Game Jargon Definition: “Meat Shield”

Meat Shield (noun) - meat shield /mēt SHēld/

A character who is rolled up by a player and designed in such a way that it can take as much physical damage from opponents as possible. Its purpose is to decrease the amount of offensive attacks that other characters in the party must endure, where typically these other characters have a lesser ability to take damage but have specialized abilities that can then be used to their full effect. One responsibility of a meat shield is to lead the charge: to get out in the open and create a large and imposing force that can potentially do a lot of damage as well as absorb it. By serving as a seemingly easy and tempting target, the meat shield allows other players’ characters to engage in the fight more surreptitiously and with a decreased amount of vulnerability to counter attack.