Guardian
Source Battlecry! pg. 37Death and danger from all manner of enemies threaten all that you and your companions hold dear. But you are the shield, the steel wall that holds back the tide of opposition. You’re clad in armor you wear like a second skin and can angle it to protect yourself and your allies from damage and keep foes at bay. Allies look to you to safeguard them, whether they stand beside you on the battlefield or remain on the back lines, and enemies see you for the imposing threat you are. Be it to friend or foe, your presence is difficult to ignore.Key Attribute: STRENGTHAt 1st level, your class gives you an attribute boost to Strength.
Hit Points: 12 plus your Constitution modifierYou increase your maximum number of HP by this number at 1st level and every level thereafter.
Roleplaying the Guardian
During Combat Encounters...
You’re unparalleled in your use of armor, squeezing every last drop of protection it offers. You take hits meant for your most vulnerable allies. You can also taunt your foes, drawing their ire and attention so they attack you instead of others.
During Social Encounters...
Depending on your background, you might be friendly or coercive during negotiations. You usually feel more comfortable on the field of battle when you can more easily tell friend from foe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bond with other soldiers or those who have had experiences similar to yours.
While Exploring...
You remain vigilant against possible threats, ready to step up at a moment’s notice. Constantly wearing armor has made you stronger, allowing you to surmount physical challenges such as moving heavy objects or scaling walls.
In Downtime...
Your armor and shield might have gotten damaged during your latest adventures, so you often spend time repairing and maintaining them. You might also earn some extra coin doing manual labor or extra work as a town guard.
You Might...
- Stand firm in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, trusting in the strength of your armor to pull you through.
- Good-naturedly joke about how the damage you’ve taken has effectively saved the lives of your companions.
- Be slow to trust the motives of anyone who isn’t one of your allies, assuming they mean to do you harm.
Others Probably...
- Appreciate the sturdiness of your armor, especially when it absorbs an attack meant for them.
- Don’t understand why you’d want to put yourself in danger by taunting enemies.
- Feel safer when you’re standing near them on the field of battle.
Initial Proficiencies
At 1st level, you gain the listed proficiency ranks in the following statistics. You’re untrained in anything not listed unless you gain a better proficiency rank in some other way.
Perception
Trained in Perception
Saving Throws
Expert in Fortitude
Trained in Reflex
Expert in Will
Skills
Trained in
AthleticsTrained in a number of additional skills equal to 3 plus your Intelligence modifier
Attacks
Trained in simple weapons
Trained in martial weapons
Trained in unarmed attacks
Defenses
Trained in all armor
Trained in unarmored defense
Class DC
Trained in guardian class DC
Class Features
You gain these features as a Guardian. Abilities gained at higher levels list the levels at which you gain them next to the features' names.
| Your Level | Class Features |
| 1 | Ancestry and background, attribute boosts, initial proficiencies, guardian feat, guardian’s armor, Shield Block, Taunt, guardian’s techniques |
| 2 | Guardian feat, skill feat |
| 3 | General feat, skill increase, tough to kill |
| 4 | Guardian feat, skill feat |
| 5 | Ancestry feat, attribute boosts, skill increase, unbreakable expertise, weapon expertise |
| 6 | Guardian feat, skill feat |
| 7 | General feat, reaction time, reflex expertise, skill increase |
| 8 | Guardian feat, skill feat |
| 9 | Ancestry feat, battle hardened, guardian expertise, skill increase |
| 10 | Attribute boosts, guardian feat, skill feat |
| 11 | General feat, skill increase, unbreakable mastery, weapon specialization |
| 12 | Guardian feat, skill feat |
| 13 | Ancestry feat, skill increase, weapon mastery |
| 14 | Guardian feat, skill feat |
| 15 | Attribute boosts, general feat, skill increase, unbreakable legend |
| 16 | Guardian feat, skill feat |
| 17 | Ancestry feat, greater weapon specialization, skill increase, unyielding resolve |
| 18 | Guardian feat, skill feat |
| 19 | General feat, guardian mastery, skill increase |
| 20 | Attribute boosts, guardian feat, skill feat |
Ancestry and Background
In addition to what you get from your class at 1st level, you have the benefits of your selected ancestry and background.
Attribute Boosts
In addition to what you get from your class at 1st level, you have four free boosts to different attribute modifiers.
At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you get four free boosts to different attribute modifiers. If an attribute modifier is already +4 or higher, it takes two boosts to increase it; you get a partial boost, and you must boost that attribute again at a later level to increase it by 1.
Initial Proficiencies
At 1st level, you gain a number of proficiencies that represent your basic training. These proficiencies are noted at the start of this class.
Guardian Feats
At 1st level and every even-numbered level thereafter, you gain a
guardian class feat.
Guardian's Armor
Even when you are struck, your armor protects you from some harm. While wearing medium or heavy armor, you gain resistance to physical damage equal to 1 + half your level. In addition, you can rest normally while wearing medium and heavy armor.
Shield Block
You gain the
Shield Block general feat, a reaction that lets you reduce damage with your shield.
Taunt
Often, the best way to protect your allies is to have the enemy want to attack you instead. You gain the Taunt action.
Taunt [one-action]
Concentrate Guardian Source Battlecry! pg. 38
With an attention-grabbing gesture, noise, cutting remark, or threatening shout, you attempt to draw an enemy to you instead of your allies. Taunt gains the
auditory trait,
visual trait, or both, depending on how you draw the target’s attention. Even
mindless creatures are drawn to your taunts. Choose an enemy within 30 feet to be your taunted enemy. If your taunted enemy takes a hostile action that includes at least one of your allies but doesn’t include you, they take a –1 circumstance penalty to their attack rolls and DCs for that action, and they also become
off-guard until the start of their next turn.
Your enemy remains taunted until the start of your next turn, and you can have only one Taunt in effect at a time. Taunting a new enemy ends this effect on any current target.
Guardian's Techniques
As a guardian, you have learned certain techniques to help keep your allies safe.
Ever Ready
You always gain a reaction whenever you roll initiative for combat, but you can use it only for reactions from guardian feats or class features. The GM might still rule that you can use other reactions before your first turn based on the situation, as normal.
Intercept Attack
You keep your charges safe from harm, even if it means you get hurt yourself. You gain the Intercept Attack reaction.
Guardian Source Battlecry! pg. 38Trigger An ally within 10 feet of you takes physical damage.
You fling yourself in the way of oncoming harm to protect an ally. You can
Step, but you must end your movement adjacent to the triggering ally. You take the damage instead of the triggering ally. Apply your own immunities, weaknesses, and resistances to the damage, not the ally’s.
Special You can extend this ability to an ally within 15 feet of you if the damage comes from your taunted enemy. If this ally is farther than you can Step to reach, you can
Stride instead of Stepping; you still must end the movement adjacent to your ally.
Skill FeatsLevel 2
At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill feat. You must be trained or better in the corresponding skill to select a skill feat.
General FeatsLevel 3
At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a general feat.
Skill IncreasesLevel 3
At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain a skill increase. You can use this increase to either become trained in one skill you’re untrained in or become an expert in one skill in which you’re already trained.
At 7th level, you can use skill increases to become a master in a skill in which you’re already an expert, and at 15th level, you can use them to become legendary in a skill in which you’re already a master.
Tough to KillLevel 3
The protectiveness of your armor ensures that even if you fall, you take longer to die. You gain the
Diehard general feat. If you already have the Diehard feat, you can retrain it when you get tough to kill. Additionally, the first time each day you’d be reduced to
dying 3 or higher, you stay at dying 2 instead.
Ancestry FeatsLevel 5
In addition to the ancestry feat you started with, you gain an ancestry feat at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
Unbreakable ExpertiseLevel 5
With training, you understand how to best block hits with your armor. Your proficiency rank with medium armor and heavy armor increases to expert.
Weapon ExpertiseLevel 5
Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense. Your proficiency ranks for simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks increase to expert.
Reaction TimeLevel 7
You’re always on the lookout for danger and can react to it in an instant. Your proficiency rank for Perception increases to expert. At the start of each of your turns, you gain an additional reaction that you can use only for reactions from guardian feats or class features (including Shield Block). If you have the ever ready class feature, you also gain this additional reaction when you roll initiative for combat.
Reflex ExpertiseLevel 7
Even in the heaviest of armors, you can brace yourself against widespread effects. Your proficiency rank for Reflex saves increases to expert.
Battle HardenedLevel 9
Your experience in battle helps protect you against magic and toxins alike. Your proficiency rank for Fortitude saves increases to master. When you roll a success on a Fortitude save, you get a critical success instead.
Guardian ExpertiseLevel 9
Your armored form is more imposing. Your proficiency rank for your guardian class DC increases to expert.
Unbreakable MasteryLevel 11
When clad in steel, you fend off most attacks. Your proficiency rank with medium armor and heavy armor increases to master. Your proficiency rank with light armor and unarmored defense increases to expert.
Weapon SpecializationLevel 11
You’ve learned how to inflict greater injuries with the weapons you know best. You deal 2 additional damage with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you’re an expert. This damage increases to 3 if you’re a master, and 4 if you’re legendary.
Weapon MasteryLevel 13
Your hours of battlefield experience grant you greater prowess. Your proficiency ranks for simple weapons, martial weapons, and unarmed attacks increase to master.
Unbreakable LegendLevel 15
You have become an almost-impenetrable bulwark. Your proficiency ranks for medium and heavy armor increase to legendary. Your proficiency ranks for light armor and unarmored defense increase to master.
Greater Weapon SpecializationLevel 17
Your damage from weapon specialization increases to 4 with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you’re an expert, 6 if you’re a master, and 8 if you’re legendary.
Unyielding ResolveLevel 17
Stalwart as your armor, you refuse to break. Your proficiency ranks for Will saves increases to master. When you roll a success on a Will save, you get a critical success instead.
Guardian MasteryLevel 19
You are known for your suit of armor more than the person inside. Your proficiency rank for your guardian class DC increases to master. While wearing armor, when you attempt a Reflex save to avoid a damaging effect, such as a
fireball, you can add your armor’s item bonus to AC instead of your Dexterity modifier; if your armor has the bulwark trait, increase this bonus by 1. If you get a success when you do this, you get a critical success instead.