Defender (Midnight) (Class)

Defenders have the following game statistics.

Abilities

Dexterity is important for defenders because they usually wear light or no armor and because many of their important skills are based on it. Strength helps defenders strike their foes in combat and deal enough damage to end fights quickly. A high Intelligence grants additional skill points for the defender to use with his large array of skill choices.

Alignment

Any.

Hit Die

d8.

Starting Possessions

1d4 x 10 vp.

Class Skills

The defender’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (Shadow) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession Wis, Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level

4 + Int modifier (x4)

Skill Points at Each Additional Level

4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All the following are features of the defender.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

Defenders are proficient with a variety of traditional weapons that are necessary as tools; by training with everything from lengths of rope to wooden boards, the defender ensures that he can always carry a weapon without being accused of breaking the law as he does so. This list includes the club, dagger, dart, farmer’s ropes, handaxe, inutek, light hammer, light pick, quarterstaff, sap, sickle, throwing axe, sling, and great sling. Defenders are proficient only with padded armor, and not with shields; as with weapons, wearing more visible armor in occupied territory would only serve to mark the defender as a target, not protect him. Because the defender regularly fights for his life wearing nothing more than padded clothes, the defender loses his defender abilities, masterful strike, precise strike, and AC bonus when wearing any armor other than padded or when using a shield.

Masterful Strike (Ex)

Even the simplest weapons can be taken or destroyed, and as such the defender trains to defend himself when unarmed. He gains the Improved Unarmed Strike feat at 1st level. Additionally, his unarmed strike damage improves to 1d4 for Small defenders, 1d6 for Medium defenders, and 1d8 for Large defenders. At 6th level, a defender deals 1d6 extra damage when he hits with a successful unarmed strike. This extra damage increases by 1d6 at 12th level and by another 1d6 at 18th level. A defender’s bonus damage dice only apply against living creatures with discernable anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to a defender’s bonus damage dice. As with other examples of bonus dice, the extra damage from masterful strike is not multiplied when a critical hit is scored.

Stunning Fist

At 2nd level, the defender gains Stunning Fist as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites. The DC for a defender’s stunning fist is based on his Strength modifier rather than his Wisdom modifier. A defender with the Stunning Fist feat may attempt a stunning attack a number of times per day equal to his defender level +3, plus one additional time per day for every four levels he has in classes other than defender, but no more than once per round.

Improved Grapple

Even the mightiest orc cannot use a vardatch when he is being grappled. At 3rd level, defenders gain Improved Grapple as a bonus feat. AC Bonus (Ex): When wearing armor no heavier than padded, the defender gains the listed bonus to AC. This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when the defender is flat-footed. He loses this bonus when he is immobilized or helpless.

Precise Strike (Ex)

Assaulting heavily armored orcs with one’s bare fists is excellent training for finding the weak spots of creatures that seem immune or resistant to normal weapons; at higher levels, a defender can find the weak points even in seemingly invulnerable creatures like constructs and elementals. At 4th level, when using an unarmed strike, a defender may ignore 3 points of damage reduction of any type whenever he inflicts damage. At 10th level he may ignore 6 points of damage reduction when inflicting damage, and at 16th level he may ignore 9 points of damage reduction when inflicting damage.

Incredible Speed or Resilience (Ex)

Living a brutal life under the Shadow has taught defenders that, against superior numbers and better armed foes, speed or resilience are often the only defenses. Each time this ability is gained, the defender may choose incredible speed or incredible resilience. If he chooses incredible speed, his base land speed increases by +10 ft. This increase to speed should be applied before the speed reduction from armor or encumbrance is calculated. If he chooses incredible resilience, he gains +3 hit points.

Defender Abilities

At 2nd level and every three levels thereafter (5th, 8th, 11th, etc.), a defender may choose one ability from the following list. The defender cannot use any of these abilities or gain any of their benefits when wearing armor heavier than padded or using a shield, or when using weapons other than unarmed strikes or weapons with which defenders are normally proficient.

Defender abilities are organized into tiers. Tier 1 abilities have no prerequisites. Tier 2 abilities each have one specific tier 1 ability as a prerequisite and most require one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist. Tier 3 abilities each have two specific tier 1 abilities as prerequisites and most require one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist.

Tier 1 Abilities

Flurry Attack

The defender’s penalty for fighting with a weapon in his off hand (including attacking with an offhand unarmed strike or using both ends of a double weapon, such as the quarterstaff) is reduced by 1. This ability may be chosen multiple times, each time reducing the penalty by an additional 1. This benefit stacks with feats such as Two-Weapon Fighting and reduces the penalty to the second and third off-hand attacks granted by Improved Two-Weapon Fighting and Greater Two-Weapon Fighting.

Defensive Mastery

Each of the defender’s saving throws gains a permanent +1 bonus. This ability may be chosen multiple times.

Dodge Training

The AC bonus granted by the defender’s class ability increases by +1. This ability may be chosen multiple times.

Grappling Training

The defender may attempt a disarm, sunder, or trip attack against a foe with whom he is grappling. In all cases, the attempt takes the place of a normal attack and is resolved with opposed grapple checks rather than with the normal opposed attack roll or opposed Strength check; only the normal modifiers to the grapple checks are used. For instance, if an Erenlander defender attempts to trip a dwarf with whom he is grappling, the dwarf does not gain his +4 racial bonus to avoid being tripped; likewise, if a halfling defender attempts to disarm the greataxe wielded by the orc with whom he is grappling, the orc does not get a +4 bonus to the roll for wielding a two-handed weapon and the halfling does not suffer a –4 penalty for using a light weapon (though the halfling does suffer the normal –4 size penalty on the grapple check).

Offensive Training

When a defender has successfully stunned a foe with a stunning attack, he can attempt to blind or deafen his opponent for a number of rounds equal to his Strength modifier. The round during which the opponent is stunned does not count against the duration of this effect. The stunned opponent may make a saving throw (DC equal to the DC of the defender’s Stunning Fist attack) to avoid this effect, albeit at a –4 penalty.

Speed Training

Once per round, the defender may make an additional move action, either before or after his regular actions.

Tier 2 Abilities

Cover Ally (Requires Dodge Training)

Once per round when an ally within 5 ft. would be struck by a melee or ranged attack, the defender can choose to suffer the effects of the attack. The defender must choose to cover the ally before the effects of the attack are determined (i.e., before damage is rolled, saving throws are called for, etc.). Using this ability uses up one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist.

One with the Weapon (Requires Offensive Training)

The defender chooses one weapon with which defenders are normally proficient. The defender may now use masterful strike, precise strike, and the Stunning Fist feat with that weapon. These defender class abilities may only be used with ranged weapons if the target is within 30 ft. This ability may be chosen multiple times. Each time it is chosen, the defender may either choose another weapon or may increase the range at which the abilities may be used by 30 ft.

Rapid Strike (Requires Speed Training)

Once per round the defender may make an extra attack with his primary weapon at his highest attack bonus, either before or after his regular actions. This ability does not stack with haste, Cleave, or other effects that grant additional attacks. Using this ability uses up one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist.

Strike and Hold (Requires Grappling Training)

Once per round as a free action, the defender may attempt to establish a hold as a free action against any opponent he just hit with an unarmed strike. If he succeeds, he may deal additional damage to the target as with an unarmed strike. He then has the option of letting the target go or of moving into the target’s space and maintaining the grapple. Using this ability uses up one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist.

Tier 3 Abilities

Counterattack (Requires Dodge Training and Offensive Training)

Once per round when a foe within reach misses the defender with a melee attack, the defender may make an immediate attack of opportunity against the foe. This ability may not be used in conjunction with the weapon trap ability. Using this ability uses up one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist.

Devastating Strike (Requires Grappling Training and Offensive Training)

When a defender has successfully stunned a foe with a stunning attack, he can opt to initiate a bull rush as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Unlike a normal bull rush attempt, the defender does not need to move with the target in order to push him farther than 5 feet. The stunned opponent is allowed to make a Strength check to resist the bull rush, albeit at a –4 penalty. Using this ability uses up one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist.

Furious Grapple (Requires Grappling Training and Speed Training)

Once per round when the defender is grappling an opponent he may make an extra grapple check as a free action at his highest grapple bonus, either before or after his regular actions. This grapple check may be used to perform any of the actions in a grapple other than casting a spell, regardless of whether the action takes the place of an attack or is a move action, standard action, or full-round action. This ability does not stack with haste, Cleave, or other effects that grant additional attacks.

Retaliatory Strike (Requires Dodge Training and Speed Training)

Once per round the defender can make an attack of opportunity against any foe within reach that successfully strikes one of the defender’s allies. This ability may not be used in conjunction with the cover ally ability. Using this ability uses up one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist.

Weapon Trap (Requires Dodge Training and Grappling Training)

Once per round when a defender is attacked by a foe in melee but before the attack roll is resolved, he may make an opposed attack roll to attempt to catch the weapon in his bare hands. Modifiers are applied to both rolls as if the defender were attempting to disarm the attacker. This ability may only be used once per round, and the defender must have both hands free to make the attempt. Using this ability uses up one of the defender’s daily uses of Stunning Fist.

If the defender fails, he is hit and damage is dealt as normal. If the defender succeeds, he has grabbed the weapon by the hilt, the flat of the blade, etc., such that he suffers no damage from the attack. The defender may now perform one of the following as a free action:

• Attempt to disarm the opponent, which does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If the weapon trapped is a natural weapon, this option is impossible.
• Automatically deal damage to the weapon as with an unarmed strike. If the weapon trapped is a natural weapon, the damage is dealt to the creature.
• Make a single unarmed strike against the opponent, who loses his Dex bonus to AC (if any) against the attack.

Once the defender has resolved one of these actions, the weapon is released. The attacker may continue with his turn as normal, including making additional attacks with other weapons if able.