Protection warriors are stalwart protectors who use their shield to safeguard themselves and their allies.

Vigilant

When you choose this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Perception skill. Additionally, you have advantage on Perception checks made to detect creatures attempting to hide from you.

Threatening

Also at 3rd level, you know the rage maneuver Taunting Strike, which doesn't count against your maneuvers known. Taunting Strike no longer prompts a Wisdom saving throw and always affects its target. Once on your turn, you can use Taunting Strike with no rage cost.

Intercept

When you reach 7th level, you can react quickly to selflessly protect your allies. Whenever an ally within your movement speed is attacked by a creature you can see, you can use your reaction to move up to your speed to within 5 feet of the ally and force the attack to target you instead. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks. Until the beginning of your next turn, all attacks made against your ally have disadvantage while you remain within 5 feet of them.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Sword and Board

Beginning at 10th level, you are an expert at using your shield for defense as well as offense. You gain the following abilities:

Shield Block : You can use a bonus action to assume a defensive stance with your shield. You gain the benefits of half cover until the beginning of your next turn.

Shield Slam : When you take the Attack action while wielding a shield, you can use a bonus action to make a melee weapon attack with your shield. This attack uses the same ability modifier as your primary attack. The damage die for this attack is a d4, and it deals bludgeoning damage.

If your shield offers an additional bonus to AC above its normal bonus, you add the additional bonus to the cover bonuses of Shield Block, and the attack and damage rolls of Shield Slam.

Safeguard

When you reach 15th level, whenever you or an ally within 5 feet of you is subject to an attack roll made with disadvantage, even if that attack hits, its damage is halved.

Survivor

At 18th level, you attain the pinnacle of resilience in battle. At the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.