Damage Shield

A damage shield is a type of beneficial spell (buff) which deals direct damage to an enemy who strikes the buffed character with melee damage. Druids and Magicians are known to have the strongest damage shields, although Rangers, Enchanters, Wizards, Necromancers, and Shadow Knights are also capable of casting weaker damage shields.

Strategy

In most contexts, groups of players will rely heavily on melee dps to deal a significant portion of the damage to kill NPCs. It's very advantageous to dispel damage shields from NPCs. Be sure to do so before slowing or snaring the NPC, as dispel may strip that, too.