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Royal Guard

A human clad in shining silver armor stands tall on a war ravaged battlefield. A goblin boar rider charges his detachment. He plants himself firmly between the oncoming threat and his comrades, soaking up the brunt of the attack with his massive tower shield.

A group has entered a dungeon in search of treasure, and has found themselves in the midst of many deadly traps. As the party’s cleric falls prey to a sprung crossbow trap, the Royal Guard rushes between him and the bolts, forcing him out of the way and saving his life.

Royal guards are the best of the best; only the most elite warriors are selected to undergo their rigorous training. Also known as Kingsguard, these legendary warriors are instilled with a code of honor dictating that they must protect their allies above all else. They are accustomed to placing themselves in harm’s way to save their friends, and are well suited to the task.

This is a martial archetype of the fighter class, and can be taken at fighter level 3. Royal Guard archetype features are dictated below.

Royal Guard Features

Level Feature 3rd Intervene 7th Heartiness, Improved Intervene 10th Unbreakable 15th Titan's Visage 18th Shelter the Weak

Tower Shields

These large slabs of metal and wood are the Royal Guards' main tool. Tower shields are made much larger than typical shields, and can be extremely difficult to use. Royal Guards train for months, sometimes years, to master it. Most tower shields stand as tall as a fully grown human, and weigh about 30 pounds. They require a minumum Strength score of 15 to use one handed. Tower shields add +3 to your AC when wielded. Tower shields require an Action to equip and unequip. Every Royal Guard is proficient with Tower Shields.

Intervene

When you choose this archetype at level 3, you gain the ability to better protect your allies. When an allied creature within 5 feet of you becomes the target of a ranged or melee attack that targets only them, you can use your Reaction to add your shield’s AC bonus to their AC. This feature requires you to have a Tower Shield equipped.

You can only do this once per short rest at level 3, twice at level 5, three times at level 7, and five times at level 10 and beyond. You cannot use this if you are prone.

Heartiness

You are a veritable fortress on the battlefield, accustomed to taking abuse in place of your allies. At 7th level, you can choose from two features to bolster your health, which are detailed under "Heartiness" below.

Improved Intervene

Your selflessness allows you to purposely put yourself in harm’s way for the protection of your allies. Starting at 7th level, when an allied creature within 15 feet of you becomes the target of a spell or ranged attack that targets only them, you can use your Reaction to sprint between them and the attack. You become the new target of the attack and gain the benefits of Intervene for yourself. At 15th level, the range of Improved Intervene increases to 30 feet.

You cannot use this if you are prone or if your movement is 0 for any reason.

Unbreakable

As a seasoned combatant with years of training, there is not much left in the world that can scare you. Starting at 10th level, you become immune to being frightened.

Titan's Visage

Under construction

Shelter the Weak

Your code of honor binds you to ensuring the safety of your charge, but some injuries are unavoidable. You’ve learned how to better protect your allies while they recuperate. Starting at level 18, all allied creatures have advantage on death saving throws when they make the roll within 5 feet of you, or if you use Bolster or Intervene on them during your turn. Additionally, Bolster no longer requires costs a Reaction to use.