Castellan

A castellan is the true master of a castle. While a high and mighty lord or lady may think themselves ruler, a castellan knows they are but a figurehead when it comes to the day-to-day operation of the stronghold and all that it requires. The specialized knowledge and practical experience necessary to maintain the many things that go into the castle’s upkeep is beyond what most noble dilettantes know or care to know, so the castellan sees to every detail, learning the necessary skills of mundane management as well as applying a bit of magic to make it all come together. The castle is your sanctuary, and those who intrude upon it without your permission must prepare to face your wrath. In truth, you study every detail of your stronghold so closely that you may be nervous and uneasy outside it where events are outside your control and leave you vulnerable and ready to return to familiar surroundings at your earliest opportunity.

Hit Die: d8

Requirements

To qualify to become a castellan, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

  • Ability Scores: Intelligence 13+, Charisma 13+.
  • Skills: Diplomacy 5 ranks, Knowledge (engineering) 5 ranks, Knowledge (local) 5 ranks, Knowledge (nobility) 5 ranks, Profession (siege engineer) 5 ranks
  • Special: An aspiring castellan must spend at least two months carefully studying and cataloging the contents of every room and chamber within his stronghold, including traps, secret doors, and even the inhabitants of the stronghold.

Class Skills

The castellan’s class skills are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Survival (Wis)

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier)

Table: Castellan
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st +0 +0 +0 +1 Inspiration, stronghold mastery
2nd +1 +1 +1 +1 Inspired save, master and commander +1
3rd +2 +1 +1 +2 Constant monitoring, devoted defender
4th +3 +1 +1 +2 Animate objects, master and commander +2
5th +3 +2 +2 +3 Leadership, stronghold shift

Class Features

The following are class features of the castellan prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Castellans gain no armor or weapon proficiencies.

Inspiration (Ex)

A castellan’s expertise with skills grants them the inspiration ability of an investigator whose level is equal to their castellan level. If they also have levels as an investigator, those levels stack for all purposes related to their inspiration class feature.

Stronghold Mastery (Ex)

At 1st level, a castellan’s familiarity with their stronghold is so complete that they know its entire layout from memory.

While inside their stronghold, a castellan can move at normal speed even when unable to see, when in crowds, or in areas of difficult terrain that are relatively stable and persistent (such as an area of rubble from a fallen wall, but not including newly created obstacles or barriers). A castellan can open or close a door (including secret doors) as a free action and can bypass traps without triggering them, and as a swift action when passing a trap can trigger it to go off 1 round after they move past it. If a castellan passes within 10 feet of anything that has been changed or disturbed, even a chair or book out of place or an area of dust that has been disturbed, they gain an automatic Perception check to notice it. They add a +5 bonus plus their castellan level on such Perception checks and on Survival checks to track creatures within their stronghold.

Inspired Save (Ex)

At 2nd level, when a castellan has to make a saving throw within their stronghold, they can expend one use of their inspiration as a free action to add a bonus of +1d6 on that saving throw.

They can add this bonus after they have rolled their saving throw but must decide whether to use their inspired save before they learn the result of their saving throw.

Master and Commander (Ex)

At 2nd level, your underlings are trained to your exacting standards when it comes to defending your stronghold. You and all allies at least 2 levels lower than you gain a +1 morale bonus on attack and damage rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC as long as they are within your stronghold. This bonus also applies on skill checks related to operating siege weapons.

At 4th level, this bonus increases to +2 and any allies gaining this bonus who are within 30 feet and can see and hear you also gain the ability to ignore difficult terrain and to open and close doors as a free action.

In addition to this constant bonus, you can expend one use of your inspiration as a standard action to inspire courage or inspire competence as a bard whose level equals your castellan level. The performance lasts a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus.

If you also have bard levels, your castellan levels stack with your bard levels for the purpose of those performances, and you can exchange one use of inspiration for 2 rounds of bardic performance for those performances only.

Constant Monitoring (Sp)

At 3rd level, a castellan can expend one use of inspiration to use alarm, arcane eye, castellan’s call, clairaudience/clairvoyance, early warning, enter image, invader’s bane, make whole, sky warning, or spellguard watchtower as a spell-like ability, using twice your castellan level as your caster level. If you already know these as spells from a spellcasting class in which you have levels, you can instead use your caster level in that class plus your castellan level as your caster level. These spell abilities function only within your stronghold.

Devoted Defender (Ex)

At 3rd level, your will to protect the stronghold you steward is unconquerable.

When in your stronghold you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on all opposed skill checks. You also gain immunity to fear and a +2 morale bonus on all saving throws (increased to +4 against mind-affecting effects) and you can take one additional attack of opportunity per round. If you are a spellcaster, you can expend one use of your inspiration as an immediate action to perform a counterspell.

Animate Objects (Sp)

At 4th level, a castellan can literally cause their stronghold to come to life in its own defense, expending three uses of their inspiration to cast animate objects, with a caster level equal to their total character level. The castellan can have only one set of animated objects active at a time; if they use this ability again, any previously animated objects fall inert.

When you have animated an object with this ability, you can spend an additional use of your inspiration to use rapid repair or unbreakable construct as a spell-like ability to fortify your construct. Objects you animate with this ability cannot move outside your stronghold; if forced to do so, they fall inert.

Leadership

At 5th level, a castellan gains Leadership as a bonus feat. If they already have this feat, they gain a +5 bonus to their leadership score.

Stronghold Shift (Su)

At 5th level, a castellan can expend two uses of inspiration to teleport to any location within their stronghold. There is no chance of error with this ability. The castellan can bring a familiar along when teleporting with this ability but cannot take other creatures or more than 50 pounds of objects with them.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Ultimate Strongholds © 2018, Legendary Games; Authors Ben Walklate and Jason Nelson.

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