Stalwart DefenderLegacy Content
Source Highhelm pg. 110The military history of the
dwarves is a story of largely defensive combat and tactics, whether it be as simple as guarding a camp during the Quest for Sky or a protracted siege, such as at the Sky Citadel of Kraggodan. The martial discipline of the stalwart defender arose over the course of centuries to become an iconic dwarven warrior, capable of holding their ground against overwhelming odds and not ceding an inch of stone.
To be a stalwart defender is to stand with the resilience of a mountain. When danger arrives you face it unflinchingly, allowing your enemy's blows to glance off you like wind whistling past granite. This mindset comes naturally to dwarves, while other ancestries typically need specialized training to attain the determination needed for such a style.
Additional Feats
Source Player Core pg. 215 2.0Some archetypes include a list of “Additional Feats” that appear in other sources. The list includes each feat’s level, which might be different than normal when gained from the archetype. You can take the feat as an archetype feat of that level, meaning it counts toward the number of feats required by the archetype’s dedication feat. When selected this way, a feat that normally has a class’s trait (such as the fighter trait) doesn’t have that class trait.
Click here for the full rules on Additional Feats.
Legacy Content
Uncommon Archetype Dedication Source Highhelm pg. 110Archetype Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites trained in light armor
Access You are a
dwarf or have undergone defender training in a dwarven settlement such as Highhelm.
You have completed your initial training in the ways of a stalwart defender. You gain the Tenacious Stance action.
Tenacious Stance [one-action] (
stance)
Requirements You are wearing armor;
Effect You steady yourself, as tough and immutable as stone. You gain a number of temporary Hit Points equal to half your level (minimum 1) and a +2 circumstance bonus to DCs against being
Shoved and
Tripped. However, you no longer negate your armor check penalty or Speed penalty for having a high Strength while in this stance. After you leave Tenacious Stance, you lose any remaining temporary Hit Points from the stance, and you become temporarily immune to gaining temporary Hit Points from Tenacious Stance for 1 minute.
Special You cannot select another dedication feat until you take two other feats from the stalwart defender archetype.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 110Archetype Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites Stalwart Defender Dedication
You become trained in medium and heavy armor. Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in any armor (but not unarmored defense), you also gain that proficiency rank in the armor types granted to you by this feat.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 110Archetype Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites Stalwart Defender Dedication;
Shield BlockRequirements You are in Tenacious Stance.
Using your shield, you guard against the movement of foes as surely as if you were a wall of stone. You
Raise a Shield and become anchored for 1 round. While anchored, you gain a +4 circumstance bonus to the DC to
Tumble Through your space.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 110Archetype Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites Stalwart Defender Dedication
The weight of your armored feet casts aside natural impediments. When wearing medium or heavy armor, you ignore
difficult terrain from non-magical sources. If you are a master in the armor you are wearing, you also ignore greater difficult terrain from non-magical sources.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 110Archetype Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites Stalwart Defender Dedication
Stone never becomes queasy, so why should you? You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saving throws against the
sickened condition. When you succeed at a Fortitude save to reduce your sickened value, you reduce it by 2 (or by 3 on a critical success).
Legacy Content
Archetype Skill Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 191 2.0Archetypes Sentinel,
Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites trained in
Survival;
Sentinel Dedication* This version of the Steel Skin feat is intended for use with an Archetype and has a different level for access than the
original feat.
You wear your armor like a second skin. You can rest normally while wearing medium armor. If you are a master in heavy armor, you can also rest normally while wearing heavy armor.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 110Archetype Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites Stalwart Defender Dedication; expert in
AthleticsTrigger You are damaged by a melee Strike.
Requirements You are in Tenacious Stance.
You lean into your foe's attack, using the weight of your body and armor to send them reeling. Attempt an
Athletics check against the creature's Reflex DC. On a success, the target becomes
clumsy 1 until the end of its next turn (clumsy 2 on a critical success). If you are
anchored, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to this check.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 111Archetype Stalwart DefenderFrequency once per day
Prerequisites Stalwart Defender DedicationRequirements You are in Tenacious Stance.
Every dwarf knows that the rock they walk upon can be either a best friend or a treacherous path. With a heavy impact of your armored heel, you crack the ground underneath you. The ground within a 10-foot emanation becomes
difficult terrain. If you are a master or better in the armor you are wearing, this becomes greater difficult terrain. The cracked ground settles and reverts to normal terrain after 1 minute.
Special At 16th level, you can take this feat again. If you do, you can use it once per hour instead of once per day.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 111Archetype Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites Stalwart Defender Dedication
You know the precise limits of your armor, and trust it to save you from harm. You gain the
armor specialization effect of light armor. If you are trained in medium or heavy armor, you gain the respective armor specialization effect for those armors as well. While in Tenacious Stance, you increase the value of your armor specialization effects by an amount equal to the value of your armor check penalty (adding +3 to the resistance while wearing plate armors, for example).
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 191 2.0Archetypes Sentinel,
Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites Sentinel DedicationTrigger An adjacent foe critically fails an attack roll to Strike you with a melee weapon or unarmed attack.
Requirements You are wearing medium armor or heavier.
* This version of the Armored Rebuff feat is intended for use with an Archetype and has a different level for access than the
original feat.
You rebuff puny attacks with your armor, knocking back your foe. Attempt an
Athletics check to
Shove the triggering foe, even if you don't have a hand free. If you succeed, you can't Stride to follow the foe, as you're knocking the foe back with the rebounded attack, not by physically moving towards them.
Legacy Content
Archetype Magical Necromancy Source Highhelm pg. 111Archetype Stalwart DefenderFrequency once per day
Prerequisites Stalwart Defender DedicationRequirements You are in Tenacious Stance.
By rooting yourself in place, you are able to focus your body's natural healing to work faster. You gain
fast healing equal to your level. This fast healing remains for 1 minute or until you end your Tenacious Stance, whichever comes first.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 111Archetype Stalwart DefenderFrequency once per hour
Prerequisites Stalwart Defender DedicationTrigger You would be reduced to 0 Hit Points but not immediately killed.
Requirements You are in Tenacious Stance.
You fight on, staying on your feet and lashing out at a foe. You avoid being knocked out and remain at 1 Hit Point, and your
wounded condition increases by 1. Make a melee Strike at an enemy within reach. You immediately end your Tenacious Stance.
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 191 2.0Archetypes Sentinel,
Stalwart DefenderPrerequisites Sentinel Dedication* This version of the Mighty Bulwark feat is intended for use with an Archetype and has a different level for access than the
original feat.
Thanks to your incredible connection to your armor, you can use it to shrug off an incredible array of dangers. Your bonus from the
bulwark armor trait increases from +3 to +4, and it applies on all Reflex saves, not just damaging Reflex saves.
Stone Body [one-action] Feat 16
Legacy Content
Archetype Source Highhelm pg. 111Archetype Stalwart DefenderFrequency once per hour
Prerequisites Stalwart Defender DedicationRequirements You are in Tenacious Stance.
Emulating the great defenders throughout dwarven history, you close your mind to the sensation of pain, becoming as resolute as stone itself. You gain resistance 10 to all damage. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn or immediately upon being critically hit.