Shield Master (5e Subclass)

Shield Master

Fighter Archetype

You are a warrior who prefers to use a shield or pair of shields as your weapon. Using one shield as a weapon and the other as a defensive tool, you can bash, push and strike your opponents, moving them trough the battlefield, while diligently protecting your allies.

Shield Training

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to wield a pair of shields in combat, using one mainly for attack, and the other for protection. You gain the following benefits:

• You can don or doff a pair of shields using a bonus action. You only gain a bonus to your AC from one of the shields.
• The shields are considered martial weapons, and cause 1d6 bludgeoning damage on a hit, and it has the versatile (1d8) property.
• When you take the Attack action and make an attack with a shield, you can use your bonus action to make another attack with the other shield or make a Shove attempt with it.
• As a reaction against an attack or when you or a creature within 5 feet are forced to make a Dexterity save, you can add your proficiency bonus to your AC or to the result of the save.

If the shield has a magical bonus to its AC, you add that bonus to your attacks and damage rolls with it, and attacks with it will ignore resistance and immunity to non-magical damage.

Parry

At 7th level, when a creature within a distance equal to half your movement speed is attacked, you can move towards it as a reaction. If you end your movement within 5 feet of that creature, make an opportunity attack with your shield. If the result of your attack is equal or superior to the attack suffered by that creature, the attack misses.

If the attacker is within your reach, you can also push it 10 feet back on a success with this feature.

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

Living Tower

At 10th level, you can use your bonus action to assume a defensive stance that lasts for 1 minute. For the duration, or until you are incapacitated, you and your allies within 5 feet gain the benefits of half cover, and have Advantage on Strength saving throws.

In addition, whenever a hostile creature moves within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack or shove attempt against that creature.

Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest or until after you use your Second Wind feature.

Impenetrable Stance

Starting at 15th level, whenever you use your Action Surge, you assume a defensive stance that lasts for the next minute. For the duration, you gain the following benefits:

• You and all allied creatures within 5 feet have half cover.
• When you use your bonus action to attack with a shield, you cause additional 1d10 bludgeoning damage, and the target is pushed 5 feet back.
• You gain a number of temporary hit points at the start of each of your turns equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier.

Ultimate Defense

At 18th level, you can assume a posture of perfect defensive cover. When you succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against an effect that causes damage in an area, such as a fireball spell or the breath of a dragon, you can block that effect, causing all the creatures in the area to take no damage from the effect. If you fail this saving throw, creatures in the area take only half damage on a failed save, or no damage on a success.

Once you use this feature, you can't do it again until you finish a short or a long rest. You regain a use of this feature when you use Indomitable.

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