Example Character: Monk / Guardian

It’s easy to look at a class like the Guardian and assume that all guardians use shields, or at least have proficiency in shields (even if, like the Partisan, they wield a two-handed weapon to punish their foes). But the guardian prestige class doesn’t require that proficiency -- having the Extra Attack feature also satisfies the prerequisite. Of course there are clear benefits to being able to wield a shield if you’re encouraging enemies to attack you, but that won’t stop today’s example character from doling out hits and taking punches like the rest of them. Combining the guardian with the monk class -- not the toughest of classes, but from from the squishiest -- creates a versatile master of battlefield control and enemy lockdown that we’ll be calling The Bodyguard.

The Bodyguard is a level 9 character, with 6 levels in the monk class and 3 levels in the guardian prestige class. The specific monk subclass isn’t critical to this example, so you could choose whichever subclass seems the most appealing. Special mentions should include the Way of the Open Hand, since its 3rd-level feature gives the Bodyguard some extra ability to control the battlefield and keep enemies away from allies, and the 6th-level feature gives them extra ability to take hits without going down. The Way of the Drunken Master is also an appropriate choice, given both the thematic focus on drawing enemy attention, and the 6th-level feature giving a way to capitalize on the missed enemy attacks that a guardian is more likely to draw, and the Way of the Iron Grip (A D&D Unleashed subclass which will be previewed in not too long) gives them not only more toughness to take hits with, but extra control options to hold enemies in place much like the Way of the Open Hand.

The Bodyguard’s first six levels are fairly standard, invested into the monk class to reach Extra Attack, Stunning Strike, and the 2nd subclass feature the Bodyguard will gain from their monk subclass. All three of these are necessary to the build. The benefits of Extra Attack are obvious enough, but the real combo can be seen when Stunning Strike is combined with the 1st level feature from the guardian, which the Bodyguard gains access to when they make their 7th level be their 1st guardian level:

Guardian’s Mark
When you gain your first level in this prestige class, you also learn how to excel at foiling attacks and protecting your allies by menacing your foes. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can mark the creature until the end of your next turn.
Also, when you deal damage to a creature using a spell, an effect that replicates a spell, or a channel divinity feature, you can choose to mark that creature if it is within 30 feet of you and can see or hear you. The mark lasts until the end of your next turn. You can't mark more creatures in a turn in this way than the number determined by your guardian level, as shown in the "Ability Marks" column of the class table on the previous page.
A creature marked by you has disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn't target you while it is within your reach. Your mark ends early if you are incapacitated or you die, or if someone else marks the creature. There is no limit to the number of creatures you can have marked at once.
In addition, if a creature marked by you deals damage to anyone other than you, you can make one melee weapon attack against it using your reaction. This attack counts as an opportunity attack. You can make this special attack up to a number of times as shown in the "Mark Attacks" column of the class table on the previous page, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

The Monk has a few advantages over other classes when comparing a multiclass into guardian. For one, the monk can make the most attacks out of any available base class at this level using the bonus action attacks from Martial Arts and especially Flurry of Blows, giving the Bodyguard a whopping four chances to mark a target, or the ability to mark as many as four targets in one turn if each attack hits. Then if the enemies should violate the mark and trigger a reaction attack from the Bodyguard, they can use Stunning Strike on that reaction attack to stun an opponent in the middle of their turn, preventing them from enacting further harm on an ally. This maneuver can be indispensable for halting enemy aggression in its tracks before your wizard or cleric can be taken down, and its intensely flavorful. The Bodyguard responds to an attack on a nearby ally with a crushing blow to the stomach or head, just as a bodyguard should! Even the boost to speed that a monk gets aids the Bodyguard in reaching the frontline faster and chasing down recalcitrant enemies.

The most flavorful level for the Bodyguard, however, is their 8th level, when they reach guardian level 2. Why? Because they gain access to the Sacrificial Dive option for Protection Specialty, a wonderfully thematic ability for a “bodyguard” to have, since it fulfills the classic bodyguard tactic of jumping into the line of attack to literally guard another person with your body. The Bodyguard also gets the very important Withstand Pain feature, which helps them to stay in the fight taking hits longer as a guardian should, even despite the monk’s meager d8 hit dice.

Sacrificial Dive
When a creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to force the attack to hit you instead. The attack hits you regardless of your AC or other abilities.

Withstand Pain
As a bonus action on your turn, or as a reaction before you take damage from a creature that is marked by you, you can focus your will and gain temporary hit points equal to 1d4 + your guardian level + half your total level. These temporary hit points disappear after 1 minute. You can use this ability up to a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Finally, we end the example with the Bodyguard reaching level 9 and taking their 3rd guardian level, gaining access to not just the flavorful ribbons of Unwavering, but also getting to choose two options for Powerful Reprisal. While Martial Reprisal is usually a tempting choice, as a monk the Bodyguard’s individual attacks won’t be quite as potent as some other guardians using that technique, and so while they may get much utility out of the ranged attacks it grants, its unlikely for them to make full use of the melee attack option. Since they meet the prerequisites for Leaping Reprisal, it makes sense to take that technique. For a second, we feel that Threatening Reprisal barely edges out Martial Reprisal, so the Bodyguard selects those two:

Leaping Reprisal
Prerequisite: Step of the Wind feature or a base flying speed
When you use this technique, you can jump up to 60 feet and up to 20 feet high to a space within 5 feet of the triggering enemy, or fly up to 60 feet to that space if you have a flying speed. Then you make a melee weapon attack against the triggering enemy with advantage and a bonus to the damage roll equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum +1).

Threatening Reprisal
When you use this technique, you glare and shout at the creature fiercely. If the triggering enemy can see and hear you, it must make a Wisdom saving throw. The DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier. On a failed saving throw, the creature is frightened until the end of your next turn. While frightened in this way, the creature can't take actions, reactions, or bonus actions, and it can't make attacks unless the attack is granted by a legendary action.

Now at 9th level overall, the Bodyguard is still only a level 6 monk. Those three missing monk levels would have given the Bodyguard Stillness of Mind, an Ability Score Improvement (increasing Dexterity from +4 to +5), an improvement to Unarmored Movement, and the potent Evasion class feature. Instead, the Bodyguard has stronger opportunity attacks, extra temporary hit points, the powerful debuff applied by the Guardian’s Mark feature, and the ability not only to interrupt enemy turns by stunning them when they attack an ally, but even to dive in the way of dangerous attacks as a proper bodyguard should. They even gain minor bonuses to interacting with wounded humanoids and to feats of strength that a monk might normally have difficulty with, so long as its done to rescue an ally. Altogether, just a few levels of the same prestige class as used by the paladin, fighter, barbarian, etc. transforms the monk into a completely distinct defender archetype from what those other classes become. The Bodyguard highlights the diversity of themes that can be created by applying the prestige classes in D&D Unleashed to your game!