Using a shield as a main weapon.

OzDragon said:

I'm working on a build that uses a shield in one hand and the other empty for grappling. Think Captain America.

My thought is through a lifetime of study/practice he has learned to use his shield as an offensive weapon and still use it for defense as well.
I'm not trying to get cheesy with it as a light weapon or offhand for dual wielding. I just want to use it as a weapon.

I know RAW states it can be used as a improvised weapon but they were used as weapons in the past. (yes I know real history is not DnD)

I was thinking of consulting with my DM to make a shield a weapon that goes with the martial weapons list and do either d6 or d8 +Ability damage.

Thrown is a possibility but only 20/40(60) range.

Usable with multiple attacks if the character has them.

Maybe some way to don it as a bonus actionWould like to know what you guys(DMs) think.(before bringing it up to my own DM)

Thanks in advance.

Edit:Spelling

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5ekyu said:

My response to the request would be tavern brawler feat and ruling the shield is a d6 improvised weapon.

The advantage of round to round switching without actions between +2 ac or an extra attack is significanticant

Might also allow loaded gauntlet on other hand to give the unarmed sttike "weapon, light" properties which means you can get TWF bonus attack.

However, not likely gonna give you ac and shield bash at same time.

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Satyrn said:

Were I your DM I'd say that looks fine. We'll start by saying this isn't the shield in the book, it's a fighting shield! . . . let's go with d6 damage, 20/60 range and treat it like a weapon for equiping.

Oh, and let's say after you attack you'll have to use your reaction to gain the AC bonus for the round (you can take the reaction when you're attacked, and it will apply to everything until your turn starts.)

Let's see how that plays out.

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Oofta said:

While I try to work with people on custom builds like this, here are my thoughts.

With no house rule you could do this if you had the Tavern Brawler feat. The shield does 1d4 bludgeoning since it doesn't resemble any other weapon and can be thrown with a range of 20/60. It's not really clear, but I'd let you keep the AC bonus because it's not really clear. The biggest issue is that in order to don/doff it takes an action since you do more than just hold the shield, you have to put your arm through straps.

So it kind of works.

A custom feat is a bit tricky. After all Tavern Brawler does the basics of what you ask for and if I give you custom or a magic item (see below) then a custom feat is kind of hard to balance. I would say something along the lines of

Shield Basher: you can use your shield as a one-handed weapon. It does 1d6 damage and can be donned/doffed as a bonus action, however your shield AC bonus from drops by 1.
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That would make sense to me. If you throw your shield you won't be able to put another on again until your next round, you pay a slight penalty for both damage and AC. It might be a bit miserly, but like I said you could just take Tavern Brawler instead.

A custom magic item to fit the character would look like

Throwing Shield: this adamantium shield not only prevents critical hits but can also be thrown as an improvised weapon and will always return to the thrower. If you normally have multiple attacks you can hit multiple targets, but not the same target twice in a row.
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Anyway, those are my thoughts. I'm sure this topic has come up before, so there are probably many other options.

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OzDragon said:

First thanks for the response. I was not thinking about two weapon fighting because I don't think you should be able to get the AC bonus if you do that. With an open off hand you could readjust your shield after attacking to give the AC bonus.

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