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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 7983215" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Jtvi6XR.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />After the phenomenal success of his Warlord conversion, Robert Schwalb tried his hand at bringing another class to 5th Edition. This time he picked a lesser-known one, <a href="https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warden" target="_blank">the Warden.</a> Comparatively speaking this product did not get as many sales: as of this review Warlord is a Platinum seller on Drive-Thru RPG, while the Warden a mere Silver. The other products I reviewed for this series have been Platinum with one exception* so they’re all quite popular which got my attention in the first place. As for why I’m reviewing Warden, I was impressed by Schwalb’s Warlord enough to see how he handles this one.*In the Company of Dragons being a Gold.The Warden is a defender of nature, striking without mercy against those who would threaten it. They channel the powers of elements, spirits, and other primordial entities as part of their vigil and...wait a second, how is this any different than a Druid or Ranger? In terms of fluff, nothing really, but the true differences lie in the mechanics.The Warden is something of a tanky Ranger: 1d10 Hit Die, is proficient in Constitution and Charisma saves, all weapons and armor save for heavy armor (but like druids they cannot use metal armor or shields), and choose two skills part of a nature-themed set: Animal Handling, Nature, and Survival are the expected three plus Athletics, Intimidation, Medicine, and Perception, and Religion. At 1st level they gain Defender’s Ward, a self-centered aura of 10 to 30 foot radius (level-based) which as a reaction 1/short rest can impose a d6 penalty to the attack roll of any enemy’s successful hit on someone within the radius. The Warden can spend a bonus action to draw life from the very ground, regaining hit points and turning nearby ground into difficult terrain, which is also 1/short rest. At 2nd and 5th level they gain the Fighting Style and Extra Attacks common to martial classes.Wardens gain and cast spell slots like a ranger, capable of casting up to 5th-level spells which they can also burn as a reaction to reduce incoming damage by 1d6 + 1d6 per spell slot level, and at 11th level also deal 2d8 bonus damage on melee attacks until the end of their next turn when blocking incoming damage in such a way. At 3rd level they are able to reroll the result of a failed saving throw once per turn for ongoing harmful effects, which is unlimited in use and as such is a highly useful ability. At 6th level the Warden gains advantage on all opportunity attacks, adding 1d12 bonus damage if they already have said advantage, and at 14th level opponents trigger opportunity attacks whenever they attack targets besides the Warden. At 14th level the Warden regains hit points whenever they roll a natural 20 on a death saving throw, and 1/short rest can treat a result of 17-19 as a natural 20 on said rolls. Finally, their 20th level capstone ability lets them automatically heal 1d12 hit points per round whenever they’re between 1 hit point and 50% of their total.As you can tell, the Warden is designed to be very hard to put down, and whose abilities impose penalties when nearby foes who ignore them in combat.Aspects of Nature are the Warden’s subclasses, granting bonus spells at 3rd, 5th, and every 4 levels thereafter, and special features at 3rd, 7th, 15th, and 18th level. We have 3 Aspects to choose from: Elemental Storm, Primal Beast, and Sacred Trees represent an affinity for nature’s various domains of influence.Elemental Storm grants energy-based bonus spells, usually of an AoE nature along with summoning elementals. At 3rd level the warden can take the form of a miniature storm 1/short rest with various defensive features: various energy resistances, disadvantage to ranged attack rolls against you, and automatic lightning damage counterattack vs metal weapons and creatures. At 7th level spell slots can be expended to create thrown lightning bolts with scaling damage. At 15th level creatures who miss a target within your Defender’s Ward take bonus lightning damage, and at 18th level the miniature storm form creates a radius of difficult terrain in all areas through which you pass.Primal Beast grants bonus spells centered around animals and self-improvement at physical activities (Expeditious Retreat, Nondetection, Insect Plague, etc). At 3rd level the Warden can transform their upper body into that of an animal 1/short rest, granting them various effects such as darkvision, higher unarmed damage, +10 feet speed, and advantage on scent-based perception checks along with avoiding opportunity attacks from movement provided that they first hit a target in melee. At 7th level they gain an additional feature in said form where they can knock a target prone when moving and attacking in melee, and gaining a bonus attack on an already-prone target. At 15th level the Warden grants an ally advantage on attack rolls vs enemies which missed them due to Defender’s Ward. At 18th level their beastform gains +10 hit points, advantage on all senses for Perception, and +30 foot speed instead of +10.Sacred Trees grants plant-themed bonus spells which tend to be utility but several are capable of limiting an enemy’s mobility (Entangle, Grasping Vine, Hold Monster). At 3rd level the Warden can take the form of a holy tree 1/short rest, gaining +2 AC, can effortlessly move through nonmagical difficult terrain, can cause a 10 foot radius centered on them to become difficult terrain from rapid overgrowth, and can automatically ignore any unwanted movement provided they remain in touch with the ground. At 7th level they gain an additional ability in tree form, where they can restrain a target within 15 feet in contact with the ground via binding roots and vines. At 15th level they can increase the radius of their Defender’s Ward and treat the squares in said radius as difficult terrain.* Finally, at 18th level their tree form gains a total +4 AC, advantage on Constitution saves, +10 foot reach on all melee attacks, and creatures in difficult terrain from their class features cannot Disengage from combat.*as it’s either all or nothing, this is rather limiting in that it will affect allies.New Spells <img src="https://i.imgur.com/mc44H8G.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />This section details 10 new spells for not just the Warden, but also the Druid, Ranger, and Sorcerer. Additionally, we get a complete list of the Warden’s spell list which happens to include all 10! The Warden shares a lot of spells with the Ranger, but it gives up some utility spells (Fog Cloud, Locate Object, etc) in exchange for more combat-worthy options (Barkskin, Enlarge/Reduce, etc). What utility spells the Warden gains that the Ranger does not are in fitting with its martial nature, such as Dispel Magic, Polymorph, and Greater Restoration. Now moving on to new spells...Anathema imposes a curse which causes a target to spend extra movement when moving on natural terrain, is vulnerable to several elemental energy types (or lose existing resistance), and creatures of the beast and plant type have advantage on attack rolls. To top it all off, there’s also bonus poison damage each round on a failed Constitution save! Bombardment throws up to three pebbles into the air, which turn into boulders that can damage and restrain creatures they hit. Call of the Wild summons a group of spectral animals to damage, trip, and drag up to five targets towards the caster. Close the Gap drags a target 30 feet closer to the caster, granting them advantage on the next attack roll made against the affected target. Cloud of Thorns causes the caster to grow protective thorns which automatically hit targets attacking them in melee should they fail a Dexterity save, and also forces the afflicted to make attack rolls with disadvantage. Dome of Brambles conjures a 30 foot radius lattice-like net which can damage and hinder movement on targets trapped inside it. Mountain Might makes the  caster strong and sturdy while in contact with the ground, making them heavier and slower but their melee attacks deal 2d8 bonus damage, they gain resistance vs piercing and slashing damage, and reduce unwanted movement by half. Nature’s Wrath targets up to five creatures; those who fail a Charisma save suffer disadvantage on attack rolls made against targets other than the caster for the spell’s duration, and the caster can spend a reaction to attack such creatures whenever they’re ignored in this way. Unruly Earth creates a 30 foot cone tremor which damages targets, knocks them prone, and knocks any held objects out of their hands. Upheaval causes an underground explosion in a 60 foot radius centered on the caster, damaging, knocking prone, and blinding creatures who fail a Dexterity save within the radius while also turning the affected ground into difficult terrain.While the Warden gets the lion’s share, the other classes can learn around 2 to 4 of them depending on the class in question. Close the Gap, Crown of Thorns, Mountain Might, and Nature’s Wrath can all be cast as bonus actions, which lines up nicely with making a follow-up attack in the same combat round. Although many of the spells are damaging, they also impose various conditions upon foes which makes for some nice tactical variety.Existing Class Comparisons The most immediate classes which jump to mind are the Oath of Ancients Paladin and the Ranger. Like I did with the Blood Hunter, I’m going to be comparing the Warden to the <a href="https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/UA_RevisedRanger.pdf" target="_blank">Unearthed Arcana Revised Ranger.</a>First off, the Paladin is an overall better healer thanks to Lay on Hands. The Warden has some nice healing spells, but none of its class features add to or enhance said restoration resources. The Warden has some nice means of enhancing their melee damage such as Mountain Might, but the Paladin has a greater total damage potential thanks to Divine Smite. In terms of protecting other allies the Oath of Ancients Paladin has broader defenses against magic (Aura of Protection, Ancients’ Aura of Warding, Cleansing Touch), while the Warden is better in direct battlefield control both in affecting enemy movement and in making bad things happen to their foes when they choose to strike the Warden’s allies instead.In regards to the Revised Ranger, said class is better than the Warden at ranged combat, general utility magic, and stealth, things at which the Warden is not built to excel so there’s little overlap. However, the Revised Ranger does not get Extra Attack unless they’re part of the Hunter Conclave, and in terms of staying power and battlefield control the Warden is the clear superior.The Druid is still magically superior, and the Circle of the Moon beats the Warden out in sheer offense and personal defense. But even so the Warden can still be a distinctive choice, as unlike the Moon Druid it is better able to protect the entire party.Final Thoughts: I like the Warden’s mechanics, although I do have some concerns with a few of them. The ability to attempt new saving throws vs persistent effects every round means that in terms of long-term debilitating conditions it’s a manner of when, not if the Warden will break free. This is really only a concern when said effects have a save but aren’t the kind that will kill you during the source of a normal combat, like long-term enchantment. Although given said malady is quite situational, this is not a large concern. Furthermore, many of the Warden’s features create difficult terrain without the ability to self-select who is hindered. Deployed smartly it can prevent enemies from getting past the Warden to the rest of the party but can also hinder the mobility of other allies, particularly those prone to entering melee.While an interesting class, it doesn’t have the clear distinction and appeal that the Warlord does, and doesn’t have enough fluff-wise to make one ask how to distinguish it from the other nature-themed classes. While it has many good options in terms of ‘drawing aggro,’ Dungeons & Dragons as both a subculture and as a system isn’t very fond of ‘tanking’ as a game mechanic. These aren’t knocks against the class itself so much as the fact that its design is not one that I can see being popular among players, which is a shame.This is going to be my final class sourcebook review for the time being. I’m feeling in the mood for a change of pace after reviewing seven of them. Something more...hardcore.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/NHlzRtf.jpg?1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Join us next time as we review 5e: HARDCORE MODE!</blockquote>

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