Guardsman

Guardsmen are those fighters dedicated to the techniques of protecting others in battle. They are characterized by their blend of strength and endurance, as well as reflexes and vigilance.

While some Guardsmen are heroes who protect their allies out of ideals or personal bonds, other Guardsmen are mercenaries watching over those who pay them. For whatever reason a Guardsman fights, his wards are usually safe or their injury will be severely punished.

Counterattack

Starting at 3rd level, your retaliatory strikes against the enemies that injured your allies become significantly more dangerous. When you hit a creature with a melee attack that has dealt damage to a creature other than you and that is friendly towards you, since the end of your last turn, you gain a bonus to your damage roll equal to your proficiency bonus.

Guarding Reaction

Beginning when you choose this this archetype at 3rd level, you develop the reflexes to protect your allies in times of need. When a willing creature within 5 feet of you is targeted by an attack or subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you may use your reaction to switch positions with that creature, without provoking oppurtunity attacks and become the target of the attack or effect instead. If you yourself are subjected to the same effect and you use this ability, you have to make two saving throws and suffer the effect of both outcomes.

The creature you switched positions with then gets a bonus to its AC and Dexterity saving throws until the beginning of your next turn equal to your proficiency modifier.

Secure the Retreat

At 7th level, you are particularly adept at charging into the fray and securing your allies' retreat. If you hit a creature no more than one size larger than you with a melee attack, you can have it attempt a Strength saving throw.

If the creature fails, its speed becomes 0 and it has disadvantage when attacking targets other than you. This effect lasts as long as the creature is within your reach or until it uses the Disengange action on its turn to end the effect.

On a successful saving throw, the creature is unaffected by this effect, but cannot make attacks of opportunity against targets other than you until the start of your next turn.

The save DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier or your Constitution modifier (your choice). Your choice also determines how many times you can use this ability and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest. You can change your choice after you finish a short or a long rest.

Keeping the Watch

At 10th level, you may add your proficiency bonus to ability checks you make to determine initiative.

In addition, you gain proficiency in the Perception skill. If you already have proficiency in the Perception skill, instead your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the Perception skill.

Also, on the first turn of each combat, you can take an additional action that you can only use to dash. If you use this additional action, all attacks against you have advantage until the start of your next turn.

Bulwark of Endurance

At 15th level, you are trained at surviving even the toughest blows to protect your allies. Each time you use your Second Wind ability, you gain resistance to all damage types until the start of your next turn. In addition, you can use your Second Wind ability again at any time, even without first completing a short or long rest. Each time you use your Second Wind ability again in this way, you gain a level of Exhaustion.

Heroic Vigilance

Beginning at 18th level, you can stretch far beyond the limits of your own body when your allies are in dire danger. When a creature you can see which is friendly towards you, is reduced to 0 Hit Points, you may expend one use of your Action Surge ability to take an additional turn of your own following the current turn. When that turn is over, you play your next turn normally again, as indicated by your initiative. You cannot use this ability if you are surprised or incapacitated.