| Sean O'Brien 794 |
Paladin. Always paladin.
Apart from the inherent tanking capacity (solid saves, heavy armour, smite evil, self-healing as swift action), almost all of the best paladin spells are about what you want out of this character.
Challenge Evil, Knight's Calling, Compel Hostility are all spells dedicated to making opponents attack you instead of your allies. Shield Other and Paladin's Sacrifice make it so that even if they do attack your allies, you take the hit instead. Then there's things like Flames of Entanglement, which literally attaches your opponent to you.
Paladin's Sacrifice in particular is a must-have, since you can cast it as an immediate action so you can straight up save a friend's life if all else fails. Had that one happen myself, saved the party rogue at the height of a boss fight, who then killed the boss on his next turn.
Combine that with stacking auras that make you immune to fear, disease, charms, and later on compulsions (auras that offer bonuses to all nearby allies) and you've got all the essential components of a bodyguarding tank. Crank up that charisma score and away you go.