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View Full Version : D&D 3.x Class The Ward Knight (PEACH)



Quellian-dyrae
2015-02-17, 01:25 AM
Ward Knight

"When evil threatens our people, I will be the Shield that protects them. When creatures of darkness invoke their sorceries, I will be the blade that Wards them off. Should all the world make war against us, I will the Symbol of our defiance! To my last breath and final spell, I vow to defend this land against all enemies. I am a Ward Knight! Let them come!"

Adventures: Ward knights are guardians of their land and people. They may adventure to protect wizards and nobles in their charge, or they may be on a mission to hunt down a criminal or enemy and bring it to justice. Some might be assigned to patrol for monsters and hostiles, or as part of a Triad responsible for defending an entire town from supernatural threats.

Characteristics: Ward knights are skilled warriors with a talent for abjuration magic. They invoke shields to protect their allies from harm, craft wards against specific threats, and conjure symbols of power that can blast enemies who venture too near. As they advance, they also master tactical teleportation abilities, allowing them to maneuver to defend their allies and strike at foes trying to slip around them.

Alignments: Ward knights are traditionally guardians, sentinels, even investigators, leaning them towards a lawful alignment. They typically share the moral alignment of their homeland, as that is what they have sworn their loyalty to.

Religion: Most ward knights follow the dominant religion of their homeland, although it is also possible for ward knights to be divinely gifted and serve a religious institution rather than a government.

Background: Ward knights are typically found in lands ruled by magic users, where they serve as elite protectors. They are royal guards, elite watch units, and loyal champions of the ruling magocracy. Their abilities are typically learned at a government-run university or guild, where they undergo rigorous training to master both physical combat and abjuration magic.

Races: Often, ward knights will be common or perhaps even exclusive to a single race - and more to the point, a single kingdom. There may be a great human kingdom ruled by mighty mages who train ward knights as their protectors and elite soldiers. Or they may be the guards and champions of elven nobility, or powerful dwarven champions who draw on the defensive power of earth magic to ward their mountain kingdoms from dwarvenkind's many enemies.

Other Classes: As powerful protectors, ward knights easily find the favor of wizards, sorcerers, and other physically vulnerable arcanists. This isn't to say other warriors don't welcome them as well, as their wards can turn aside strange monsters and their shields offer an additional defense in close combat.

Role: Ward knights are strongly defensively oriented, using their wards to protect against specific threats, their shields to ablate enemy attacks, their symbols and reflexes to keep foes away from vulnerable allies, and when all else fails, throwing themselves bodily in the way of attacks against their charges. Outside of combat, they have enough skills to support their party, particularly in investigative roles, and their wards provide some good party-wide utility and protection.

Adaptation: While the default flavor of the ward knight is that of a sort of magical bodyguard and agent, they can just as easily be adapted as a general warrior-mage with an emphasis on abjuration, or even as a divinely gifted paladin variant. And even with their default flavor, their homeland can strongly influence how they appear in the campaign world - the agents and protectors of a benevolent council of wizards are very different from the unstoppable champions of a sorcerer-emporer!

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Ward Knights have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Ward knights may select Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma to fuel their magic, and this choice also determines which form of abjuration - symbols, wards, or shields - they are most proficient with. Constitution is also important to a Ward knight, as it determines how much power they can exert each day, while Dexterity can be helpful for improving their personal defense and reflexes.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Starting Age: As Wizard.
Starting Gold: As Fighter.

Class Skills
The Ward Knight's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...
Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

CLASS
LevelBase Attack BonusFort SaveRef SaveWill SaveSpecial
1st
+1
+0
+2
+2Casting Score, Abjurations, Fighting Style

2nd
+2
+0
+3
+3Strategic Reflexes

3rd
+3
+1
+3
+3Interpose

4th
+4
+1
+4
+4Counterstrike (Ready)

5th
+5
+1
+4
+4Flash Step

6th
+6
+2
+5
+5Circle of Warding

7th
+7
+2
+5
+5Flash Strike +5'

8th
+8
+2
+6
+6Barrier

9th
+9
+3
+6
+6Counterstrike (Symbol Strike)

10th
+10
+3
+7
+7Flash Strike +10'

11th
+11
+3
+7
+7Improved Flash Step

12th
+12
+4
+8
+8Improved Abjuration

13th
+13
+4
+8
+8Flash Strike +20'

14th
+14
+4
+9
+9Counterstrike (Symbol Threat)

15th
+15
+5
+9
+9Improved Abjuration

16th
+16
+5
+10
+10Flash Strike +30'

17th
+17
+5
+10
+10Greater Flash Step

18th
+18
+6
+11
+11Improved Abjuration

19th
+19
+6
+11
+11Counterstrike (Dual Counter)

20th
+20
+6
+12
+12Prismatic Abjuration

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Ward Knight.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The Ward Knight is proficient with simple and martial weapons, all armor, and shields (including tower shields).

Casting Score: Upon taking your first level in this class, choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma to be your Casting Score. That ability score (and the corresponding Casting Modifier) fuels many of the class's features. The save DC of all of your class features is 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Casting Modifier.

Intelligence: A ward knight who uses Intelligence is better at the complex crafting of symbols. They add Disable Device and Search to their class skill list, and gain the Trapfinding class feature.

Wisdom: A ward knight who uses Wisdom has a more intuitive understanding of the flows of energy important for wards. They add Sense Motive and Survival to their class skill list, and gain Track as a bonus feat.

Charisma: And a ward knight who uses Charisma has greater raw strength of magic to put behind shields. They add Bluff and Gather Information to their class skill list, and gain Urban Tracking as a bonus feat.

Abjurations (Su): A ward knight's primary ability is crafting protective abjurations - potent shields to ward off harm, magical wards to protect against specific threats, and runic symbols repel their foes.

Your abjurations require that you spend Energy. You have an amount of Energy equal to your Constitution modifier plus half your class level, and you recover one point of Energy per hour passively. This rate increases to two points per hour while resting, and your Wards can be used to recover Energy in response to dangerous situations.

All Ward Knights can use the basic form of all three abjurations - shields, wards, and symbols. In addition, for each class level, you may learn one upgrade from the lists below, allowing you to spend additional energy to improve the effects of your abjurations.

You can channel power into protective shields to block attacks. Creating a shield is an immediate action that costs one Energy. The cost increases to two Energy if you apply an upgrade. Once created, a shield has a total Power equal to 1d6 per odd-numbered class level, plus your Casting Modifier, and lasts for up to three rounds or until its Power is expended, whichever comes first.

If your Casting Score is Charisma, upgrading a shield does not cost extra Energy.

Once you have created a shield, you can expend its Power to prevent damage for allies in Close range. Each point of Power expended prevents one point of damage. If the same attack affects multiple allies, you must spend Power for each ally individually. Shields have no effect against non-damage portions of an attack with one exception; if the damage of an attack is reduced to 0, the target acts as if the attacked missed or its saving throw succeeded for purposes of any other effects. If the attack doesn't do damage at all, a shield offers no protection.

You may only have one shield active at once, and a shield can only have one upgrade.

Certain shield upgrades refer to attacks. For this purpose, all damage coming from the same action is considered one attack, even if multiple individual strikes or projectiles landed as part of the action. So an entire full attack, or manyshot, or even Meteor Swarm, would be considered one attack. Some upgrades also refer to attacks that break through the shield; this means the last of the shield's Power is spent on the attack, but some damage still goes through.

Adamant Shield: An adamant shield is impervious to weak strikes. Any attack that deals less damage than your class level + your Casting Modifier is negated outright by the shield without lowering its Power.

Amber Shield: An amber shield offers a potent deterrent against powerful attacks. Half the damage of any attack that breaks through the shield (before counting the reduction) is reciprocated upon the attacker. A Reflex save is allowed to halve the reciprocated damage.

Amethyst Shield: An amethyst shield weakens those who strike it. If it prevents damage from an attack, the attacker must make a Will save or suffer a penalty equal to half your casting modifier on its attack rolls and save DCs for one round per five damage prevented. Multiple failures will stack the duration.

Crystal Shield: A crystal shield is straightforward but potent. Its Power is maximized.

Diamond Shield: A diamond shield reflects attacks back upon their initiators. Any damage blocked by the shield is reflected back upon the attacker, who receives a Reflex save to avoid the reflection.

Emerald Shield: An emerald shield can suppress overpowering attacks. The damage of any attack that breaks through the shield is halved, before counting the reduction from the shield.

Golden Shield: A golden shield converts incoming damage to restorative energy. Half of any damage prevented by the shield is converted to healing for the protected target.

Ruby Shield: A ruby shield backlashes damage on those who strike it. Each time an attack has some or all of its damage prevented by the shield, it backlashes damage equal to your class level + your Casting Modifier upon the attacker. A Reflex save halves all backlash damage received that round.

Sapphire Shield: A sapphire shield converts the power of enemy attacks to the subject's benefit. Any time the shield prevents damage, the target receives temporary hit points equal to half the damage prevented. It may spend these temporary hit points to increase the damage of its own attacks, spells, and abilities on a point-for-point basis, up to a maximum of a 50% increase in damage for any given attack. The temporary hit points stack with each other and last for one minute.

Silver Shield: A silver shield is exceptionally efficient. Its duration is increased by half your Casting Modifier, and every time the shield prevents damage from an attack, even a single point, it prevents additional damage equal to your Casting Modifier.

You can bind power into potent wards, gathering ambient energy to release when you need it most. Creating a ward takes fifty consecutive standard actions (five minutes of work, but you can move while doing it as long as you keep working on it each round), and you may place the ward on yourself plus one other target per point of your Casting Modifier. All targets must be in Close range for the entire creation process. Wards last indefinitely, but you can only have one ward up at a time. Wards don't cost Energy, but you can invest Energy into a ward (lowering your maximum Energy by 1 for the ward's duration) to add upgrades to it. Only one upgrade can be active at a time, but if a ward has multiple upgrades, you can switch between which one is active as a full-round action, rather than having to recreate the ward entirely.

If your Casting Score is Wisdom, the first upgrade added to your ward does not require an investment of Energy.

A ward can also offer protection against a specific threat. When you create the ward, choose one Type of creature (and a subtype if you choose Humanoid or Outsider) or one descriptor (such as Fire, Charm, Death, Evil, Bludgeoning, etc). You may not choose Mind Affecting as a descriptor. Everyone protected by the ward receives a Luck bonus to AC and saving throws against attacks from or of the chosen source equal to half your Casting Modifier, and take no effect rather than reduced effect on successful saves against such attacks. Attacks that are subject to the AC bonus do not automatically hit on a natural 20, and saves that receive the bonus do not automatically fail on a natural 1. Summoned creatures of the appropriate kind are also prevented from making bodily contact with those protected, as are Called creatures unless they succeed a Will save (the results of a given save last for one hour).

An attack is considered to be from the chosen source if any of the following are true:
-It is initiated by a creature of the chosen Type.
-It is initiated by a creature with a subtype that matches the chosen descriptor.
-It is a spell or similar ability that matches the chosen descriptor.
-It deals damage of a type that matches the chosen descriptor.
-It is an ability that in the DM's judgement fits the chosen descriptor.

You only know how to ward against certain sources of harm. You begin with knowledge of three. For each known upgrade you spend, you can learn three more.

In itself, all a ward does is gather ambient energy to release when you need it. Any time someone protected by the ward receives damage at least equal to its Hit Dice, or any negative condition, from a legitimate threat (you and other allies can't intentionally cause harm to trigger the ward, it's warding against actual danger) you may spend an immediate action to recover Energy. If the ward has not been triggered in the past five minutes, this resets your Energy to full. If it has, you only recover one Energy.

You may only have one ward active at once.

Adamant Ward: An adamant ward augments the protection afforded against specific threats. The luck bonus to saves and AC increases to your full Casting Modifier, and you also subtract your Casting Modifier from each instance of physical damage received from that source. You subtract your Casting Modifier plus your class level from each instance of non-physical damage received. Finally, the ward provides Spell Resistance of 5 + your Casting Modifier + your class level against spells of or from the chosen source.

Amber Ward: An amber ward alerts the recipients to danger. Recipients gain a bonus equal to your class level on Spot and Listen checks to notice hidden danger, detect any traps or hazards (including magical ones) whose Search DCs are less than 10 + their Spot bonus (apply any modifiers for distance to determine how far away they notice it), and receive the benefits of the Uncanny Dodge ability. Recipients are also not considered Helpless while sleeping, and may make Spot and Listen checks normally while sleeping.

Amethyst Ward: An amethyst ward shrouds the recipients from detection, allowing them to slip past threats undetected. The ward allows the recipients to sneak past even groups of opponents with only a single opposed check rolled, regardless of the number of recipients or the number of potential observers. The highest Hide or Move Silently modifier among the recipients is rolled, and its results apply to all recipients as both a Hide and Move Silently check. Each group of potential observers encountered is entitled to a single detection roll, using the highest Spot or Listen modifier (regardless of which skill the group used); if that single check fails to beat the group's check, the entire group of recipients is undetected. If it succeeds, they are all detected. This check is also required despite any special senses observers possess, the ward cloaking the recipients from all such senses if the detection check is failed. Warded characters must still have cover or concealment to hide, but each member can grant itself concealment (including the 20% miss chance) by taking a standard action each round to do so.

Crystal Ward: A crystal ward gathers ambient energy faster. It can restore full energy if not triggered for at least three minutes, and while it is active, you can actively use it to draw in ambient energy while bolstering your defenses, recovering one Energy any time you take a Total Defense action.

Diamond Ward: A diamond ward directs flows of harmful power from those protected away from themselves and each other. Characters protected by a diamond ward are immune to any detrimental effect created by each other, unless they choose to be affected. Beneficial effects still work normally unless the recipient actively chooses not to be affected (mental influence exerted or compelled by another cannot trigger the ward; a dominated character cannot be forced to deny a Break Enchantment spell, for example). An effect that is both beneficial and detrimental, such as a Rage spell, or that provides a benefit but comes at a cost (such as manifesting a psionic power that imposes ability burn) must be either entirely accepted or entirely foregone; the ward cannot prevent the bad while allowing the good. Note that protected characters are also immune to their own harmful powers.

Effects that provide cover or concealment, or block passage, line of sight, or line of effect, are not ignored by the ward, as they don't impose a hindrance directly upon targets but rather alter the surroundings in a way that may simply be tactically inconvenient.

Emerald Ward: An emerald ward can be used to suppress harmful effects. Each character protected by the ward may choose one negative spell, ability, or condition upon it that is not the result of loss of hit points. That effect is suppressed by the ward for the warded character; it remains active, but any detrimental effects it applies are simply ignored by the warded character while it is being suppressed. Its duration continues to count down, but its effects are ignored for the duration. If the ward is suppressing a given effect when a new saving throw is made against it, the save automatically succeeds. The ward suppresses new conditions as they are inflicted, but can only suppress one condition at a time per character. In the case of negative levels, all negative levels imposed count as one condition. Likewise, all damage, drain, or penalties imposed to a single given ability score count as one condition.

Golden Ward: A golen ward can influence flows of life force among those protected. Any character affected by a golden ward can, upon seeing another protected character receive damage or negative effects, freely transfer any or all of the effects to themselves. This bypasses any defense they possess, including immunities, but if they have a special means of recovery it works normally. Multiple characters may divide up damage all amongst themselves if they wish. Further, if any protected character receives healing (whether of hit points or for removal of conditions) or temporary hit points, such effects can be distributed among others protected by the ward if they wish. A protected character cannot force others to take their negative effects or give their healing.

Ruby Ward: A ruby ward bars hostile action. Enemies must make a Will save to attack a character protected by the ward or to include it in the area of any negative effects. On a failed save, the enemy cannot negatively affect anyone who has been protected by the ward for one round. An enemy who has failed three such saves in a row automatically fails all future such saves for twenty-four hours. If anyone protected by the ward takes a hostile action, that character loses the benefits of the ward for three rounds, and any enemy who witnesses it has its failed saves reset to 0 (this will also negate an enemy's auto-fail status). Any action taken by a recipient of the ward that provides a bonus to AC or saving throws, prevents damage, or provides healing or temporary hit points, has its effect doubled (if it lasts on a duration, the doubling ends if the character loses the benefit of the ward).

Sapphire Ward: A sapphire ward offers protection against the rigors of a specific environment. Choose one type of terrain, climate, or weather (or, if you are at least 9th level, one plane of existence other than the material plane). The ward negates any damage, negative conditions, or impairment to movement, senses, attacks, and abilities imposed by the chosen environment itself. Specific hazards, obstructions, and other dangers can still be problematic, however. For example, you could choose "underwater" to be able to breathe water, swim at your normal speed, ignore the pressure from deep water, and perceive and attack normally while under water, but you wouldn't be protected from encountering, say, a whirlpool or strong current. Regardless of what environment you choose, a sapphire ward also negates the need for food and water while it is in effect. A sapphire ward does not allow passage through solid objects, nor does it grant access to modes of movement the character does not naturally possess (so while you could ignore the reduction in speed and requirement of making Swim checks for moving in Underwater terrain, you can't choose, say, "Sky" terrain to gain the ability to fly, although if you already can fly you could ignore the extreme cold, high winds, and low oxygen for higher altitudes).

Silver Ward: A silver ward bonds those within it. Everyone protected by the ward can communicate telepathically with each other as long as they are on the same plane. They have a general sense of what is going on in one another's vicinity; not full sensory details, but enough to get the gist of what is happening around their allies. If any of them are aware of a threat, all of them are. Likewise, if any of them can pinpoint an enemy, all of them can.

You can craft symbols that zap nearby enemies. Creating a symbol is a swift action that costs one Energy (two Energy if you add an upgrade), placed on a section of wall or floor or simply hovering in the air at a location in Close range. A symbol lasts indefinitely, but you may only have one symbol per odd-numbered class level active at a time. You may make a symbol visible (to provide warning and deterrent) or invisible (to catch foes unawares) at your option, although you and creatures protected by one of your Wards can always see your symbols. A symbol is considered a magic trap, with a Disable Device DC equal to 12 + your Spellcraft modifier. An invisible symbol has a similar DC for a character with Trapfinding to find it with a Search check. A visible symbol can provide allies with a flanking bonus, and if you wish can glow softly, increasing the level of illumination in its threatened area by one step. Unlike most Supernatural abilities, symbols are subject to dispelling, but dispelling them is tricky, more a matter of finesse than raw power; when subject to a dispelling effect, the dispeller must make a Spellcraft (or Psicraft, or potentially a different skill that governs the relevant type of power used) check against the symbol's Disable Device DC to negate it.

It is possible to destroy symbols by attacking them or the surface they are on. Symbols have an AC equal to your class level + your Casting Modifier, hit points equal to your class level times your Casting Modifier, and Hardness equal to your class level. They have Improved Evasion and a Reflex save modifier of half your class level + your Casting Modifier. They are immune to effects other than damage or dispelling unless the effect could reasonably alter or remove them (such as an Erase spell or maybe a spell that warps the surface they are on), in which case treat the attempt as a dispel.

A given symbol can only have one upgrade. If your Casting Score is Intelligence, adding an upgrade to a symbol doesn't cost an extra point of Energy.

Only one symbol may occupy a given 5' square. Each symbol threatens the square it occupies and every adjacent square. For every eight class levels you possess, the threatened area of your symbols increases by 5'. Enemies can provoke attacks of opportunity from the symbols. Each symbol may make one attack of opportunity per round. If you have line of sight or line of effect to the symbols, you may also spend your attacks of opportunity to allow them to trigger additional times in the same round (although still only once per symbol per triggering action). A symbol uses your highest attack bonus with your currently wielded weapon, and deals damage equal to 1d6 + your class level + your Casting Modifier.

Your symbols may make attacks of opportunity even if you are unable to (due to taking a total defense action, for example, or due to the effects of certain martial Strikes). This doesn't mean they can take attacks of opportunity against abilities or actions that prevent them, only that they are still capable of doing so even if you, personally, are unable. Your symbols do not benefit from any special features that apply to your own attacks of opportunity unless they specify that they apply to symbols as well. Abilities that allow you to make attacks of opportunity in more situations (such as feats that let you make an attack of opportunity when you or an ally is attacked) likewise do not extend the same benefits to your symbols.

By default, your symbols treat you and any character protected by one of your wards as allies, and all other creatures as enemies, and will take all attacks of opportunity possible when presented. You may specify conditions (following the rules for Magic Mouth) under which symbols will treat characters as neutral or as allies. If you have line of sight to a symbol, your designation of ally and enemy applies, and you can choose for symbols to forego attacks of opportunity when advantageous to do so.

Adamant Symbol: An adamant symbol bars passage. The symbol itself takes up its square, preventing movement through it. Entering the threatened area (not merely a given threatened square) of the symbol, or attempting to project a ranged effect into it, requires a Will save; on a failure, the character loses the action and cannot enter or target actions into that symbol's threatened area thereafter. A character who is damaged by the Adamant Symbol must make Fortitude save or be launched 5' per two points it fails by (if it was moving, it is launched back the way it came; otherwise it is launched in a straight line away from the symbol).

Amber Symbol: An amber symbol entraps enemies. An enemy hit by an amber symbol's attack must make a Reflex save or be knocked prone. Attempting to leave the symbol's threatened area or target an action outside of it from within requires a Will save, with a failure ending the target's turn. If the target fails the save three times before it escapes, it automatically fails all future such saves against that symbol for 24 hours.

Amethyst Symbol: An amethyst symbol obscures vision. Targets hit by an amethyst symbol's attacks must make a Fortitude save or be blinded for three rounds. The symbol's square provides Total Concealment against enemies, while its threatened area provides Concealment.

Crystal Symbol: The crystal symbol possesses additional power. The damage of a crystal symbol's attacks is increased by 50%, and its threatened area is doubled.

Diamond Symbol: The diamond symbol impairs the will. Targets hit by a diamond symbol's attacks must make a Will save or be panicked for one round. Enemies in the symbol's threatened area are shaken while within (but this does not stack with other fear effects).

Emerald Symbol: The emerald symbol impairs the body. Targets hit by an emerald symbol's attacks must make a Fortitude save or be nauseated for one round. Enemies in the symbol's threatened area are sickened while within.

Golden Symbol: The golden symbol heals as well as harms. Every time the golden symbol successfully damages an enemy, one ally in the symbol's threatened area receives healing equal to half the damage done. Allies in the symbol's threatened area receive temporary hit points equal to your Casting Modifier, which refresh each round.

Ruby Symbol: Ruby symbols decimate hordes, although they do have to be placed with a bit more care. The symbol's first attack each round is an area attack that fills its threatened area, affecting all within, ally or enemy. A Reflex save halves the damage. Enemies who begin their turns in the symbol's threatened area or enter it during their turns also take damage equal to your Casting Modifier or class level, whichever is higher.

Sapphire Symbol: The sapphire symbol impedes movement. Targets hit by a sapphire symbol's attacks must make a Will save or be slowed for three rounds. Enemies treat its threatened area as difficult terrain.

Silver Symbol: A silver symbol bends space. Enemies hit by the symbol must make a Will save or be teleported somewhere in Close range, chosen by you (you may change it each time if you have line of sight). An ally who enters the symbol's space may also teleport to a location it chooses in Close range. Enemies cannot otherwise teleport into or out of the symbol's threatened area.

Fighting Style (Ex): Ward knights are trained to meld their magic and their fighting skills. At first level, you choose a fighting style to specialize in. While qualifying for that fighting style, you substitute your Casting Modifier for your Strength or Dexterity modifier on attack and weapon damage rolls (apply any normal fractions or multipliers) and gain additional benefits based on the style.

Also, each style includes a Style Feat. You gain the Style Feat as a bonus feat upon taking the style. You are also quicker to learn other feats in that style. You may spend your known abjuration upgrades to purchase feats that have your Style Feat as a prerequisite, and you ignore ability score prerequisites for such feats. If you purchase such a feat with your normal feat slots from leveling, you also learn an additional abjuration Upgrade.

A character with fewer levels in the ward knight class than it has levels in other classes loses all benefits of its fighting style except for its style feat (but including other bonus feats gained through spent upgrades) as it has allowed its training to lapse.

Archery: You must be wielding a ranged weapon to use this fighting style, and the Style Feat is Precise Shot. You qualify for feats as if you had the Point Blank Shot feat, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when firing a ranged weapon, and you threaten a 5' reach around a chosen square within one range increment with your ranged weapon (you may change which square you threaten from at the start of your turn, the default is your own square) allowing you to flank and make attacks of opportunity with your ranged weapon.

Dueling: You must be wielding a weapon in one hand and nothing in the other (and not using your off-hand to make unarmed or natural attacks) to use this fighting style, and the Style Feat is Combat Expertise. You double the bonus to weapon damage rolls from your Casting Modifier, you (but not your symbols) may make an attack of opportunity when an enemy enters a threatened square (though this still counts as an attack of opportunity for "movement", so you don't get a second one if they then leave), and you may full attack as a standard action.

Guardian: You must be wielding a weapon in one hand and a shield in the other to use this fighting style, and the Style Feat is either Shield Specialization or Improved Shield Bash (your choice when you gain the style). Your shield bonus applies to touch attacks, and you reduce each instance of damage you receive from any source by your shield bonus.

Hack and Slash: You must be wielding a non-reach two-handed weapon to use this fighting style, and the Style Feat is Power Attack. You can wield weapons one size category larger than normal and can perform a partial charge as a standard action any time, rather than only during rounds when you are limited to one standard action. If you have Pounce or a similar ability, you may not full attack as part of a partial charge.

Hand to Hand: You must be wielding no weapons to use this fighting style, and the Style Feat is Improved Unarmed Strike. You may replace the base damage die of your unarmed strikes (but not natural weapons) with your Casting Modifier. If you are wielding no other natural weapons, you may treat your unarmed strike as a manufactured weapon; otherwise, it can act as either a single primary natural weapon or two secondary natural weapons, exclusive with claws and slams. Your unarmed strikes and natural weapons count as magical and gain an enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to one-third your class level, you may add your Casting Modifier plus this enhancement bonus to your AC while unarmored (this doesn't stack with other abilities that add an ability modifier to AC), and you gain the unarmored speed and Flurry of Blows abilities of a monk of equal level. You also count as a monk for purposes of feats with Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite, and can substitute your Casting Modifier for Wisdom for such feats.

Sentinel: You must be wielding a two-handed reach weapon to use this fighting style, and the Style Feat is Combat Reflexes. You may make attacks of opportunity against foes taking 5' steps and withdraw actions, you threaten your entire reach, and the DC of any skill checks to avoid your attacks of opportunity (such as Tumble and Concentration checks) increases by your class level (this does not stack with similar effects).

Skirmishing: You must be wielding a weapon in each hand to use this fighting style, and the Style Feat is Two Weapon Fighting. You may add your full Casting Modifier, rather than half, to your off-hand weapon damage. Any time you are entitled to a main-hand attack but not an off-hand attack, if the attack hits, you deal additional damage equal to your off-hand weapon's base damage + your Casting Modifier + any extra damage from the weapon's enchantments, so long as you take the normal penalties for two-weapon fighting.

Strategic Reflexes (Ex): Ward knights are adept defenders, quick to strike at foes trying to slip past them. Starting at second level, you can make an additional number of attacks of opportunity per round equal to your Casting Modifier. This benefit stacks with that of the Combat Reflexes feat.

Interpose (Ex): Sometimes the best way to ward an ally from harm is to put yourself in harm's way. When an adjacent ally is subject to an attack or negative effect, you may change places with the ally, taking the attack upon yourself. This costs an attack of opportunity each time you do so, and if you use this ability, you cannot take a 5' step on your next turn. You become the new target of the attack (and any further attacks made against that ally in the same action), defending against it normally.

If the attack already affects you, you may still interpose, receiving the effects twice.

Counterstrike (Su): Ward knights train diligently to react in a moment to any opening. Starting at 4th level, whenever you ready an action to attack in response to a certain trigger, you gain the ability to make attacks of opportunity in response to that trigger for one round. You can't attack the same foe in this way more than once per round.

At 9th level, every time you make an attack of opportunity, choose one symbol upgrade that you know. Any effects that apply from that upgrade when the symbol hits also apply if your attack of opportunity hits. A given enemy can be affected by this ability no more than once per round.

At 14th level, choose one symbol upgrade you know. Your threatened area is treated as the threatened area of a symbol with that upgrade. Every time you add the effects of a symbol to an attack of opportunity, the effects on your threatened area change to those of that symbol. You may increase the level of illumination in your threatened area by one step while doing this, if you wish.

At 19th level, whenever you ready an action, you may choose two triggers to ready against. You may add the effects of two symbols to your attacks of opportunity and to your threatened area.

Flash Step (Su): Mid-level ward knights can use their magic to quickly get where they need to go. Starting at fifth level, whenever you take a 5' step or use your Interpose ability, you can instead teleport 10'. You may thus also interpose from this distance, swapping positions with the ally you Interpose for as normal.

Circle of Warding (Sp): At 6th level, you can create a magic circle of warding as a one-round action. The circle can have a radius as large as 5' per three class levels. Creating a Circle of Warding both spends and invests one Energy. Circles last indefinitely until you dismiss them so as to recover the invested Energy.

When you create the circle, choose one source of harm as if you were creating a ward. The circle offers the normal benefits of a ward against that source of harm to everyone within it. With additional time and energy, a circle can ward against more sources of harm. You can also add ward upgrades to the circle, which apply to everyone within its radius. Each such improvement requires another one-round action to add to the circle, and requires the expenditure and investment of one additional Energy. Note that being in the area of a circle of warding does not count as being protected by one of your wards.

Summoned creatures of a Type you choose, or with a subtype matching a descriptor or alignment you choose, can't enter the circle or target actions into it at all. Called creatures, and Elementals, Fey, Outsiders, or Undead of such a type or subtype, may make a Will save the first time they attempt to, or be likewise unable to. Other creatures, and those who make their saves, can do so, but the circle provides cover against their attacks, passing through the perimeter of the circle immediately ends their current move action, and they are shaken and sickened (with no save and ignoring immunities, but not stacking with similar effects) for as long as they remain within the circle.

If you create the circle such that appropriate creatures are within it when it is created, attempts to exit or target attacks out of the circle are similarly hindered.

Flash Strike (Su): Skilled ward knights are able to teleport quickly to make attacks, before blinking back to their previous position. Starting at 7th level, your threatened area and the range of your Flash Step both increase by 5'. Every time you make an attack (whether a normal attack or an attack of opportunity), you may teleport to another point in your threatened area. If you wish, you may then teleport back to your previous position after resolving the attack. This also means you can make attacks of opportunity against foes with cover, as long as you can teleport to a position where they do not have cover from you.

Your reach does not increase; if you wish to attack an opponent in your extended threatened area, you must first teleport into a space that you can attack from.

If you have the Archery fighting style, your threatened area must be centered on you to benefit from the increased area and ability to teleport as part of an attack.

At 10th level, the threatened area and Flash Step range increase by 10' rather than 5'. At 13th level this becomes 20'. At 16th level it becomes 30'.

Barrier (Sp): At 8th level, you can create large-scale barriers of protective magic as a standard action. Creating a barrier both costs and invests two Energy. A barrier can be a flat plane, up to five feet wide per two points of your Casting Modifier (rounded up) and five feet long per class level, or a sphere with a radius of one foot per class level plus one foot per point of your Casting Modifier. You may place the barrier anywhere in Close range. Barriers last indefinitely, until destroyed or until you dismiss them to recover the invested Energy.

The barrier is solid, blocking line of effect, and semi-translucent, providing Concealment to people on opposite sides. The barrier has hit points equal to your class level times (your Casting Modifier + your Constitution Modifier), and each round it regenerates hit points equal to the Power of one of your shields. If the barrier's hit points fall to 0, it fades entirely. If the attack was targeted at someone beyond the barrier, any remaining damage goes through (although that target still receives the benefit of the wall's Concealment). Barriers are AC 0 and automatically fail Reflex saves, but are immune to effects other than damage or dispelling.

The barrier functions as a symbol. The sphere threatens the entire inside, and a radius around it equal to the normal threatened area for your symbols. The wall threatens the normal threatened area for your symbols on both sides, but not in a radius around the edges. Thus, for enemies, even approaching the barrier is somewhat dangerous.

It is also possible to force through the barrier. Doing so is a distinct standard action, and ends any current movement. Characters protected by one of your wards succeed automatically. Others must make a Will save, wasting the action if they fail. Those not protected by your wards also provoke attacks of opportunity for making the attempt (from both the barrier and others who threaten them - on either side of the barrier if they succeed.

The barrier can support weight if used as a bridge or platform. It can hold up to the maximum load for a character with a Strength score equal to your Casting Score plus your class level easily. For each additional point of Strength required to hold up a load, the wall loses one hit point per round. The wall cannot regenerate hit points in any round that it loses hit points in this way.

It is also possible to upgrade a barrier. You can spend (and invest) up to two additional Energy when creating the barrier - one to add a shield upgrade, one to add a symbol upgrade. A shield upgrade applies regarding attacks made against the barrier (upgrades that affect the protected target apply to you). A symbol upgrade treats the barrier itself as the symbol's square, and otherwise functions as normal using the barrier's threatened area and attacks of opportunity. You do not get these upgrades free, even if you possess the appropriate Casting Score.

Improved Flash Step (Su): Teleportation is second nature to a high-level ward knight. Starting at 11th level, any or all movement you intentionally take can be performed as teleportation. In addition to avoiding difficult terrain and attacks of opportunity, this lets you freely change direction while running or charging, and adds your Flash Strike range increase to your speed.

Improved Abjuration (Su): At 12th level, one of your abjurations permanently improves in power. Every three levels thereafter, another abjuration improves. You may improve the same abjuration multiple times.

Shields: Each time you improve your shields, their duration increases by one round, and their Power increases to the next die step (d8, d10, d12, etc). Past d12, Power becomes 1d8 per level, then 1d10 per level, 1d12 per level, and past that adds +1 Power per die. Finally, for each improvememt, your shields recover an amount of Power each round equal to your Casting Modifier.

Wards: Each time you improve your wards, you may choose an additional source of harm for the ward to protect against, you learn to protect against three more sources of harm, and the luck bonus your wards provide on AC and saves increases by 1.

Symbols: Each time you improve your symbols, their threatened areas increase by 5', their damage increases by your Casting Modifier, and either their threat range or their critical multiplier increases by 1.

Greater Flash Step (Su): A 17th level ward knight has mastered the art of teleportation. You can teleport up to Close range as a move action, or Medium range as a standard action. You can teleport to Long range as a standard action that costs one Energy. Finally, you can duplicate a Greater Teleport spell as a three-round action that costs three Energy.

Prismatic Abjuration (Su): A 20th level ward knight is capable of creating abjurations of astonishing power. You are no longer limited to a single upgrade per shield or symbol; you can apply as many as you wish to spend the Energy on (if you have the matching Casting Score, only the first upgrade is free). When you create a ward with multiple upgrades, they all apply simultaneously.

Quellian-dyrae
2015-02-17, 01:26 AM
Pathfinder Adaptation

Skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge, Perception, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Swim.

Casting Score: Intelligence-based ward knights add Disable Device to their class skill list. They gain a modified version of Trapfinding; they can detect and disarm magical traps, but rather than the half level bonus, they simply use Int rather than Dex on Disable Device checks.

Wisdom-based ward knights add Survival to their class skill list (Sense Motive is simply added to the general skill list). They gain Track as the ranger class feature.

Charisma-based ward knights add Bluff to their class skill list. They add a bonus equal to half their level on Diplomacy checks made to Gather Information.

Fighting Style: Guardian fighting style can choose between Improved Shield Bash and Shield Focus as a Style feat.

Favored Class Bonuses:
Human: +1/4 Upgrade Known.
Elf: +1/4 Ward Luck Bonus.
Half Elf: +1/4 Energy.
Dwarf: +1/2 Shield Power.
Gnome: +1/5 Shield and Symbol Duration.
Halfling: +1/2 Ward Source Known.
Half Orc: +1/2 Symbol Damage.

New Feats

Always Ready

You can hurl a shield with instinctive speed.

Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Strategic Reflexes.

Benefit: You may take immediate actions even while flat-footed.

Create Fixture

You can create permanent abjurations over fixed locations.

Prerequisites: Circle of Warding.

Benefit: You are able to place permanent abjurations upon a static location, called fixtures. You may render a symbol, a circle of warding, or a barrier permanent in this way. Permanent symbols no longer count against your limit of symbols that can be active at once. Permanent circles and barriers no longer require your Energy to be invested.

Creating a fixture requires a cumulative one hour per point of Energy that would be spent on the abjuration itself. For example, a circle of warding that protects against three sources of harm and has two upgrades would cost 5 Energy, and thus require 15 hours (1+2+3+4+5) to create.

You may increase the radius of a circle or spherical barrier by 5', or the length of a wall barrier by 20', by increasing the effective Energy cost of the fixture by 1. Time spent working on the fixture need not be uninterrupted, and you may add additional effects or size to a fixture later by spending the additional time required, although only full hours of work count towards the progress. For example, if you later went back to the above fixture to increase its radius by 10', it would require another 13 hours (6+7) of work.

Any time you spend at least one hour working on a fixture, when you finish, your Energy is reduced by the Energy cost of the fixture, to a minimum of 0 Energy. You do not recover Energy while working on a fixture.

The DC to dispel a fixture increases by 10. A fixture that is successfully dispelled (or disarmed, in the case of a symbol) is renewed in five minutes unless the DC is beaten by a further 5.

Knight Errant

The path of the ward knight is no longer your primary focus, but you keep up your training.

Prerequisites: Ward knight level 6+.

Benefit: You no longer lose the benefits of your fighting style if you have more levels in other classes than you do in ward knight. Additionally, any calculations based on your ward knight class level now instead use your character level, except for upgrades known and available Energy.

Projection Ward

You can create circles of warding that block teleportation, scrying, and similar spells.

Prerequisites: Circle of Warding.

Benefit: Your circles of warding block projections - teleportation, scrying, telepathic communication, and any other form of magic that doesn't require line of effect to work.

By default, the circle blocks all projections - characters cannot project into, out of, or elsewhere while within the circle. You may limit these if you wish, allowing people to project to other places while within but not to inside from outside or outside from inside, for example. You may also specify certain types of projection that do function, or certain people who can project normally.

Any attempt to project despite the circle requires a caster level check with a DC of 20 + your class level. If the check fails the caster cannot try again for one day.

Rune Blade

You can invoke a rune onto a wielded weapon.

Prerequisites: Counterstrike (Symbol Strike), knowledge of at least one symbol upgrade.

Benefit: As a swift action that costs one Energy, you can create a fleeting symbol on your wielded weapons. Choose one symbol upgrade you know; any effects that that upgrade applies to a symbol's attacks now apply to your attacks until the start of your next turn.

Rune Knight

You can focus on your symbols to cause them to attack.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of at least one symbol upgrade.

Benefit: Any time you make an attack action, a full attack action, or any special action that involves making one or more attacks and doesn't involve either moving or the use of a specific weapon, you can have your symbols deliver the attack rather than you. You may choose any single symbol in your line of sight to deliver the attack at a target in its threatened area. If making multiple attacks, you may divide them among yourself and your symbols freely. All special options, such as Power Attack, are still open to you when attacking through symbols as long as they are not dependent on your movements or wielded weapons. Special effects that apply to the attack are likewise delivered if the symbol qualifies for them.

Rune Legion

With concentration, you can direct all of your symbols to attack.

Prerequisites: Rune Knight, Ward Knight Level 6+.

Benefit: As a full round action that costs one Energy, you can have every symbol in your line of sight make an immediate attack. This is a normal attack for the symbol; special effects that apply to your attacks do not apply to these attacks. The same target cannot be affected by multiple symbols.

Rune Walker

You can step freely between your symbols.

Prerequisites: Improved Flash Step, knowledge of at least one symbol upgrade.

Benefit: Whenever you move into one of your symbol's squares, you can immediately teleport to another symbol in Medium range.

Rune Walker, Improved

Your allies can also step between your symbols.

Prerequisites: Improved Flash Step, knowledge of at least one symbol upgrade, Rune Walker.

Benefit: Anyone protected by one of your wards can also teleport between your symbols as per the Rune Walker feat.

Runic Circle

You can bind your circles of warding to a ring of runes.

Prerequisites: Circle of Warding, knowledge of at least one symbol upgrade.

Benefit: When you create a Circle of Warding, you can spend a swift action and spend and invest one additional Energy to bind it to a circle of runes. This causes the perimeter of the circle to behave as a symbol. The circle threatens the usual threatened area of your symbols around it, and threatens the entirety of the inside of the circle. It deals maximum damage against creatures it wards against.

You may also add symbol upgrades to your circles as if they were ward upgrades.

Shielding Circle

Your circles of warding protect those within from those without.

Prerequisites: Circle of Warding, knowledge of at least one shield upgrade.

Benefit: When you create a Circle of Warding, you can spend a swift action and spend and invest one additional Energy to infuse it with shielding power. This causes the circle to attempt to block any attacks against those within from those outside. Each round, the circle can block an amount of damage equal to one of your shields. The shielding resets each round the circle lasts. Each point of shield Power expended by the circle blocks two damage if the damage comes from a source the circle wards against.

You may also add shield upgrades to your circles as if they were ward upgrades.

Teleport Tactician

You are highly proficient at combat teleportation - and know how to defend against it.

Prerequisites: Improved Flash Step.

Benefit: In any round that you both teleport and make one or more attacks, you can divide your movement and attacks up as you wish. Until the start of your next turn, you are considered to occupy every square that you teleport into at any point during the movement for purposes of flanking, and you can flank with yourself.

Additionally, you may make an attack of opportunity any time someone suddenly appears in one of your threatened squares (whether by teleportation or otherwise). If an opponent you threaten attempts to teleport elsewhere, you may make an attack of opportunity against it before it disappears. If you hit, you may choose to follow along with its teleport.

Wardlash

Your circles of warding punish those who fail to circumvent their protection.

Prerequisites: Circle of Warding.

Benefit: Any attempt to bypass the protection of one of your Circles of Warding that requires a save or check from an enemy (including attempts to dispel it) results in backlash damage as if from a symbol if the attempt fails. This damage is automatic, with no attack roll required or save allowed. You may also add symbol upgrades to your circles as if they were ward upgrades, augmenting the effect of this damage.

bcool999
2015-03-22, 10:58 PM
I really really REALLY like this class well done. You even have feat support and stuck with the overall theme of the class without adding anything silly so good on you. You also keep the similarly named upgrades to a constant theme which makes keeping track of what does what much easier (what was the sneaky upgrade? Oh yeah Amethyst. Healing? Golden). You also make all the upgrades useful which makes them all desirable and a real decision when leveling on what to get next.

The two typos that I noticed are...

Abjurations (Su): A ward knight's primary ability is crafting protective abjurations - potent shields to ward off harm, magical wards to protect against specific threats, and runic symbols repel their foes.

Your abjurations require that you spend Energy. You have an amount of Energy equal to your Constitution modifier plus half your class level, and you recover one point of Energy per hour passively. This rate increases to onetwo point(s) per twoone hours while resting, and your Wards can be used to recover Energy in response to dangerous situations.

All Ward Knights can use the basic form of all three abjurations - shields, wards, and symbols. In addition, for each class level, you may learn one upgrade from the lists below, allowing you to spend additional energy to improve the effects of your abjurations.

And


Sapphire Ward: A sapphire ward offers protection against the rigors of a specific environment. Choose one type of terrain, climate, or weather (or, if you are at least 9th level, one plane of existence other than the material plane). The ward negates any damage, negative conditions, or impairment to movement, senses, attacks, and abilities imposed by the chosen environment itself. Specific hazards, obstructions, and other dangers can still be problematic, however. For example, you could choose "underwater" to be able to breathe water, swim at your normal speed, ignore the pressure from deep water, and perceive and attack normally while under water, but you wouldn't be protected from encountering, say, a whirlpool or strong current. Regardless of what environment you choose, an amethystsapphire ward also negates the need for food and water while it is in effect. A sapphire ward does not allow passage through solid objects, nor does it grant access to modes of movement the character does not naturally possess (so while you could ignore the reduction in speed and requirement of making Swim checks for moving in Underwater terrain, you can't choose, say, "Sky" terrain to gain the ability to fly, although if you already can fly you could ignore the extreme cold, high winds, and low oxygen for higher altitudes).


Also you may want to specifically put that Shields and Symbols can only get 1 upgrade right in the ability (it might be implied by the language, but it isn't specifically spelled out until the capstone that you could only have 1 per shield or symbol).

Another potential problem that caught my eye is that Adamant Symbols are invincible. Unless someone dispels or disables them (which is harder for the dis-abler since they push you back), there is no way for a melee character to get past them in, say, a 5ft. wide hallway. You place one of those down and they are blocked more solidly than if you used a barrier. Perhaps for the adamant symbol have HP or a str check or some way to get rid of it. Just be careful with the Adamant symbol/barrier interaction so adding adamant to a barrier doesn't weaken or strengthen the barrier unintentionally.

Again I really like the class and really want to play it.

Quellian-dyrae
2015-03-22, 11:16 PM
Awesome, thanks! Typos fixed, upgrades clarified, and I added rules for attacking symbols in general.