Guardian

Guardian

Instead of seeking glory or sticking to self-preserving tactics, some adventurers value the lives of others more than their own. Whether this stems from a moral decision, a tactical style, or an oath to protect and watch over a chosen few, many of these adventurers opt for the path of the guardian. Guardians master their own strength, but focus on defending others even at their own expense.

d12 hit die, 2 + I skill points per level

Class skills: World, Insight, Sense, Spot, Survival, Intimidate, Athletics, Craft, Profession

Good resistances: Power, Grace, Vitality, Stature, Resolve, Ego

Proficiencies: Light, Medium, and Heavy Armors, Simple and Martial Weapons, Shields, Tower Shields

Safeguard:

Guardians may choose to take a penalty to AC equal to the number shown on the class table as a free action. While the guardian is taking this penalty, allies within the guardian’s threatened range gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to the above number. Ending this effect is a move action. At 14th level, the guardian may activate this effect as a no action.

Stalwart Fortitude:

At 1st level, while using Safeguard, guardians gain DD 2 and DR 1/-. These increase by 2 and 1 respectively at 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter. At 9th level they gain half this bonus while not using Safeguard. At 18th level, they gain an additional DR 2/- and DD 2.

Protector’s Prerogative:

At 2nd level, guardians choose a style used to protect those in their care. They gain the following abilities at the listed levels.

Deflector -

At 2nd level, when the guardian is targeted by an opponent using a melee weapon, they can attempt to parry the attack as a quick action. The guardian makes an opposing attack roll and if the total of this roll exceeds the opponent’s attack roll, the opponent’s attack fails. For the purposes of this check, each creature adds their Stature modifier to their attack roll. They gain an additional quick action per round at 5th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, which may only be used to parry.

At 8th level, they can parry attacks made against allies in their threatened range.

At 14th level they can parry ranged attacks with a -5 penalty to their parry roll.

At 20th level, a successful parry imposes a penalty on the target’s next attack roll equal to the amount by which the guardian’s attack exceeded the incoming attack.

Interceptor -

At 2nd level, the guardian gains AC Aid Adept and Quick Reflexes as bonus feats even if they do not meet the prerequisites. They gain an additional quick action per round at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter to a maximum of either their Power or Finesse modifier(whichever is higher). These additional quick actions may only be used with AC Aid Adept and Take the Hit.

At 8th level they gain Take the Hit as a bonus feat. Any allies receiving an AC bonus from the guardian’s AC Aid Adept ability receive an additional +2 bonus to AC. This increases to +3 at 14th level and +4 at 20th level.

At 14th level, they only need to expend one quick action to improve an ally’s AC for all attacks for one round. They double their DR for attacks intercepted using Take the Hit.

At 20th level, their DR increases by another 10 when intercepting attacks.

Resolute -

At 2nd level, the guardian gains +2 DD and +1 DR/-. Their DD and DR from Stalwart Fortitude is doubled when adjacent to at least two allies.

At 8th level, the guardian gains a morale bonus to resistances equal to twice the number of allies benefiting from their Safeguard. The guardian’s DR applies to all types of damage, not just physical damage. This applies even when the damage type could not normally be reduced by DR or Tolerance.

At 14th level, the guardian’s DR and DD increase by 2 per ally benefiting from their Safeguard.

At 20th level, a number of times per short rest equal to their Vitality modifier, the guardian can brace themselves as a move action, reducing all damage taken for one round by half before DD and DR is applied.

Shieldmaster -

At 2nd level, the guardian gains Chosen Shield and Improved Shield Bash as bonus feats. They treat their Stature as 1 higher for the purposes of wielding a shield as a weapon. This bonus increases by 1 at 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter.

At 8th level the guardian gains Improved Off-Hand Strike as a bonus feat. Additionally, all allies benefiting from Safeguard gain the guardian’s shield bonus as a deflection bonus to AC. This includes magical properties of the shield.

At 14th level, all allies benefiting from Safeguard gain the benefits of cover.

At 20th level, when the guardian is wielding a shield, adjacent allies gain miss chance 1. Additionally, as a free action the guardian may choose one target and grant total cover for one round.

Warder -

At 2nd level, the guardian gains Awesome Presence as a paladin of their level +3. They gain a bonus to Intimidate creatures threatening their allies equal to twice the number of allies benefiting from Safeguard.

At 8th level, the guardian can make Intimidate checks as a quick action against an enemy if they enter within the radius of Awesome Presence. The guardian and their adjacent allies gain a bonus to hit and damage against creatures in any state of fear within the radius of Awesome Presence equal to ¼ the guardian’s level.

At 14th level, the guardian gains Impressive Show as a bonus feat and may use it as a free action upon successfully landing an attack on an enemy. The aura of Awesome Presence increases by 5ft and the bonus and penalty to fear each increase by 1 each time the guardian brings a creature with hit die at least ⅓ their level below 0 Health, to a maximum of the Guardian’s Ego Modifier. This resets when the guardian takes a short rest.

At 20th level, targets within Awesome Presence that the guardian intimidates with Impressive Show lose immunity to fear, RR negates (DC 16 + the guardian’s bonus to Intimidate). Any creatures that the guardian causes to be shaken are dazed for one round.

Defender’s Ire:

At 3rd level, in any round a guardian uses Safeguard, they gain a +2 bonus to hit and damage against any creature that either damaged an ally in the past round or currently threatens an ally. This bonus increases by 1 at 10th and 17th level.

Bonus Feats:

At 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter, guardians gain a bonus feat. These feats must be from the list of Teamwork, Equipment, Combat, or Exploit Feats.

Wary:

At 6th level, a guardian’s senses allow them to react instantly to danger. They gain half their level as a bonus to skill checks to avoid being surprised. They may still use Safeguard while surprised.

Body Shield:

At 7th level, if the guardian and an ally within the guardian’s threatened range are both targeted by an effect that requires a resistance, the guardian can choose to take a penalty to the resistance equal to their Safeguard penalty as a quick action. This ally gains double this as a bonus to their resistance roll. This may be used multiple times against the same effect in order to grant this bonus to multiple targets, but its effects do not stack to grant a higher bonus to one target.

Sidestep:

At 9th level, once per round when using Safeguard, guardians may fix-footing as a free action, as long as they end this movement adjacent to an ally. At 18th level they may use this ability as a quick action twice per short rest.

Watch Your Back:

At 11th level, the bonus granted to hit the guardian from flanking is reduced by 4 (min 0). If this reduces a creature’s flanking bonus to 0, they gain no benefits from flanking.

Retributive Strike:

At 13th level, attacking a guardian’s allies provokes an opportunity attack from the guardian. In order for the guardian to take this opportunity attack, the attacker must be within the guardian’s threatened range. At 18th level, the guardian’s opportunity attacks made with retribution are rolled twice, taking the higher.

Retreat:

At 17th level, a guardian taking the disengage action can bring up to two adjacent willing creatures with them. At the end of this movement, the guardian may place this creature in any square that the guardian threatens, as long as this square is not threatened by any hostile creature. This creature affects their encumbrance and requires at least one free hand to move. This movement does not provoke any opportunity attacks for the guardian or their ally.

Total Shield:

At 19th level, allies benefiting from Safeguard can choose to gain one of the following benefits for as long as they gain the benefits of Safeguard. They may change which of these they gain the first time the guardian uses Safeguard each short rest.

Durability -  DD and DR equal to the guardian’s bonus from Stalwart Fortitude

Immunity - +5 Deflection bonus to AC

Impunity - None of the ally’s actions provoke opportunity attacks

Mobility - The ally can fix-footing as a free action twice per round

Obscurity - Miss Chance 2

Security - The ally gains total cover from all attackers in a cone extending from the opposite side of the guardian.

Tenacity - +5 to Resistances