Shield Warrior

The shield warrior is a fighter who believes that the best offense is a good defense… used as an offense. They use shields as weapons, both protecting and assaulting. They are distinctive on a battlefield, wielding enormous shields to stand against any threat, throwing magically enhanced shields that ricochet off their enemies, or dual-wielding shields to protect from every angle.

Shield Bash

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn the art of striking not with a blade, but a shield.

When you wield a shield, in addition to its normal AC bonus, you can treat it as a martial melee weapon dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage.

When you hit a creature your size or smaller with a shield used as a weapon in this way, as a bonus action you can force the creature to make a Strength saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. On a failed save, you knock the creature prone or push it 5 feet away from you (your choice).

At 10th level, you can treat shields as martial melee weapons dealing 1d8 bludgeoning damage. At 18th level, you can treat them as martial melee weapons dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage.

Shield Specialization

At 3rd level, you learn a specialized form of shield-fighting that sets you apart from other combatants. As part of this training, you craft a unique shield that facilitates your strange way of fighting. You gain proficiency in smith’s tools to build and repair your shield, and you gain one of the following features of your choice.

Colossal Aegis

You command a massive shield almost your own height to protect yourself and your allies. When you wield this massive shield with two hands, you gain an additional +1 bonus to AC, and if you have not yet moved on your turn, you can use a bonus action to fixate your shield toward a creature until the start of your next turn. While your shield is fixated toward a creature, you pivot to keep your shield between yourself and the creature, giving you and any creature within 10 feet directly behind you relative to the creature three-quarters cover against any attacks and effects made by that creature. For the duration that you are fixated on a creature with your massive shield in this way, your speed is halved and you cannot take opportunity attacks, except against the creature you are fixated on.

You can craft your massive shield using four metal shields or metal ingots worth 50 gp as crafting components, working with smith’s tools at a forge for at least 8 hours. This massive shield has the heavy and two-handed properties, and deals 1d12 bludgeoning damage when you use your Shield Bash feature.

Ricochet Fighting

You employ a rounded shield imbued with arcane energies that through a combination of extensive practice, quick reflexes, and guiding magic, you can throw and ricochet across a battlefield. When you wield this rounded shield, it has the finesse and thrown (20/60) properties. When you use it to make a ranged attack, it ricochets off your attack target or the environment to return to your hand at the end of the turn.

You can craft your rounded shield using one metal shield and powdered ruby, liquid mercury, and platinum ingots worth 75 gp as crafting components, working with smith’s tools at a forge for at least 8 hours.

Shield Dual-Wielding

You brandish a transformable shield that can be quickly separated into two shields and recombined, allowing you to transition between dual-wielding shields and stowing them effortlessly. When you wield your transformable shield, once per turn you can separate it into two shields wielded in each hand, or recombine it into one shield. This does not cost an action. When you wield two shields, each shield in either hand, you gain an additional +1 bonus to AC and each shield has the light property, unless it has the heavy or two-handed properties.

You can craft your transformable shield using two metal shields or metal ingots worth 25 gp as crafting components, working with smith’s tools at a forge for at least 8 hours.

Shield Surfing

At 3rd level, you master the delicate balancing needed to traverse downhill while riding on a shield. 

You can use a bonus action to jump onto and ride a shield you are carrying without the need for an ability check. While riding a shield, your speed is 50 feet. Downward movement, such as riding down a slope or staircase, doesn't provoke opportunity attacks. When you move entirely horizontally, such as riding across a level floor, you must spend 5 feet of movement for every 1 foot you move, and when you move upward, such as riding up a slope, you must spend 10 feet of movement for every 1 foot you move. If an effect moves you against your will while riding a shield, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. If you fall prone, you fall off of the shield. A shield you are riding confers no benefit to your AC.

While riding a shield, you can use your reaction to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to your Fighter level ✕ 3.

Shield Block

At 7th level, you learn to fearlessly dive to defend your allies. If a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you is targeted by an attack roll or forced to make a Dexterity saving throw to avoid taking damage, you can use your reaction to immediately move up to half your speed directly towards this creature. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. If you end this movement within 5 feet of the creature, the attack is redirected at you or you are forced to make the Dexterity saving throw instead of it. You gain a bonus to your AC for this attack or a bonus to this Dexterity saving throw equal to half your Fighter level (rounded down). You must be wielding a shield to use this reaction.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (a minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.

Improved Shield Specialization

At 7th level, you gain additional benefits based on your chosen Shield Specialization.

Colossal Aegis

When you wield your massive shield with two hands, before you move on your turn, as an action you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, your speed is reduced to 0, you cannot be pushed or knocked prone, and you have resistance to all damage except psychic damage.

Ricochet Fighting

You can ricochet your shield off opponents successively before it returns to you. When you take the Attack action and throw your rounded shield to attack a target, whether the attack hits or misses, you can ricochet your shield off the attack target or the environment to make another attack roll using your Extra Attack feature. These subsequent attack rolls are made using the previous attack target as the attack origin in regards to range, though you can still attack the previous attack target again by bouncing your shield off the environment to repeatedly strike it. If your shield hits a creature when thrown, subsequent ricocheting attacks gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls until the end of the turn. This bonus to damage rolls stacks with repeated hits using Extra Attack. Regardless of the number of hits or misses, your shield ricochets to return to your hand at the end of the turn.

Shield Dual-Wielding

Using your dual-shield fighting technique, you can defend against two attacks at once. Once per round while you wield a shield in either hand, if you have used your reaction using your Shield Block feature, the Interception Fighting Style, or the Protection Fighting Style, you can use your Shield Block feature, the Interception Fighting Style, or the Protection Fighting Style again without using your reaction. You cannot use it on the same trigger that you spent your reaction on.

Additional Fighting Style

At 10th level, you can choose a second option from the Fighting Style class feature.

Shield Crush

Starting at 15th level, the superior craftsmanship of your shields and your superior knowledge of shields allows you to shatter the defenses of a lesser shield-user. If a creature wielding a shield fails the Strength saving throw against your Shield Bash feature to be knocked prone or pushed back, you can shatter their shield as part of the failed save. Their shield is splintered into pieces against the force of your mightier shield, becoming unusable until repaired. This fails if their shield is reinforced with adamantine.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended use when you finish a long rest.

Shield Mastery

Starting at 18th level, your skill with a shield becomes legend. When you miss an attack roll with a shield, are hit by an attack while wielding a shield, or fail a Dexterity saving throw while wielding a shield, you can reroll the attack roll or saving throw.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended use when you finish a long rest.