Base Class: Fighter
When orcs rush for your women and children, what keeps them at bay?
A Wall.
When rushing water must be held back, and a fertile riverbed lays out before you, what do you need?
A wall.
What survives the passage of time beyond all else, standing like a mountain long after its people have left and the desert has consumed the city?
A wall.
You are a survivor. You are a barricade. You are that which prevents, that which denies, that which protects. You are the reason the glorious dwarven race endures to this day and shall endure for a million years more. You are one of the best, a Dwarven Defender, and you are THE WALL
The Dwarven Defender
The Defenders are a caste of Fighters among dwarves that learn ancient techniques secret to their race. As formidable as any dwarven soldier may be, the Defenders are a bulwark that many a foe has crashed their forces upon. A single Defender is tough, but as a unit they are nigh uncrackable for even the mightiest of forces.
Restriction: Dwarves Only
Only dwarves can choose the Dwarven Defender Archetype. Your DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign. The restriction reflects the story of the Dwarven Defenders, but it might not apply to your DM’s setting.
Honoured Title
When you gain this archetype at level 3, you gain the title of Defender. This is a title used among dwarves of various clans, and even the duergar show respect to a Defender if they meet out of combat. While among dwarves, a Dwarven Defender may command the respect accompanying the status. You receive free lodging and food of a modest or comfortable standard (depending on the quality of the house whose invitation you accept or demand).
Defensive Stance
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn the arts of the defensive stance passed on through generations of Defenders before you. Once per short rest, you may enter this trance-like stance and you become as hard as stone and as difficult to push around. When you enter the Defensive Stance, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution score. While in your Defensive Stance, you gain the following traits:
- Your speed becomes 15 feet (if it is not lower), and you can't benefit from any bonus to your speed.
- You gain disadvantage to Dexterity saving throws
- At the start of every turn, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier. These temporary hit points stack, but may never exceed your Constitution score. If you gain temporary hit points from any other source, you count the highest source of temporary hit points as usual.
- You may use your bonus action to grant an adjacent ally a +2 to Armor Class until the start of your next turn. You must be wielding a Shield
The stance lasts 1 minute. You may end the Defensive Stance at any moment during your turn. It also ends whenever you can not take reactions.
Child of the Stone
At 7th level, you become attuned to the rock from which you were created. Whenever you use your Second Wind, you gain resistance to all Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Weapons until the end of your next turn.
Starting at 15th level, you may choose to become immune until the start of your next turn instead.
Controlled Stance
From 10th level onwards, while you are in your Defensive Stance, your speed is no longer affected by your Stance and you no longer have disadvantage to Dexterity saving throws. In addition, you can no longer be subjected to effects that move you against your will, like the thunderwave spell or shoving. You also gain advantage to all checks that cause the prone condition.
Guardian of the Stone
At 18th level you become a paragon of defense. Nothing moves past you if you don't want them to. Your Defensive Stance does not automatically end after 1 minute (other effects that may end your Stance still apply). Also, while in your Defensive Stance, whenever an enemy enters your reach you may use your reaction to make an opportunity attack. Whenever such an attack causes an enemy to drop to 0 hit points or lower, you regain the use of your reaction. If you are wielding a shield, you may use your bonus action to grant a +2 bonus to Armor Class to all allies within 5 feet you are aware of.
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Posted Oct 27, 2019That's interesting, I didn't compare them that way... I'll look deeper into it when I have the time and post an alternate version. Thanks for your feedback!
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Posted Oct 26, 2019the max temp hp is what I was talking about for this. the Battlemaster can gain at lvl 3: 4d8 (32 max for rolls{46 max with 3CHA} average is 28) 7: 5d8 10: 5d10 (50) max 15: 6d10 18: 6d12 all plus charisma modifier using rally and the defender can gain 3 in can if your going point by but even if rolls lets say you get 18 on that its a 4+4 pre round for 10 rounds (1 min) equals 44 hp of used to the max. 33 is on point buy until 4th but if battle master uses all is only 5 temp hp less and this is if you use your temp hp properly without them maxing out on you CON. This is what math I was doing while thinking about battlemaster with a barbarian would do a "better" job.
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Posted Oct 24, 2019Thank you for your feedback and support. I don't really see how a battlemaster could get the same amount of temporary hit points, are you perhaps confused with the samurai? They get quite some temporary hit points, but not to the same level as the Defender.
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Posted Oct 24, 2019I understand your point, but I disagree. I think the fighter fits the Defender class fine, since they already get features such as Second Wind and Indomitable or even the Defender Fighting Style.
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Posted Oct 15, 2019This probably needs to be a base class on its own to be truly balanced for it does not fit properly in any base class available
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Posted Oct 7, 2019I have been looking at other classes and compairing them to this one because I love Dwarven Defenders. This class in my opinion is underpowered but complete because a battlemaster can gain more temp hp and the second wind is like rage but for 1 round. Just doing a battlemaster with 2 levels in barbarian does a lot better than this class. I love the Guadian of the stone as it is like defencive cleave. The Defencive stance is pretty perfect and well balanced but something is missing still from this class. Another defender class has the stop all movement that may short up the weakness or you can use your reaction to take the place of another character for being hit or damage (the bodyguard). This class is already full of good stuff and you probably can't add more without overbloating the class. I hope this gives you some ideas in the future, Thank you.
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Posted Dec 18, 2018I get what you're saying, but I think it's not that powerful. Remember you only get your Con modifier per turn. Let's say you have a Con score of 20, that means that every turn you get 5 temp HP up to 20. An enemy at 3rd level is often quite capable of dealing at least 5 damage per turn, especially when multiple enemies are concerned. Also note that this feature should be on par with the Battle Master's maneuvers as well. That feature is pretty powerful too and very versatile, whereas this is not versatile at all; you're being hit every turn in the best case scenario, meaning you have to be able to survive this.
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Posted Dec 17, 2018I feel that at 3rd level regenerating con score in temp hp is a bit too powerful... maybe 1/2 con score at 3rd and it increases at later levels? Or maybe 1/2 con score + level in fighter? Otherwise it was great. Everything else looks good.