Dwarven Defender

Your people defied the titans and giants. Unity has sustained them, and tenaciousness has upheld them; traditions preserving these values serve them well. They stand unmoved and unconquered, like the mountains, against orcs and goblins and dragons. When the enemy forces are composed of little more than savages, dwarven armies break them like stone channels water.

You are a master of dwarven fighting arts, relying on loyal allies as much as your own courage and resilience. Your expertise lies in defensive maneuvers and battle-line tactics. You know how to take advantage of holes in enemy lines. Allies come to rely on you as the center of the squad. They take heart in your steadfastness and your ability to break the defenses of your enemies.

Restriction: Dwarves Only

Only dwarves can become dwarven defenders. The dwarven defender fills a particular niche in dwarven society and culture.

Defensive Stance

3rd-level Dwarven Defender feature

When needed, you can become a stalwart bastion of defense. On your turn, you can enter a Defensive Stance as a bonus action. While in a Defensive Stance, you gain the following benefits while you are holding a shield:

• You provide half cover to each friendly creature that you can see within 5 feet of you (including you).
• You have advantage on Strength and Wisdom saving throws.

Your defensive stance lasts for 1 minute during which your speed is halved. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious. You can also end your Defensive Stance on your turn as a bonus action.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Trap Sense

3rd-level Dwarven Defender feature

You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid or resist traps, and can search for traps while traveling at a normal pace, instead of only at a slow pace.

Warding Stance

7th-level Dwarven Defender feature

While you are in your Defensive Stance, hostile creatures within 5 feet of you treat the area within 5 feet of you as difficult terrain, and have disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn’t target you.

Hold the Line

10th-level Dwarven Defender feature

You are a master of locking down your enemies. Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach, and if you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the target’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn.

Everlasting Bulwark

15th-level Dwarven Defender feature

When you roll initiative and have no uses of Defensive Stance remaining, you regain one use.

Vigilant Defender

18th-level Dwarven Defender feature

You respond to danger with extraordinary vigilance. In combat, you get a special reaction that you can take once on every creature’s turn, except your turn. You can use this special reaction only to make an opportunity attack, and you can’t use it on the same turn that you take your normal reaction.