The Shield Is Mightier Than The Sword

A towering orc stands above the defenseless halfling, an axe ready to swing. The halfling quivers and closes his eyes, silently saying his goodbyes and making peace with the gods as they wait for what seems to be inevitable. Then, as if fate itself had intervened, the unmistakable sound of metal striking metal is heard. The halfling opens his eyes to find a woman standing between him and the ruffian, the rugged axe stopped by a tall shield of iron held in both of her hands. She looks back to the halfling and gives a slight nod before pushing back against the orc, knocking the axe aside and taking him to the ground.

Fighter Level Feature Shield Dice 3rd Shield Fighter, Defender Stance 1d6 7th Stand Behind Me! 1d8 10th Additional Fighting Style 1d8 15th Concussive Blows 1d10 18th Unbreakable 1d12

Shield Fighter You have learned there is so much more to shields than just blocking blows, and you have spent a long time mastering and reaching the potential of shields. As such, you gain the following benefits: You can now attack with shields. If you are wielding a shield in your dominant hand, it is considered an improvised weapon you are proficient with that does bludgeoning damage. When rolling for damage done with a shield, use the dice indicated in the Shield Dice column of the class table.

You gain access to a new, unique shield known as a greatshield and may, with an hour long construction process, convert two standard shields to a greatshield. The description of greatshields is at the end of the subclass description.

Defender Stance As a bonus action while wielding a shield in your dominant hand, you can enter a defensive posture and prepare yourself for incoming blows. When you do this, your speed is reduced to zero. Additionally, when entering a Defender Stance you roll your Shield Die and add half of the roll (rounded up) to your AC until the end of your Defender Stance. A Defender Stance ends at the beginning of your next turn.

Stand Behind Me! While in a Defender Stance, you may use your reaction to leap to the aid of an ally within 30 feet if a hostile creature attacks them and their is a passable and safe route to them. Once this is done, you are considered to be in the same space as the ally you leaped to and must move out by the end of your next turn. The attack that was made against your ally that triggered this ability is now considered to have been targeting you, your ally has resistance to all damage but psychic until the beginning of their turn next turn, your movement speed is set to 5 until the end of your next turn, and the ally you leaped to is considered to have half cover as long as you are in the same space as them. Once you use this class feature three times, you must take a short rest before using it again.

Additional Fighting Style At 10th level, you can choose one of the following fighting styles as a second option from the Fighting Style feature: Defense: While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC

Dueling: When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon

Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit

Concussive Blows If you hit a creature with an attack with your shield, it adds one stack of Concussive Blows. Thereafter, any attacks that hit the creature add a stack of Concussive Blows. Once a creature gains five stacks of Concussive Blows, they must pass a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 8 + Your Proficiency Bonus + Your Strength. If they fail, the target is Stunned until the end of their next turn. All stacks of Concussive Blows are removed at the beginning of your next turn.