Defender

A shield. That is what you have trained yourself to be. You put yourself in harm's way to save those around you. Fittingly, this embrace of defense over offense has awarded you new ways to use a shield.

Well Defended

3rd-level Defender feature

While a shield is equipped you gain +1  to your Armor Class.

Shield Techniques

3rd-level Defender feature

A Shield for you counts as a simple melee weapon. It deals 1d6 + Strength modifier bludgeoning damage.

Additionally, you learn a number of techniques that you can use with your Shield. You learn 2 at 3rd level, 2 at 7th level, 1 at 10th level, and 1 at 15th level. Only one can be used per turn.

• Shield Throw
• Shield Bash
• Shield Charge
• Iron Turtle
• Protector
• Stalwart Defender
• Fierce Warrior
• Weight Displacement
• Shield Slam (10th Level)
• Last Stand (10th Level)

Fierce Warrior

Your mind is as fortified as you are. Once per short rest, you may automatically succeed a saving throw to prevent being charmed or frightened as a reaction. Until your next short rest, saving throws against these will be made at disadvantage.

Iron Turtle

An amount of times per short rest equal to your proficiency bonus, you can use your bonus action to give creatures disadvantage to attack you and advantage on saving throws you are proficient with until the start of your next turn.

Last Stand

While below half health, you can drop your shield as an action once per long rest and gain 3 benefits.

• You can make one melee weapon attack (including unarmed strikes) as a bonus action.
• You gain temporary hp equal to three times your Fighter level that lasts for one hour.
• If that temporary hp is depleted before the hour, you can use your reaction to spend up to 3 Fighter hit dice and regain that amount of hp.

Protector

If you are within 30 ft of a creature you can see get hit with a melee attack roll, you can use your reaction to move between the attacker and the creature act as half cover until the creature moves or the end of their next turn, potentially turning the attack into a miss. This cannot prevent/still provokes attacks of opportunity.

Shield Bash

On your first attack with the Shield, you can push a creature 10 ft away in addition to normal damage. A creature your size or larger must succeed a Strength saving throw versus 8 + your Strength modifier + proficiency bonus to resist, but a creature smaller than you has disadvantage on the saving throw.

Shield Charge

If you take the dash action while you are wielding a Shield, you can charge in a straight line without provoking attacks of opportunity. The first creature you hit must make a Dexterity saving throw to avoid you vs 8 + your Strength modifier + proficiency bonus. On a fail they are knocked prone and take 1d6 + your Strength modifier + 1 damage for every 5 ft dashed through in bludgeoning damage.

Shield Slam

Forgoing your movement, you jump and slam your shield on the ground to cause a small shockwave. As an action once per short rest you force all creatures in a 5 ft radius (except you) must make a Dexterity saving throw versus 8 + your Strength modifier + proficiency bonus or be stunned until the end of their next turn.

Shield Throw

As an action you can doff and throw your shield at an amount of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus that you can see. Each creature targeted requires its own attack roll, must be within at least 30 ft of each targeted creature, and requires your bonus action to catch the shield and re-don it. This technique only benefits from the thrown weapon fighting style on the first creature targeted, and uses your Strength modifier.

Stalwart Defender

While wearing your Shield, you are a comforting presence to most common folk and small town guards. You have advantage on persuasion rolls when negotiating for resources or assistance from these types of individuals.

Weight Displacement

When falling you can put your shield between you and the ground as a reaction and reduce falling damage by three-quarters.

Additional Fighting Style

7th level Defender feature

You can choose the Protection or Interception Fighting Style.

Interception

When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Blockade

10th level Defender feature

When you make an attack of opportunity, you can also attempt to Shove the creature back 15 ft, causing the creature to spend all of their movement. You can make this check against a creature of any size under these conditions, but you have disadvantage when the creature is more than one size larger than you.

Perfect Defense

15th level Defender feature

When you make a successful weapon attack with or while wielding your shield you add +1 to your Armor Class until the start of your next turn.

White Knight

18th level Defender feature

You are the embodiment of a protector. 

• You can now use three Shield Techniques per turn. 
• Allies within 10 ft of you (but not you) have an additional +2 to AC.
• As a bonus action an amount of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest, you can roll up to two Fighter hit dice and give that amount of temporary hp to one creature you can see that lasts for one hour. This could potentially be yourself.