Brooch of Shielding 5e: Force Resistance, Magic Missile Immunity and When It Pays Off

The Brooch of Shielding in 5e is an uncommon wondrous item, requiring attunement, that gives you resistance to force damage and immunity to damage from the Magic Missile spell. The wording is identical in the 2014 and 2024 rules. What changed is how often you'll see force damage: the 2024 Mage, Archmage and Lich all use a Force-damage burst as their basic attack, which makes the brooch much better against 2024 casters. Verdict: a narrow item that earns its attunement slot in a caster-heavy campaign and wastes it in most others.

Table of Contents

• •Brooch of Shielding Rules Text
• •How the Brooch of Shielding Works
• •Brooch of Shielding: 2014 vs 2024
• •Is the Brooch of Shielding Worth It?
• •Brooch of Shielding for DMs
• •Frequently Asked Questions

Brooch of Shielding Rules Text

The 2014 card (SRD 5.1) is first and the 2024 card (SRD 5.2.1) second.

The only differences are capital letters. The value of the brooch depends entirely on how much force damage your table throws around.

How the Brooch of Shielding Works

Resistance to force damage

Resistance halves damage of that type (the 2024 rules say round down). It applies after other modifiers and only once: a second source of force resistance does nothing extra. The brooch has to be worn and you have to be attuned. It isn't a cloak, boots or any other limited slot, so you can wear it alongside a Cloak of Protection without breaking the one-of-each wearing rule.

Immunity to Magic Missile

Magic Missile never misses and doesn't allow a save, which is why the brooch singles it out. With the brooch you take no damage from any number of darts, whatever slot the caster uses. A 2014 caster who upcasts it with a 4th-level slot sends six darts at you for 21 damage on average, and you take none. The Shield spell gives the same immunity, but only until the start of your next turn and only if you have the reaction and a spell slot.

What force damage it actually reduces

Force damage is rare among weapons and common among spells. In the SRDs:

Disintegrate is where the brooch matters most. A creature reduced to 0 hit points by it is turned to dust, and the 2014 Lich prepares it. Halving an average 75 damage to 37 can be the difference between a bad turn and a character reduced to ash.

Brooch of Shielding: 2014 vs 2024

The item didn't change; the game around it did. In 2014, a Mage (CR 6) fights mostly with prepared spells, and only Magic Missile among its attacks deals force. In 2024, the Mage's basic attack is Arcane Burst, which deals Force damage, so the brooch halves almost everything that Mage does to you each round. 2024 Hunter's Mark also turns a ranger's bonus damage into Force.

Is the Brooch of Shielding Worth It?

It depends on the campaign more than the character.

Worth it:

• •Campaigns built around wizards, liches and cults with spellcasters, especially using 2024 stat blocks.
• •A low-hit-point character who keeps getting focused by enemy casters; Magic Missile always hits, so armor doesn't help.
• •A party fighting another adventuring party with a warlock or cleric (Eldritch Blast, Spiritual Weapon).

Not worth it: a campaign of beasts, dragons, giants and undead. Those deal piercing, slashing, fire and necrotic damage, and the brooch never triggers. A Cloak of Protection or Stone of Good Luck, both uncommon too, help on every saving throw instead.

Compared with Shield. A wizard with Shield prepared already has Magic Missile immunity on demand. The brooch frees the reaction and the slot and adds the resistance, but a wizard's attunement slots are usually better spent.

Brooch of Shielding for DMs

Placement. Give it to the party right before a caster-heavy arc. A wizard's apprentice wearing one is a natural carrier, and the item tells the players what's coming.

What it changes. One character stops fearing Magic Missile and your 2024 Mage's Arcane Burst. That's a good reason to vary your casters: put a fire or lightning spell in the villain's plan, and let the brooch wearer feel safe right up until they aren't.

Pricing. 400 GP under the 2024 SRD; the 2014 SRD lists no prices. Use the magic item rarity calculator if you need a hoard budget.

Hooks.

• •The bodyguards of a paranoid wizard all wear Brooches of Shielding. The wizard doesn't trust other wizards, only Magic Missile.
• •A brooch is found pinned to a cloak full of holes in a duelists' graveyard. The holes stop at the brooch.
• •A guild of battle mages sells brooches only to people who promise to fight their rivals.

Who's been wearing the brooch, and which wizard they're bracing for, is the sort of thing a recap keeps straight. Loreify records your session and writes the notes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Brooch of Shielding require attunement?

Yes. It's an uncommon wondrous item that requires attunement in both the 2014 and 2024 rules.

Does the Brooch of Shielding stop Magic Missile completely?

It stops all of its damage. You have immunity to damage from the Magic Missile spell, however many darts hit you and whatever level it's cast at.

Does the Brooch of Shielding stack with other force resistance?

No. Resistance to the same damage type counts only once, so a second source of force resistance adds nothing. Immunity from another source would replace it.

Can you wear a Brooch of Shielding with a Cloak of Protection?

Yes. A brooch isn't one of the limited slots (footwear, gloves, bracers, armor, headwear, cloak), so the only limit is your three attunement slots.

How much is a Brooch of Shielding worth?

400 GP under the 2024 SRD, which values every uncommon magic item at 400 GP. The 2014 SRD has no magic item prices.

Item text: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Analysis, rulings and ideas are Loreify's own.