Warden

An immense army stretches from the horizon to the castle walls. In the breach, a single knight holds back the horde, eviscerating all comers, and allowing none to pass.

Blood dripping from his blade, a scarred Ogrun gets down on all fours and breaks into a sprint, his eyes alight with bestial fury.

Advancing slowly, an Iosan brandishing a green scimitar emerges from the foliage before two poachers. Startled, they turn to run, but find their feet bound fast by leaves and vines.

Wardens are vigilant guardians who adopt a charge—be it a kingdom, a forest, or an individual— and safeguard it from harm. Through both their fortitude and shields, they are immovable bulwarks on the field of battle.

Guardian’s Call

Every warden feels a gravitational pull to defend the helpless. Sometimes, they are directly called, such as when a village or tribe selects their mightiest member to defend them, or when the spirits of a sacred grove beckon a new champion to protect their forest. Other times, the warden is compelled by more subtle means, such as witnessing uncontested injustice, or feeling the weight of responsibility when tragedy occurs. The result is the same: wardens who conclude their minds and pick up their shields to answer the call.

Wherever wardens travel, new calls make themselves evident. There is never a shortage of those in need, whereas those with strength and conscience are perpetually in short supply.

Primal Strength

Wardens are like mighty trees in a gale storm, or the rocks along the shore, constantly battered by waves. They demonstrate almost supernatural resilience to hardship, and can’t be easily broken or slain.

Most wardens draw their might to the wild— the strength of the earth beneath their feet and the vitality of the air in their lungs—though some attribute their resiliency to an inward resolve or the absolute belief in a deity. Regardless of its source, a warden’s power is intuitive and forceful, allowing them to stop foes dead in their tracks, mark those standing in their way, and shug off otherwise deadly conditions. Only those wardens who choose to defend an obviously magical charge appear to be supernatural; others simply possess a daunting force of will and bottomless tolerance for punishment.

Creating a Warden

When creating a warden, consider what drives your character. What brought you to raise up your shield for others? Do you fight to protect anyone or anywhere in particular? A threat to your homeland or loved ones might have been your catalyst, but you also might have risen to combat a menace to the natural world. What was your call, and how do you honor it? What motivates you to keep fighting, even when you’re at death’s door?

Most wardens have been recognized as exemplary defenders. Perhaps, you are known as a wandering knight of the northern provinces, or perhaps you were beckoned by spirits of the forest to protect them from invaders. Who has called you, and how did you respond?

Subclasses (Champion's Call)

Name	Description
Bloodwrath Guardian	Enters a trance to channel the primal ferocity of beasts
Grey Watchman	A maneuver-trained guard that repels invaders from cities
Nightgaunt	An ally of the undead, suffused with necromantic energies
Soulblood Shaman	Manipulates their own soul to conjure long-forgotten magic
Stoneheart Defender	An unyielding protector of mountain strongholds
Storm Sentinel	Channels the fury of thunderstorms to protect the weak
Verdant Protector	Imbued with the power of forests and pledged to defend them