight who is blind. He can hear you twelve paces away:
He’ll listen off-hand till he’s sure where you stand, then his bill-hook reaps far more than hay!" - The Cripple-Armed Knight: You gain a +3 bonus to melee Weapon attack rolls made with your main hand, and you score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 with that weapon. But you can only strike with downward blows. You must spend your bonus action to lift your main hand above your head or be unable to make melee weapon attacks with your main hand
"Watch out in the fight for the cripple-armed knight. Whose hand can’t swing up, only down,
For he’ll watch through the dance till he spies a good chance, then his downstroke will cost you your crown!"
When the spell ends, you must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion as you feel the burden they had to carry.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can affect one additional willing creature within 30 ft for each slot level above 4th. Each creature chooses its own spirit.
"They’ve learned their art well, and they strike hard and true.
If they’ve something to prove, then they’ll prove it on you!
The last line on Earth that you’d want to drive through,
You can swear, is the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!
Beware of the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!"
- Leslie Fish.
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