The Vanguard

The Vanguard are a sworn brotherhood of rangers that commit themselves to protect the world from the darkness that lies in the wilds and dark reaches of the world. Beholden to no king or country, allied to no church or banner, they patrol the realm, hunting down any man, beast, or fiend that threaten innocent life. Their solemn mission does not require them to hold strong ideals of good, merely a disdain for evil. During times of darkness, when fey or fiends threaten the sovereignty of innocents, the Vanguard arise to lead the charge against those who would corrupt the world.

Vanguard Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Vanguard Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Vanguard Spells

Shadow Adept

At 3rd level, you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race, its range increases by 30 feet.

You are also adept at evading creatures that rely on darkvision. While in darkness, when you are targeted by an attack, you can use your reaction to become invisible until the end of your next turn, possibly giving disadvantage to the incoming attack. The invisibility ends if you leave the area of darkness or damage a creature. You can use this ability a number of times equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once) per long rest.

Agonizing Strikes

At 3rd level, learn to focus your iron will into your attacks. When you hit with a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal fire or cold damage to the target. The extra damage is 2d6 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each spell level higher that 1st.

On a critical hit, you can activate your Agonizing Strike without expending a spell slot. This Agonizing Strike deals 2d6 damage at level 3 and increases by 1d6 at 9th and 15th level (these dice are not doubled by the critical hit).

Additionally, anytime that you activate your Agonizing Strike, you can wreath your weapon in the chosen element for the next minute. During this time, the weapon's normal damage type is replaced by fire or cold. You can end the elemental effect as a free action. The wreathed effect can be dispelled or countered as if it were a spell cast at the level of the spell slot expended.

Unending Watch

Starting at 7th level, once per long rest, when you are reduced to 0 hit points and are not killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead.

Additionally, even if you have no uses of Shadow Adept remaining, you can chose to activate it without using your reaction. When activated as part of this feature, the invisibility does not require you to stay in darkness to maintain the effect.

Unyielding Strikes

At 11th level, your will and focus has become insurmountable. When you make a weapon attack with a weapon wreathed in elemental energy from your Agonizing Strike, you deal an extra 1d6 damage of the elemental damage type on a hit.
Additionally, once per turn, when you miss with the wreathed weapon, you can make another weapon attack against the same target.

Captain of the Vanguard

Starting at 15th level, you've become the embodiment of the Vanguard, gaining the following benefits.

• You gain resistance to fire and cold damage.
• When you activate your Agonizing Strike, you can also wreath yourself in the chosen element. While wreathed in flames, any hostile creature which starts its turn within 5 feet of you takes 1d10 fire damage. While wreathed in frost, you gain a +2 bonus to your armor class.
• The fire and cold damage that you deal with your Agonizing Strikes and the wreathing effects ignore resistance.