Lore: A Born Protector
A shield guardian is the ultimate protector, as it is specially created to be so. To obey the master who holds their amulet is their sole purpose. If their amulets are well-guarded, then they can continue to uphold that duty indefinitely. However, should it be damaged, the guardian will be left incapacitated until a new one is made. As these amulets are easily traded, shield guardians often trade hands, like hired mercenaries that require no pay.
And… honestly, that’s about it. There are a few more paragraphs, but they basically just expand upon everything already covered.
You’d think this lore would relegate this monster to being a support role for something else. Maybe the BBEG’s bodyguard. But with a little creativity, you can make some fun side quests with them. Perhaps the players discover an ancient shield guardian, just barely clinging to existence, searching for its master, thus beginning a cool mystery for them to solve.
Still, the lore is… okay. It works well as an addition to a story, but as the main focus? Its potential is limited. Not nonexistent, but limited.
Design: “Make him awesome!”
This dude looks like something I’d have drawn in my notebook back in middle school. Only, you know, much more professional and cool.
God, this design is so cool! There’s just something about robotic-monsters like this one that tickles the child buried deep inside me. I can’t explain why it’s awesome, it just is! I mean, look at it! It’s like something out of a comic book!
I love how sturdy the thing looks. Its thick arms and legs, those shoulder plates, the breastplate, thing looks like it could take a train head-on and win. Plus, the wood-like limbs add a nice splash of color and variety to it, making it feel like something a wizard would build.
A really cool wizard who never let go of his love of robots. Like Franky from One Piece, only magical.
Is it as creative or interesting as some other monsters? No. It’s just a simple robot, like you could find in any number of sci-fi or fantasy stories. But it being as cool as it is does pick it up a few notches.
Stats: Build a Robot
As you might expect from a bodyguard, this monster is built to be durable. Its AC is just shy of 20, making it hard to hit, and its got a strong HP pool. It also has the parry reaction, allowing it to give its AC a little boost should an enemy it can see make an attack on it. Finally, it’s immune to poison, as well as most conditions.
Oh, yeah. It also has Regeneration. This dude heals HP at the start of every turn. So… players better be doing pretty good damage.
However, it does have a weakness: it’s amulet. Break this, and the shield guardian will immediately be disabled. Thus, finding and getting hold of this item will be a key element to any battle involving this monster.
Now, as for its attacks, the shield guardian itself is fairly simple. It can punch. It doesn’t punch particularly hard, but it can punch.
Far more dangerous – and far more interesting – is its Spell Storing ability. With this, the person holding the monster’s amulet can store one spell within it for later casting. This can be a healing spell, an attack spell, even a spell that requires components (of which it needs none). With this, you can freely give this monster any spell you can think of, giving you free range to create an amazing final desperation move.
All of this combines to make for an excellent boss fight. What spell do you give it, and how does it implement it into battle? How do the players deal with the amulet; do they focus on finding it, leaving themselves open, or do they ignore it and focus fire on the guardian? If you play your cards right, this could make an amazing battle!
Placement
Honestly, I’m surprised by how much I like this monster. It’s lore is pretty barebones, but you can still write some fun stories with it. The design is simple and cool. Strongest of all is its stats; this thing can make for a badass fight! As a whole, it’s surprisingly strong!
With all that in mind, the Shield Guardian is going to #40 on the Best of the Bestiary!
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- Shield Guardian <————————-
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