Arrow-Catching Shield 5e
Armor (shield), rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +2 bonus to AC against ranged attacks while you wield this shield. This bonus is in addition to the shield's normal bonus to AC. In addition, whenever an attacker makes a ranged attack against a target within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to become the target of the attack instead.
A shield is made from wood or metal and is carried in one hand. Wielding a shield increases your Armor Class by 2. You can benefit from only one shield at a time.
Commentary by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
If you’re tired of getting buried in enemy projectiles and want a shield to block out these pesky bolts, the Arrow-Catching Shield is for you. It doesn’t literally catch arrows like a Monk can, but can draw them towards it like an arrow magnet!
The +2 bonus is in addition to the regular +2 AC a shield provides you. Shields of Arrow-Catching functionally give you a +4 AC against ranged attack rolls when added with the regular shield bonus.
“Fireball Formation” is generally used as a tactical problem where grouping up leads to being vulnerable to area of effect damage. To get the benefits of the reaction, you have to group up tightly with allies, which isn’t always going to be tactically advantageous, as it puts you in Fireball Formation.
The material the shield is made from only matters flavorfully for druids, who thematically don’t use metal weapons. That’s more a lore guideline than an actual mechanical rule, though, and many opt to ignore it entirely.
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