Defender (Greatsword)
D&D 5e · 2014·Weapons·Legendary·Requires attunement
Base weapon damage before your ability modifier. Use the calculator to include hit chance and critical hits.
Damage calculator
Hit chance
70%
Expected damage / attack
9.45
Attack bonus
+8
Average normal hit: 13 · Average critical hit: 20 · Critical chance: 5%.
- Category
- Martial weapon
- Damage type
- Slashing
- Reach
- 5 ft.
- Magic attack bonus
- +3
- Weight
- 6 lb
- Attunement
- Required
- Rarity
- Legendary
- Price
- Not specified
Magic: Attack with this weapon.
Calculator assumptions & rules
One attack against a creature. Natural 1 misses; natural 20 hits and doubles damage dice, not flat modifiers. Expected damage includes misses and critical hits. Advantage uses the higher of two d20s; Disadvantage uses the lower. Magic bonuses shown on the item are counted once.
Uses only the weapon’s ordinary hit and the listed on-hit extra dice, when enabled. Class features, Sneak Attack, fighting styles, mastery effects, damage on a miss, special critical-hit effects, ongoing damage, resistance and immunity are excluded. Check the full rules below for additional effects.
Changing calculator inputs does not change the item’s rules or create a new page URL.
What Defender does
- Strength can drive this martial weapon’s attack and damage rolls. Add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll only if you are proficient.
- The base 2d6 +3 weapon damage averages 10 before your ability modifier and extra effects. Hit chance matters too: compare expected damage per attack rather than the die alone.
- This weapon needs two hands when you attack, so a wielded shield conflicts with that attack setup.
- Moving 3 points to AC removes the same bonus from both attack and damage rolls. Use the allocation control to see that defensive trade-off.
- This item uses one of your attunement slots. Compare its benefit with the other items you want to keep attuned.
You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. The first time you attack with the sword on each of your turns, you can transfer some or all of the sword's bonus to your Armor Class, instead of using the bonus on any attacks that turn. For example, you could reduce the bonus to your attack and damage rolls to +1 and gain a +2 bonus to AC. The adjusted bonuses remain in effect until the start of your next turn, although you must hold the sword to gain a bonus to AC from it. This is the Greatsword variant.
Full item details & properties
Rules for this edition
- Proficiency
- A martial melee weapon; proficiency allows adding your Proficiency Bonus to its attack rolls.
Magic properties
- Activation
- Attack with this weapon.
- Consumable
- No
- Attack Rolls
- +3. With this weapon; use any target-specific or allocation rule below.
- Damage Rolls
- +3. Included once in the displayed weapon damage; add the applicable ability modifier separately.
- Attack / defense allocation
- Transfer 0–3 of the default +3 to AC; attack and damage bonuses each become 3 minus the transferred amount.
- Transfer timing
- The first time you attack with the sword on each of your turns; lasts until start of your next turn. The AC bonus requires holding this weapon.
- Default bonus
- Displayed damage assumes all +3 remains on attacks. Transfer 0–3 to AC instead, reducing both attack and damage bonuses by that amount for the turn.
Weapon details
- Damage
- 2d6 + 3 slashing
- Weapon class
- Martial Melee
Properties
Heavy
Small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. A heavy weapon's size and bulk make it too large for a Small creature to use effectively.
Two-Handed
This weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.
Tags & related references
Compare alternatives
Same edition, using your calculator inputs above. Special properties and character features can change the choice.
Same base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Vorpal Sword (Greatsword)9.45 expected damage / attack70% hit chance2d6 +3 slashing · +3 magic attack · 5 ft. reachNot specified · 6 lbSame base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Defender (Longsword)7.58 expected damage / attack70% hit chance1d8 +3 slashing · +3 magic attack · 5 ft. reachNot specified · 3 lbUses the same attack ability; compare handling and damage
Defender (Rapier)7.58 expected damage / attack70% hit chance1d8 +3 piercing · +3 magic attack · 5 ft. reachNot specified · 2 lbSame item type and rules edition
Ordinary attacks only. Matching extra-damage conditions follow your input; alternatives keep their default bonus allocation.
Defender FAQ
Does Defender require attunement?
Yes. You need to attune to this item to use the properties that require attunement.
Is the listed price a guaranteed purchase price?
The source does not specify a price for this entry. Ask your GM about availability and cost.