| kakademon |
Hi, first of all excuse me for my terrible English, hope your eyes wouldn't bleed.
I have been fascinated by the concept of Devoted Defender long ago, but this PRC haven't been republished for d&d 3,5 and i haven't found anything to replace him (apart from making something like him using feats and other classes/PRCs). Don't mention the Tactical Soldier from 3,5, it's not the same.
After searching for something like this in Pathfinder i have found two classes:
Golden Legionnaire(Paizo) - actually just a team-work fighter. Cool one but not the bodyguard i search for.
Dauntless Shield(Super Genius Games) - looks like exact the this i was searching for, but i wasn't satisfied. The problem in this class (and all the rest) that they can't be bodyguards. They can be guards or they can boost allies, but they can't prevent one guarded person from dying. Their tactic is simple - stay close, provide ally with bonuses, surrender when you see the magic-user.
I have seen the "Devoted Defender [conv from 3.0 Sword and Fist] to PFRPG/3.75" discussion and still not satisfied. What can this one do? All the same - stay close, provide bonuses and block some melee attacks, surrender when see some archers or magic-users.
How could this classes possibly be bodyguards in the world where like each 2nd villain uses magic or sneaks his prey from range.
Yes they could boost allies, but what can they do to protect 1st level commoner or aristocrat? How this classes make bodyguard duty interesting and challenging if all you could and should do is staying close and decide what attacks to block?
I have made my own PRC. I have used original PRC from "Sword and Fist", the Devoted Defender made by Anthony Kane in "Devoted Defender [conv from 3.0 Sword and Fist] to PFRPG/3.75" discussion on this forum, Golden Legionnaire(Paizo) PRC and Dauntless Shield(Super Genius Games) PRC. Some abilities were copy-pasted with no changes at all or with a few of them.
The resulting class have almost no survivability boost, neither he have any boosts to his fighting capabilities, it have no flat bonuses for his charge, but instead plenty of useful abilities that should be combined and used tactical for best effort. In estimation this PRC can make his charge almost invulnerable as long as he is alive.
This PRC is not great fighter, not a tank or damage dealer. He is body guard, his duty to sense the threat and protect his charge from the treat, even in cost of his life.
There what i have managed to create.
Devoted Defender (for Pathfinder)
Prerequisites
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Perception 5 ranks , Sense Motive 5 ranks
Feats: Diehard, Alertness, Improved initiative
Statistics
Hit Die: D12
BAB: Good
Fortitude: Good
Reflex: Poor
Willpower: Good
Skill Points at each level: 2+Int Modifier
Skills: Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), and Sense Motive (Wis).
Special abilities:
1. Harm’s Way (1 charge), Living Cover
2. Tireless Guardian (4hour) , Guardian Eye
3. Stand Still, Guide to Safety
4. Monolith of Defense (1 charge) , Sure Footed
5. Tireless Guardian (1hour), Harm’s Way (2 charges), Intercept
6. Shrewd Tactician, Guardian Eye (blindsence 5 feet)
7. Hold the Line
8. Tireless Guardian (no sleep)
9. Harm’s Way (3 Charges), Toughness.
10. Monolith of Defense (2 charges) , Guardian Eye (blindsence 15 feet, blindsight 5 feet), Unbreakable Defender
[b]Weapons and Armor Proficiencies
The Devoted Defender gains no weapon or armor proficiency.
Harm's Way (Ex)
Spending one hour in quiet conversation with his ally, a Devoted Defender may select this ally to be the charge that he is particularly attempting to protect. During this hour Devoted Defender getting familiar with his charge and instructs the charge to make his abilities related on charge work.
Devoted Defender can reset his charge at any moment as free action, but he have to spend another hour to set up a new charge. At 1st level Devoted Defender can have only one charge at time.
The charge may refuse to count as a charge as free action efficiently negating any and all Devoted Defender ability using her as a charge, by refusing to follow his instructions as long as charge pleased. Charge can count as charge again as free action.
Once per round as an immediate action, if the Devoted Defender is adjacent to a charge, the Devoted Defender can take the charge’s space, moving his charge in to any square adjacent to his new position. Devoted Defender may use this action as a reaction on any other actions he is aware of. If this action is used as a reaction to attack (melee or ranged), combat maneuver or any other targeted spell or ability having his charge as a target, this attack will be resolved having Devoted Defender as a target instead of his charge. Devoted Defender can use this action only to move charge of his size or smaller. Devoted Defender must declare usage of this ability before any rolls is made.
A Devoted Defender can designate up to two charges at once at 5th level, and three charges at once at 10th level.
Living Cover (Ex)
Starting from 1st level Devoted Defender can protect his charge very efficient from many attacks and effects working as living cover.
Charge benefits from Devoted Defender soft cover (or Devoted Defender cover, provided by Monolith Defender ability) as from improved cover (+8 AC, +4 ref saves).
Tireless Guardian (Su)
At 2nd level a Devoted Defender needs only 4 hours of sleep per day in order to rest and recuperate normally. At 4th level this decreases to needing only 1 hour of rest per day, and at 6th level the Devoted Defender no longer needs sleep at all. A Devoted Defender able to cast spells must take an hour to meditate before regaining spell slots, and can still only regain spell slots once per day.
Guardian Eye (Su)
Bodyguard duty asks for an extraordinary perception to be aware of any danger.
This for starting from 2nd level Devoted Defender adds 1/2 his level to Perception skill checks and Sense Motive checks.
Starting from 6th level Devoted Defender adjust his senses even further, gaining Blindsense in 5 feet of him.
Finally on 10th level Devoted Defender masters his perception skills, adjusting his Blindsense to 15 feet and gaining blindsight in 5 feet.
Guide to safety (Ex)
Starting from 3rd level Devoted Defender knows how to guide his charge out from dangerous area. As a standard action he can grant a move action to each of his charges he adjacent to. Each charge has to perform this move action during or right after the Devoted Defender’s actions or the move action is wasted. This move action can’t be used to perform some other actions available only once per round.
Devoted defender must be able to communicate with charge to provide precise instructions or must have one free hand to guide his charge.
Bodyguard Feats (Ex)
A Devoted Defender gains the following bonus feats at the prescribed levels, even if he doesn't meet the prerequisites:
3rd—Stand Still
6th— Shrewd Tactician
9th— Toughness
If he already possesses a listed feat, he can instead take any other combat feat he meets the prerequisites for.
Monolith of Defense (Su)
Starting from 4 level Devoted Defender can become more like a hard obstacle for his charge to hide behind.
At any time his charge become a target of any attack, combat maneuver or any other target spell or ability or with in the area of effect of any spell or ability, Devoted Defender may deny his dodge bonuses to AC (if any) and his bonuses to Reflex save from high dexterity (if any) for this particular attack, maneuver, spell or ability. If he doing so the Devoted Defender space is considered to be a hard obstacle of Devoted Defender’s height to decide the exact effect of this attack, maneuver, spell or ability for his charges. Any other creatures that might be behind Devoted Defender for this particular threat (and even share space with his charge) can’t benefit from this ability. Devoted Defender must declare usage of this ability before any rolls is made.
This ability could be used with Harm’s Way to move target behind Devoted Defender and provide it with defense from solid obstacle as a complex reaction for a single threat.
This ability could be used only for one charge for each particular threat. If several charges could benefit from this ability Devoted Defender must choose one charge.
Devoted Defender of 10th level could choose two charges to benefit from his Monolith Defender ability.
Sure Footed (Ex)
Starting from 4th level Devoted Defender adds his constitution ability modifier to his CMD versus any attempts to drop him prone or move him against his will.
Intercept (Ex)
At 5th level, a Devoted Defender gains a bonus equal to 1/2 her class level on combat maneuver checks when using the Stand Still feat, and gains the same bonus to his CMD when an opponent attempts an Acrobatics check to move through a square he threatens.
Hold the Line (Ex)
At 7th level, if a creature takes a 5-foot step out of an area both adjacent to and threatened by a Devoted Defender, or if the creature withdraws out of that area, it provokes an attack of opportunity from him.
Unbreakable Defender (Ex)
At 10th level a Devoted Defender can temporarily ignore the effects of death while protecting his charge. From now he is not treated as disabled with reduced to 0 hit points, nor he treated as dying. Even if reduced to the point where he would be considered dead, a negative hit point total equal to his constitution score or below, he can continue to act normally until the start of his next turn. After that point the effects of his wounds apply normally if they have not been healed. This ability also delay death from massive damage or any death spell or effect such as slay living or witch Death Curse hex , but not from disintegrate or similar effects.