D&D 5E How would you make a character who uses a shield like Captain America?

[Syntallah]

Okay, so I love the whole Marvel cinematic universe, and the Cap movies are among my favorites, but it's always bugged the heck out of me...

How do you hit someone harder--or at all--with a metal that absorbs impact?!?!

Ahem. Sorry.

IIRC, Cap's shield was a totally unique item: a blend of vibranium and adamantine alloys...

 

[Ravenheart87]

IIRC, Cap's shield was a totally unique item: a blend of vibranium and adamantine alloys...

And that's another reason why I wouldn't hand it out to a PC at the beginning. I really like characters built around cool concepts, but there's a line where I say "nope, you can't have that now, but you can go on a quest to earn it".

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Isn't 20/60 a bit...FAR...for something that isn't designed to be thrown? (Since we're talking "improvised weapon rules", I dare say it's not designed for throwing.)

I'd make the shield itself something that needs to be made to order- magic or mundane, it will need to be finely balanced, and probably out of something fairly exotic to take the punishment Cap's shield takes when being thrown and maintaining said balance.

It might take a bit of training to use properly, too...

 

[Vikingkingq]

If you want to go the Full Cap, here's what I'd recommend (in addition to what's been said:

Feats:
Shield Master
Sentinel
Inspiring Leader

Dex Fighter:
Protection-Style
Battlemaster - get Commander's Strike, Distracting Strike, Goading Attack, Maneuvering Attack, Rally

The sad thing is that Monk would work really well, except for the prohibitions on shield-use. Maybe in the PHBII there will be the feat equivalent of Martial Adept for Monks?

 

[Psikerlord#]

Like a few posters already, I'd recommend the tavern brawler feat. With that you can treat your shield as an improvised weapon for d4 damage. There is I think a gnoll entry for spiked shield with d6 damage, or something, I forget, but I would say d6 is reasonable if your PC wants to add a spike, or call it starmetal or adamantine/super hard shield or just a magic shield.

I would suggest if he attacks wiht a normal weapon - and the shield as a TWF bonus action - that he doesnt get the shield bonus to AC etc until the start of his next turn though, otherwise he is kinda getting the benefit of TWF and a shield at the same time. By alternating between the two however he may have some interesting tactical decisions to make.

Improvised weapons have a range of 20/60 usually so that covers the throwing aspect.... athough frankly he'd want a magic version that automatically returns to him! Then add shield mastery feat, so the PC can hide behind the shield to negate AoE style damage, and you're done.

 

[wingsandsword]

Captain America's Shield is basically a Greater Artifact. (I don't know what kind of terms they have for it in 4e/5e, but it's definitely an Artifact, probably a Greater Artifact in 3e terms).

It's unique, it cannot be reproduced (in the Marvel Cinematic Universe it's because SHIELD doesn't have enough vibranium to make a second one, in the main Earth 616 comic continuity it's because they couldn't replicate the freak accident that lead to its forging), it's virtually indestructible. The only time I can think of it being broken was during Secret Wars, when the power of the Beyonder could break, but not annihilate, it. . .and it basically took the equivalent of a Wish to restore it, there's probably another example, but it takes a cosmic being, of godlike power (far beyond Thor and the Asgardians) to break it, in D&D terms basically an Overpower. It's an item of legend: In the Captain America movie when the excavation team saw the shield in the ice, they instantly knew what it was and what it meant.

That's not just any shield, and is definitely not something for a 1st level character. That's pretty much an Artifact by any normal D&D definition of the term.

Want to play Captain America as a Paladin? That's great. He is a pretty ideal example of the Paladin mindset, and I've seen him used before as a model of how to play a Paladin. However, I'd start with the roleplaying first. Even Cap started World War II with a mundane shield before he got his signature item.

 

[Umbran]

The shield is, as others have noted, basically an artifact-level item.

But, beyond that - Cap himself is the utter peak of human ability and training. He fights as well as any human can fight. He is a top-flight superhero. Despite his seeming lack of raw power, he's good enough to stand alongside gods like Thor and Hercules, able to fight them and not necessarily lose. Cap is not a 1st level character. He fights way, way better than a 1st level character can fight, and can do things with that shield that no 1st level character could do.

So, don't ask how you'd model that as a 1st level character. Ask how you'd model that as a high teens to 20th level character, and work back to what the 1st level character can do.

 

[Afrodyte]

So, don't ask how you'd model that as a 1st level character. Ask how you'd model that as a high teens to 20th level character, and work back to what the 1st level character can do.

Yes, that's kinda what I meant.

 

[Aribar]

I don't see why you'd punish a player or make her wait a ton of levels to earn the core ability of Captain America. Let her use shields as a d8, light, returning thrown (20/60) weapon that still gives an AC bonus. It's not like it's unbalanced compared to a sword-and-throwing-axe-wielding fighter.

 

[ccooke]

I don't see why you'd punish a player or make her wait a ton of levels to earn the core ability of Captain America. Let her use shields as a d8, light, returning thrown (20/60) weapon that still gives an AC bonus. It's not like it's unbalanced compared to a sword-and-throwing-axe-wielding fighter.

That alone is a feat-level ability - and I'd probably be happy to give it to the player at the cost of a feat.
I'd probably say the shield doesn't return if the attack roll is a natural 1, though.