FrogReaver
As long as i get to be the frog
Well that's cool. I've been playing that wrong! Thanks!
D&D 5E (Analysis) Shield Master
Well that's cool. I've been playing that wrong! Thanks!
Erechel
Explorer
Necrothreader attacks again!
Although I'm not really a fan of the whole "DPR" issue, I'm going to add some empyrical perspective. I have a 5th level Strength based fighter, battlemaster, shieldmaster. Since I have this feat (I'm variant human so... it was the first one to pick), I became the best at dealing damage and attacking enemies.
First:
Which means that rolling over 10 has almost a 80% chance (79.75%). Rolling 15 or above has 51% chance, and rolling 20, 9.75, the highest possibility for any roll. This means that you crit almost double the amount of times, and failing "average" rolls (10, assuming an average AC of 15 at apprentice tier, and a +5 to hit- in case of my figher is +7-). There is a 20.25% chance of failing 10. A champion, on the other hand, will have 19% chance of critting (1 in 5 attacks), almost the same as a failure. Consider a two-weapons champion ally: he will crit 2 times every 3 rounds (I see you, AD&D), and at least once every two. This escalates very well for champions, with crits almost every 3 attacks (27,75, midway between 3 and 4 attacks): so almost one crit per round, or one per round if he is a two weapon fighter. At level 20, you crit once every round for sure, or more.
Against low-armor, high CR foes (such as a Hobgoblin Devastator), this means a lot more damage, as even the chances of success are even greater (+1 vs. at least +6 -+7 in case of my fighter-)
Without advantage, the chance of crit is 5%, and the chance of failure is 50%. A champion will have 10% chance of crit: Once every ten attacks. Almost the same as everyone else with advantage (in the same time, the battlemaster with shield will crit with maneuvers: 4d8+strength+dueling. And it remains the same way until it gains Improved Criticals, when he has 15%, lower than when the enemy is prone.
This actually happened in my campaign: I was the shieldmaster, my coleague was an elven two-weapon champion/rogue. The monk in the group also benefits a lot of SM, with his multple attacks.
Ranged companions will have disadvantage against proned creatures. It is a hindrance only in the unlikely scenario that the proned creature is the only one: it is more common the opposite. Ranged characters can protect from afar the frontliners, taking out the other creatures. Common sense indicates that the optimal choice is for the fighter to knock the best armored ones first, and the rest of the party attacks the least armored first.
Conclusions
Shield master improves a lot the chances of hitting (1 every 5 attacks will be a miss, instead of 1 every 2), and of critting (both for the champions and normal fighters). This almost doubles the amount of damage in melee, but do the mat yourself. It doesn't take away damage dealing of other party members (rogues & rangers can still attack in melee; the spellcasters will change to Saving Throws or attack other creatures), unless specific scenarios where most probably Shield Master won't work (Solos tend to be Huge or greater creatures)
Post Data
Furthermore, it is a great defensive tactic: prone creatures attack with disadvantage and reduce mobility. I've being shutting down casters this way (knock, grapple, then choke to impede them to cast with verbal components; furthermore, casters can't really resist a shieldmaster with maxed Athletics). This allows to take down some of the most dangerous foes around (the ones that take the squishier ones... they won't kill you with most of their damaging spells).
Although I'm not really a fan of the whole "DPR" issue, I'm going to add some empyrical perspective. I have a 5th level Strength based fighter, battlemaster, shieldmaster. Since I have this feat (I'm variant human so... it was the first one to pick), I became the best at dealing damage and attacking enemies.
First:
- The bonus action is an opposed check, not an attack roll, and that does a lot of difference when the opponent is difficult to hit. Even if you roll as low as a 1, the opponent can also roll a 1. Since I've been mastering this technique, and I'm proficient in Athletics (planning to have Expertise via Prodigy), and most enemies don't (very few monsters have skills) I'm most of the time knocking prone enemies, even those with more strength than I have (18). Sometimes, I don't knock them prone, it is more effective to knocking of a heavy platform or against spikes or even against their unaware friends to knock both of them.
- Proning enemies gives you advantage on the attacks, but not only you: your melee companions too. That means more effectiveness of the hits:
| Result | 1d20 | Advantage | Disadvantage |
| 1 | 5% | 0.25% | 9.7[td]5% |
| 2 | 5% | 0.75% | 9.25% |
| 3 | 5% | 1.25% | 8.75% |
| 4 | 5% | 1.75% | 8.25% |
| 5 | 5% | 2.25% | 7.75% |
| 6 | 5% | 2.75% | 7.25% |
| 7 | 5% | 3.25% | 6.75% |
| 8 | 5% | 3.75% | 6.25% |
| 9 | 5% | 4.25% | 5.75% |
| 10 | 5% | 4.75% | 5.25% |
| 11 | 5% | 5.25% | 4.75% |
| 12 | 5% | 5.75% | 4.25% |
| 13 | 5% | 6.25% | 3.75% |
| 14 | 5% | 6.75% | 3.25% |
| 15 | 5% | 7.25% | 2.75% |
| 16 | 5% | 7.75% | 2.25% |
| 17 | 5% | 8.25% | 1.75% |
| 18 | 5% | 8.75% | 1.25% |
| 19 | 5% | 9.25% | 0.75% |
| 20 | 5% | 9.75% | 0.25% |
Which means that rolling over 10 has almost a 80% chance (79.75%). Rolling 15 or above has 51% chance, and rolling 20, 9.75, the highest possibility for any roll. This means that you crit almost double the amount of times, and failing "average" rolls (10, assuming an average AC of 15 at apprentice tier, and a +5 to hit- in case of my figher is +7-). There is a 20.25% chance of failing 10. A champion, on the other hand, will have 19% chance of critting (1 in 5 attacks), almost the same as a failure. Consider a two-weapons champion ally: he will crit 2 times every 3 rounds (I see you, AD&D), and at least once every two. This escalates very well for champions, with crits almost every 3 attacks (27,75, midway between 3 and 4 attacks): so almost one crit per round, or one per round if he is a two weapon fighter. At level 20, you crit once every round for sure, or more.
Against low-armor, high CR foes (such as a Hobgoblin Devastator), this means a lot more damage, as even the chances of success are even greater (+1 vs. at least +6 -+7 in case of my fighter-)
Without advantage, the chance of crit is 5%, and the chance of failure is 50%. A champion will have 10% chance of crit: Once every ten attacks. Almost the same as everyone else with advantage (in the same time, the battlemaster with shield will crit with maneuvers: 4d8+strength+dueling. And it remains the same way until it gains Improved Criticals, when he has 15%, lower than when the enemy is prone.
This actually happened in my campaign: I was the shieldmaster, my coleague was an elven two-weapon champion/rogue. The monk in the group also benefits a lot of SM, with his multple attacks.
Ranged companions will have disadvantage against proned creatures. It is a hindrance only in the unlikely scenario that the proned creature is the only one: it is more common the opposite. Ranged characters can protect from afar the frontliners, taking out the other creatures. Common sense indicates that the optimal choice is for the fighter to knock the best armored ones first, and the rest of the party attacks the least armored first.
Conclusions
Shield master improves a lot the chances of hitting (1 every 5 attacks will be a miss, instead of 1 every 2), and of critting (both for the champions and normal fighters). This almost doubles the amount of damage in melee, but do the mat yourself. It doesn't take away damage dealing of other party members (rogues & rangers can still attack in melee; the spellcasters will change to Saving Throws or attack other creatures), unless specific scenarios where most probably Shield Master won't work (Solos tend to be Huge or greater creatures)
Post Data
Furthermore, it is a great defensive tactic: prone creatures attack with disadvantage and reduce mobility. I've being shutting down casters this way (knock, grapple, then choke to impede them to cast with verbal components; furthermore, casters can't really resist a shieldmaster with maxed Athletics). This allows to take down some of the most dangerous foes around (the ones that take the squishier ones... they won't kill you with most of their damaging spells).
Last edited:
Similar Threads
