Barn Shield

Armor (shield), rare (requires attunement)

This kite-shaped wooden shield is typically emblazoned in green, with animal patterns or insignias upon its boss. It is a magical shield, granting the wielder a +1 bonus to Armor Class. In addition, it can be used to hide a Large or smaller animal or similar beast within its iconography to keep it safe and concealed.

As an action, the wielder can speak a command word to magically store a trained to which they are bonded, like a ranger’s animal companion, a familiar, or a pet. If you have ridden a mount for at least 1 week, you can make a DC 12 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to coax the animal into being willing to enter the barn shield. Once the command is given, the animal vanishes and then appears as a symbol emblazoned upon the shield, either one that mimics the appearance of the animal or that is more symbolic and abstract. A second command word releases the stored animal from the barn shield. A released animal immediately awakens, appears in a space adjacent to the wearer, and can take actions on the round it appears.

While stored, the animal is sleeping and cannot use any abilities or provide any other benefits to the wielder. Because the stored animal is sleeping rather than in suspended animation (or even hibernating), it ages and gets hungry at the normal rate while stored. A barn armor or shield automatically releases a stored animal 24 hours after it was stored inside.