Tuesday Magic Item – Vanguard’s Shield
January 18, 2011
Vanguard's Shield in action
The brave young men took up the shields of their fathers, uncles and brothers, proud to be able to prove their bravery by leading the attack against the invaders. Proudly, they lead the charge, braving arrows and spears to close with the enemy. At the end of the day, the handful that survived were feted as heroes.
Vanguard’s Shield
These shields are solidly build, even for shields, with reinforced edges and straps. The fronts are battle scarred and usually recently repainted. The interior is usual etched with the names of previous owners. These shields are given to those who will lead an assault who will triumph or die in the attempt.
Under normal circumstances, it is a +1 shield. Once a day, as a swift action, the shield becomes a +3 shield and the bearer is guarded by protection from arrows (at a 7th level of effect) for five minutes. It also makes the bearer the obvious target for any attack, anyone who can attack the bearer of the shield must make a Will save (DC 11) to attack another target.
Aura moderate abjuration; CL 7th
Slot shield; Price 2,250; Weight As shield type +10%
Construction
Requirements Craft Magical Arms and Armor, protection from arrows, taunt; Cost 1125 (+90 xp for D&D)
Notes: The vanguard of an attack always suffers heavily, these items give the bearers a fighting chance of getting though or at least allowing their comrades to do so.
Photo by Michael Huang and used under Creative Commons CC BY-NC 2.0.
