Champion's Shield (Patreon)

Armor (shield), very rare

This round metal shield is magically covered with 1d4 designs of mighty foes, such as dragons, vampires, or krakens. While holding this shield, you have a +2 bonus to AC. This bonus is in addition to the shield's normal bonus to AC. In addition, you gain 10 temporary hit points each time a creature within 120 feet of you uses a legendary action; these temporary hit points end early if you are no longer holding the shield. If a creature with legendary actions is slain within that range, a new etching depicting that creature's final moments appears amongst the other images. When a creature uses a legendary action to make an attack roll against you or force you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction while holding the shield to impose disadvantage on the attack roll or grant yourself advantage on the saving throw.

The shield is always under the effects of the programmed illusion spell, and its triggering condition is when you use an action to touch a foe's design on the shield and speak the item's command word. The scripted performance is of that creature's final minute, before it was slain, and the illusion appears in a 5-foot cube in front of the shield.

"Have I told ye 'bout the time I trudged into the desert crypts to slay a Mummy Lor—"

"—Hey! That's enough, you two. No more of grandpa's stories before going to bed."