Warden | Base Class

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Warden

An immense goblinoid army stretches from the horizon to the castle walls. In the breach, a single knight holds back the horde, eviscerating all comers, and allowing none to pass.
Blood dripping from his blade, a scarred half-orc gets down on all fours and breaks into a sprint, his eyes alight with bestial fury.
Advancing slowly, an elf brandishing a green scimitar emerges from the foliage before two poachers. Startled, they turn to run, but find their feet bound fast by leaves and vines.
Wardens are vigilant guardians who adopt a charge—be it a kingdom, a forest, or an individual—and safeguard it from harm. Through both their fortitude and shields, they are immovable bulwarks on the field of battle.

Guardian’s Call

Every warden feels a gravitational pull to defend the helpless. Sometimes, they are directly called, such as when a village or tribe selects their mightiest member to defend them, or when the spirits of a sacred grove beckon a new champion to protect their forest. Other times, the warden is compelled by more subtle means, such as witnessing uncontested injustice, or feeling the weight of responsibility when tragedy occurs. The result is the same: wardens who conclude their minds and pick up their shields to answer the call.
Wherever wardens travel, new calls make themselves evident. There is never a shortage of those in need, whereas those with strength and conscience are perpetually in short supply.

Primal Strength

Wardens are like mighty trees in a gale storm, or the rocks along the shore, constantly battered by waves. They demonstrate almost supernatural resilience to hardship, and can’t be easily broken or slain.
Most wardens draw their might to the wild—the strength of the earth beneath their feet and the vitality of the air in their lungs—though some attribute their resiliency to an inward resolve or the absolute belief in a deity. Regardless of its source, a warden’s power is intuitive and forceful, allowing them to stop foes dead in their tracks, mark those standing in their way, and shug off otherwise deadly conditions. Only those wardens who choose to defend an obviously magical charge appear to be supernatural; others simply possess a daunting force of will and bottomless tolerance for punishment.

Creating a Warden

When creating a warden, consider what drives your character. What brought you to raise up your shield for others? Do you fight to protect anyone or anywhere in particular? A threat to your homeland or loved ones might have been your catalyst, but you also might have risen to combat a menace to the natural world. What was your call, and how do you honor it? What motivates you to keep fighting, even when you’re at death’s door?
Most wardens have been recognized as exemplary defenders. Perhaps, you are known as a wandering knight of the northern provinces, or perhaps you were beckoned by spirits of the forest to protect them from invaders. Who has called you, and how did you respond?

Quick Build
You can build a warden quickly with these suggestions. First, make Constitution your highest ability score, followed by Strength and Dexterity. Then, choose the Primal Toughness option for Sentinel’s Stand. Finally, choose any background, preferably one that sheds light on your history of guardianship.

Class Features

As a warden, you gain the following class features.

• A shield and any martial weapon
• (a) chain shirt, (b) leather armor and a spear, or (c) chain mail (if proficient)
• (a) two light hammers or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

Sentinel’s Stand

Wardens are towers that cannot easily be felled. At 1st level, choose one of the following features.

Armor Proficiency
You gain proficiency with heavy armor.

Primal Toughness
Your hit point maximum increases by 1 + your Constitution modifier, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level in this class.

Stalwart Spirit
You gain proficiency in one saving throw of your choice.

Warden’s Grasp

At 1st level, as a bonus action, you can use the force of your daunting presence to ensnare nearby enemies into combat. Until the start of your next turn, you can’t move, and each Large or smaller creature you choose within 5 feet of you can’t willingly move away from you unless it first takes the Disengage action.
At 14th level, the range of this ability increases to 10 feet.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Crippling
When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, its speed is reduced by 10 feet, to a minimum of 0, until the end of its next turn, and it can’t take the Dash action until the end of its turn.

Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a weapon or shield.

Titan Fighting
You gain a +2 bonus to melee weapon attack rolls you make against Large or larger creatures.

Warden’s Mark

At 2nd level, you can use your bonus action to mark a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. While a marked creature is within 5 feet of you, it has disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn’t target you. The mark lasts for 1 minute, or until you mark another creature, become incapacitated, or die.
At 11th level, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action against a creature you have marked.

Champion’s Call

By the time you reach 3rd level, you feel the inexorable pull of an important duty or task that you assume as your own. No outside force compels your choice or enforces your conduct; if you fail in your charge, you alone are responsible.
Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 13th, and 20th level.

Warden’s Resolve

Starting at 3rd level, whenever your hit points are less than half your maximum, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Starting at 17th level, when your hit points are less than half your maximum, you have resistance to all damage except psychic damage.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Font of Life

By 4th level, you can use your action to end either one disease or one condition afflicting you. The condition can be blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, paralyzed, or poisoned. You can use this action even if the condition you end would otherwise prevent it. Once you use this ability, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Starting at 15th level, when you use this feature, you can choose to restore your hit points to half your maximum, if they were lower. Once you restore your hit points in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Sentinel’s Step

Wardens are faultless trackers who can navigate hazardous terrain with ease. At 7th level, select one of the following features.

Earthstrength
You possess the might of the earth itself. Your carrying capacity doubles, and you have advantage on ability checks and saving throws against being pushed against your will or knocked prone.

Thundering Charge
In the first round of combat, your speed increases by 30 feet and you have advantage on the first melee weapon attack you make.

Wildblood
Your reflexes have been honed by the perils of nature. You can’t be surprised while you are conscious. Additionally, you have a +5 bonus to your passive Wisdom (Perception) and passive Intelligence (Investigation) scores.

Undying

At 9th level, when you are reduced to 0 hit points and aren’t killed outright, you can choose to drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Interrupt

Starting at 10th level, when a creature hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to prevent one of its subsequent strikes. If the creature could make additional attacks before the end of the turn, it can make one fewer than normal.

Sentinel’s Soul

Wardens are unshakable guardians that cannot be bowed. At 18th level, choose one of the following features:

Ageless Guardian
You are immune to poison and disease, no longer need food or water, suffer none of the frailty of old age, and can’t be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however.
Additionally, you have advantage on Constitution saving throws.

Eyes of the Mountain
You gain tremorsense with a range of 15 feet, and you can detect the presence of hidden or invisible creatures within 30 feet of you.
Additionally, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws.

Impenetrable Mind
Your thoughts can’t be read, and you can’t be charmed or frightened.
Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom saving throws.

Champion’s Call

A warden’s call is a binding charge to protect and defend others from harm. Every warden eventually hears a call, and responds with mighty deeds. In answering this call, wardens embrace the traits of those they stand to protect, gaining primal, and sometimes even mystical, abilities.

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