A variant of another class I designed. A campaign which lacks the Claviger or a strong Wizard's Injunction might find this especially useful. A Wyre campaign set in the Thalassine, say, or one with an alternate history.
I think it may suffer a little bit from "Favored Enemy Syndrome"- useless unless the DM provides the appropriate kinds of encounters. Early levels are focused against buff/scry/teleport, or against outsiders who teleport around alot. It is also good if the bad guys use summon monster spells, or like to conjure magical walls. Critters like Ice Devils also use wall of ice, but true blows knocks them down pretty fast. Not too exciting stuff, but its easy to qualify for. Besides, the higher level abilities are nifty; an always on protection from... is very nice, and the interloper abilities are good against three very common types of high level opponents; undead, constructs, and outsiders.
Guardian of the Green
Uedii, the Goddess, the Green Reality, groaned as yet another extraplanar entity desecrated her realm by manifesting within its confines. She was still far from her limit – as far as tolerating the interlopers was concerned. Her near-infinite capacity for absorption had, in the past, accommodated entire pantheons of warring gods, before she squashed them like flies.
Nonetheless, Nature was irritated.
Hit Dice: d8.
Requirements
To become a Guardian of the Green, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: True Neutral, or any Neutral with True Neutral tendencies
BAB: +6
Knowledge (Nature): 4 ranks
Feats: Power Attack, Alertness
Spellcasting: Must have a spell-like ability or be able to cast spells.
Special: A prospective Guardian of the Green must have defeated one or more extraplanar monsters in a challenging encounter.
Class Skills
The Guardian of the Green’s class skills (and the key ability for each
skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Speak Language (None), Spot (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str). See Chapter Four: Skills in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Level...BAB...Fort.....Ref….Will... Special
1.........+1.....+0......+2....+2.... fair warning
2.........+2.....+0......+3....+3.... follow through
3.........+3.....+1......+3....+3.... native plane, true blows
4.........+4.....+1......+4....+4.... sudden attack
5.........+5.....+1......+4....+4.... turnabout
6.........+6.....+2......+5....+5.... native plane, planeshift
7.........+7.....+2......+5....+5.... protection from interlopers
8.........+8.....+2......+6....+6.... discern interloper
9.........+9.....+3......+6....+6.... native plane, slay interloper, sanctuary
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Guardian of the Green prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Guardian of the Green gains no other weapon or armor proficiencies.
Fair Warning (Ex): A Guardian of the Green’s sensitivity to planar effects gives her a moment's warning against dimensionally travelling opponents. She receives her Dexterity bonus (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed by a conjured, summoned, or teleporting opponent. This ability applies only when the creature in question was summoned, conjured or teleported in the previous round.
Follow Through (Ex): A Guardian of the Green deals efficiently with conjured or summoned creatures. Her awareness of when the creature will drop helps her transfer the momentum of her attack to another target. When she drops a conjured or summoned creature the Guardian of the Green gains the benefit of the Cleave feat. If she already possesses Cleave, she gets Great Cleave instead.
Native Plane (Ex): At third, sixth and ninth level the Guardian of the Green may choose a plane in which she has spent at least a week, and which is sufficiently natural to be considered part of the Green. (DM fiat, but few planes other than the Prime qualify. The plane of Faerie is one such plane, as are some demiplanes related to Faerie.) This plane is considered a native plane, along with the plane where the Guardian was born. While on these planes she is treated as a native (e.g. cannot be banished) and gains the benefits of the avoid planar effects spell. The Guardian may delay her choice of a plane past the indicated level, but cannot choose two planes at the same level.
True Blows (Su): Walls and objects created by magic, and which therefore do not belong in the world, have subtle vulnerabilties that the Guardian of the Green has learned to exploit. The Guardian of the Green does double damage if she recognizes such objects as magical and attempts to sunder them.
Sudden Attack (Ex): The Guardian of the Green’s increasing sensitivity to planar effects allows her to prepare an attack against an opponent who has not yet materialized. She may make an extra attack against any conjured, summoned, or teleporting opponent who has appeared in the previous round. This counts as a use of an attack of opportunity.
Turnabout (Ex): Awareness of subtle eddies of the Green further enhances a Guardian of the Green’s combat ability. She can no longer be flanked by summoned or conjured creatures, or by creatures who have teleported in the previous round. While on a native plane she cannot be flanked by any creature who is undead, a construct, or who has the [extraplanar] subtype. This ability is otherwise treated as the Improved Uncanny Dodge class ability.
Planeshift (Sp): At 6th level the Guardian of the Green can use planeshift once per day as a sorcerer of twice her class level. She may only planeshift to one of her native planes.
Protection from Interlopers (Su): This ability functions like a protection from evil cast by a sorcerer of the Guardian’s class level, except that instead of providing protection from creatures of a specific alignment, the Guardian of the Green is protected from creatures with who are undead, constructs or who have the [extraplanar] subtype. The other functions of the spell remain unchanged. Protection from interlopers only functions while the Guardian is on a native plane. The protection effect can be dispelled or dismissed, but may be restored as a free action at the beginning of the Guardian of the Green’s turn.
Discern Interloper (Ex): The Guardian’s sensitivity to the Green allows her to locate creatures who are alien to it. When on a native plane she gains the benefits of Blindsense (30 ft. range) and Blind-fight against any creature who is undead, a construct, or who has the [extraplanar] subtype. The Guardian of the Green does not know anything else about the creature, only that it is from outside the Green.
Slay Interloper (Su): This special ability works only when the Guardian of the Green is on a native plane. Whenever she succeeds in a melee attack against a creature who is undead, a construct, or who has the [extraplanar] subtype, the margin of her success is applied as a power attack. If the Guardian of the Green has multiple attacks, the amount of “automatic” power attack is calculated separately for each attack. In no case can the amount deducted exceed the Guardian’s BAB.
Sanctuary (Sp): At 9th level the Guardian's planeshift ability may be used for transport within a native plane, though she will likely arrive many miles off target. However, if she has a designated sanctuary, she may choose to transport herself and her companions there as if by a word of recall. This function is in addition to the planeshift ability.
Note: If a Guardian of the Green acquires an extreme alignment (LG, CG, CE or LE), she loses the benefit of her abilities against outsiders whose subtypes overlap with her new alignment. For example, a Lawful Good guardian loses the benefits of this class against extraplanar creatures with the [good] or [law] subtypes. Similar penalties befall a Guardian who embodies any sort of moral or ethical extreme. This could involve taking a level of a class with the aura class ability, or taking a vile or exalted feat. For example, a Guardian of the Green who becomes a cleric of a lawful deity loses her powers against extraplanar creatures with the [law] subtype.
Note: “Teleport” refers to any spell or effect with the [teleportation] descriptor. This includes spells like dimension door and gate. It also applies to creatures who materialize from the ethereal plane. “Conjured or summoned” creatures include those which have been called.
