Azure Vanguard

"We are the steel that shields the towers. We are the magic left in the mud."

The Azure Vanguard consists of the elite soldiers of the Empire’s Azure Battalion. Every member shares a specific, bitter history: they were children chosen by the Great Wizards, brought to the Citadel, and given everything—only to ultimately wash out of the track. They lacked the perfect, flawless mastery of the Lingua Arcana required to become true War Wizards. But failure in the eyes of the Citadel does not mean uselessness to the Empire.

Armed with custom-forged, magic-infused Imperial Armaments—rings, bracers, and warstaffs—these fighters deploy fragments of the magic they managed to retain. While a Wizard commands the grand, reality-warping forces from safety, the Azure Vanguard stands on the front lines. They use their specialised arcane theory to siphon enemy spells, overload their gear with volatile blue energy, and shield their allies. They are a brutal, practical fusion of absolute discipline and desperate, item-bound wizardry.

Imperial Armament & Arcane Theory

You bind volatile remnants of the Lingua Arcana into your imperial gear.

​Arcane Binding

You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill. If you are already proficient in it, you gain Expertise in Arcana instead.

​In addition, you learn two Wizard cantrips of your choice, as well as three 1st-level Abjuration or Evocation spells from the Wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells. You can cast these 1st-level spells a total number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once, INT mod /uses), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

​While wielding or wearing your bound equipment, you gain the following benefits:

• ​Armour Bond: While wearing armour, you can add your Intelligence modifier instead of your Dexterity modifier when calculating your Armour Class, up to the maximum limit allowed by the armour.
• ​Weapon Bond: When you take the Magic action to cast a spell, you can make one weapon attack as part of that same action.

Arcane Redirection

When a spell is cast within 30 feet of you, you can expend 1 use of your Second Wind as a Reaction to choose one of the following options:

• Siphon Arcana: Your next weapon attack that hits deals an extra 1d10 Force damage.

• Redirecting Shield: You add INT mod to your AC or saving throw against the spell (or grant this bonus to an ally within 30 feet).

Overcharge Armament

Whenever you use Action Surge, your weapon and armor surge with volatile blue arcana for 1 minute. Choose one of the following effects upon activation:

• Overcharged Strike: Your weapon hits deal an extra 1d6 Lightning or Force damage.

• Aegis Barrier: You gain Class level + INT mod Temporary Hit Points and gain resistance to Fire, Cold, and Force damage.

Tactical Spell-Strike

When you use Tactical Master to swap a weapon mastery option, you can replace 1 weapon attack with a 1st or 2nd-level subclass spell. You learn two 2nd-level Abjuration or Evocation Wizard spells.

Vanguard Absolute Aegis

When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points, you do not fall unconscious. Instead, you trigger a magical overload:

• Shockwave: Hostile creatures within 20 feet must succeed on a Strength saving throw Intelligence Spell Save DC STR save or be knocked Prone and pushed 15 feet away.

• Vitality Surge: You instantly regain Class level number of Hit Points.

• Arcane Overdrive: For 1 minute, you can cast your subclass spells without expending limited uses.