Phillip Trout's page

Well at ll 5 it's 2/day and 10th level 3/day. They but later on they get a free intimidate check against the enemy. And later if that have a successful intimidate check they get a free attack of opportunity. The ulfen guard will also get bonus feats at every level. And ulfen they get special abilities like ulfen song, Viking shield wall, and Viking war cry.

Ulfen song: when used in combat it's a morale bonus to attack and date rolls and when used out of combat it's a morale bonus to craft perform and progression skills checks.

Viking shield wall: when adjacent to an ally and an enemy they gain a morale bonus to ac. At first it's a +2 then it gets buffed to +4 later.

Viking war cry: gives a +2 morale bonus to confirming critical hits.

The war cry and song have a 60 foots range and last several rounds.

Does this prestige class seem weak? If so any ideas?

I'm actually VERY interested in this, since I'm playing an Ulfen Fighter that aspires to be an UlfenGuard like his father and Grandfather were.

to note, Sakrileg, your post is still one of only a few google search hits on the subject. I realize this is ages after the fact, and you likely already either hashed this out or gave it up, but I want to see if I can bounce some ideas off of you.

to answer your question, yes, the PrC seems to be missing something. so lets hammer it out a bit. the Ulfen Guard are fiercely loyal mercenaries whose primary purpose is protecting the life of one of, ostensibly, the most important people in Golarion.

now, your basic idea isn't bad, but its old-hat; there was a bodyguard PrC in Sword & Fist for D&D 3.0, several feats based on the idea through 3.5, and I think another 5 level PrC in there somewhere... plus the Knight class and Knight Protector PrC have hints of it. still, it isn't a bad ability, and certainly important to the role they play. but we need to look at the other roles they play to accomplish their goal.

first, they're Ulfen; the whole PrC should build off of Barbarian or fighter, give rage bonuses and powers, and perhaps modify basic rage.

Second, they're bodyguards; your basic ability isn't bad, but I'd say cut the limitations and just make it where they can move to intercept an attack anywhere within a single move once per round, and limit it to 1/day per class level. but they need a lot more than that because...

Three, they're in Oppara; it's a highly magical city where treachery is the status quo. they either need a way to combat that, or overcome it through sheer ulfen tenacity and brutality. what if, for instance, while raging, they retain the ability to focus on actions, and also got a huge boost to perception? like, equal to their levels in the PrC? they also need some new class skills, like Use Magic Device, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive. this would translate well into both using their Ulfen instincts to locate and neutralize threats, while still adapting to their location's highly magical and treacherous nature. a few keenly selected rage powers could make that even better.

Four, if the first time they're aware of an enemy is when an arrow comes flying at them or the high prince, they're not doing their job right; the Pathfinder Wiki, quoting the Faction Guide, p.48, says that they also frequently root out threats proactively as "surprisingly clever investigators." it also implies that the Ulfenguard are a larger organization than the 20 men in the princes' immediate vicinity, and have been known to cooperate with the Lion Blades. while rage powers and new class skills can account for some of this, a little boon in there for reputation, like a boost to Gather info checks, urban tracking, or a rogue talent-like ability to pick up a 0-level spell would be pretty useful. I mean, think of all the assassination methods that could get fouled because the barbarian next to the prince could cast detect magic?

the other abilities aren't bad. the "shield wall" ability using a morale bonus seems to defy its own name that way. does it require you to be wielding a shield? or just next to an ally that's wielding one? or no shields even need to be there at all? I might reconsider its name or its mechanics, one or the other, but I'd also shy away from pigeonholing a character into a particular combat role/gear restriction. why? 'cause I like greatswords and halberds, and its hard to use shields with those.

I like the idea of the Viking War Cry being a custom rage power. make it a normal +2 morale bonus to attack, damage, confirm rolls, and CMB, usable once per encounter.

the Ulfen Song thing seems to be stepping all over the Bard/Skald's toes, although the idea of a Blade Dancer, Skald, or just regular multiclassed bard getting into this PrC is appealing. however, that also causes some issues with stacking morale bonuses. who needs a bard in the party when everyone can make their own morale bonuses, more or less, with rage, rage powers, and minor spell-like abilities?

here's a preliminary write up. (a note about weird spelling, I pepper Ulfen stuff with German for glorreichen Herrenrasse flavor.)

UlfenGarde

Prerequisites
BAB: +6
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative, Combat Reflexes
Skills: Perception 6, Diplomacy 4, Acrobatics 4
Special: fast movement, Rage

HD: D12
Skill Points: 6+int/lv
Class Skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility), Perception, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Survival, Swim, Use Magic Device

good Fort and Will saves
Lv Ability
1 Rage, Leibwächter, Leiben in Gefahr
2 rage power, Verhör der Erstgeborenen Krone
3 Jagermeister
4 Zauberer Augen
5 rage power
6 Strafendenschlag
7 Körperdecken
8 rage power
9 Taktiker
10 Zorn des Erstgeborenen Krone

Rage: Ulfengarde levels stack with barbarian levels for determining the progression of your rage ability and existing barbarian class features. you do not, however, gain other new barbarian class features for gaining Ulfengarde levels.

Verhör der Erstgeborenen Krone (Inquisition of the Primogen Crown): you gain a bonus on diplomacy, intimidate, and sense motive checks equal to 1/2 your UlfenGarde Prestige Class levels.

Leiben in Gefahr (Life at Risk): you may, as an immediate action, designate an ally within a distance equal to you base move speed, as the target of your Leiben in Gefahr class feature. if this ally becomes the target of an attack, you may, as a free immediate action, move to occupy the same square as the designated ally. doing so causes the attack against that ally to instead be calculated as though it were targeting you, including having to defeat your armor class, and you suffering all effects of the attack, such as hit point loss or ability damage. upon you or your targeted ally's next turn, whichever is first, you or he is moved to the closest available open 5' square as a free action. this movement does not count against your movement for the round. your targeted ally may, as a free immediate action, drop prone in their square whenever you activate this ability.

Leibwächter (Body Guard): you may designate a single adjacent ally as the target of this ability. they gain a +4 shield bonus to armor class as long as you remain adjacent to them

Taktiker: as the Tactician Class Feature.

Zauberer Augen (Sorcerer's Eyes): you may use Detect Magic as a spell-like ability at will.

Strafendenschlag (Punishing Blow): whenever an opponent you threaten attacks a target other than you, that opponent provokes an attack of opportunity.

Körperdecken (body cover): all adjacent allies are considered to have cover, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to armor class and a +1 circumstance bonus to reflex saves.

Jagermeister (Huntsmaster): you gain a bonus on survival checks to track equal to 1/2 your UlfenGarde Prestige Class levels. additionally, once per day, when hunting a specific target, you may intuit their general direction with a survival check (DC 15+target's HD), as long as the target is within a mile of you. the GM should make this check in secret for the Ulfengarde.

Zorn des Erstgeborenen Krone (Wrath of the Primogen Crown): whenever you activate your Leiben in Gefahr ability, you may move up to twice your base move speed. in addition, whenever you use your Leiben in Gefahr ability to intercept a melee attack, you may make a free charge attack against the enemy attacking your designated ally.

New Rage Power: Kreigsruf der Ulfengarde (Warcry of The Ulfenguard): while raging, you may gain a +2 bonus to attacks, damage, critical confirm rolls, and CMB for a single round. you may use this rage power once per rage. you must have at least 2 levels in the Ulfengarde PrC to take this rage power.