Shield Guardian
Large Construct · · CR 7
- Construct
- Large
- Tier 2
CR 7 large construct, unaligned — that's Shield Guardian. Native to urban. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 7
- Type
- Construct
- Size
- Large
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Urban
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024)
Ecology
Shield guardians are constructs, not living creatures, and have no ecology in the natural sense. They are created by spellcasters of high tier through a ritual costing thousands of gold pieces and weeks of work. The construct binds magically to an amulet at creation. The amulet's wearer becomes the master. Until activation by a master, a guardian stands inert in the workshop where it was made. Once activated, it never sleeps, eats, or tires; it stands guard for centuries if its master lives.
Behaviour
A shield guardian obeys its master's commands literally and without judgment. It cannot interpret intent: 'kill all who enter' will include the master's own family if they enter unwarned. It does not speak but understands one language chosen at creation. Without a master, it follows last orders forever, slowly grinding stone with its weight. Some guardians, abandoned for centuries, have developed near-sentient quirks: preferences for certain corridors, hostility to specific colors, mournful posture when alone.
Origin
The shield guardian schema was developed by the wizard-king Shemerel of fallen Netheril, who wanted personal bodyguards immune to assassination. The original schema-tablets are lost; modern wizards use copies of copies, sometimes flawed. Each shield guardian is unique in physical detail (one might have ironwood limbs, another bronze plates) but shares the same core enchantment. Surviving Netherese guardians, occasionally found in ruins, are rumored to be smarter and stronger than modern variants.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Shield Guardian
- What is the challenge rating of Shield Guardian?
- The CR on Shield Guardian is 7. That CR matches tier-2 to early-tier-3 encounter math.
- What type of creature is Shield Guardian?
- The bestiary type for Shield Guardian is construct, large size.
- Where does Shield Guardian live?
- In the bestiary, Shield Guardian appears in Urban.