Armigers are masters of defense, able to shrug off attacks that would destroy lesser combatants, and even increase the survivability of those around them. The armiger is built around maximizing the benefit of armor and shields. With large hit point totals, special defense-related talents, and an aptitude for unusual shields, armigers can carry the fight forward under the most difficult circumstances. The best armigers often find themselves the main thing standing between victory and a total party kill.Hit Dice 2d6
Starting Wealth At 1st level, an armiger begins play with 5d6 x 10 gp or a Serrated Shield and 2d3 x 10 gp.
Class Skills
The armiger’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (engineering) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int),Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Survival (Wis).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table: Armiger
Class FeaturesSkill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table: Armiger
Level
|
Base Attack Bonus
|
Fort Save
|
Ref Save
|
Will Save
|
Special
|
1
|
+0
|
+2
|
+0
|
+2
|
Bulwark, Ancestral Armor
|
2
|
+1
|
+3
|
+0
|
+3
|
Armiger talent, reflect
|
3
|
+2
|
+3
|
+1
|
+3
|
Defensive maximization +1
|
4
|
+3
|
+4
|
+1
|
+4
|
Armored DR, quick strap
|
5
|
+3
|
+4
|
+1
|
+4
|
Armiger talent
|
6
|
+4
|
+5
|
+2
|
+5
|
Safeguard 1/day
|
7
|
+5
|
+5
|
+2
|
+5
|
|
8
|
+6/+1
|
+6
|
+2
|
+6
|
Armiger talent
|
9
|
+6/+1
|
+6
|
+3
|
+6
|
Defensive maximization +2, safeguard 2/day
|
10
|
+7/+2
|
+7
|
+3
|
+7
|
|
11
|
+8/+3
|
+7
|
+3
|
+7
|
Advanced armiger talent
|
12
|
+9/+4
|
+8
|
+4
|
+8
|
Safeguard 3/day
|
13
|
+9/+4
|
+8
|
+4
|
+8
|
|
14
|
+10/+5
|
+9
|
+4
|
+9
|
Advanced armiger talent
|
15
|
+11/+6/+1
|
+9
|
+5
|
+9
|
Defensive maximization +3, safeguard 4/day
|
16
|
+12/+7/+2
|
+10
|
+5
|
+10
|
|
17
|
+12/+7/+2
|
+10
|
+5
|
+10
|
Advanced armiger talent
|
18
|
+13/+8/+3
|
+11
|
+6
|
+11
|
Safeguard 5/day
|
19
|
+14/+9/+4
|
+11
|
+6
|
+11
|
|
20
|
+15/+10/+5
|
+12
|
+6
|
+12
|
Advanced armiger talent, shield saint
|
All of the following are class features of the Armiger.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
An armiger is proficient with all simple weapons, martial melee weapons, heavy and light repeating crossbows, light, medium, and heavy armor, and all shields (including the tower shield and all exotic shields).
Bulwark (Ex)
The armiger knows how to protect not just himself, but also how to help protect his allies. An armiger grants soft cover to any ally adjacent to him, even against attacks the armiger is not aware of and those that come from a direction that would not normally count the armiger as cover. The armiger does not count as cover for himself, though two armigers standing next to each other both do gain this benefit.
An armiger must be conscious and able to take actions in order to grant this benefit. He cannot do so if suffering under effects such as being flat-footed, unconscious, dead, paralyzed, or stunned.
Ancestral Armor
The Armiger gains the Ancestral Weapon feat at 1st level but must choose to take any armor he is proficient in. This does not exclude the Armiger from taking the feat twice for a weapon as well.
Armiger Talents
As an armiger gains experience, he learns a number of talents that aid him in defending himself and his allies. Starting at 2nd level, an armiger gains one armiger talent. He gains an additional armiger talent at 5th and 8th levels.
Armor Training (Ex)
Armigers often learn to be more maneuverable while wearing armor. An armiger with this talent improves the armor check penalty (to a maximum of 0) and maximum Dexterity bonus to AC by +1 for any armor he is wearing. This talent may be taken more than once. Its effects stack.
Citadel (Ex)
This talent allows an armiger to count as total cover for all adjacent allies, rather than only being soft cover (as described in the bulwark class ability). The armiger must be conscious and able to take actions to grant this benefit. In addition, as a move action, the armiger can grant an adjacent ally temporary hit points. The ally gains 1d8 temporary hit points + 1 per 2 class levels. The armiger must remain conscious, able to move, and adjacent to the ally or the temporary hit points end. An armiger may do this a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Wisdom modifier (minimum 3/day).
Crossbow Brace (Ex)
This talent allows an armiger to brace a crossbow on an equipped shield. Even when the armiger is using a shield that prevents his hand from being free, that stability of his bracing allows him to use his shield-arm to hold, fire, and reload a crossbow with which he is proficient. It also gives the armiger a +1 bonus to attack rolls made with a crossbow with which he is proficient. He gains this bonus only while he has a shield equipped. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level, +3 at 12th level, and +4 at 18th level.
Defensive Training
An armiger may take this talent to gain one of the following feats as a bonus feat: Alertness, Armored Hustle, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Defensive Combat Training, Diehard,Dodge, Endurance, Greater Shield Focus, Improved Shield Bash, Mobility, Shield Block, Shield Focus, and Stand Still. This talent may be taken more than once. Each time, a different feat much be selected.
Picket (Ex)
An armiger with this talent gains a bonus to attack rolls and damage for attacks the armiger makes with a readied action. The attacks must be made with a weapon with the brace quality, and the target must be a charging foe. The bonus is equal to half the armiger’s class level.
Resist (Ex)
An armiger can learn to maximize his armor’s effectiveness against unusual attack types. The armiger selects one of the following damage types: acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. When wearing medium or heavy armor, the armiger gains resist 5 against the selected damage type. If the armiger is 10th level or higher, this resistance increases to 10. This talent may be taken up to five times. Its effects do not stack. Each time it is taken, a different damage type must be selected.
Shelter of Steel (Ex)
This talent allows an armiger to use his armor to absorb some of the inevitable punishment of battle. As a move action, an armiger in medium or heavy armor can gain 1d8 temporary hit points +1 per 2 class levels. The armiger may do this a number of times per day equal to his Constitution bonus (minimum 1/day).
Slam (Ex)
An armiger with this talent throws himself bodily into foes and barriers, trusting his armor to protect him. The armiger gains a bonus to all CMB checks made to bull rush or overrun foes, and to Strength checks made to break open doors and gates. This bonus is equal to his total armor bonus plus shield bonus, to a maximum of his class level.
Spear Brace (Ex)
This armiger talent allows an armiger to brace a pole arm or spear on an equipped shield, to aid in handling and fighting with it. His increased stability gives the armiger a +1 bonus to attack rolls made with a pole arm or spear with which he is proficient. He gains this bonus only while he has a shield equipped. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level, +3 at 12th level, and +4 at 18th level. Additionally, even when the armiger is using a shield that prevents his hand from being free, he can use his shield-arm to hold (and fight with) a pole arm or spear with which he is proficient.
Pole arms include the glaive, guisarme, halberd, ranseur, and any other weapon that falls in the pole arm weapon group for purposes of the fighter weapon training ability. Spears include the javelin, lance, longspear, shortspear, spear, trident, and any other weapon that falls in the spear weapon group for purposes of the fighter weapon training ability.
Uncanny Block (Ex)
With uncanny block, an armiger can interpose a shield between himself and danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. When the armiger has a shield equipped, he cannot be caught flat-footed even if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized or if a foe successfully makes a Bluff check to feint against him.
Reflect (Ex)
A 2nd level an armiger can maximize the protection his armor gives him to reduce the damage area attacks deal him. An armiger in heavy armor takes only half damage from any attack, spell, or ability that allows a Reflex saving throw. The armiger is still allowed a normal saving throw, he simply takes half of whatever damage he normally would based on the result of that saving throw. If the attack, spell, or ability has a non-damaging effect, the armiger suffers the appropriate effect based on his saving throw result.
Defensive Maximization (Ex)
At 3rd level, an armiger learns to get more out of his armor, increasing the armor bonus to AC he receives from medium or heavy armor by +1. This bonus increases to +2 at 9th level, and +3 at 15th level.
This ability also allows the Armiger to take an automatic 12 on his active defense rolls. He may not take an automatic 12 if he is flat-footed, surprised, incapacitated or prone.
Armored DR (Ex)
At 4th level an armiger is so skilled in using his armor to block damage that the damage reduction from his armor improves to #/-. Example, an Armiger in Heavy armor would have 6/- damage reduction instead of the normal 6/Bludgeoning.
Quick Strap (Ex)
At 4th level, an armiger can don and remove his own armor more quickly and aid others to do the same. The armiger can strap on a shield as a swift action. The armiger can don or remove his own armor as a move action.
Safeguard (Ex)
At 6th level, an armiger’s defensive instincts become so great that he can intercept attacks aimed at his allies. Once a day, as an immediate action, the armiger can swap places with an adjacent ally who has been struck by an attack. The armiger can make this decision after seeing the damage dealt by the attack to his ally. This prevents the original target from suffering any damage or effect from the attack. The armiger instead becomes the target of the attack, and is automatically hit by it. This is true even if the original attack roll would not have hit the armiger—the act of intercepting the attack requires the armiger to lower his own defenses and leaves him vulnerable to the attack. The armiger does gain the benefit of his own saving throws, DR, and resistance against effects that allow such defenses. The armiger and the original target actually trade positions as a result of this power.
The armiger must be conscious and able to move, and cannot be flat footed, to use this ability. Only attacks and effects that require attack rolls can be intercepted with safeguard (an armiger can’t prevent an ally from being hit by magic missiles, for example). The armiger can use this ability on allies up to one size larger than himself, but it must be possible for the ally to stand in the space originally occupied by the armiger. (A human armiger can use this ability on a Large bear ally, for example, but only if there is a space the bear can stand in that includes the space originally occupied by the armiger).
The armiger gains an addition use of this ability per day at 9th level, and again at 12th, 15th, and 18th level.
Advanced Armiger Talents
Beginning at 11th level, an armiger’s selection of talents increases. Whenever an armiger gains an advanced armiger talent he may choose one of the following abilities or choose one of the armiger talents described earlier. He gains additional advanced armiger talents every three levels.
Aegis (Ex)
This talent doubles an armiger’s DR from armor against physical attacks.
Elemental Shield (Su)
Some armigers access mystic powers of protection as they become paragons of defensive techniques. With this talent, as a swift action an armiger with a shield equipped gains resistance 10 against acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic damage. This resistance lasts for one round per class level. The armiger may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Constitution modifier (minimum 1/day). If the armiger also has the resist talent, that resistance stacks with the elemental shield.
Improved Uncanny Block (Ex)
An armiger must have taken the uncanny block talent to take improved uncanny block. When the armiger has a shield equipped, he cannot be flanked. This defense denies arogue the ability to sneak attack the armiger by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has armiger levels.
Spellguard, lesser (Sp)
A few armigers seek to master all arts of protection, including spells normally reserved for clerics and wizards. With this talent, the armiger selects three 1st-level spells and one 2nd-level spell. These must be abjuration spells from the cleric or sorcerer/wizard spell lists. The armiger can cast each of these spells once per day, using his armiger level as his caster level. The armiger focuses these spells through his armor. Thus they ignore any somatic requirements, but the armiger can only cast them when wearing medium or heavy armor.
Spellguard, greater (Sp)
An armiger must take the lesser spellguard talent prior to taking this talent. The armiger selects one 2nd-level spell and one 3rd-level spell. These must be abjuration spells from the cleric or sorcerer/wizard spell lists. The armiger can cast each of these spells once per day, using his armiger level as his caster level. The armiger focuses these spells through his armor. Thus they ignore any somatic requirements, but t he armiger can only cast them when wearing medium or heavy armor.
Unkillable (Ex)
The armiger gains a number of hit points equal to 10 plus his Constitution score.
Shield Saint (Ex)
At 20th level, the armiger becomes a perfect paragon of defensive skill. The armiger is immune to all critical hits and sneak attacks. Once per round, if the armiger is subject to an effect (other than the consequences of standard damage) that would reduce his AC (including such effects as being stunned, falling asleep or unconscious, and even dying), the armiger is allowed a special Fortitude save to ignore the effect. The DC of this save is 10 + 1/2 the level or hit dice of the attacker, plus the attacker’s Con, Int, Wis, or Cha modifier (whichever modifier is highest). The armiger may use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom bonus (minimum 1/day).
