Battle Mage Study: The Defender

***A student of the Defender is a warrior that loves to get into the very front of the battle. Their magic is closely related to the Abjuration school of magic, deflecting blows from themselves & protecting their allies. The Study of the Defender is perfect for those looking to enter the middle of the fight, stay there, and outlast any foe that crosses your path.***

### Bonus Proficiency

Starting at 3rd level upon taking the Study of the Defender, you gain proficiency in heavy armor.

### Protection

Starting at 3rd level, when you take on the Study of the Defender, you gain the ability to protect your team from harm using your magic. You can extend the reach of your protective spells to allies within 10 feet of you. As a result, you can take the following reactions:

* Whenever you see a creature within range (listed below) get hit with an attack roll, as a reaction, you can expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to cast *shield* on that creature.

* Starting at 6th level, whenever you see a creature within range (Listed below) take bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, as a reaction, you can expend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher to cast *absorb kinetics* on that creature.

* Starting at 10th level, whenever you see a creature within range (Listed below) take any damage, as a reaction, you can expend a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to cast *absorb energy* on that creature.

The protective features of these spells last until the start of your next turn, and the damaging effect of *absorb kinetics* and *absorb energy* apply to your next melee weapon attack, not the targeted creature's.

The range of this feature starts at 10 feet and increases to 15 feet at 6th level, 20 feet at 10th level, and to 30 feet at 14th level.

### Arcane Guardian

At 3rd level, you obtain the means to protect yourself when entering the fray of any battle. You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Study of the Defender Spells table. These spells count as Battle Mage spells for you, but don't count against the number of Battle Mage spells you know.

### Shielding Surge

Starting at 6th level, you form an arcane shield around yourself as you activate your Arcane Surge, preparing yourself for the coming battle. Whenever Arcane Surge is active, you gain a +1 bonus to armor class and a bonus to all saving throws equal to half of your Intelligence modifier (rounded up).

### Dependable

Beginning at 10th level, your keen adherence to protecting your team is deeply seeded into your very nature. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed & frightened. Additionally, each time that you attack an ally against your will, you can make a saving throw against the effect causing you to attack your allies.

### Arcane Armor

Starting at 14th level, you become the ultimate defender of your team and yourself. Once you activate Arcane Surge, a magical barrier starts to manifest around yourself, granting you and those around you protection. While your Arcane Surge Is active, you and your allies gain the following benefits while within 10 feet of you:

* Your allies gain half cover.
* Whenever you or your allies take damage, reduce the damage taken by your Intelligence modifier.
* Whenever you use your Protection feature on your allies, the defensive aspects of the spell apply to yourself as well.
* Whenever you use one of your Protection feature's spells on yourself, you can apply the spell's effects onto another creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you.