Fighters who follow the path of the Aegis Dancer are graceful warriors trained in the rare and precise art of shield-throwing combat. Where others use shields as blunt defense, you wield yours like a blade — hurling it into enemies, guiding its arc through crowds, and reclaiming it in a seamless rhythm.

Whether spinning across a battlefield in blinding speed or pinning foes with surgical ricochets, Aegis Dancers control space through momentum and mastery. They are bodyguards, duelists, and battlefield conductors — every throw a command, every rebound a return to elegance.

To watch an Aegis Dancer in motion is to see form and force made one.

Level 3: Shieldbound Style

You’ve mastered the art of using your shield as both weapon and protector, turning defense into a dance of lethal precision.

• Any shield you wield is considered a martial melee weapon with the Thrown property. It has a range of 20/60, deals 1d8 bludgeoning damage, and automatically returns to your hand at the end of your turn if it is not destroyed or prevented from returning.

• You are proficient with thrown shields, and may use your Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls with them.

• When you take the Attack action and make only thrown weapon attacks, you may make one additional thrown weapon attack as a bonus action.

Throwing your shield does not remove its AC bonus or other defensive properties, as long as it returns to your hand before your next turn.

Level 7: Combat Ricochet

Your mastery of rebounds and battlefield geometry lets you turn every miss into an opportunity.

• When you miss with a thrown weapon or shield attack, you may choose a second target within 10 feet of the original target and make a new attack roll against them as part of the same attack.

• Additionally, when you hit with a thrown weapon, you may choose to ricochet the weapon to a second enemy within 15 feet, who must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency + Dex modifier) or take damage equal to your Dexterity modifier.

Level 10: Sentinel's Return

You can turn defense into offense mid-air.

• When a creature misses you with a melee or ranged attack, you may use your reaction to immediately make a thrown weapon attack against that creature.

• If you are wielding a shield, you do not lose your AC bonus for throwing it — your defense never drops.

This represents a perfect parry-turn-throw motion — strike and recall in the same breath.

Level 15: Shieldstorm Tactics

You can control the battlefield with spinning arcs of destruction.

Once per turn, when you hit with a thrown weapon or shield attack, you may mark that creature until the start of your next turn. A marked creature:

• Has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you.

• Provokes an Opportunity Throw from you if it moves more than 5 feet on its turn — you may throw a weapon at it as a reaction (even if it’s not adjacent).

You can have only one creature marked this way at a time.

Level 18: Perfect Rebound

At 18th level, you have fully mastered the path of the Aegis Dancer. Your thrown weapons — especially your shield — curve, snap, and ricochet in impossible patterns under your perfect control.

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a thrown weapon or shield, you can cause the weapon to bounce to up to two additional targets within 30 feet of the original creature.

Make a separate attack roll against each target. On a hit, each target takes normal weapon damage (no ability modifier on the additional hits).

If all three attacks hit, you may choose one of the following effects:

• Whirlwind Control: All three creatures must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dex modifier) or be knocked prone.

• Shield Surge: You may immediately move up to half your movement and make one additional thrown weapon attack as part of the same action.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier per long rest (minimum once).