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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 7159349" data-attributes="member: 6787650">You didn't do the math, did you? If you do, you'll find it's still worth it. Crits with disadvantage are only 1 in 400 anyway.Dodging is pointless if the enemy already has disadvantage, which as I mentioned is not uncommon for ranged fire from monsters. Besides, disadvantage and shields stack, unlike e.g. long range disadvantage + dodging.In the scenario under consideration, the objective does not require the bard's action economy contribution. You're not trying to kill all the hobgoblins; you're just trying to safely get out of range.Not feasible under the circumstances. At best you'll catch 4 or 5 of them, and not all of them will fail their saves.That's a good way to get killed--hiding in an illusory box while the rest of the party retreats.Not really. The particular fleeing-from-hobgoblins scenario may be rare, but most scenarios are rare--D&D is a game of variety. You don't flee from hobgoblins every week. But having a shield is useful under other circumstances too.Here's another scenario in which a shield is handy. Your Lore Bard is functioning as a combination healer (Aura of Vitality) and summoner (Conjure Animals). You're fighting Frost Giants, and thanks to the Shadow Monk's Pass Without Trace you're going to ambush them. Your concentration is busy with Conjure Animals, and you (the Lore Bard) don't have any worthwhile offensive spells to throw during the fight: your job is just to make sure your wolves/elks/whatnot function as meat shields and do some damage to the giants in the process while the rest of the party kills them. You're already the softest target in the party--if you have a shield, you could reasonably equip it, and then spend your turns Dodging (or lying prone if there's enough distance) while shouting orders to your wolves, and awarding Bardic Inspiration to your fellow PCs plus using Cutting Words to foil Frost Giant attacks. Using the shield + Dodge / prone + Cutting Words maximizes your odds of keeping Conjure Animals up, which is more valuable than tossing a Vicious Mockery every round would be.It's not the only way to approach the situation, but it's a valid approach and an option you wouldn't have if you didn't carry a shield.</blockquote>

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