Favored Guardian [PrC]

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Favored Guardian

Epson Duskmane, favored guardian of Pelor

Some divine spellcasters only gain mastery over the basics of their magic. Some others go a step further, some for offensive magic, some for stealth and many for combat. The favored guardian is a class of divine magic for those who want to protect themselves, and more importantly, their allies. Most favored guardians are favored souls or clerics of good or lawful gods with much association with protection and defense, such as Moradin or Heroneious.

HD: d8

Requirements
Alignment: Any nonevil
Skills: Knowledge (arcana or religion) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 10 ranks
Feats: Shield Specialization
Divine spellcasting: Ability to cast 4th level spells, including the magic vestment spell.
Special: Must have protected a compatriot by taking damage to save them. Must own a shield of at least masterwork quality.

Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Profession, Sense Motive and Spellcraft.
Skill-points per level: 2+Int modifier

{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Spellcasting
1st|+0|+2|+0|+2|Protective knowledge, guardian|--
2nd|+1|+3|+0|+3|Divine shield +1|+1 level of spellcasting class
3rd|+1|+3|+1|+3|Extended protection|+1 level of spellcasting class
4th|+2|+4|+1|+4|Divine shield +2|+1 level of spellcasting class
5th|+2|+4|+1|+4|Greater guardian|+1 level of spellcasting class
6th|+3|+5|+2|+5|Divine shield +3|+1 level of spellcasting class
7th|+3|+5|+2|+5|Quickened protection|+1 level of spellcasting class
8th|+4|+6|+2|+6|Divine shield +4|+1 level of spellcasting class
9th|+4|+6|+3|+6|Bulwark of defense|+1 level of spellcasting class
10th|+5|+7|+3|+7|Master guardian, divine shield +5| +1 level of spellcasting class
[/table]

Weapon and armor proficiencies: Favored guardians are proficiant with all simple and martial weapons, all kinds of armor and shields, including tower shields.

Spellcasting: At each level except 1st you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level(and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a favored guardian, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known(if applicable).

Protective Knowledge (Ex): At 1st level, you gain a direct insight into the knowledge of protections. These spells are immediately added to your list of spells known the instant you gain a new spell level. If you already have access to these spell levels, you add the appropriate spells to the appropriate spells known according to level.
If you are a spontaneous caster, you may cast these spells just as your normal spells known and if you prepare them you can prepare them normally, as though they were on your normal divine spell list.
1st- mage armor, protection from evil/law/chaos, sanctuary, shield, shield of faith
2nd- barkskin, bear's endurance, blur, protection from arrows, resist energy, shield other
3rd- blink, false life, glyph of warding, magic circle against evil/law/chaos, protection from energy
4th- death ward, fire shield, lesser globe of invulnerability, resilient sphere, secure shelter, wall of fire, wall of ice
5th- mordenkainen's private sanctum, spell resistance, stoneskin, wall of force, wall of stone
6th- blade barrier, globe of invulnerability, greater glyph of warding, guards and wards, mass bear's endurance, repulsion, wall of iron
7th- refuge, sequester, spell turning
8th- holy aura, iron body, moment of prescience, prismatic wall, protection from spells, repel metal or stone
9th- foresight, imprisonment
Additionally, any spell gained by virtue of this class feature with a range of personal or may only be cast on one's self may be cast on any willing ally.

Guardian (Ex): At 2nd level, you begin living up to your name as a guardian above and beyond normal shield-bearers. Once per round as an immediate action, you may grant your Armor Class to an adjacent ally, which does not stack with theirs. This only functions if your Armor Class is higher than the ally you are protecting. If the opponent still overcomes your AC, your ally takes full normal damage from the attack.

Divine Shield (Su): Your shield and your protective spirit are nearly one and the same. You gain an enhancement bonus to your shield's AC equal to half your favored guardian level, rounded down. This does not stack with normal enhancement bonuses to AC given by your shield, and does not function in an anti-magic field, though it cannot be dispelled.
This class feature only functions for shields which you carry yourself, and only effects one shield at a time.

Extended Protection (Su): At 3rd level, you become better at increasing the time which your protective spells last. Any spell of 3rd level or lower that grants you a bonus to Armor Class that you know or have prepared can be cast as an Extended spell, without taking up a higher spell slot.

Greater Guardian (Ex): At 5th level, you become even better at protecting your allies in combat. This functions just as the Guardian class feature, except now you may protect an ally against as many attacks per round equal to 3+your Wisdom modifier.

Quickened Protection (Su): At 7th level you become adept at casting protective spells quickly. Any spell of 5th level or lower that grants a bonus to Armor Class that you know or have prepared can be cast as a Quickened spell, without taking up a higher spell slot.

Bulwark of Defense (Su): At 9th level, you become capable of channeling your magic into a direct force of protection. As a swift action, you may expend a single divine spell you know or have prepared, which grants you a deflection bonus to your armor class equal to the spell's level times 1.5(rounded down). So a 1st level spell would only grant a +1 deflection bonus to Armor Class, and a 2nd level spell would grant a +3 bonus. This bonuses lasts a number of rounds equal to the spell level times 2.

Master Guardian (Ex): You become a true master of protecting your allies in combat. This functions just as the Guardian class feature, except you are not limited to the amount of times you are allowed to protect your allies against an enemies attack.

[Stycotl]

quick! quick! call the cops! the psych ward! the media!

krimm made a non-sublime prc! i am not sure what to think of it. maybe armageddon...

in all seriousness, i cannot help but wonder what the deal is with all of the bodyguard-style prc's out there. three just in the last week. i've never seen the attraction.

it was the spell list that did it for me on yours though. cool stuff. a caster, specialist abjurant of sorts, with a moral bent, is pretty cool. that alone made me take a third look (second look was to go back to the top to see if the martial maneuvers were hidden in with the special column).

seriously though, where's the fluff? i realize that the class kinda speaks for itself. guardian. duh. but following that logic, wizards and sorcerers end up being the same thing. so, where's the fluff? the creative aspect of the prc is just what might make it or break it for a guy like me who questions the roleplay value (promise that i understand the rollplay value) of a kevin costner-whitney houston cover.

anyway, cool stuff. i just wanna hear the why. aaron out.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

quick! quick! call the cops! the psych ward! the media!

krimm made a non-sublime prc! i am not sure what to think of it. maybe armageddon...

in all seriousness, i cannot help but wonder what the deal is with all of the bodyguard-style prc's out there. three just in the last week. i've never seen the attraction.

it was the spell list that did it for me on yours though. cool stuff. a caster, specialist abjurant of sorts, with a moral bent, is pretty cool. that alone made me take a third look (second look was to go back to the top to see if the martial maneuvers were hidden in with the special column).

seriously though, where's the fluff? i realize that the class kinda speaks for itself. guardian. duh. but following that logic, wizards and sorcerers end up being the same thing. so, where's the fluff? the creative aspect of the prc is just what might make it or break it for a giy like me who questions the roleplay value (promise that i understand the rollplay value) of a kevin costner-whitney houston cover.

anyway, cool stuff. i just wanna hear the why. aaron out.

I've been staving off doing any fluff lately, but I suppose I can't not post fluff forever... I'll get working on that.
Edit: Also, I ought to smack you, boy...

[Stycotl]

smack away.

i'm into that kinda thing.

no, just kidding. don't tell my wife i said that or she will smack away!

[LoneGamer]

What about Paladins? This seems like a potential option for them, but a straight up Paladin cannot qualify. They can't cast Magic Vestment. Even if they could, level 17 minimum due to Spellcraft rank requirement. Or if you bypass that, level 14 to be able to cast 4th level spells.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

What about Paladins? This seems like a potential option for them, but a straight up Paladin cannot qualify. They can't cast Magic Vestment. Even if they could, level 17 minimum due to Spellcraft rank requirement. Or if you bypass that, level 14 to be able to cast 4th level spells.

Yeah, class wasn't really designed for paladins.

[mr.farche]

Making this for paladins would be an excellent decision. maybe a BAB prereq instead of 4th-level spells (just a thought)

[sigurd]

Gods don't have to compromise :). I'd leave the paladin out of this.

I really like how this is a better ability for protecting the weak as they will have the worse armor class.

I like this for a number of clerics for a given deity - based on the deity's power.

A minor deity might only be allowed one of these.


Yoink!

Thank you.


I think they'll work reasonably well in Pathfinder too.

[sigurd]

1. Would you mind if Posted this to the Pathfinder boards and had them kick it around a bit?
or. would you like to do that yourself?

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards.../pathfinderRPG


2. What do you think of this a flavour rework

Who will serve a deity? Favored Guardians are drawn from the most faithful of a deity's clerics to achieve great ends. Usually very secretive and unyielding these agents work tirelessly, and often violently, to achieve their deity's very temporal demands.
Favored Guardians very often consider themselves bound only by their deity's will putting them at odds with local customs and laws.
A deity may have a small number of these operatives in rough correlation to the deitys power and influence in a region. Some are chosen by vision and divine favour, others are offered by their churches and confirmed in elaborate ritual.

Knowledge Religion Favored guardians may use their Knowledge Religion skill to divine guidance from their deities as to the appropriateness of an action or decision. This result is based only on what is currently known by the Favored Guardian and supplies no other worldly knowledge. A FG may use this ability once a day.

Ex Favored Guardians:

If for whatever reason (age, transgression, deity's whim) a character falls from grace they lose their Favored Guardian levels to be replaced by levels of cleric.

3. This is designed for the player to lose his turning abilities, right?

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

1. Would you mind if Posted this to the Pathfinder boards and had them kick it around a bit?
or. would you like to do that yourself?

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards.../pathfinderRPG


2. What do you think of this a flavour rework



3. This is designed for the player to lose his turning abilities, right?

Go for it, my good man. Just make sure to give me credit.