Defender of the City State (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Strewn across the harsh wilds of the desert like diamonds in the rough lay the few surviving pockets of civilization known as city-states. Here, in a land wasted nearly to ruin, these communities endeavor to eke out what lives they can, despite substantial threats from both the surrounding environment and, more often than not, the surrounding peoples, as well.

A common saying in almost every tribal and/or desert tongue admonishes listeners to “pray to god, but ride for shelter.” In other words, the general consensus is that the gods help those who help themselves. The people of the various city-states are known to take this lesson to heart, but perhaps nowhere more seriously than in the noble path of the defender. Each of the major city-states has its share of these convicted souls; the specific style and dress may vary from one city-state to another (as should be expected, given the broad scope of those who worship the various gods), but the general form and function is surprisingly uniform throughout. A defender of the city-state is a brave warrior for both god and city, sworn to uphold and protect the both equally until his last dying breath. He must swear a blood oath before taking his first step upon the path, and soon grows more and more attuned to both his god and his home, making him a fierce protector. Most defenders are charged with patrolling the area around their city-state, acting as a combination of scout and front line of defense. Others remain within the perimeters of their cities, seeking out any trouble that may have already gotten in, act as emissaries, or go on quests in the interest of their home.

In most desert locales, the glue that holds communities together is their common faith. While all the gods are revered, perhaps more so than anywhere else in the known world, almost every city-state can claim a single patron deity who stands above the rest, and it is this deity to whom the populace turns most often in times of need. The god and the city have a mutually beneficial relationship, the god taking care of the city, the city providing a safe haven for the devotees of the god when there is trouble in other places. Even chaotic and evil gods can become patrons of civilized city-state, such cities appear civilized on the surface but often have an underbelly of vice and corruption. Still, even these cities have defenders of the city-state who keep the city safe and who upholds the honor of the god and city. No matter who is their city's patron, good or evil, defenders live by the credo "my city is always right" and side with their city and its cult.

Adventurers: A defender of the city-state is generally too busy to go on adventures, but their life is an adventure in itself. Always the first to step up to their city's defense, the defender's duties include everything from guarding the city's territory from monster, bandits, and armies to solving crimes and meeting out justice. A defender needs a reason to adventure outside of their city-state, but the intrigue of city-state politics are often reason enough. The defender might be a refugee on the losing side of a faction conflict, banished for taking the fall for some plot, or on an extended mission for their city. Defenders on such extended duties have a much greater degree of liberty, but must heed the call whenever their city needs them.

Class Information

This is a paladin archetype.

Publisher: Purple Duck Games based on the published works by Lion's Den Games.

Hit Die: d10.

Alignment Lawful Good, but see patriot, below.

Class Skills The defender's class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

This archetype has all normal class features, except as noted.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Defenders are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Fealty (Su)

The defender of the city-state formally swears allegiance to his home city, its patron god, and its people. While this oath has its drawbacks, it also has its benefits. The defender must be lawful good in alignment and must worship the patron god of his city-state. The defender is lawful and good in his actions with regards to strangers in strange lands and with regards to citizens of his own city. But when the interests of his city is at stake, or when he is acting as the representative of his city against foreigners, his values change. Any act conductive to the interests of his city and its cult is a good act to the defender. If the defender himself performs evil acts in the service of his city, those affect his alignment normally, but he has a duty to protect city and cult officials even when as they perform evil acts. and performing this duty is a good and lawful act to the defender.

Regardless of the actual alignment of this god, the defender perceives his god as good and lawful. Most of the time a city cult of any alignment operates as if it was lawful, good, just, and patriotic, as this is an efficient way of running a small city-state where everybody knows everybody else. Still, such a cult can have practices that are far from lawful good, such as condoning slavery or human sacrifice. The defender always sees the practices of his own city cult as good, lawful, and conductive to the survival and prosperity of the city and faith.

Only the defender's city cult is seen as the true faith. Other, similar practices in other places or even by dissenting sects in the same city should be vigorously persecuted. Cults outside of his city dedicated to the patron god of the defender's city earns no special regard from the defender. If such a cult is evil, it is likely to be seen as an enemy.

In a faction conflict within his city-state, the city's governing elite are seen as good and all other factions seen as enemies. However, the defender can decide to transfer his allegiance to another faction, whereupon all other factions in the city become enemies. A defender can only transfer his allegiance on his own initiative once in his lifetime, this is always a formative event in the defenders life, and often in the history of the city too. An atonement spell can be used to transfer the defender's allegiance to another faction, or even to another city and god. This is very unusual; both the defender and the caster of atonement need a very good reason.

Enemies of the City

The reverse face of the defender's patriotism is reflected in his view of enemies. Any citizen of the city is seen as good and an ally. All potential troublemakers or threats to the city are enemies. If a creature is neither a citizen or an enemy of his city, the defender has an attitude based on alignment and considers all evil creatures enemies.

When the defender casts a spells that has an additional effect on evil enemies, such as bless weapon, and gain the benefit that normally applies against evil enemies against all enemies of his city.

Effects used by others that work differently based on alignment affect the defender based on his actual, lawful good, alignment. For example, the defender is affected by protection from good but not protection from evil, regardless of if the caster is an enemy (unless the caster has a similar ability to change alignment effects). Any spell the defender casts on a creature that is neither an ally or an enemy has its normal effect; a protection from evil spell cast on a 3rd party will not protect that creature from enemies of the defender's city unless the creature protected against is actually evil.

Home Ground (Ex)

When dressed as a representative of his city, the defender gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Diplomacy, Knowledge (geography, local, nobility), Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when in the territory of his city-state and when interacting with citizens of his city-state. This bonus increases to +4 at level 9 and +6 at level 18. This is a variant of the ranger's favored terrain ability and counts as that ability for fulfilling prerequisites.

He can use his Knowledge (local or nobility) skill as if it was Knowledge (religion) when dealing with the city cult of his own city, but not when dealing with other religions or different cults of the same religion.

Smite Enemy

Once per day, a defender can call out to the power of his faith to aid her in her struggle against her enemies, as defined in enemies of the city, above. As a swift action, the defender chooses one target within sight to smite. If the defender targets a creature that is not an enemy, the smite is wasted with no effect. If this target is an enemy, the defender adds her Cha bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her defender level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of the smite is a dragon, an outsider, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per class level. Regardless of the target, smite attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess. In addition, while smite enemy is in effect, the defender gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) to her AC against attacks made by the target of the smite.

The smite enemy effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the defender rests and regains her uses of this ability. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the defender may smite one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: Defender, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.

Bastion of Honor (Su)

At 2nd level, a defender gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) on all Saving Throws.

Honor Guard (Ex)

At 2nd level, the defender is taken into the ranks of his city-state's honor guard. A city-state has a honor guard where its most trusted and cherished warriors serve. The defender serves in this guard and learns the fighting style of the guard.

Choose one of the following benefits. This choice cannot be changed. The benefits are the same for all members of the honor guard of a city-state; if one defender of the City of Felior has a panther animal companion, they all do. These benefits continue to accrue as the defender advances in level.

Animal Companion: The defender gains an animal companion (as the companion version of the druid's nature's bond ability). At 3rd level, when are riding his animal companion and not wearing heavy armor, the defender ignores armor check penalties to the Ride skill. At 6th level the companion gains either Master of Your Kind or Valiant Steed as a bonus feat.

Combat Style: The defender gains the ranger's combat style class feature. Every member of a honor guard must select the same fighting style, but each can select bonus feats of their choice.

Fighting Companion: The defender can use shield other (sp) once per day, and the target of any shield other spell cast by the defender gains the use any tactical feats the defender knows. He also gains a tactical feat as a bonus feat at level 2, 6, and every 6 levels thereafter, but must fulfill the prerequisites of these feats and cannot use these feats in heavy armor. Different members of a honor guard can select different tactical feats.

Legionnaire: The defender gains proficiency with heavy armor and tower shields. At level 3 he gains the fighter's armor training class feature, as a fighter of his defender level.

Secret Arts: When wearing light or no armor, the defender adds his Charisma bonus (if positive) as a dodge modifier to armor class and CMD. He loses this bonus when he wears medium or heavy armor, when he carries a medium or heavy load, or when he is denied his Dexterity bonus to armor class. The defender can use his way of life armor bonus with a shield. At 6th level, the defender gains the ability to react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does she lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. A defender with this ability can still lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized or an opponent successfully uses the feint action against her. This makes him a martial artist of the way of life as classified in Unarmored and Dangerous, also by Purple Duck Games. All information needed to use this ability is given here.

Scout: The defender gains Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str) as class skills, and gains 2 additional skill points per level. He gains skill points retroactively to share among his new class skills.

Skirmisher: The defender gains a 10 ft. increase in speed when wearing light or no armor and Dodge as a bonus feat. At 6th level, he gains Mobility and Spring Attack as bonus feats. At 12th level, he can use Spring Attack when adjacent to an enemy and take a double move instead of a normal move as part of the full-round action to use Spring Attack.

Bastion of Courage (Su)

At 3rd level, a defender is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability functions only while the defender is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Bastion of Fortitude (Ex)

At 3rd level, a defender is immune to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases like mummy rot.

Blessings

At 3rd level a defender gains the warpriest's blessing class feature. At level 3 he gains the minor blessing of one of the domains of his city-state's patron god. At level 6, he gains the minor blessing of another of his city-state's patron's domains. At 12 level, he gains the major blessing of one of the domains he has the minor blessing of, and at 15th level he gains the major blessing of the other domain whose minor blessing he has. Count defender levels as warpriest levels when using blessings, but any effect based on Wisdom for a warpriest is based on Charisma for a defender. A defender cannot select the chaos or evil domains.

Spells

Beginning at 4th level, a defender gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells which are drawn from the paladin spell list. A defender must choose and prepare her spells in advance. Not that the enemies of the city class feature modifies the defender's spells.

To prepare or cast a spell, a defender must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a defender's spell is 10 + the spell level + the defender's Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a defender can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Defender. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells). When Table: Defender indicates that the defender gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Charisma score for that spell level.

A defender must spend 1 hour each day in quiet prayer and meditation to regain her daily allotment of spells. A defender may prepare and cast any spell on the paladin spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

Through 3rd level, a defender has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her defender level – 3.

Domain Spells

At 5th level the defender gains limited access to the domain spells offered by the patron of his city-state. Add the level 1-4 cleric domain spells of the domain (or a subdomain of that domain, if in use) whose blessing he has to the defender's spell list. He prepares and casts these spells just like any other spell on his spell list. At 14th level, add the level 1-4 spells of the other domain whose blessings he knows to his spell list.

Bastion of Resolve (Su)

At 8th level, a defender is immune to charm spells and spell-like abilities. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against charm effects. This ability functions only while the defender is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Bastion of Justice (Su)

At 11th level, a defender can expend two uses of her smite enemy ability to grant the ability to smite enemy to all allies within 10 feet, using her bonuses. Allies must use this smite ability by the start of the defender's next turn and the bonuses last for 1 minute. Using this ability is a free action. Enemies gain no benefit from this ability.

Bastion of Righteousness (Su)

At 17th level, a defender gains DR 5/evil and immunity to compulsion spells and spell-like abilities. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against compulsion effects. This ability functions only while the defender is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Divine Ward

At 20th level, the defender has become a pillar of his community in a very real sense—part of the spiritual backbone of his home city. At this level, the god of his city-state has blessed the defender with the ability to stand against almost anything that would taint or destroy his home. He gains DR 10/evil and is immune to death effects and to disarm and sunder attempts.

While on the territory of his city-state, the defender gains the benefits of the Diehard feat and can take an additional number of negative hit points equal to his class level before dying.

Code of Honor

A defender must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if he ever willingly commits an act that harms his city-state or its interests. Additionally, a defender's code requires that he respect legitimate authority, uphold the honor of his city-state (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), and punish those who harm or threaten his city or its interests.

The defender has a duty to protect allies even when they perform what foreigners see as evil acts in service to his city, but should not perform such acts himself.

While in his city-state, the defender is expected to work for his city for a minimum of 6 hours each day. He must undertake any missions given by a legitimate authority of his city. The city provides him room and board as befits his station. While away from his city, he must represent the city's interest and act as a loyal agent of the city and might have a long-term mission or quest, but is otherwise free to spend his time.

Ex-Defenders

A defender that changes to any alignment except lawful good or who works against the interests of his city or city cult loses all defender spells and class features (not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). He may not progress any further in levels as a defender. He regains his abilities and advancement potential if he atones for his violations (see atonement).

Table: Defender of the City-state

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						1	2	3	4
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Detect evil, home ground +2, patriot, smite evil 1/day	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Divine grace, honor guard	—	—	—	—
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Aura of courage, divine health, minor blessing	—	—	—	—
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Smite evil 2/day	0	—	—	—
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Domain spells	1	—	—	—
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Minor blessing	1	—	—	—
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5	Smite evil 3/day	1	0	—	—
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	Aura of resolve	1	1	—	—
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	Home ground +4	2	1	—	—
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	Smite evil 4/day	2	1	0	—
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	Aura of justice	2	1	1	—
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	Major blessing	2	2	1	—
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8	Smite evil 5/day	3	2	1	0
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	Domain spells	3	2	1	1
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	Major blessing	3	2	2	1
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	Smite evil 6/day	3	3	2	1
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Aura of righteousness	4	3	2	1
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Home ground +6	4	3	2	2
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Smite evil 7/day	4	3	3	2
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Divine ward	4	4	3	3

Summary of Lost Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Class Skills
• Aura of Good
• Lay on Hands
• Mercy (all)
• Divine Bond
• Aura of Faith
• Holy Champion

The text in this article is Open Game Content. It is covered by the Open Game License v1.0a, rather than the Action copyright. To distinguish it, these items will have this notice. If you see any page that contains OGL material and does not show this license statement, please contact one of the Action administrators. Please note that images used in article may have different copyright than the text.