Basher

You can use your action (or an Extra Attack if you have that class feature) to make an attack with an equipped shield. As long as you are proficient with the shield, you apply your proficiency bonus to the attack roll. If you are not proficient with a shield, you can still attempt to bash with a shield as an Improvised Weapon and it will still deal the damage noted on the chart, but you cannot add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll. See the table Expanded Shield Options for Medium Creatures under the House Rule Shields Up! for bashing damage for each shield type.

For example, if you are armed with a spiked medium shield, you can bash for 1d8+2 damage. If you have the Ambidextrous feat, you can also apply your Strength modifier to your bash damage.

If you have the Shield Mastery feat or the Ambidextrous feat, you can shield-bash as a bonus action.

If you have the Shield Mastery feat, you can also apply shield damage when you use your shield to shove an opponent.

You cannot bash with a buckler, nor can you apply spikes to one. You also cannot apply spikes to a tower shield.

Proficient or otherwise, you do not apply your Strength to the damage unless you have the Ambidextrous feat, the Two-Weapon Fighting style, or use both hands to bash. A tower shield is considered a heavy weapon, so you cannot bash with a tower shield without using both hands.

Shield damage is bludgeoning unless the shield is spiked, in which case you can consider it to be piercing or slashing damage at your discretion; you might also opt to strike with the edge of a spiked shield so that the damage remains bludgeoning, and in this case, you would not apply the damage from the spike(s). Shoving with a spiked shield applies piercing damage only. If shoving with a spiked shield without the Shield Master feat, you apply only the piercing damage from the spike(s) and do not apply any damage from the shield itself nor your Strength modifier.

Added to House Rules in 2023.