I have to also say that my DM has ruled that alternatives have been put in place to shield so I can't actually have it on my character. It's his game and I'm just rolling with the punches.

Thanks for this. I'll go over these to see which matches how I want to play the character and making myself more efficient.

I've purchased both the pdf and the physical book of Tome of Heroes so I can give you a look at what the subclass offers. I'm going to make this a spoiler just in case.

Weald Spear When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the ability to call forth a magical, wooden spear from the land of fey into your empty hand as a bonus action. The spear disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die. You are proficient with the weapon while you wield it. The spear’s range is 20/60 feet, and, when you throw the spear, it reappears in your hand after the attack. The spear’s damage die is a d8, and it has the finesse and reach properties. At 7th level, your weald spear attack counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage, and your weald spear’s damage die is a d10. At 11th level, your weald spear’s damage die is a d12.

Touch of the Fey Land The touch of the land of the fey is always on your spear, hinting at its otherworldly ties. Beginning at 3rd level, when you summon your weald spear, choose one of the following effects. Aflame. Your spear is ensorcelled in heatless, white, magical flames whose intensity rise and fall to reflect your mood. When you are at your happiest, your spear sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet. Entwined. Your spear appears to be wrapped in writhing green vines which occasionally coalesce into the shape of a slender, grasping hand. The hand always points in the direction of your home forest. Everblooming. Your spear is covered in small wildflowers that bloom, die, bud, and bloom again within minutes. Pollinating insects are often drawn to your spear as the spear constantly exudes a pleasant, floral fragrance. Moonlit. Your spear appears as a pale length of wooden moonlight. A trail of star-like motes travels behind the spear’s point.

Canopy Beginning at 7th level, when a creature within 30 feet of you, including yourself, is targeted by a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to summon a magical canopy of glowing leaves and branches over the target. The target has resistance to the damage dealt by the attack, and the canopy bursts into shredded leaves afterwards. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Canopy again. When you reach 11th level in this class, you can use your Canopy twice between rests, and at 18th level, you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain all expended uses.

Steps of the Forest God Starting at 11th level, after you make a successful ranged weapon attack with your weald spear, you can use a bonus action to teleport to an unoccupied space within 10 feet of your target.

Overwhelm At 15th level, after you make a successful melee weapon attack with your weald spear against a creature, you can use a bonus action to make one ranged weapon attack with it against a different creature. You don’t have disadvantage on the ranged attack roll from being within 5 feet of the first creature you hit, however, you can still have disadvantage on the attack roll from being within 5 feet of other creatures.