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RingoBongo
2019-02-10, 10:05 PM
Thoughts? Is this game breaking? Should it be a feat or a fighter archetype?

Shield mastery

You have learned to use a shield in battle to your advantage and to beat down your enemies.

- you can don or doff shield as a bonus action.
- you shield also counts as a light melee weapon and may only be used as such once per round.
- attack rolls: if you are profiencient in simple melee weapons, martial melee weapons, shields, and the armor you are currently wearing, you may add your proficeincy bonus to the attack roll in addition to your strength modifier.
-Damage rolls: 1d4 + strength modifier
*If you choose to attack with your shield, you forfeit it's AC bonus until the beginning on your next turn.
*If you hit on the first attack with your shield against a new enemy, the target must succeed a constitution save against the attack roll. On a failed save the next attack against the target has advantage.

Zhorn
2019-02-11, 07:19 AM
Thoughts? Is this game breaking? Should it be a feat or a fighter archetype?

Shield mastery

You have learned to use a shield in battle to your advantage and to beat down your enemies.

- you can don or doff shield as a bonus action.
- you shield also counts as a light melee weapon and may only be used as such once per round.
- attack rolls: if you are profiencient in simple melee weapons, martial melee weapons, shields, and the armor you are currently wearing, you may add your proficeincy bonus to the attack roll in addition to your strength modifier.
-Damage rolls: 1d4 + strength modifier
*If you choose to attack with your shield, you forfeit it's AC bonus until the beginning on your next turn.
*If you hit on the first attack with your shield against a new enemy, the target must succeed a constitution save against the attack roll. On a failed save the next attack against the target has advantage.

I'm assuming feat was inspired by the recent shield bashing thread; http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?580345-Shield-Bashing/page5
Not against the feat. Having a feat that enables shield-bashing to operate as desired without getting bogged down in strange overlaps between improvised weapons, dual wielding and two-weapon fighting. BUT, considering RAW, improvised attacks already benefit from ability modifiers to attack rolls and damage, and there is no ruling in the books stating that using a shield as an improvised weapon removes the shields AC bonus (Confirmed by Jeremy Crawford)

Q: "Shields in 5e: If you attack with one (improvised weapon, ofc), do you keep the +2 AC? Nothing in the RAW says otherwise"
JC: "Using a shield to make an improvised attack doesn't deprive you of the AC bonus."
(Side note: regardless of whether you count Sage Advice as official rulings or not; being that the book doesn't say a character would lose the AC bonus, a clarification from the lead rules designer is far more official than any assertion that it must be taken away when the book doesn't say as such)
Anyway, long story short: The feat as written is essential converting as sword'n'board character into a less effective two-weapon fighter, negating the main benefit of the shield, and limiting the character to the 1d4 weapon attack.

Suggested changes:

Lose the AC penalty. If the player doesn't get the benefit of the shield, then they they are better served taking the Dual Wielder feat instead.
Specify the Shield Attack as the bonus action. Can see where you'r going with the "shields also counts as a light melee weapon and may only be used as such once per round", which is just enabling two-weapon fighting with extra steps.
The timing for the bonus attack needn't be conditional (avoid the "if/then" language), which was the major gripe with people wanting to use the defensive feat Shield Master offensively. Arguments for another thread, but this feat is designed as an offense feat, so lets just avoid this whole issue.
Would recommend swapping to a static DC like Martial Adept


Shield mastery (still very close in name to Shield Master, consider changing)

You have learned to use a shield in battle both for offense and defense.


You can don or doff shield as a bonus action.
While wielding a shield, as a bonus action you can slam a creature with a shield attack. You are proficient with this attack, and the attack roll and damage roll utilize your Strength modifier. The damage die is 1d4, and it deals bludgeoning damage.
Successfully striking an enemy with the shield attack forces them to make a constitution save (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failed save the next attack against the target is made with advantage.

RingoBongo
2019-02-11, 06:41 PM
Thank you for cleaning that language up!

I agree with most of your wording and changes. However, DM wishes to keep the AC clause. and I have a hard time arguing with him as you know having a shield and being able to attack with it is like having the best of both worlds. It should have a cost associated with it that way it doesn't outshine polearm master or duel wielder. I almost thought of "if on a miss you lose all the AC (or half). on a hit you retain it."

Long story short I'm just happy to be using a Homebrew feat. This is in part due to the shield bashing thread but also my preference to actually have combat go like this. there ought to be in the rules some sort of middle ground between pure sword and board and dual wielding.

I also think the ability to use it whenever as opposed to only on new enemies also makes it less confusing. And even more powerful so I believe the AC loss in some degree is warranted. Anyways, most classes have other bonus action options that if used instead of a shield attack would retain the Shield's AC bonus. Then there's always forfeiting your bonus action sheild attack strategically to have more AC during the enemies' turn.

I know people when they Homebrew they have the tendency to make something that's overpowered. Trying my best to keep it grounded and realistic without exceeding the power of other feats that already exist.

Also, now that I think about it.. this may out shine dual wilder feat by saying that "you can attack with your shield as a bonus action" vs saying "your shield is now also considered a light melee weapon" as you can upgrade your damage die from 1d6 to 1d8... But maybe the loss of AC can balance out more with your revised language.

Thanks again for you thoughts and help

RingoBongo
2019-02-11, 10:35 PM
Shield Renegade

You have learned to use a shield in battle both for offense and defense.

-You can don or doff shield as a bonus action.
-While wielding a shield, as a bonus action you can slam a creature with a shield attack. You are proficient with this attack, and the attack roll and damage roll utilize your Strength modifier. The damage die is 1d4, and it deals bludgeoning damage.
-Successfully striking an enemy with the shield attack forces them to make a constitution save (DC equals 8 + proficeincy modifier + strength) On a failed save the next attack against the target is made with advantage and you retain your shield's AC bonus.
-On a shield attack miss or if the target rolls a successful constitution save, you lose your shield's AC bonus until your next turn.



This is the final result.