Level 4 Evocation spell available to Wizards. Ten turns of Resistance to Fire or Cold, plus 2d8 to anyone who hits you in melee. It is a self-buff that punishes enemies for doing the thing they were going to do anyway.
Spell description: Wreathe your body in flames that shed light in a 3m radius, provide Resistance to Fire or Cold damage, and retaliate against melee attackers.
Spell properties
- Range: Self
- Duration: 10 turns
- Conditions applied: Fire Shield: Warm (Resistance to Cold, 2d8 Fire to melee attackers) or Fire Shield: Chill (Resistance to Fire, 2d8 Cold to melee attackers).
- Cost: Action + Spell Slot
- Recharge: Per action
Spell upcasting
Casting Fire Shield at higher levels provides no additional benefits.
How to obtain Fire Shield
- Wizard at Class level 7
- The Fiend Warlocks at Class level 7
- Bard via Magical Secrets at Class level 10
Source items: Emblazoned Plate of the Marshal, Scroll of Fire Shield
FIRE SHIELD
Level 4 Evocation SpellWreathe your body in flames that shed light in a 3m radius, provide Resistance to Fire or Cold damage, and retaliate against melee attackers.
Range: Self
Duration: 10 turns
Fire Shield spell variants
You choose the shield when you cast it. Both last 10 turns, both punish melee attackers for 2d8, and you cannot have both up at once. The names are backwards from what you might expect: Warm resists Cold, Chill resists Fire.
1. Fire Shield: Warm
FIRE SHIELD: WARM
Level 4 Evocation SpellScorching flames shed light in a 3m radius. You take only half the damage of all Cold damage, and deal 2d8 Fire damage to anyone who hits you with a melee attack.
Range: Self
Duration: 10 turns
CONDITION: FIRE SHIELD: WARM
Duration: 10 turns
Condition: Fire Shield: Warm
- Wreathed in scorching flames.
- Resistance to Cold damage.
- Deals 2d8 Fire damage to anyone who hits with a melee attack.
2. Fire Shield: Chill
FIRE SHIELD: CHILL
Level 4 Evocation SpellIce-cold flames shed light in a 3m radius. You take only half the damage of all Fire damage, and deal 2d8 Cold damage to anyone who hits you with a melee attack.
Range: Self
Duration: 10 turns
CONDITION: FIRE SHIELD: CHILL
Duration: 10 turns
Condition: Fire Shield: Chill
- Wreathed in ice-cold flames.
- Resistance to Fire damage.
- Deals 2d8 Cold damage to anyone who hits with a melee attack.
When to cast Fire Shield
Cast it when you know you are going to be hit. A Wizard who keeps getting rushed by melee enemies, or an Abjuration Wizard who is deliberately standing in front, gets a lot of mileage out of 2d8 per hit taken. Against a pack of goblins or gnolls it adds up fast.
Pick the variant by the damage you expect. Chill resists Fire and is the one for fire-heavy fights, which is most of Act Three and every fight with a spellcaster who likes Fireball. Warm resists Cold and is the one for the Underdark and anything with breath weapons.
It does not need Concentration, which is the best thing about it. You can have Fire Shield up and still Concentrate on Haste or Hold Person.
The retaliation only triggers on melee hits. Archers and casters ignore it completely, so it is a waste of a slot against a ranged enemy line.
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