Guardian

Guardians specialize in protecting their allies and drawing the ire of their enemies.

You gain a delayed damage pool equal to your 3 x your base attack bonus. When you receive damage, as part of taking the damage you may redirect all or part of it to your delayed damage pool. Apply damage reduction and resistance before redirecting the damage. You may not redirect damage that would exceed the maximum capacity of the damage pool. Your delayed damage pool empties at the end of your turn each round, inflicting any damage stored in the pool on you, bypassing any damage reduction or resistance you possess and resetting to 0. Any additional effects of the attack, such as poison, are still incurred immediately even if the entire damage of the attack is redirected to the delayed damage pool. Any healing you receive in excess of your maximum hp automatically reduces the amount of damage in your delayed damage pool.

Should you lose access to the Guardian sphere, any damage (or other effects if you possess certain talents) is incurred at the end of your turn.

In addition, choose one of the following packages:

Guardian Packages

Challenge

As a move action, you may issue a challenge to a creature you can see. You may expend martial focus to reduce this to a swift action. A creature must be able to perceive your challenge to be affected by it. The creature takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls that do not include you as a target and a +2 bonus on attack rolls targeting only you. Creatures receiving this effect are aware of it, though do not gain insight to its duration. This penalty (but not bonus) increases by 1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess. The challenge lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + 1/2 your base attack bonus. When you issue a new challenge, any previous challenge you have active ends. Multiple challenges do not stack; if a creature is affected by challenges from more than one creature, they suffer no penalty against the source of any challenge against them and likewise gain the bonus against the sources of all of the challenges. Creatures with no Intelligence score (Intelligence score of (-)) cannot be targeted by your challenge.

Patrol

As long as you have martial focus, as a full-round action you may increase your threatened area by 5 ft., +5 ft. for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess. This increased threatened area is applied after the effects of the reach weapon special feature. Until the beginning of your next turn, you may make attacks of opportunity against any creature in this threatened area that provokes attacks of opportunity. You may move to bring the creature that provokes the attack of opportunity within your reach as part of these attacks, provided your total movement before your next turn does not exceed your base speed. Any movement you make provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Associated Feat: Combat Patrol.

Talents with the (zone) tag grant additional effects to this ability. Each patrol may only benefit from one (zone) talent.

Guardian Talents

Cold Iron Call

When targeted by a spell or spell-like ability, you may delay the onset of its effects until the end of your next turn as if it were damage. Each effect is treated as if it were an amount of hit point damage equal to its caster level for the purpose of your delayed damage pool. If you do not have enough space remaining in the delayed damage pool, you may not delay the effect.

If you possess the (patrol) package and the Defend Other talent, when an ally within the area of your patrol is the target of a spell or spell-like ability, you may spend an attack of opportunity to move to put that ally within reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) and redirect the effect to yourself.

If you possess the (challenge) package, any time a creature under the effects of your challenge casts a spell or uses a spell-like ability that does not include you in its effect, it suffers a -2 penalty to the spell’s save DC. This penalty increases by 1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Complex Patrol

You may expend your martial focus when using patrol to apply two (zone) talents instead of only one. If you possess the Swift Guardian talent, you may increase the required action to initiate a patrol by one step (standard action to full-round action) instead of expending your martial focus.

Defend Other

When an ally within your threatened area is the target of an attack roll, you may spend an immediate action to grant them a competence bonus to their armor class equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus (rounded down, minimum +1) against that attack. If this attack would still hit, you may choose to take the damage in your ally’s place.

If you possess the (patrol) package, when using this talent you may move to put the ally within your reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) as part of activating this talent.

Durable

When targeted by a natural, extraordinary or supernatural ability that inflicts ability damage, ability drain, disease, negative levels, poison or any of the following conditions: (blinded, confused, cowering, dazed, dazzled, entangled, exhausted, fascinated, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, paralyzed, petrified, shaken, sickened, staggered, stunned, unconscious) you may delay the onset of its effects until the end of your next turn. Each effect is treated as if it were an amount of hit point damage equal to the attacking creature’s Hit Dice for determining the capacity of your delayed damage pool. If you do not have enough space remaining in the delayed damage pool, you may not delay the effect.

If you possess the (patrol) package and the Defend Other talent, when an ally within the area of your patrol is the target of such an ability, you may spend an attack of opportunity to move to put that ally within reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) and redirect the effect to yourself.

If you possess the (challenge) package, any time a creature under the effects of your challenge uses such an ability that does not include you in its effect, it suffers a -2 penalty to the ability’s save DC. This penalty increases by 1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Endure Pain

When you receive damage from your delayed damage pool, you take it as nonlethal damage. This nonlethal damage ignores any resistance or immunity to nonlethal damage you may possess.

Expanded Guardian

You gain one Guardian package you do not possess.

Flush of Victory

When a creature affected by your challenge is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your base attack bonus. These temporary hit points expire after 1 round + 1 round per 2 points of base attack bonus you possess. The creature must have a CR of at least half your character level (rounded down, minimum 0).

Greater Delayed Damage

The size of your delayed damage pool increases by +1 per point of base attack bonus you possess. You may take this talent twice; the effects stack.

Guardian’s Focus

When a creature affected by your challenge is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points or you succeed on a combat maneuver check made on an attack of opportunity while you have a patrol set up, you may regain martial focus as an immediate action.

If you posses the Defend Other talent, you may regain focus on your next turn whenever an enemy misses an ally benefiting from that talent with an attack.

Iron Wall

If you possess the (challenge) package, any time a creature under the effects of your challenge attacks an ally within Close range of you (25 ft + 5 ft. per 2 base attack bonus), that attack suffers a 20% miss chance.

If you possess the (patrol) package, allies within the area of your patrol, not including yourself, gain a 20% miss chance against melee attacks originating from a creature that you threaten.

If an attack would be subject to both miss chances, the miss chance increases to 50%.

Mageguard

When a hostile creature within your threatened area attempts to cast a spell defensively, they take a penalty to their concentration check equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus (minimum 1). The creature is aware of this penalty. This ability stacks with the Disruptive feat and similar effects.

If you possess the (challenge) package, if the creature is under the effects of your challenge, they provoke an attack of opportunity from you whenever they fail a concentration check to cast a spell defensively.

Mass Challenge

When using your challenge ability, you may increase the required time by one step (move to standard or swift to move if expending martial focus) to issue your challenge to one additional creature, + 1 additional creature per 2 points of base attack bonus you possess (minimum 1).

Steel Hide

If a creature under the effects of your challenge confirms a critical hit against you, you may end the challenge on that creature only to have the attack instead deal normal damage. If you possess the Defend Other talent, you may use this talent whenever a creature affected by your challenge confirms a critical against an ally within your threatened area while your patrol is active.

Sweeping Defense

When making an attack action, you may grant yourself a -2 penalty on all attack rolls until the beginning of your next turn to cause your attack action to deal damage to multiple targets. Choose one target that is adjacent to your primary target and also within your reach, and compare your attack roll to the AC of both targets. If your attack roll exceeds either target’s AC (including the primary target), that target suffers half damage from your attack. The additional target is not subject to non-damage parts of your attack action, such as additional effects granted by feats or talents. Additionally, all targets damaged by your Sweeping Defence suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls until the start of your next turn.

At +10 base attack bonus, this penalty increases to -4 and you may target up to three adjacent targets with sweeping defense.

Swift Guardian

If you possess the (challenge) package, you reduce the required action to use challenge by 1 step (move to swift, swift to free).

If you possess the (patrol) package, you may use patrol as a standard action. You may instead expend your martial focus to use patrol as a move action.

Swift Reflexes

As long as you have martial focus, you gain +1 attack of opportunity per round. You may make attacks of opportunity even when flat-footed. These additional attacks of opportunity stack with those granted by the Combat Reflexes or Muscular Reflexes feat. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, you gain an additional attack of opportunity.

Zone Talents

Assist (zone)

When an ally within the area of your patrol makes an attack, is targeted by an attack, or attempts a saving throw, you may spend an attack of opportunity to move to put that ally within reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) and use the aid another action to improve that ally’s attack roll, AC, or saving throw as appropriate to the triggering action. Associated Feat: Bodyguard.

Clear Path (zone)

Allies do not provoke attacks of opportunity from enemies for moving through the area of your patrol. Associated Feat: Escape Route.

Punishing Rebuke (zone)

When a creature attacks an ally within the area of your patrol, not including yourself, they provoke an attack of opportunity from you.

Roving Flanker (zone)

Your allies (but not you) may consider all squares threatened by you while using patrol to be occupied by an ally for the purpose of determining flanking bonuses.

Stand Still (zone)

While you have a patrol in place, when a foe provokes an attack of opportunity due to moving through your threatened area, you can make a reposition attempt against the creature as your attack of opportunity. This reposition attempt may be made using any weapon you are wielding. If successful, the creature cannot move for the rest of its turn. The creature can still take the rest of its action, but cannot move out of the square the reposition maneuver leaves it in. Associated Feat: Stand Still.

Steel Hedge (zone)

All hostile creatures treat your threatened area as difficult terrain until the end of your patrol.

Legendary Talents

Final Retribution

Prerequisite(s): Guardian sphere, Indomitable, Punishment, base attack bonus +10.

When you use the Punishment talent while postponing death with Indomitable, you may force the target to make a Fortitude save or die immediately. This is a death effect. Regardless of the success or failure of this save, you die immediately, even if immune to death effects.

I Will Come

Prerequisite(s): Guardian sphere, I Will Hear, Defend Other, base attack bonus +10.

When a creature calls you with the I Will Hear talent, you may spend a full-round action to teleport to their location. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed your maximum load. You may also bring one additional willing Medium or smaller creature (carrying gear or objects up to its maximum load) or its equivalent per three points of base attack bonus you possess. A Large creature counts as two Medium creatures, a Huge creature counts as two Large creatures, and so forth. All creatures to be teleported must be in contact with one another, and at least one of those creatures must be in contact with you. You arrive in the safe space nearest to the calling creature that is large enough for you and any creatures you bring along to occupy. You are exhausted for 10 minutes after using this ability, and fatigued for 1 hour thereafter. You may expend focus as a free action to delay these conditions for a number of rounds equal to your base attack bonus. You incur the penalties of these conditions even if you are immune to the exhausted and fatigued conditions. You may attempt to use this ability while exhausted or fatigued, but doing so incurs a 50% chance that the ability fails to work; regardless of whether you succeed at this attempt, you suffer 1d6 points of Constitution damage and the duration of the exhausted and fatigued conditions caused by using this ability are doubled. You may only travel to a particular creature using this ability once per day. This is a supernatural teleportation effect.

I Will Hear

Prerequisite(s): Guardian sphere, Defend Other.

You may form a bond with a creature as a full-round action. A bonded creature can call your name as an immediate action; if you are within 1 mile per base attack bonus, you become immediately aware of the call and the direction to the creature. At +5 base attack bonus, this range increases to 10 miles per base attack bonus. At +10 base attack bonus, the range becomes unlimited as long as you are both on the same plane. At +15 base attack bonus, you may hear the call across the planes and gain knowledge of what plane the calling creature is on. You may maintain a number of these bonds equal to your base attack bonus.

Indomitable

Prerequisite(s): Guardian sphere, delayed damage pool, base attack bonus +6.

When you would die, you may expend your martial focus to delay the onset of the dead condition until the end of your next turn. If you are not unconscious, you do not fall unconscious from hit point loss during this time. Any healing you receive during that turn that would bring you above your death threshold can prevent you from dying. Such healing has no affect on death from anything other than hit point damage. You may only delay death in this manner once per time that you would die.

Inescapable Challenge

Prerequisite(s): Guardian sphere, base attack bonus +7.

A creature affected by your challenge must make a Will save each time it attempts to move away from you (including via teleportation or other magical effects) or lose the attempted action. The creature does not lose any spell, spell points, or magic item uses on a failed save if this prevents a teleportation attempt. The creature may be moved normally by other creatures. This is an extraordinary mind affecting compulsion effect.

Punishing Challenge

Prerequisite(s): Guardian sphere, base attack bonus +5.

Whenever a creature affected by your challenge makes an attack roll or casts a non-harmless spell that does not target you or include you in its effect, that creature takes untyped damage equal to your base attack bonus. This damage is not subject to resistance or damage reduction. This is a supernatural effect.

Punishment

Prerequisite(s): Guardian sphere, base attack bonus +5.

When you deal damage to a creature while you have damage in your delayed damage pool, you may spend an immediate action to expend your martial focus and deal damage equal to your delayed damage pool to the target creature. If you possess the Cold Iron Call or Durable talents, you may also inflict any effects you are postponing with those abilities. If the effect allowed a save, the target may make a save immediately at the original DC.

A successful Fortitude save reduces the amount of damage transferred by half and negates the transfer of any effects.

Singularity (zone)

Prerequisite(s): Guardian sphere, base attack bonus +5.

At the start of their turns, hostile creatures within the area of your patrol must succeed on a Fortitude save or be moved 5 ft. closer to you, though stop when they become adjacent. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Hostile creatures within the area of your patrol count every square of movement directed away from you as two squares when determining their movement for the round. This stacks with the effects of difficult terrain. At +10 base attack bonus, the distance moved toward you and the additional cost of movement away from you increases by 5 ft. This is a supernatural effect.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Spheres of Might, © 2017, Drop Dead Studios LLC; Authors: Adam Meyers, Michael Sayre, Andrew Stoeckle, N. Jolly

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