Arcforge Players Compendium
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Vanguards draw upon supernatural forces to enhance their defensive abilities, magically storing and redirecting kinetic energy to shield their allies and themselves.
Trade Tradition
In addition, if this is the character’s first level, they choose a trade traditionSoG. Their trade rank is competent. If this is not the character’s first level, they instead choose one trade talent from the Vocation sphere as a bonus talent.
This replaces the sentinel's normal class skills.
Casting
A vanguard may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. A vanguard is considered a Low-Caster. (Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.)
Blended Training
A vanguard gains combat, magic, or skill talents (some of which are required to be utility talents) using the virtuoso talent progression. A vanguard’s casting ability modifier determines her operative and practitioner modifiers.
This replaces combat talents.
Spell Pool
A vanguard gains a small reservoir of energy she can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to her class level + her practitioner modifier (minimum 1). This pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.
Entropy Pool (Su)
At 1st level, the vanguard gains the supernatural ability to control matter as it changes states. This energy takes the form of a pool of entropy points (EP). A vanguard can have a maximum number of EP in her entropic pool equal to her casting ability modifier. This maximum, as well as the number of EP the vanguard starts each encounter with, increases by 1 at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
A vanguard can gain entropy points only when involved in a combat encounter. When combat begins, she gains 1 entropy point at the beginning of your first action; at the end of combat, she loses any entropy points she has remaining. A vanguard can gain entropy points in the following ways.
- While she has no entropy points, a vanguard can gain 1 EP by regaining martial focus.
- Each time the vanguard takes damage equal to or greater than twice her character level from a single attack or effect (after applying any ability to reduce that damage, such as damage reduction or energy resistance), she gains 1 EP. When a vanguard is damaged, she may choose to allow an effect to ignore any damage reduction or energy resistance she possesses. If any of this damage becomes delayed, the vanguard does not gain additional EP when her delayed damage pool empties.
- If the vanguard takes damage from a critical hit, she gains 1 EP in addition to any from the attack’s normal damage.
- If the vanguard scores a critical hit on an enemy, she gains 1 EP.
- If the vanguard moves as part of a full-round action, she gains 1 EP.
Entropy points can be expended in various ways:
- As a free action, a vanguard can expend 1 EP to gain a +10-foot enhancement bonus to her movement speed. This increases by 10 feet at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
- As a move action, a vanguard can expend EP to boost the damage of the next attack she makes before the start of her next turn. She must decide how many EP to expend when you take this move action, and she cannot expend more EP than her vanguard level. If the boosted entropic strike hits, it deals +1d4 points of damage for every EP expended.
- Whenever a vanguard takes damage, she may spend 1 EP to reduce the damage by twice her vanguard level.
- Whenever a sentinel ability would require the expenditure of a reserve point, the vanguard may instead expend an equal amount of EP. The vanguard may not spend multiple EP on a single use of an ability.
This replaces sentinel's reserve.
Frontline Guardian (Ex)
A vanguard gains the Guardian sphere as a bonus sphere, although she must select the Bodyguard drawback. If she already possesses the Guardian sphere she must take the Defend Other talent. If she already possesses the Guardian sphere and the Defend Other talent, she instead gains a Guardian talent for which she qualifies.
A vanguard uses her casting ability modifier in place of her Wisdom modifier for sentinel class abilities.
This replaces defender’s soul.
Evasion (Ex)
At 2nd level and higher, if the vanguard succeeds at a Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. A helpless vanguard does not gain the benefit of evasion.
This replaces guard wall.
Supersymmetries (Su)
As a vanguard progresses in levels, she discovers new ways to manipulate reality’s fundamental forces to fortify herself.
At 4th level, the vanguard may spend 1 EP and an attack of opportunity in place of an immediate action to use her Defend Other talent.
At 8th level, the vanguard may spend 1 EP as a free action to reduce the damage in her delayed damage pool by her vanguard level.
At 11th level, when a vanguard is in the area of a damaging effect, she can spend 1 EP to add a +1 bonus per die to the damage dealt to every other creature in the area or 2 EP to add +2 bonus per die.
At 12th level, the vanguard may spend 2 EP to make an attack of opportunity even when she has no remaining attacks of opportunity.
At 14th level, the vanguard may spend two or more EP to reroll a saving throw as an immediate action, gaining a +1 bonus on the reroll for every EP spent.
At 15th level, when the vanguard reduces damage to herself by spending EP, she may spend 2 additional EP to have that reduction apply to all damage she takes until the start of her next turn.
At 19th level, the vanguard may spend at least 3 EP as an immediate action to empty her delayed damage pool. For each EP spent beyond the 3rd, the vanguard selects one target within close range. That target takes damage equal to the damage that was in the vanguard’s delayed damage pool. If the vanguard possesses the Cold Iron Call or Durable talents, she may also inflict any effects she is postponing with those abilities. If the effect allowed a save, each target may attempt a save immediately at the original DC. A successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the vanguard’s level + her casting ability modifier) reduces the amount of damage dealt by this ability by half and negates the infliction of any effects.
This replaces sentinel’s imposition, deathless challenge, empower challenge, sentinel’s wrath, eternal challenge, instant challenge, and invincible soul.
Expanded Energies (Su)
At 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the vanguard develops a new method of gaining EP, selected from the following list.
- Boundary: The vanguard gains 1 EP the first time each round an attack misses her or she succeeds at a saving throw.
- Cascade: The vanguard gains 1 EP the first time each round she succeeds at multiple attack rolls against different targets in the same turn.
- Disobedience: The vanguard gains 1 EP the first time each round she outwits a target. This cannot grant you EP outside of combat.
- Exergy: The vanguard gains 1 EP the first time each round she succeeds at multiple attack rolls against a single target in the same turn.
- Indeterminacy: The vanguard gains 1 EP the first time each round she hits with an attack of opportunity.
- Obsolescence: The vanguard gains 1 EP the first time each round she is subject to a combat maneuver.
- Reaction: The vanguard gains 1 EP the first time each round she succeeds at a combat maneuver that is not made as a free action.
- Residue: The vanguard gains 1 EP the first time each round she spends one or more spell points. Once per round, she may spend a spell point to gain 2 EP.
- Turbulence: Whenever the vanguard recovers hit points, she can reduce the hit points restored by any amount; as long as she reduces it by an amount equal to at least 3 + her vanguard level (minimum 0), she gains 1 EP.
Manifest Cataclysm (Su)
At 20th level, whenever the vanguard would gain EP, she gains twice as much EP. The vanguard may take two additional immediate actions each turn. This replaces final challenge.
U: Part of Ultimate Spheres of Power and does not need to be bought separately from that book
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