Example Character: Fighter / Wizard / Guardian
Now that we’ve seen so many examples of the Leader prestige class, its time to start digging into another of the role-oriented prestige classes from Legends of Prestige and Prowess: The Guardian. Much like the Leader focuses on enhancing and redefining the way a character supports their allies, the Guardian prestige class gives an already-tough character the tools they need to defend their allies from harm and soak up an extra beating or two. There are a few subclasses that can already accomplish some of this feeling, but the Guardian enables more diverse builds that still focus on defending allies by drawing enemy attacks away.
The Guardian’s basic ability and class feature, the Guardian’s Mark, is mechanically inspired by the main feature for the Cavalier Fighter subclass (from Xanathar’s Guide), but with some minor differences that make it easier to fit into the builds of most classes. This highlights one of the major benefits of designing the Guardian as a prestige class rather than as a subclass or series of subclasses: the Guardian can be combined with other Fighter subclasses in a way that a dedicated fighter subclass can’t. The first example character for the Guardian, which we’re showing in this post, is a perfect example of why you might want to do that.
The Swordmage is a mix of Fighter, Wizard, and Guardian, choosing Eldritch Knight for the fighter subclass and Bladesinger (from the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide) for the wizard subclass. Warrior-mages (also known as gish) are a frequent desire in 5th edition, and there are myriad ways to multiclass and create one, but in previous editions there were full classes that were defined by the mix of martial prowess and spellcasting to augment it, such as the 4th edition Swordmage, which this example character is based on. Simply using the Eldritch Knight subclass for a pure fighter goes a long way to recreating the beloved feel of the Swordmage class, but even with the multiclass into Bladesinger wizard, there’s still just something missing from the archetype that’s created: the ability to incentivize enemies to attack the mage-defender in the first place! That’s what the guardian will do.
Now let’s take a look at the build and see what we can accomplish using this new prestige class. The Swordmage in this example is a level 10 character, with 5 levels in fighter, 2 levels in wizard, and 3 levels in guardian. To gain access to the most proficiencies, it’s probably best to start the Swordmage with their first level as a fighter, although the proficiencies gained as a Bladesinger will usually be just as good for this build at most times. For ability scores, the Swordmage will probably want to focus on Dexterity and finesse weapons rather than Strength, to make the most of light armor using the Bladesinger’s Bladesong ability. They’ll likely use a rapier, and will want either the Dueling Fighting Style or Two-Weapon Fighting Fighting Style. An Intelligence of 13 is required at a minimum for multiclassing as wizard, but the Swordmage probably wants at least a 14 to get the most out of their Bladesong feature and their spellcasting. The swordmage will also need a minimum of 15 Constitution to be a guardian -- but they’ll also want those extra hit points if they’re planning on taking hits for the team.
The Swordmage will probably want to take all those five levels of fighter before any multiclassing: given the sheer power of the Extra Attack feature, it only makes sense to try to rush to it for a weapon-using build. Because the Guardian prestige class requires the character to have at least six levels in other classes, the Swordmage will take at least 1 level of wizard beforehand, though it will take 2 levels to reach the Bladesinger subclass where the powerful defensive ability Bladesong becomes accessible. Before Bladesong, however, the Swordmage picks up their first two levels in the Guardian prestige class, gaining Guardian’s Calling and Guardian’s Mark at 1st level, and then Withstand Pain and Protection Specialty at 2nd level. For Protection Specialty, the Swordmage will pick Warding Magic to learn the new shield other spell, which wizards (and thus eldritch knights) normally don’t have access to, enabling them to defend their allies with their magic as well.
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.
Withstand Pain
At 2nd level, your resolve grows, and you become able to steel yourself against injuries that would fell a lesser warrior. 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.
Warding Magic
Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic
Choose one class you have levels in that you can learn or prepare spells as. If you prepare spells as that class, you always have shield other (new) prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare as that class. If not, you learn shield other (new), and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can learn as that class.
The Swordmage is now a level 8 character, with 5 levels in fighter, 1 in wizard, and 2 in guardian, with two levels remaining in our example. At this point the character is already a recognizable swordmage (based on the 4th edition class) with the ability to summon a weapon, armor themselves in magic, and defend their allies by drawing threatening attention to themselves or warding them against danger. While a level in wizard gives the Swordmage slightly fewer hit points, the guardian ability Withstand Pain far-and-away makes up for that loss, making this spellcasting warrior as tough and tanky as a proper defender should be, arcane or not. With spells like mage armor, shield, or blur, the Swordmage can even further boost their defenses once they’ve got the enemy’s attention, adding a great deal of value to the ability to mark targets.
Then, with the ability to draw enemy attention to them, the Swordmage makes their 9th level be their 2nd wizard level, granting them access to another 2nd-level spell slot and the Bladesong ability, enabling them to increase their AC even further. With this ability combined with other effects like the shield spell, the Swordmage can sometimes reach an AC so high that weaker enemies can’t hit them without scoring a critical. Then for their 10th level, the Swordmage takes their 3rd guardian level, gaining a boost to temporary hit points gained via the Unwavering class feature as well as the all-important Powerful Reprisal feature, which enables the guardian to respond to a violated mark with more than just a single melee attack, with a limited number of uses per day. To fit the theme, the Swordmage selects Planar Reprisal and Spell Reprisal for their two techniques:
Planar Reprisal
Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic
When you use this technique, you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space, then make a weapon attack against the triggering enemy. This attack deals bonus force damage equal to your Constitution modifier, and it counts as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance or immunity.
Spell Reprisal
Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic
When you use this technique, you can immediately cast a spell that normally requires a bonus action or an action, as long as the spell slot level is not higher than your Constitution modifier. The spell must affect the triggering enemy and affect no other creatures (except you).
This brings us to the conclusion of the example, showing you a fully realized Swordmage PC that can mark enemies, ward themselves and their allies against harm, cast spells that boost their weapon attacks, and take a beating, too! Of course, there are other ways to build a Swordmage using the guardian. The Eldritch Knight subclass can be combined directly with guardian, without multiclassing into wizard, and without Bladesong the Swordmage can wear heavy armor and use a strength weapon like a broadsword or greatsword, and can even wear a shield. Such a build will limit the Swordmage to 1st-level spells until their 7th fighter level, and so they’ll likely wait until level 9 to gain guardian level 2, since shield other requires a 2nd-level spell slot to cast even when granted by the guardian class. That build would be able to regularly make one of their two attacks using their bonus action and the other using a strong cantrip like green-flame blade or booming blade, though that will mean having to use their reaction to activate Withstand Pain, making their enemies less vulnerable to counterattacks for violating the Swordmage’s mark. Another build is at least 6 levels in wizard to gain Extra Attack through the Bladesinger subclass. That build results in a Swordmage with fewer hit points but better AC when using Bladesong and more spell slots as well. Future levels in fighter could grant the Weapon Bond feature if desired. You can even build a Swordmage by combining the guardian with certain sorcerer multiclass builds, or with the Hexblade warlock subclass.
As for this Swordmage, they’re now a level 10 character but only a level 5 fighter. For those 5 missing fighter levels, the Swordmage loses not only two ability score improvements, the Indomitable class feature, and the potent ability to grant disadvantage to some of their spell’s saving throws, but also the ability to regularly make additional attacks on the same turn as using a cantrip. They’re also 6 levels away from their 3rd attack each turn, instead of only 1. But the 2 levels in wizard have given the Swordmage a bit more spellcasting edge to make up for the spell slots lost to the guardian levels, as well as more cantrips, the ability to prepare some spells, and the powerful defensive ability Bladesong. And the 3 levels in Guardian have completed the thematic package, enabling the Swordmage to guard their allies both through magic and by menacing their enemies and to weather more punishment than the average Eldritch Knight. As they gain further levels, they can choose to gain more spell-power by putting levels in wizard, gain more martial prowess by putting levels in fighter, hone their protective abilities to their finest by putting the last 2 levels in guardian, or even take another multiclass such as a battle-smith artificer or a prestige class like the Leader. Combined with the versatile ways to build the Swordmage in the first place, and it shows the breadth of possibility and the character theme potential that D&D Unleashed brings to a game.
