The Vanguard is a frontline fighter, able to heal themselves as they fight, grow stronger the longer combat drags on, and dominate the battlefield.

In order to advance as a vanguard, you must meet the following prerequisites:

When you reach 5th level, you have perfected the Aether technique, allowing you to further bolster your health. The first time you hit a creature with an attack roll each turn, you gain temporary hit points equal to the amount of damage dealt, and regain hit points equal to your strength score.

In the midst of combat, you gain strength from the enemies you have bested. Starting from 4th level, whenever you reduce an enemy to 0 hit points, your strength score increases by 1, up to a maximum of 26. Your strength remains augmented for up to 1 hour, after which it returns to its normal value.

At 2nd level, you have learned the signature technique that puts vanguards apart from other generals. The first time you hit a creature with an attack each turn, you may gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt. These temporary hit points last 1 minute.

Any weapon that weighs double its weight loses the light property if it had it and cannot be used in two-weapon fighting.

When wielding such a weapon, it deals an extra 1d6 damage upon hitting. When you reach 3rd level in this class, the weapon deals an extra 1d8 damage upon hitting.

Your weapon is an extension of your body, its weight perfectly balanced in your hands. When first become a vanguard, you learn how to leverage the weight of your weapon in combat. To effectively do this, you must acquire a melee weapon weighing twice its normal weight or more.

Vanguard Special Tasks

A vanguard is a special kind of commander. Rarely a general of a large army, the vanguard leads the charge alongside their company. In order to first become a vanguard, you must achieve large scale recognition for your feats in commanding a group to victory. This could be as large as the entire world knowing you by name or as small as earning nobility through your martial prowess.

To continue progressing as a vanguard, you must both hone your skills and expand your legend. By the time you reach 5th level as a vanguard, your name and story should become mythic in scope. Most people you come across should know you by name at this point. If your journey as a vanguard started at this point, instead you should be known by most learned people across most of the planes.

Generally, for each level of vanguard, you should have 2 levels in another class.