Guardian

A Base Class for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

Self-preservation is something that comes naturally to humanity. Guardians are martial characters who must learn to overcome that most basic, animalistic instinct, and throw themselves before an enemy’s blow in order to protect their charge. Many guardians are bodyguards, knightly guardians, or other sorts of armed escorts. They can be professionals providing protective services for a fee or even members of organizations whose leadership requires round-the-clock surveillance. Guardians are experts in mitigating threats and excel in outright preventing them.

Hit Dice: D10.

Role: Guardians are defensive characters, able to protect their allies, but beyond that they are still martial characters in the extreme. Capable fighters in their own right, guardians forgo the excessively aggressive stances that most other martial characters gain, in favor of performing a role more suited to damage mitigation.

Trappings: A guardian will almost universally choose a shield to be his trapping, though in rare cases he will choose a different protective item.

Alignment: Any

Guardians tend to be of the good or neutral alignments, as the concept of selflessness is often foreign to the minds of the wicked. More guardians are lawful than chaotic, though the act of throwing yourself between a friend and an enemy’s blade can be seen as a chaotic action.

Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 gp (average 175 gp.). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills[]

The guardian’s class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Bodyguard, guardian charge, reliability (1/day), shield trick
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Toughness
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Living shield, dampening strike, reliability (2/day)
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Shield trick
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Reliability (3/day), self-sacrifice
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Bonus feat, line-fighter (+1)
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5	Reliability (4/day), shield trick
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	Improved guardian charge
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	Reliability (5/day)
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	Bonus feat, shield trick
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	Reliability (6/day)
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	Line-fighter (+2)
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8	Living shield, reliability (7/day), shield trick
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	Bonus feat, Galant guardian charge
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	Reliability (8/day)
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	Enveloping shield, shield trick
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Reliability (9/day)
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Bonus feat, Line-fighter (+3)
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Reliability (10/day), shield trick
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Bonus feat, last line of defence

Class Features[]

The following are the class features of the guardian.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies[]

The guardian is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all armor (heavy, light, and medium), and all shields (including tower shields).

Bodyguard (Ex):[]

At 1st level when an adjacent ally is successfully hit by something requiring an attack roll, a guardian may attempt to interpose himself in the way of the attack by expending an attack of opportunity so long as he is wielding a shield. The guardian makes an attack roll as if he were making an attack of opportunity using his Dexterity in place of his Strength and adds his shield’s bonus to AC to this attack roll. If successful, the guardian becomes the target of the creatures attack, rather than the original target. The attack resolves against the guardians AC, as normal, which may cause the attack to miss. This is known as a bodyguard roll. If a guardian is out of attacks of opportunity, he may expend an immediate action instead.

Guardian Charge (Ex):[]

Mustering all his might, a guardian can hurtle at great speeds or even hurl himself to come to the aid of an ally. As a move action, a guardian can move up to twice his movement speed to provide aid to an ally.

This aid must either come in the form of a necessary Heal check (to stabilize a dying ally via first aid, to treat a poison, etc) or to provide a bonus via the guardian’s reliability class feature. Other justifications may be approved by the GM on a case-by-case basis provided it is done to provide healing or alleviate some sort of dire condition (example: using a guardian charge to bring a critically injured ally a potion of cure critical wounds would be acceptable). If the guardian uses this class feature for any other reason, his turn ends immediately after he moves.

The guardian must have a clear path towards his ally, and nothing can hinder his movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles). He must move to the closest space from which he can provide aid to his ally. If this space is occupied or otherwise blocked, the guardian can't use this class feature. If any line from his starting space to the ending space passes through a square that blocks movement, slows movement, or contains a creature other than an ally (a guardian can guardian charge through allies), then he can't charge. Helpless creatures don't stop a guardian charge. If the guardian doesn’t have line of sight to the ally he is trying to aid at the start of his turn, he can't use guardian’s charge that ally. A guardian can't take a 5-foot step in the same round as he uses a guardian’s charge.

Reliability (Ex):[]

A guardian eventually develops a knack for being reliable in a pinch. He can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day for every odd guardian level beyond 1st.

A guardian can expend one use of his reliability class feature as a swift action on an adjacent and willing ally.

The bonus the guardian provides to his ally’s AC with an aid another action is equal to 2 + 1/3 guardian level rather than simply +2.
The guardian provides his ally with amount of DR equal to 1/3 his guardian level (minimum DR 1/-).
The guardian provides his ally with a bonus on all saves equal to +1/4 his guardian level (minimum +1).

Shield Tricks (Ex):[]

At 1st level and every 3 levels thereafter a guardian learns a new trick with his defensive equipment that allows him to utilize it more effectively.

Heavy Armor Study: You lessen the armor check penalty on heavy armor by 2. This may be selected multiple times and its effects stack.
Mobility Training: You reduce any movement speed penalty imposed by equipment by 10 feet. This may be selected multiple times and its effects stack.
Tower Shield Training: When employing a tower shield in combat, you no longer take a -2 penalty on attack rolls because of the shield's encumbrance.
Tower of War: You may shield bash with a tower shield if you wield it in both hands while you do so. It has the following profile:

- 1d6 1d8 19-20 ×2 — special B —
Turtle Guard: You expose less of yourself when using a shield, increasing the shield bonus granted by your shield by 2. This bonus only applies to one type of shield (buckler/light shields (base +1 bonus), heavy shields (base +2 bonus), or tower shield). This ability may be selected multiple times. Each time, choose a different type of shield to gain the bonus with.
Aggressive Shield: You gain a +1 on attack and damage rolls on attacks made with your shield. This ability may be selected multiple times and its effects stack.
Ward Training: When wielding a shield, apply your shield bonus to your touch AC.
Shield Brace: While wielding a shield, other than a tower shield, a character can wield a two-handed weapon in one hand. However, while doing so, a guardian cannot make more than one attack with that two-handed weapon as part of a full attack action. A guardian must be at least 4th level before selecting this shield trick.
Twin Walls: You may equip two shields (one in each hand). This feat allows your off-hand shield to provide 1/2 it’s shield bonus (minimum 1) to your AC (a buckler would provide +1 while a tower shield would provide a +2). This does not take into account the bonus provided by magical enhancements or the like which would not stack. A guardian must have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat and be at least 9th level to be able to select this shield trick.
Quick Deployment: When using a tower shield you can deploy it to grant you total cover as a move action rather than a standard action.
Perspective Bodyguard: You gain a +2 insight bonus on rolls made using your bodyguard class feature while wielding a shield.
Shieldman’s Charge: You never take a penalty to your AC for charging while you have a shield equipped. Instead, you gain a +2 morale bonus to you AC until the start of your next turn after a charge.
Hunker Down: The bonus AC you provide adjacent allies via your line-fighter class feature improves by 1 if you are taking a total defense action. In addition, while taking a total defence action you, and any creature benefiting from your line-fighter class feature gain a circumstance bonus to AC against critical hits equal to the bonus to AC you gain from your total defence action.
Guarded Combatant: When you fight defensively while wielding a shield you take no penalty on attack rolls and gain a +2 bonus on rolls made using your bodyguard class feature until the start of your next turn. In addition, the bonus AC you provide adjacent allies via your line-fighter class improves by 1 if you are fighting defensively.
Citadel Charge: While wielding a shield and making a guardian charge, the first 10 feet of movement you make does not provoke attacks of opportunities.
Warry Sentinel: While wielding a shield you cannot be flanked while fighting defensively.

Alternatively, a guardian can select a bonus feat from the list below in place of a shield trick. The only prerequisites the guardian needs to meet to qualify for these feats are the feat prerequisites if the feat(s) are on their list of bonus feats or racial requirements.

At 4th level he may select from:

Combat Expertise, Combat Patrol, Create Reliquary Arms and Shields, Dodge, Fortified Armor Training, Gang Up, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Shield Bash, Ironhide, Lightning Reflexes, Lookout, Low Profile, Missile Shield, Mobility, Mounted Shield, Old Reliable*, Ray Shield, Saving Shield, Shield Focus, Shield Specialization, Shield Wall, Toughness, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting

At 7th level he adds the following feats to the list of those he may take:

Covering Defense, Greater Shield Focus, Hindering Strike*, Shield Slam, Team Up

At 10th level he adds the following feats to the list of those he may take:

Bashing Finish, Enduring Hindering Strike*, Greater Shield Specialization, Improved Hindering Strike*, Shield Master

Feats found in this book.

Toughness:[]

A guardian gains Toughness as a bonus feat at 2nd level.

Dampening Strike (Ex):[]

At 3rd level, a guardian’s blows are designed not to incapacitate but to debilitate in order to provide a de-escalation of violence. The guardian deals non-lethal damage when making a dampening strike and takes no penalty for doing so. He cannot make a dampening strike with a weapon that cannot deal non-lethal damage. When making a dampening strike a guardian deals additional damage equal to 1/2 his guardian level (minimum +2). This extra damage is not multiplied on a critical hit. A dampening strike can be made in place of any melee attack and functions as a typical melee attack (can utilize feats like Power Attack for example).

Living Shield (Sp):[]

At 3rd level, a guardian can cast shield other on an ally as a swift action a number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier. At 13th level a guardian can cast shield other at will.

Self-Sacrifice (Ex):[]

At 5th level, any time an ally within 10 feet fails a saving throw that the guardian has successfully saved against, he may treat himself as having failed, but his ally is treated as having succeeded. The guardian must have a line of effect to his target and have suffered from the same effect in order to benefit from this. A guardian may only use this ability once per round.

Bonus Feats:

At 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter, a guardian may select one of the bonus feats available to him through his shield trick class feature.

Line-Fighter (Ex):[]

At 6th level, allies adjacent to the guardian gain a +1 shield bonus to their AC. At 12th level this improves to a +2 and at 18th level it becomes a +3. The bonus provided cannot exceed the base shield bonus to AC your shield provides (a buckler could provide a +1 but only a tower shield could provide a +3).

Improved Guardian Charge (Ex):[]

At 8th level, when a guardian makes a guardian charge he does not reduce his speed due to armor or encumbrance. In addition, while making a guardian charge he gains a +2 morale bonus to his AC against attacks of opportunity.

Galant Guardian Charge (Ex):[]

At 14th level, when making a guardian charge a guardian multiplies his movement speed by 2.5 (rather than by 2). In addition, creatures who receive aid from his guardian charge receive a +2 morale bonus to their AC until the end of their next turn.

Enveloping Shield (Ex):[]

At 16th level, when a guardian uses his living shield ability he may target a number of creatures equal to his Charisma modifier who are within the range of the spell.

Last Line of Defence (Ex):[]

At 20th level, a guardian doubles the base bonus to AC shields provide him. In addition, any creature who benefits from his line-fighter class feature also gains a +4 bonus to their CMD to resist bull rush attempts.

Sidebar: Similar Classes[]

As introduced in the beginning of this book, some exotic classes fill roles that would normally be the purview of other classes. A guardian fills a role similar to a fighter or paladin and as such multiclassing into one of these classes is discouraged.

Section 15 OGL Copyright Declaration:[]

• System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. • Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. Copyright 2009, Paizo Inc.; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams. • The Book of Experimental Might. Copyright 2008, Monte J. Cook. All rights reserved. • Tome of Horrors. Copyright 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Authors: Scott Greene, with Clark Peterson, Erica Balsley, Kevin Baase, Casey Christofferson, Lance Hawvermale, Travis Hawvermale, Patrick Lawinger, and Bill Webb; Based on original content from TSR. • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide. © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Brian J. Cortijo, Jim Groves, Tim Hitchcock, Richard A. Hunt, Colin McComb, Jason Nelson, Tom Phillips, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, and Russ Taylor. • Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Jason Bulmahn, Tim Hitchcock, Colin McComb, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Russ Taylor. • Politics and Power © 2014, Little Red Goblin Games LLC; Author: Scott Gladstein • Alternate Paths: Martial Characters © 2015, Little Red Goblin Games LLC; Author: Scott Gladstein, Christos Gurd, Caleb Alysworth, and Dayton Johnson.