Dreadguard

Dreadguards are soldiers trained for battles that conventional armies cannot survive: subterranean assaults, burning tunnels, collapsing fortifications and close-order engagements against overwhelming forces.

The first Dreadguards were forged when Levonius adapted a lost Copper Mountain art of mining, industrial discipline, and the fieldcraft of dishonoured veterans into a new doctrine of warfare. Modern Dreadguards inherit that doctrine. They advance in interlocking formations, control lethal fire lanes, protect one another through practised movement and turn tools of excavation into weapons of siege and terror.

Every fully inducted Dreadguard is trained to carry and operate a flamethrower known as a Crucible Projector, but the weapon alone does not define them. Their true strength lies in discipline, positioning and the certainty that no Dreadguard fights alone.

Level 3: Dreadguard Induction

You have completed the equipment, formation and subterranean-combat training required of an inducted Dreadguard.

Copper Mountain Artifice

You gain proficiency with alchemist’s supplies and tinker's tools. You are trained to operate, maintain and safely refuel Crucible Projectors and other Dreadguard equipment derived from the lost mining arts of the Copper Mountains.

Veteran’s Cadence

If your total character level is 5 or higher and you do not already have a feature that allows you to attack more than once whenever you take the Attack action, you can attack twice instead of once whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

This benefit does not combine with Extra Attack or any other feature that increases the number of attacks you make as part of the Attack action.

Dreadguard Armour

You are proficient with Dreadguard Armour. While wearing properly fitted Dreadguard Armour, you can operate and benefit from all its specialised properties, including its heat protection, sealed breathing system and protective lenses. A wearer who lacks this proficiency cannot activate or benefit from the armour’s sealed systems.

Level 3: Interlocked Formation

Dreadguards are trained to fight as parts of an interlocking formation rather than as isolated warriors.

While you are within 10 feet of at least one conscious ally, you gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class.

In addition, when you use Second Wind while within 10 feet of a conscious ally, you can choose one such ally. The chosen ally can immediately move up to 10 feet without provoking Opportunity Attacks.

This movement requires no action or reaction from the chosen ally. A creature can benefit from only one Dreadguard’s Interlocked Formation movement during the same turn.

Level 7: Breach Doctrine

Your training allows you to maintain an organised advance through collapsed tunnels, breached fortifications and enemy-controlled ground.

Broken Ground

Nonmagical difficult terrain caused by rubble, loose earth, broken masonry or uneven stone costs you no additional movement.

Confined Advance

You suffer no additional movement cost when squeezing through a space large enough for a creature one size smaller than you. While squeezing through such a space, you do not have disadvantage on attack rolls or Dexterity saving throws, and attack rolls against you do not gain advantage solely because you are squeezing.

Breach Step

Once during each of your turns, immediately after you damage one or more creatures with a weapon attack or with an item you are proficient with, you can move up to 10 feet.

This movement does not provoke Opportunity Attacks from creatures damaged by that attack or effect.

Level 10: Shield the Line

No Dreadguard under your protection is permitted to fall alone.

When you or a creature you can see within 10 feet of you takes damage, you can use your reaction and expend one use of your Second Wind. Roll your Second Wind die and reduce the triggering damage by an amount equal to the number rolled plus your Fighter level.

If the damaged creature is an ally, you can move up to 10 feet immediately before reducing the damage. This movement does not provoke Opportunity Attacks and must end within 5 feet of that ally.

This feature counts as using Second Wind, but it does not restore Hit Points. The damaged creature can benefit from only one use of Shield the Line against the same instance of damage.

Level 15: Furnace Discipline

Your familiarity with the pressure, fuel mixture and operating rhythm of a Crucible Projector has become instinctive.

Unbroken Cycle

After you discharge a Crucible Projector, you can repressurise it at the end of the current turn without taking a bonus action.

Pressure Mastery

Your Crucible Projector does not suffer Pressure Shock when you participate in a Furnace Choir. Other participating projectors suffer Pressure Shock normally unless their wielders also possess this feature.

Overmatching Flame

Fire damage dealt by a Crucible Projector you operate ignores resistance to fire damage. This feature does not overcome immunity to fire damage.

Level 18: A Force of Dread

You have become the living embodiment of Dreadguard doctrine: an immovable centre around which an entire formation can survive and advance.

Commanding Presence

The range of your Interlocked Formation and Shield the Line features increases from 10 feet to 30 feet.

Hold Against the End

When multiple creatures within 30 feet of you take damage from the same attack or effect, you can use Shield the Line to protect any number of those creatures.

Expend one use of Second Wind and roll once. Reduce the damage suffered by each chosen creature by an amount equal to the number rolled plus your Fighter level. A creature cannot benefit from more than one use of Shield the Line against the same instance of damage.

You can move up to 15 feet without provoking Opportunity Attacks immediately before applying this damage reduction. You must end this movement within 5 feet of at least one protected creature.

Master of the Furnace Choir

When you are the designated lead Dreadguard of a Furnace Choir, increase the Choir’s saving throw DC by 1.

In addition, all fire damage dealt by that Furnace Choir ignores resistance to fire damage, even if the other participants do not possess Furnace Discipline. This feature does not overcome immunity to fire damage.