“In the face of chaos, I stand resolute, a bulwark against harm. My armor is unyielding, my shield unwavering. Let foes come, for they shall find no passage beyond my steadfast defense.”

This is the hulking behemoth in the solid-steel suit of plate, the knight in shining armour, the shield of their allies. They stand on the front line between their allies and the oncoming horde.

As part of the front line, the Guardian has a range of abilities to protect their allies. They can interfere in a foe's attacks, and they can attract aggression, keeping the foes from attacking their weaker compatriots. Their ability to survive such attacks, and to recover from them, is beyond that of most of their peers.

However, the Guardian lacks some of the focus of the other classes. Although they can absorb and resist damage, they cannot hand it out as readily as some others. The Guardian must always keep their positioning in mind, placing themselves where they can offer the most support to their allies.

When you select the Guardian as your Class, increase your Body by +1. When you select your Combat Style, you will gain an additional attribute bonus as well.

Increase your maximum stamina by twenty, plus five times your Body score. Your number of recoveries are equal to your Body plus four.

The Guardian is trained with shields. Choose one of the following skills, plus a number equal to your Education bonus: Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception. You receive a +1 bonus to your training in the selected skills. Finally, choose two Weapon skills from the following list: Blades, Blunt Weapons, Polearms, Unarmed Combat, Unbalanced Weapons. You receive a +1 bonus to your training in these skills as well.

Add your level to your Body and Dexterity defences.

Though the Guardian primarily employs melee attacks, their ranged attacks are not lacking.

Melee: Skill vs. Agility.

• Hit: 2[W] + Body damage. The damage dice increase to 3[W] at Level 3, and to 4[W] at Level 5.
• Miss: 1[W] + Body damage.

Ranged: Skill vs. Agility.

• Hit: 2[W] + Dexterity damage. The damage dice increase to 3[W] at Level 3, and to 4[W] at Level 5.
• Miss: 1[W] + Dexterity damage.

The Guardian can shrug off pain and ignore impacts. This allows them to absorb considerable punishment. As a quick action, you may gain one point of Grit. Your total Grit may not exceed twice your level. You start each battle with Grit equal to your current Victories.

While you have any points of Grit, you can reduce the damage that you take from any attack by an amount equal to your Grit.

The Guardian can single out one foe for special attention. As a quick action, choose a foe that you can see. That foe becomes Marked by you. Using this ability ends any other Marks that you may have.

If the Marked foe makes an attack that does not include you among its targets, that attack suffers slight.

If you select the Guardian as a Hybrid Class, you gain their Grit feature and their Guardian's Mark feature.

While others may dance a deadly ballet, the Guardian stands firm, wielding their weapon and shield to draw the brunt of the assault. These styles define how you manipulate the battlefield, turning the tide of combat by drawing enemy attention and mitigating their damage.

Choose one of the following Combat Styles.

This style focuses on drawing enemy attention through taunting, intimidation, or other charismatic displays. Guardians who specialize in this style excel at attracting foes to focus their attacks on them, protecting their allies from harm.

Improve your Charisma by +1. Increase your training bonus in Insight by +1. If you are already trained in Insight, choose any skill that you do not yet have trained, and increase its training bonus by +1 instead.

Add the Taunting Presence feature to your character.

This style emphasizes foresight and anticipation, allowing Guardians to predict enemy movements and intercept attacks meant for their allies. Guardians who specialize in this style excel at positioning themselves strategically on the battlefield to shield their comrades from harm.

Improve your Foresight by +1, and increase your maximum stamina by five. Add the Eyes On The Target feature to your character.

Shieldbearer

Guardians who adopt this style are masters of defensive techniques, wielding shields with unparalleled skill to deflect and block enemy attacks. The Shieldbearer style emphasizes the use of shields and precise parrying techniques to protect allies from harm.

Improve your Dexterity by +1 and increase your maximum recoveries by one. Add the Shield Ally feature to your character.

When you select the Guardian as your class, choose one of the following Heroic features. This is \fIin addition to\fR the feature you gained when you selected your Combat Style.