Shield of the Unmarked Grave (Patreon)

Armor (shield), legendary (requires attunement)

An ancient tombstone has been transformed into this shield. Despite being made of stone, it only weighs as much as a normal shield. The top of the shield features a carved ribbon, intended for a name, which remains blank. Creatures that strike the shield hear the psychic whispers of the dead ringing in their ears. While holding this shield, you have a +2 bonus to AC. This bonus is in addition to the shield's normal bonus to AC.

This shield has 5 charges for the following properties. It regains all expended charges daily at dusk.

Gravestone Guardian. As an action while holding the shield, you can expend 1 of its charges to doff the shield and plant it in an unoccupied space on the ground within 5 feet of you, provided the ground is soil or sand. When you do, you create a guardian of faith (as if by the spell; save DC 17) at the location. The guardian is a Large, ghostly knight. You can use an action to remove the shield from the ground and don it again. A creature other than you must succeed on a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to remove the shield. The guardian remains for the duration of the spell or until the shield is removed from the ground. As long as you remain within 60 feet of the guardian, you keep the shield's +2 bonus to AC.

Memento Mori. While holding the shield, you can use a bonus action to expend 1 of the shield's charges and target a living creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. That creature must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is overcome with dread of their mortality, and can see their own name etched into the shield's stone ribbon. The effect lasts for 1 minute or until you're incapacitated, you die, or you're no longer holding the shield. For the duration, that creature makes attack rolls against you with disadvantage.

Spectral Ward. When you take damage while holding the shield, you can use a reaction to expend 1 of its charges to conjure an ethereal mist around you. When you do, the damage you take from the triggering effect is halved; the mist then vanishes. If the damage was from a creature within 5 feet of you, that creature must also succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of its next turn.

Curse. This shield is cursed, and attuning to it extends the curse to you. You remain cursed until you're targeted by the remove curse spell or similar magic. Alternatively, casting banishment or dispel evil and good on the shield puts the spirit residing within it to rest, transforming the shield into a normal +2 shield with no other properties, although it still only weighs as much as a normal shield.

As long as you remain cursed, the spirits within the shield can reach you through your dreams. Whenever you finish a long rest, roll a d100 and refer to the table below.

The sleep of the dead isn't always as restful as people make it out to be.