accordingtotheDM
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Here we have a shining example of a pavise crossbowman. Notice the shield. Let's talk about that.
A pavise battlemage is an ordinary magic user of any variety, but deployed in a battlefield setting. They wear a shield on their back and they have two operational styles:
Offensive: The pavise battlemage will quickly advance and then dig-in, turning their back to the enemy and dropping to a knee. This gives them (and any single medium creature hiding behind them) three quarters cover. On the next round they will use their action to attack with a ranged attack and either dig back in with their movement, or move. Optionally they may use the pavise shield as an ordinary shield.
Defensive: On the defense, pavaise battlemages will form a shield wall, giving themselves full cover and giving whoever is behind them three quarters cover. This works well with both ranged weapons and polearms. Clerics often fill this role as they can both defend and heal their companions.
Optional perk: Some pavaise battlemage shields have a crystal in the centre that can work as a spell casting focus, allowing them to cast spells to their rear as long as the spell does not require visual confirmation. This crystal is relatively easy to break with a simple AC12 hit and 1hp.