The Shield of the Broken Tower is a medium kite shield. It is of the finest steel, lacquered in black and red with trimmings and embossing in silver. Much of the surface is covered with intricate interwoven designs in silver.
Arcane Runes run down the border edges of the shield and these light up when the active powers of the shield are used. As the user progresses in level, another rune lights up and is added to the other active runes.
LEVEL 1:
IMPOSSIBLE WEIGHT -
USES: Always active.
The shield is light as a buckler to the owner as long as she is in contact with it, but it weighs 5 x the weight of any other person trying to lift it by itself. Ie. It would weigh 1000 lbs to someone who weighs 200 lbs. Multiple people trying to lift together each must face their own 5 x weight problem. She may decide to allow another to lift it.
PROFICIENCY -
USES: Active while the shield is held ready by the user.
The shield also grants the Protection Fighting Style: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll.
LEVEL 2:
SHIELD MASTER FEAT -
USES: Active while the shield is held ready by the user.
You use shields not just for protection but also for offense. You gain the following benefits while you are wielding a shield: • If you take the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to try to shove a creature within 5 feet of you with your shield. • If you aren’t incapacitated, you can add your shield’s AC bonus to any Dexterity saving throw you make against a spell or other harmful effect that targets only you. • If you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you can use your reaction to take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, interposing your shield between yourself and the source of the effect.
LEVEL 3:
SHIELD BONUSES -
USES: Active while the shield is held ready by the user.
The Shield gives a +1 to AC. This increases to +2 at 7th level and finally +3 at 11th level.
GROUNDING -
USES: Once per short rest
Casting time: 1 action
Range: Self
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Once per short rest the wielder of the Shield of the Broken Tower can slam the shield into the ground/floor and make herself as immovable as a mountain. An oncoming avalanche, a horde of goblins or even a gaggle of giants cannot move the wielder from her spot or knock her to the ground.
The user may pivot and attack or defend but as long as she remains locked in place she cannot be moved. She could still take damage in all of the examples above and unconsciousness or death will stop the effect.
At 5th Level: You gain the ability to, once per long rest, cast an area of effect Grounding that protects all those in a 10 foot radius as well. This is in addition to the normal Grounding that can be done once per Short Rest.
LEVEL 4:
SHOCK-WAVE -
USES: Once per short rest, as spell action.
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 5 ft.
Duration: Instant
Once per short rest, the user of this mighty shield can thrust her shield forth and send a repulsive shock-wave forth from the front surface of the shield. This shock-wave forces up to 3 adjacent medium sized or smaller opponents (or 1 large size) to make a STR saving throw or be knocked down and stunned for 1 turn. Stunned opponents suffer all prone penalties.
Whereas this is a spell action it supersedes your normal attack action.
At 6th Level: You gain one more use of this ability per short rest
SHIELD BASH -
USES: Once per combat turn as a bonus action.
As a bonus action, this special shield punch is an offhand attack that the user can attack with every round. There is no loss to AC benefit using this attack. There is no off-hand penalties to this attack. Add the shield bonus to this attack as if a magic weapon. The shield does 1d4 + Strength damage bonus damage and an additional blast of energy for 1d4 force damage.
NOTE: If you are a Priest of War, this power remains as a bonus action, but the WAR PRIEST feature that grants extra attacks from divine inspiration - That feature changes so that that extra attack comes as part of your attack action - instead of as a bonus action. (The number of times is still equal to WIS modifier per day). See War Priest Feature PHB P.63
At 6th Level: The force damage effect of Shield Bash I is increased from d4 to d6, on a natural 20 critical hit the opponent is stunned for 1 turn (DC 16 Con Save). If the wielder already has a spell DC, then the item will use the best of the two.
At 8th Level:
STRENGTH OF THE PROTECTOR
USES: Once per day as part of an attack action. Recharges at dawn.
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 5 ft.
Duration: Instant
When you hit a creature with a shield or melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal force damage to the target from that one attack, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum bonus of 5d8 (6d8 total).
If your class does not have spell slots then you can do one strike per day for 3d8 force damage.
LEVEL 5:
FIRESHIELD -
USES: At will, as Spell action. The type of shield must be chosen when activates.
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self
Duration: As long as activated
Thin and wispy flames wreathe the shield and your body for the Duration, shedding bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. You can end the spell early by using an action to dismiss it.
The flames provide you with a warm Shield (red) or a chill Shield (Blue), as you choose. The warm Shield grants you Resistance to cold damage, and the chill Shield grants you Resistance to fire damage.
In addition, whenever a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee Attack, the Shields flame pulses brighter and erupts in even more flame. The attacker takes 2d8 fire damage from a warm Shield, or 2d8 cold damage from a cold Shield.
Whereas this is a spell action it supersedes your normal attack action.
At 7th Level: You gain the ability to, once per long rest, cast an area of effect Fireshield that protects all those in a 10 foot radius as well. This is in addition to the normal Fireshield at will ability of the shield. The duration of the area effect shield is 10 minutes.
ARCANE SHIELD:
USES: Twice per short rest.
1st-level abjuration
Casting Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack or targeted by the magic missile spell
Range: Self
Duration: 1 turn
An invisible barrier of magical force appears and protects you. Until the start of your next turn, you have a +5 bonus to AC, including against the triggering attack, and you take no damage from magic missile.
LEVEL 6:
WAR CASTER FEAT - USES: Active while the shield is held ready by the user.
• You have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain your concentration on a spell when you take damage. • You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands. • When a hostile creature’s movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.
LEVEL 7:
Bulwark -
USES: When striking and doing damage to a target as part of attack action.
Companions can only make use of this effect for the first attack they receive, only once per combat turn.
If the wielder of the shield hits a target with the shield and/or a weapon attack, a flash of glowing blue trails of light streak out from the target and effect any companions who are within 5 feet of the target. A small, slightly glowing translucent shield will revolve around affected companions, granting them a bonus equal to the magical plus of the shield to AC against the first attack against them for the duration. The shield lasts until the start of the shield user's next combat turn if it is not discharged to defend against an attack.
REFLECTION -
Gaze Reflection:
USES: Active while the shield is held ready by the user.
The magic and polish of the shield grants it the gaze reflection power which protects the wielder from gaze attacks. Any gaze attack, such as that of a basilisk, Eyes of Charming, a vampire's gaze, the 6th-level Eyebite spell, and so on, is reflected back upon the gazer if the gazer tries to use this power against the user (the user suffers no effects from the gaze attack). Such creatures receive a saving throw vs. their own gaze effect. The power does not affect vision or lighting and is not effective against creatures whose effect comes from being gazed upon (such as a medusa). Only active gaze attacks are blocked by this spell.
At 9th Level: Spell Turning
USES: Active while the shield is held ready by the user.
You have advantage on Saving Throws against any spell that Targets only you (not in an area of effect). In addition, if you roll a 20 for the save and the spell is 7th level or lower, the spell has no effect on you and instead Targets the caster, using the slot level, spell save DC, Attack bonus, and Spellcasting ability of the caster.
At 11th Level: Expansion
Casting Time: 1 Reaction
Range: Self
Duration: Concentration, Up to 1 minute
Once per long rest can expand these reflective powers in a 10 foot radius around the shield bearer, protecting allies from harm.
LEVEL 8:
SHIELD OF HOLDING -
The underside of the shield can be commanded to act as a bag of holding, allowing the wielder to reach into an extra-dimensional space to store and retrieve items just as a bag of holding. Maximum weight allowance of 1000lbs.
Unlike a bag of holding, the shield merely opens a portal to this space on command, it is not always active, so generally the shield will not suffer the effects of stacking extra-dimensional spaces - unless the user somehow chooses to activate it while standing in a portable hole or something similar.