WARRIOR-PALADIN KIT

Guardian

Description:  Guardians are specially-trained protectors and defenders of their 
faith and the sacred places of their religion.  Compelled by a strong sense of 
duty, Guardians constantly monitor the region of their charge, scrutinizing the 
activities of strangers, advising travelers, and intercepting invaders.  
Guardians are honor- and oath-bound to ward their charges, though in certain 
cases Guardians may operate of their own volition, without official sanction or 
title.  Guardians usually maintain good working relationships with officials of 
lands near their warded area, and they will often work with them in mutually 
beneficial defensive and information-sharing arrangements.  Guardians are 
reluctant to leave the vicinity of their wards, though they may do so if 
presented with a compelling reason.  They tend to be self-sufficient, 
clearheaded, and conscientious.  Though they may develop close relationships 
with fellow adventurers, they will always part company at the end of an 
adventure, returning to their ward as soon as possible.  It should be noted that 
Guardians are more deeply immersed in the religious and hierarchical aspects of 
their church than are standard Paladins, and they are often more contemplative 
and thoughtful in their outlook on life.  When their wards are threatened, 
however, they can react in a most deadly and effective fashion.

Requirements:  In addition to standard Paladin requirements, a Guardian must 
have Wisdom and Constitution scores of at least 14.

Weapon Proficiencies:  Guardians are limited in weapons to those allowed by 
priests of his or her religion, though they can wear any armor desired.  As they 
must often fight from atop walls or other defensive positions, Guardians must 
spend at least half of their proficiency slots on missile weapons or polearms.

Special Benefits:  Guardians gain the following general Paladin and unique kit 
abilities.

Aura of Holiness:  As a standard Paladin, but a Guardian's Aura of Holiness has 
the effect of a protection from evil 10' radius spell (but also applying its 
bonus vs. chaotic creatures) rather than the usual AC and saving throw bonuses; 
it retains its normal ability to block evil magic.

Chosen Foe:  As a standard Paladin.  In addition, a Guardian can select a 
specific evil priesthood as his or her Chosen Foe.  If this is done, the 
Guardian will gain his or her full bonus against any character that receives 
priestly powers from that deity and the lesser bonus against any creature who 
worships that deity or is employed by the priesthood of that deity.

Church Favor:  Guardians automatically receive a 'Friendly' reaction with any 
worshiper of their deity.  In addition, they can always request room, board, and 
sanctuary for themselves and up to 1 companion per level at any temple or 
stronghold of their religion.

Defensive Tactics:  If a Guardian has the opportunity to study the layout of an 
area for 24 hours, he or she is able to maximize the existing terrain features 
in the area in order to gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls, Armor Class, and saving 
throws (the latter only vs. attacks that could logically be blocked by the 
obstructions present in the area).  If fighting on ground sanctified to his or 
her deity, they have such a clarity of thought and purpose as well as an 
implicit understanding of the ways of their deity and the manner in which their 
church constructs church edifices that these bonuses are doubled, and a Guardian 
is also able to make one extra 'free' attack every two melee rounds.  A Guardian 
of 6th level and above requires only 1d6 hours (1 hour for a church or temple of 
his or her faith) to familiarize him- or herself with an area and gain the 
benefits of Defensive Tactics.

A Guardian retains 'memory' of the tactical layout of an area for one day per 
level of experience, after which these bonuses are lost unless the Guardian 
refamiliarizes him- or herself with the area.  Note that there must be some sort 
of obstructions or irregular terrain in the area in order to use this ability--a 
Guardian's Defensive Tactics are of little worth in the middle of an open field 
or a bare sandy desert.

Finally, Guardians study the use of weapons in a very holistic way, including 
the means to counter those weapons when they are in the hands of an opponent.  
As a result, if a Guardian's opponent is using a weapon in which the Guardian is 
proficient, the Guardian's opponent suffers a -1 penalty to attack and damage 
rolls against the Guardian.

Essence of Virtue:  As a standard Paladin.

Faith Healing:  As a standard Paladin.

Mental Strength:  Guardians gain a +1 bonus to saving throws against mind-
affecting attacks (including illusions and psionics) for every three levels of 
experience (rounding up), and this bonus is doubled if they are on sanctified 
ground.  This is applied as a negative modifier to Telepathic power scores used 
against the Guardian.  In addition, all Guardians are immune to fear, and they 
cannot be charmed, dominated, or otherwise magically controlled to attack or 
harm another creature known to be of their same religious persuasion or any 
object sacred to that faith, and such control will be broken if such an order is 
given.

Priestly Powers:  As a standard Paladin, save for the following.  A Guardian 
turns undead at one level lower than his or her actual level, or at his or her 
true level when on holy ground.  Guardians also gain the ability to cast priest 
spells at 6th level rather than 9th, though they follow the same spell 
progression as other Paladins (reaching their maximum powers at 17th level, 
rather than 20th).  In addition, a Guardian gains access to the Guardian and 
Wards spheres, and any spells cast from these spheres take effect two levels 
higher than his or her actual level.  Finally, Guardians gain the ability to use 
and create priest scrolls and use priest magical items at 15th level.

Retributive Strike:  Guardians have a unique facility for sizing up a target, 
taking the full measure of its combat ability, and attacking it with brutal and 
devastating effectiveness with a missile or melee attack.  A Guardian can choose 
to forego all other actions (including movement) and attack at the very end of 
the round (even after very slow attacks, such as zombies or creatures under a 
slow spell).  If this is done, the Guardian's Retributive Strike has the effect 
of a blow with a weapon with a magical bonus of +1 for every three levels of the 
Guardian (rounding up, maximum of +4).  This bonus allows a Guardian to strike 
creatures that require magical weapons to hit and adds a bonus to attack and 
damage rolls.

Instead of using this special bonus, a Guardian of 10th level or above can use a 
Retributive Strike to attack all enemies within 5' with a single attack roll.  
For this sort of Retributive Strike, a single attack roll is made and applied to 
all foes within a 5' radius.  All normal bonuses to hit apply, but a successful 
'hit' inflicts damage based solely on the Guardian's level and skill at 
defensive tactics and counterattacks--beginning at a base of 1d8 points of 
damage, plus 1d8 for every five levels of experience thereafter (dropping 
fractions; e.g., 2d8 at 15th, 3d8 at 20th) regardless of the specific weapon or 
item being used, although certain creatures may be resistant or immune to an 
all-around Retributive Strike with weapons of certain types (e.g., a gargoyle 
would suffer no damage from an all-around Retributive Strike with a non-magical 
weapon).

Use of a Retributive Strike precludes the use of multiple attacks, and a 
Guardian must remain very still, focusing his or her energies and studying his 
or her opponent, and a Guardian receives no Armor Class bonus for Dexterity or 
other movement-related considerations, though normal armor and shield bonuses 
apply.  A Guardian must announce his or her intention to perform a Retributive 
Strike before initiative dice are rolled.

Sense Evil:  As a standard Paladin, but a Guardian is able to Sense Evil within 
60' in all directions when using this power on holy ground.  In addition, they 
have an automatic latent sense for the approach of evil even if they are not 
concentrating on detecting it.  As a result, their ability to Sense Evil 
combines with their normal Vigilance, allowing them to double their normal bonus 
to avoid surprise when encountering evil creatures, increasing it to +2 in most 
situations, +4 on holy ground.

Vigilance:  Guardians are highly alert, gaining a +1 bonus to avoid surprise.  
This bonus is doubled to +2 if the Guardian is on ground sanctified or 
consecrated to his or her deity.

Special Hindrances:  Guardians follow the usual restrictions for Paladins.  As 
noted above, Guardians are also limited to those weapons usable by priests of 
their faith.  They are exceptionally vigilant and careful in defensive 
positions, though they are somewhat less combat-oriented than other Paladins and 
cannot make use of weapon specialization.  In addition, a Guardian gains only 
three weapon proficiency slots at 1st level, though they are gained at the 
normal rate thereafter.

Besides this limitation in combat ability, Guardians concentrate on staying in 
one place and guarding it rather than roaming far and wide, and they have no use 
for the Call Mount ability of a standard Paladin.  In addition, their single-
minded determination to apply themselves to their task precludes the usual 
Charismatic Appeal that Paladins enjoy.

In addition to the above, Guardians must remain near their warded area, in case 
they should be called upon to defend it.  Such an area is usually a temple, 
monastery, or shrine of some type, but it may simply be a site in the midst of 
the wilderness that is sacred to the Guardian's religion.  Guardians must 
ordinarily remain within one day's travel per level of experience (i.e., a 5th 
level Guardian must be within five days' travel) of his or her warded area.  It 
is possible, however, for a Guardian to obtain a special dispensation to 
undertake a specific, defined quest that may exceed this period, which usually 
must involve something of value or importance to the Guardian's church.  If a 
Guardian leaves the area of his or her ward without such permission, he or she 
will lose all special benefits until he or she returns to the ward, at which 
time they will be immediately regained.

At 6th level or above, a Guardian can take on one or more apprentice Guardians 
as henchmen and appoint them as stewards or wardens of his or her guarded lands.  
Such a steward can manage the superior Guardian's ward for one week per level of 
the highest-level steward, plus one week for each additional steward, thereby 
allowing the Guardian greater freedom of movement.  At the end of this time 
period, however, the PC Guardian must return to his or her ward or else he or 
she and all henchmen Guardians lose all special abilities; these abilities are 
regained when the superior Guardian returns.  If a Guardian's ward is violated 
while he or she is away, he or she will lose all special abilities and will be 
subject to a divine curse for his or her failure, suffering a -1 penalty to all 
die rolls until a successful atonement is completed.

Bonus Proficiencies:  Alertness
Required Proficiencies:  Awareness, Religion
Preferred Proficiencies:  Armor Optimization, Armorer, Artillerist, Blind-
fighting, Bowyer/Fletcher, Camouflage, Close-quarter Fighting, Direction Sense, 
Engineer-Artillerist, Fortification, Healing, Immovability, Lightning Reflexes, 
Mental Resistance, Observation, Siegecraft, Sixth Sense, Survival