Stalwart Guardian

A Stalwart Guardian trains to defend their allies by putting their life on the line. They train to become the wall their foe must surpass in order to bring harm to others.

Level 3: Superior Defense

Your experience has refined your tactics. You learn defensive tactics that use special dice called Defensive Tactics Dice.

Defensive Tactics. You learn three tactics of your choice. You can use only one tactic per attack.

You learn two additional tactics of your choice when you reach Fighter levels 7, 10, and 15. Each time you learn new tactics, you can also replace one tactic you know with a different one.

Defensive Tactics Dice. You have four Defensive Tactics Dice, which are d10s. A Defensive Tactics Die is expended when you use it. You regain all expended Defensive Tactics Dice when you finish a Short or Long Rest.

You gain an additional Defensive Tactics Die when you reach Fighter levels 7 (five dice total) and 15 (six dice total). Additionally, the die size increases to d12s at level 7 and d20s at level 15.

Saving Throws. If a tactic requires a saving throw, the DC equals 8 plus your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) and Proficiency Bonus.

Level 3: Defensive Strength

While wielding a shield, you gain the ability to use melee weapons that have the two-handed property with single hand.

Additionally, you can wield a shield in each hand. While doing so, you can choose to sacrifice the AC bonus of a shield until the start of your next turn to treat it as a weapon that has the same bonus to hit and to damage that it would have added to your AC. The damage of the shield bash begins at 2d4 bludgeoning at level 3, and increases at 7 to 2d6, 11 to 2d8, 15 to 2d10, and 19 to 2d12.

Level 7: Herculean Dominance

As a Bonus Action you can increase the area your character controls up to the size of an enemy you can see within 30 ft. of you without getting physically larger for 1 minute, or until you are incapacitated. You can use a bonus action to end this effect early. You do an additional d4 of damage per size category increase. You are limited to increasing the area you control up to the size of Large until level 15, at which point you can increase it to Huge. At level 18, you can increase the size you can control to Gargantuan.

You can use this once per Long Rest, and can restore a use of it by expending one Defensive Tactics Die (no action required).

Level 10: Unrelenting Defense

Once per turn, when you use a tactic, you can roll a die one size lower than your current Defensive Tactics Die instead of expending one.

Level 15: Proficient Defense

On your turn you can use a Bonus Action to add your proficiency bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn, the AC of an ally within 5 feet of you until the start of your next turn, or to all damage rolls you make until the start of your next turn.

You can take this Bonus Action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and you regain all uses at the end of a short or long rest.

Level 18: The Wall

Once per turn after making a successful attack with a shield, you can choose to grant yourself total cover toward the direction of the target you hit until the start of your next turn. Any ally behind you while you have the benefits of this feature are granted the benefit of three quarters cover.

Level 3: Defensive Tactics Options

The tactics are presented here in alphabetical order.

Anchored

When you make a roll to resist an attempt to move you against your will, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die and add the die to the roll, unless you have the Incapacitated condition.

Bash and Smash

As part of making an Opportunity Attack with a Shield you are wielding, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die to force the target to make a Constitution Saving Throw in an attempt to daze your target until the start of their next turn. While dazed, the target can choose to take either an action, bonus action, or a reaction. If they choose to make an attack as their action, they can only make a single attack.

Commander’s Shield

If you are positioned between an ally and an enemy on your turn, you can actively defend your ally. Roll one Defensive Tactics Die. Your ally then increases their AC by half the amount rolled until the start of your next turn, as long as you remain between them and the enemy.

Defensive Offense

When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die to add to the damage roll. Add the Defensive Tactics Die roll to the attack’s damage roll. You can choose to reduce your AC by the amount rolled until the start of your next turn to double the damage this tactic adds.

Distracting Defense

When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die to distract the target. The next successful attack roll made by the target will have it's damage reduced by the result of the Defensive Tactics Die roll. You can choose to reduce your AC by the amount rolled until the start of your next turn to double the damage reduction of this tactic.

Entrenched Warrior

As a Bonus Action, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die and reduce your movement speed to 0 if you have not moved during your turn. You also roll the die and add the number rolled to your AC and all damage rolls you make until the start of your next turn.

Fight Me!

As a reaction you can take when an ally within range of your movement speed is targeted by an attack instead of you, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die to move to that ally and force the attack to be made against you instead. If that attack hits, roll the Defensive Tactics Die to reduce that attack’s damage roll by the result.

Gambling Attack

When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die. The target must succeed on a Wis. saving throw or the result of the expended die is doubled and added to the damage of the attack. On a success, the damage of the attack is reduced by the result of the expended die.

Lurching Blow

As a Bonus action, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die and take the Dash action. If you move at least 5 ft. before hitting a target with a melee attack as part of the Attack action this turn, each target you hit must make a Dexterity Saving Throw or become prone.

Parry

When another creature damages an ally within your unarmed reach with a melee attack, you can take a Reaction to expend one Defensive Tactics die to reduce the damage by the number rolled plus your Str. or Dex. modifier (your choice.)

Reactive Defense

As a reaction you can take when targeted by an attack you can see,  you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die to raise your AC by your Strength Modifier until the start of your next turn.

Reactive Offense

When a creature misses you with a melee attack roll, you can take a Reaction to expend one Defensive Tactics die to make a melee attack roll with a weapon or Unarmed Strike against that creature. If you hit, add the Defensive Tactics die to the attack’s damage.

Slam Down

When you hit a creature with a melee attack roll using a Shield, you can expend one Defensive Tactics Die to attempt to damage a number of additional creatures equal to your proficiency bonus within 5 ft. of the original target and within your reach. If the original attack would hit an additional creature, it takes damage of the same type equal to the number rolled on your Defensive Tactics Die.