D&D 5E Dual Wielder with Shield (and Shield Mastery)

[Kristivas]

Human fighter (variant), level 4. Two weapon fighting style + Dual Wielder feat at level 1. Add shield mastery feat at 4.

Could you use your bonus attack with your shield?
If so, how much damage would it do?
Also if so, would you still gain your Shield's AC bonus when attacking?

 

[Paraxis]

Human fighter (variant), level 4. Two weapon fighting style + Dual Wielder feat at level 1. Add shield mastery feat at 4.

Sorta, maybe, yes IMHO.

Could you use your bonus attack with your shield?

No you can't, the shield is not a weapon. Shield master feat doesn't change that, it just lets you shove with it.
Now, I would say you could use it as an improvised weapon, but unless you have tavern brawler you are not proficient with it.

If so, how much damage would it do?

Nothing, because it is not a weapon so there is a reason it is never given a damage value. Now as an improvised weapon I would place it in the same category as a club so probably a d4.

Also if so, would you still gain your Shield's AC bonus when attacking?

Sure because nothing ever says you don't.

So yes I would say you could but since you don't have proficiency in improvised weapon you don't get that bonus to hit, the damage would be d4+str mod, and you would keep your AC.

 

[Kristivas]

No you can't, the shield is not a weapon.

I know that, according to the rules now, it's not a weapon. Yet, the multiple past incarnations of it being a weapon, along with it being a very effective weapon in real life, is probably why I hoped against hope that someone could justify it.

 

[Juriel]

Hitting someone with your shield would be a regular dual-wield off-hand attack with your bonus action, only it's with an improvised weapon, so it gets no proficiency to hit (unless you've picked up crap like Tavern Brawler), and deals d4 damage (needs the Dual Wield fighting style for statmod to damage).

Shield Master doesn't factor into it. It's just awesome by itself, and its shoving action is what IMO best models the use of shield as a 'weapon' - to create an opening.

No way to justify treating it as a regular weapon, unless WotC puts out a spiked shield. Or a giant chakram...

 

[Kobold Stew]

Human fighter (variant), level 4. Two weapon fighting style + Dual Wielder feat at level 1. Add shield mastery feat at 4.

Could you use your bonus attack with your shield?
If so, how much damage would it do?
Also if so, would you still gain your Shield's AC bonus when attacking?

1. No; your shield is not a weapon, so as long as you hold it, you do not get any benefits from twf or dual wielder. (The shove is a bonus action, not a bonus attack).

2. If you use it to attack, it is an improvised weapon (non-proficient) doing 1d4.

3. If you use it to attack, you are not using it as a shield, and so no AC bonus, and no benefits from shield mastery.

 

[Juriel]

3. If you use it to attack, you are not using it as a shield, and so no AC bonus, and no benefits from shield mastery.

I disagree with this. Just leads to weird micromanagement questions on whether it takes your free interaction for the turn to re-establish shield defense stance. But mostly because who cares about coming up with houserules for a bloody 1d4 improvised weapon attack.

 

[Paraxis]

3. If you use it to attack, you are not using it as a shield, and so no AC bonus, and no benefits from shield mastery.

I disagree with this. Just leads to weird micromanagement questions on whether it takes your free interaction for the turn to re-establish shield defense stance. But mostly because who cares about coming up with houserules for a bloody 1d4 improvised weapon attack.

I agree with Juriel, there is nothing saying you wouldn't keep the AC bonus from the shield so you should keep it. Also it makes bookkeeping easy your AC isn't changing round to round, and essentially your giving up a bonus action shove for a d4 damage attack, I honestly would rather have the shove most of the time to set up my normal attack and my allies to have advantage against the now prone target.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I agree with Juriel, there is nothing saying you wouldn't keep the AC bonus from the shield so you should keep it. Also it makes bookkeeping easy your AC isn't changing round to round, and essentially your giving up a bonus action shove for a d4 damage attack, I honestly would rather have the shove most of the time to set up my normal attack and my allies to have advantage against the now prone target.

I disagree with this. Just leads to weird micromanagement questions on whether it takes your free interaction for the turn to re-establish shield defense stance. But mostly because who cares about coming up with houserules for a bloody 1d4 improvised weapon attack.

Well, I don't like the "who cares" dodge: obviously the OP cares about the question, but that aside...

This approach makes the shield objectively better as a weapon than a dagger or a club or a hammer. It does the same damage and give +2 AC. And it's not a question of "bookkeeping" or "micromanagement" -- for the round, you lose the AC bonus; it's simple arithmetic.

However, one could argue that if you are using your shield as a weapon, then the +1 AC from Dual Wielder kicks in (on reflection I see I should have added that yesterday). That's what would happen if the character did have a club (or whatever). But the full +2? Not a chance.

 

[aarduini]

I agree with Juriel, there is nothing saying you wouldn't keep the AC bonus from the shield so you should keep it. Also it makes bookkeeping easy your AC isn't changing round to round, and essentially your giving up a bonus action shove for a d4 damage attack, I honestly would rather have the shove most of the time to set up my normal attack and my allies to have advantage against the now prone target.

How do you prone the target?

just curious.


On on the other note: I don't think you should lose the armor class bonus. Nothing says you do, and I disagree that it makes sense that you do.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Human fighter (variant), level 4. Two weapon fighting style + Dual Wielder feat at level 1. Add shield mastery feat at 4.

Could you use your bonus attack with your shield?
If so, how much damage would it do?
Also if so, would you still gain your Shield's AC bonus when attacking?

Ultimately, implement whatever rule you want for it since there doesn't seem to be included in the core book. If you're group is good with it, knock yourself out.