Martial Archetype
Guardian
For those warriors who choose the life of the Guardian, there is precious little more important than the lives of those they have sworn to protect. These bold sentinels train their bodies and wills to accomplish great deeds of heroism, nobly putting themselves in harm's way for the sake of defending those weaker than them. Guardians thrive in the heart of battle; while heavy blows might cause lesser combatants to falter, they use the glory of their injuries and righteousness of their cause to fuel their abilities.
Valor
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your heroic deeds on the battlefield empower you with Valor. You may gain Valor up to your Valor Maximum which is equal to double your proficiency bonus. The first time you roll Initiative after a Long Rest you gain Valor up to (but not exceeding) half of your Valor maximum. Additionally, at the start of each of your turns you gain 1 Valor as long as there is at least one hostile creature within your melee reach. Valor lasts until you finish a Long Rest, at which point it resets to 0. Several abilities allow you to spend Valor to force creatures to make saving throws against your Valor save DC which is calculated as follows:
Valor Save DC
Strength of Will
At 3rd level, you become a bastion on the battlefield, absorbing blows directed at both yourself and your allies. As a Reaction, when damaged by an attack or effect which allows a Dexterity saving throw, you may choose to expend 1 Valor to roll your Strength of Will dice. You then reduce the damage you receive by an amount equal to the result of your roll.
Alternatively, when a creature within 10 feet of you is damaged by an attack or effect which allows a Dexterity Saving throw, you may use your Reaction to move 5 feet adjacent to them and reduce their damage taken in the same manner. When used in this way, Strength of Will grants 1 Valor rather than consuming it. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Your Strength of Will die starts as a 1d10 and increases at a rate shown in the subclass table.
You cannot reduce any single source of damage more than once in this manner.
Feats of Valor
Starting at 3rd level, you may expend Valor to control the battlefield and protect your allies. You learn 2 Feats of Valor at 3rd level and an additional one at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level. Whenever you gain a level in Fighter that would grant you an Ability Score Improvement, you can exchange one Feat of Valor you know with a different one as you adapt your capabilities to fit your group’s needs.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Valor Maximum | Strength of Will Dice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | +2 | 4 | 1d10 |
| 4th | +2 | 4 | 1d10 |
| 5th | +3 | 6 | 1d10 |
| 6th | +3 | 6 | 1d10 |
| 7th | +3 | 6 | 2d10 |
| 8th | +3 | 6 | 2d10 |
| 9th | +4 | 8 | 2d10 |
| 10th | +4 | 8 | 3d10 |
| 11th | +4 | 8 | 3d10 |
| 12th | +4 | 8 | 3d10 |
| 13th | +5 | 10 | 3d10 |
| 14th | +5 | 10 | 3d10 |
| 15th | +5 | 10 | 4d10 |
| 16th | +5 | 10 | 4d10 |
| 17th | +6 | 12 | 4d10 |
| 18th | +6 | 12 | 5d10 |
| 19th | +6 | 12 | 5d10 |
| 20th | +6 | 12 | 5d10 |
Glorious Challenge
Starting at 7th level, you are able to issue a challenge to all who would do your allies harm. As a Bonus Action, you can force all creatures of your choice that can hear you within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom save against your Valor DC. On a fail, creatures make attack rolls against targets other than you with Disadvantage until the start of your next turn. The first time a creature who failed that save attacks a target other than you with an attack roll, you gain 1 Valor, up to your Valor maximum.
You can use this feature once every Short or Long Rest. At 15th level, you may use this feature twice per Rest.
Get Behind Me
Starting at 10th level, you are able to maneuver adjacent allies to better shield them from enemies. You provide 1/2 cover to any ally within 5 feet of you. Additionally, when an ally you are currently providing 1/2 cover to is hit by an attack, you may use a Reaction to grant that ally resistance against all damage until the start of your next turn, so long as that ally remains within 5 feet of you. These benefits end if you are incapacitated.
Cover the Retreat
Starting at 15th level, you have mastered the ability to command the flow of combat in your vicinity. At the start of your turn, you can choose to drop your movement speed to 0. Until the start of your next turn, allies do not provoke opportunity attacks with their movement while within 15 feet of you and enemy movement within 15 feet of you costs twice as much. While this feature is active, your normal melee reach increases by 5 feet.
Additionally, starting at 15th level, whenever you roll Initiative and you currently have less than 3 Valor you gain up to, but not exceeding, 3 Valor.
Sacrifice
At 18th level, your devotion to protecting your allies is so great that you will do everything in your power to save their lives, even at the cost of your own health. Once per Long Rest, when a creature within 30 feet of you is reduced to 0 Hit Points, you may immediately use your Reaction to move your entire speed towards them. If you get within 5 feet of that creature, roll your Strength of Will dice. They regain Hit Points equal to the result of the roll and you then lose half that amount of Hit Points as you bolster them with your own heroic vitality. This damage cannot be reduced in any way.
Feats of Valor
Roundabout
When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you may expend 1 Valor to force the target to make a Strength save against your Valor DC. On a fail, you may push or maneuver the target up to 10 feet in any direction. You cannot move a creature that is more than one size larger than you.
Optimal Positioning
At the end of your turn, you may expend 1 Valor to gain Advantage on opportunity attacks until the start of your next turn.
Onslaught
You may expend 1 Valor to take an additional attack using your Bonus Action. You do not add your ability modifier to the damage roll but you may apply other Feats of Valor to this attack.
Unstoppable
When you move, you may spend 1 Valor to increase your speed by 10 feet and ignore difficult terrain until the start of your next turn. Additionally, when dragging a willing creature, you suffer no movement penalties. On a successful contested Strength (Athletics) check you can move through spaces occupied by enemies and you have Advantage on any Strength checks made to break through obstacles in your path. You may not end your turn within an enemy's space.
Draw Focus
When a creature you can see within 30 feet makes an attack against a target other than yourself, you may expend 1 Valor as a Reaction to impose Disadvantage on all attack rolls it makes against creatures other than yourself as a part of that Action.
Unbroken
When you take damage that would reduce you to 0 Hit Points, you can expend 1 Valor to drop to 1 Hit Point instead. After using this feature you cannot use it again until you complete a Long Rest.
Cripple
When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you may expend 1 Valor to reduce the target’s speed by half until the beginning of your next turn. A creature can only have its speed reduced in this way once per round.
Tackle
When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you may expend 2 Valor to attempt to Grapple the target as a Free Action. On a success, you Grapple the target and you both fall Prone. The creature has Advantage on this save if it is one size larger than you and Disadvantage if it is of a size smaller than you. You cannot Tackle a creature that is more than one size larger than you.
Expert Interception
When you or an ally that you can see within 5 feet of you suffers a critical hit, you can spend 2 Valor as a Reaction to turn that attack into a normal hit.
Steel Yourself
You may use your Bonus Action to expend 2 Valor to allow a creature you touch that is affected by a condition which allows a saving throw to resist its effects to immediately make another saving throw at Advantage to end that condition.
Formidable Presence
When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you may expend 3 Valor to force each creature you choose within 5 feet of you to make a Wisdom save against your Valor DC. On a failed save, a creature is transfixed by you and cannot willingly move away from you. A creature can repeat this save at the end of each of its turns.
Casting Interference
When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you may expend 3 Valor to reduce both its Spell Save DC and Spell Attack modifier by an amount equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of 1) until the start of your next turn. This reduction applies to saves against any currently active spell effects even if the target cast the spell before the reduction occurred. A creature cannot have its Spell Save DC or Spell Attack modifier reduced in this way more than once per turn. Additionally, if they are currently Concentrating on a spell they have Disadvantage on their Constitution save to maintain Concentration caused by the triggering attack.
Quick Reflexes
Once per turn, you may expend 3 Valor to gain an additional Reaction. This secondary Reaction cannot be used to cast a spell if you have already cast a Reaction spell this round.
Heroic Feats
The following two Feats of Valor go beyond what mundane warriors are capable of. These abilities represent Guardians tapping into the Weave to fulfill their valiant purpose. When you choose this subclass you automatically learn one of the Heroic Feats. They do not count against your number of Feats of Valor known and whenever you reach a level that allows you to switch out your Feats of Valor you may also switch your Heroic Feat, however you may only know one at a time.
Heroic Defense
This Feat of Valor requires Concentration.
You may use an Action to expend 4 Valor to grant a creature you touch a +2 to their AC and +1 to their saving throws. All creatures that can see you are able to tell that your touch has bolstered the strength and fortitude of your allies.
This effect lasts for 1 minute or until you lose Concentration, at which point the creature's Armor Class and saving throw bonus return to normal.
You may choose to spend extra Valor when you first use this ability to touch one additional creature for each additional Valor spent.
On subsequent turns, you may use your Bonus Action to spend 1 additional Valor to grant an additional +1 to both AC and saving throws. Each time you do so, the DC to maintain Concentration increases by 2. These bonuses can stack for as long as you maintain Concentration or until 1 minute passes, after which all bonuses granted by this ability are removed.
Heroic Offense
This Feat of Valor requires Concentration.
You may use a Bonus Action to expend 4 Valor to add an extra 1d4 to the damage rolls of all attacks but reduce your Armor Class by 1. At the start of each of your turns, the extra damage increases by an additional 1d4 and your Armor Class is further reduced by 1.
This effect lasts for 1 minute or until you either drop or lose Concentration, at which point your damage and Armor Class return to normal. This effect ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends without you having attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken or absorbed damage from a hostile creature since then.
On subsequent turns, you may use your Bonus Action to spend 1 additional Valor to add an extra +1 to your damage. Each time you do so, the DC to maintain Concentration increases by 1. This bonus can stack for as long as you maintain Concentration or until 1 minute passes, after which all bonuses granted by this ability are removed.