SHIELDS
A shield can increase your character’s defense beyond the protection their armor provides. Your character must be wielding a shield in one hand to make use of it, and it grants its bonus to AC only if they use an action to Raise a Shield. This action grants the shield’s bonus to AC as a circumstance bonus until their next turn starts. A shield’s Speed penalty applies whenever your character is holding the shield, whether they have raised it or not.
| Name | Price | AC Bonus | Speed Penalty | Bulk | Hardness | HP (BT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckler | 1 gp | 1 | — | L | 3 | 6 (3) |
| This very small shield is a favorite of duelists and quick, lightly armored warriors. It's typically made of steel and strapped to your forearm. You can [action|raise-a-shield|Raise a Shield] with your [shield_base|buckler|buckler] as long as you have that hand free or are holding a light object that's not a weapon in that hand. | ||||||
| Steel Shield | 2 gp | 2 | — | 1 | 5 | 20 (10) |
| Like wooden shields, steel shields come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Though more expensive than wooden shields, they are much more durable. | ||||||
| Tower Shield | 10 gp | +2 (+42) | -5 ft. | 4 | 5 | 20 (10) |
| These massive shields can be used to provide cover to nearly the entire body. Due to their size, they are typically made of wood reinforced with metal. Getting the higher bonus for a [shield_base|tower-shield|tower shield] requires using the [action|take-cover|Take Cover] action while the shield is raised. | ||||||
| Wooden Shield | 1 gp | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | 12 (6) |
| Though they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the protection offered by wooden shields comes from the stoutness of their materials. While wooden shields are less expensive than steel shields, they break more easily. | ||||||
Shields made of precious materials are more expensive and have different durabilities. You can make bucklers and most shields out of any of these precious materials, but only darkwood can be used to make tower shields.
These shields have unique abilities that differentiate them from their typical counterparts.
| Name | Level | Price | Bulk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glamorous Buckler | 2 | 35 gp | L | |
| Sturdy Shield (Minor) | 4 | 100 gp | 1 | |
| Exploding Shield | 5 | 25 gp | 1 | |
| Lion's Shield | 6 | 245 gp | 1 | |
| Spellguard Shield | 6 | 250 gp | 1 | |
| Spined Shield | 7 | 360 gp | 1 | |
| Sturdy Shield (Lesser) | 7 | 360 gp | 1 | |
| Dragonslayer's Shield | 9 | 670 gp | 1 | |
| Force Shield | 9 | 650 gp | L | |
| Forge Warden | 10 | 975 gp | 1 | |
| Sturdy Shield (Moderate) | 10 | 1,000 gp | 1 | |
| Arrow-Catching Shield | 11 | 1,350 gp | 1 | |
| Floating Shield | 11 | 1,250 gp | L | |
| Jawbreaker Shield | 12 | 1,650 gp | 1 | |
| Medusa's Scream | 13 | 3,000 gp | 1 | |
| Sturdy Shield (Greater) | 13 | 3,000 gp | 1 | |
| Reforging Shield | 15 | 6,000 gp | 1 | |
| Floating Shield (Greater) | 16 | 9,000 gp | L | |
| Medusa's Scream (Greater) | 16 | 9,000 gp | 1 | |
| Nethysian Bulwark | 16 | 8,000 gp | 1 | |
| Sturdy Shield (Major) | 16 | 10,000 gp | 1 | |
| Indestructible Shield | 18 | 24,000 gp | 1 | |
| Reflecting Shield | 18 | 18,000 gp | L | |
| Sturdy Shield (Supreme) | 19 | 40,000 gp | 1 | |
| Shield of the Unified Legion | 20 | 70,000 gp | L |