Main > Combat > Martial Spheres > Guardian Sphere

Delayed damage pool

You gain a delayed damage pool equal to your 3 x your base attack bonus.

When you receive damage, as part of taking the damage you may redirect all or part of it to your delayed damage pool. Apply damage reduction and resistance before redirecting the damage. You may not redirect damage that would exceed the maximum capacity of the damage pool.

Your delayed damage pool empties at the end of your turn each round, inflicting any damage stored in the pool on you, bypassing any damage reduction or resistance you possess and resetting to 0. Any additional effects of the attack, such as poison, are still incurred immediately even if the entire damage of the attack is redirected to the delayed damage pool.

Any healing you receive in excess of your maximum hp automatically reduces the amount of damage in your delayed damage pool.

Should you lose access to the Guardian sphere, any damage (or other effects if you possess certain talents) is incurred at the end of your turn.

Guardian Packages

When you gain the Guardian sphere, you gain one of the following packages with its included abilities. You may take the Expanded Guardian talent to gain the other package.

Challenge

As a move action, you may issue a challenge to a creature you can see. You may expend martial focus to reduce this to a swift action.

A creature must be able to perceive your challenge to be affected by it. The creature takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls that do not include you as a target and a +2 bonus on attack rolls targeting only you. This penalty (but not bonus) increases by 1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

The challenge lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + 1/2 your base attack bonus. Creatures receiving this effect are aware of it, though do not gain insight to its duration.

When you issue a new challenge, any previous challenge you have active ends. Multiple challenges do not stack; if a creature is affected by challenges from more than one creature, they suffer no penalty against the source of any challenge against them and likewise gain the bonus against the sources of all of the challenges.

Creatures with no Intelligence score (Intelligence score of (-)) cannot be targeted by your challenge.

Patrol

As long as you have martial focus, as a full-round action you may increase your threatened area by 5 ft., +5 ft. for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess. This increased threatened area is applied after the effects of the reach weapon special feature.

Until the beginning of your next turn, you may make attacks of opportunity against any creature in this threatened area that provokes attacks of opportunity. You may move to bring the creature that provokes the attack of opportunity within your reach as part of these attacks, provided your total movement before your next turn does not exceed your base speed.

Any movement you make provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.

Associated Feat: Combat Patrol.

Base Talents

Guardian Talents (Challenge)

Flush of Victory

When a creature affected by your challenge is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your base attack bonus. These temporary hit points expire after 1 round + 1 round per 2 points of base attack bonus you possess.

The creature must have a CR of at least half your character level (rounded down, minimum 0).

Guardian’s Focus

When a creature affected by your challenge is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points or you succeed on a combat maneuver check made on an attack of opportunity while you have a patrol set up, you may regain martial focus as an immediate action.

If you posses the Defend Other talent, you may regain focus on your next turn whenever an enemy misses an ally benefiting from that talent with an attack.

Mass Challenge

When using your challenge ability, you may increase the required time by one step (move to standard or swift to move if expending martial focus) to issue your challenge to one additional creature, + 1 additional creature per 2 points of base attack bonus you possess (minimum 1).

Steel Hide

If a creature under the effects of your challenge confirms a critical hit against you, you may end the challenge on that creature only to have the attack instead deal normal damage.

If you possess the Defend Other talent, you may use this talent whenever a creature affected by your challenge confirms a critical against an ally within your threatened area while your patrol is active.

Guardian Talents (Threat)

Complex Patrol

You may expend your martial focus when using patrol to apply two (zone) talents instead of only one.

If you possess the Swift Guardian talent, you may increase the required action to initiate a patrol by one step (standard action to full-round action) instead of expending your martial focus.

Defend Other

When an ally within your threatened area is the target of an attack roll, you may spend an immediate action to grant them a competence bonus to their armor class equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus (rounded down, minimum +1) against that attack.

If this attack would still hit, you may choose to take the damage in your ally’s place.

If you possess the (patrol) package, when using this talent you may move to put the ally within your reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) as part of activating this talent.

Mageguard

When a hostile creature within your threatened area attempts to cast a spell defensively, they take a penalty to their concentration check equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus (minimum 1). The creature is aware of this penalty. This ability stacks with the Disruptive feat and similar effects.

If you possess the (challenge) package, if the creature is under the effects of your challenge, they provoke an attack of opportunity from you whenever they fail a concentration check to cast a spell defensively.

Guardian Talents (Zone)

These talents grant additional effects to Patrol. Each patrol may only benefit from one (zone) talent.

Assist

When an ally within the area of your patrol makes an attack, is targeted by an attack, or attempts a saving throw, you may spend an attack of opportunity to move to put that ally within reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) and use the aid another action to improve that ally’s attack roll, AC, or saving throw as appropriate to the triggering action.

Associated Feat: Bodyguard.

Clear Path

Allies do not provoke attacks of opportunity from enemies for moving through the area of your patrol.

Associated Feat: Escape Route.

Punishing Rebuke

When a creature attacks an ally within the area of your patrol, not including yourself, they provoke an attack of opportunity from you.

Roving Flanker

Your allies (but not you) may consider all squares threatened by you while using patrol to be occupied by an ally for the purpose of determining flanking bonuses.

Stand Still

While you have a patrol in place, when a foe provokes an attack of opportunity due to moving through your threatened area, you can make a reposition attempt against the creature as your attack of opportunity. This reposition attempt may be made using any weapon you are wielding.

If successful, the creature cannot move for the rest of its turn. The creature can still take the rest of its action, but cannot move out of the square the reposition maneuver leaves it in.

Associated Feat: Stand Still.

Steel Hedge

All hostile creatures treat your threatened area as difficult terrain until the end of your patrol.

Guardian Talents (Delayed Damage Pool)

Cold Iron Call

When targeted by a spell or spell-like ability, you may delay the onset of its effects until the end of your next turn as if it were damage. Each effect is treated as if it were an amount of hit point damage equal to its caster level for the purpose of your delayed damage pool. If you do not have enough space remaining in the delayed damage pool, you may not delay the effect.

If you possess the (patrol) package and the Defend Other talent, when an ally within the area of your patrol is the target of a spell or spell-like ability, you may spend an attack of opportunity to move to put that ally within reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) and redirect the effect to yourself.

If you possess the (challenge) package, any time a creature under the effects of your challenge casts a spell or uses a spell-like ability that does not include you in its effect, it suffers a -2 penalty to the spell’s save DC. This penalty increases by 1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Durable

When targeted by a natural, extraordinary or supernatural ability that inflicts ability damage, ability drain, disease, negative levels, poison or any of the following conditions: (blinded, confused, cowering, dazed, dazzled, entangled, exhausted, fascinated, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, paralyzed, petrified, shaken, sickened, staggered, stunned, unconscious) you may delay the onset of its effects until the end of your next turn.

Each effect is treated as if it were an amount of hit point damage equal to the attacking creature’s Hit Dice for determining the capacity of your delayed damage pool. If you do not have enough space remaining in the delayed damage pool, you may not delay the effect.

If you possess the (patrol) package and the Defend Other talent, when an ally within the area of your patrol is the target of such an ability, you may spend an attack of opportunity to move to put that ally within reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) and redirect the effect to yourself.

If you possess the (challenge) package, any time a creature under the effects of your challenge uses such an ability that does not include you in its effect, it suffers a -2 penalty to the ability’s save DC. This penalty increases by 1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Endure Pain

When you receive damage from your delayed damage pool, you take it as nonlethal damage. This nonlethal damage ignores any resistance or immunity to nonlethal damage you may possess.

Greater Delayed Damage

The size of your delayed damage pool increases by +1 per point of base attack bonus you possess. You may take this talent twice; the effects stack.

Guardian Talents (Other)

Expanded Guardian

You gain one Guardian package you do not possess.

Iron Wall

If you possess the (challenge) package, any time a creature under the effects of your challenge attacks an ally within Close range of you (25 ft + 5 ft. per 2 base attack bonus), that attack suffers a 20% miss chance.

If you possess the (patrol) package, allies within the area of your patrol, not including yourself, gain a 20% miss chance against melee attacks originating from a creature that you threaten.

If an attack would be subject to both miss chances, the miss chance increases to 50%.

Sweeping Defense

When making an attack action, you may grant yourself a -2 penalty on all attack rolls until the beginning of your next turn to cause your attack action to deal damage to multiple targets.

Choose one target that is adjacent to your primary target and also within your reach, and compare your attack roll to the AC of both targets. If your attack roll exceeds either target’s AC (including the primary target), that target suffers half damage from your attack. The additional target is not subject to non-damage parts of your attack action, such as additional effects granted by feats or talents.

Additionally, all targets damaged by your Sweeping Defence suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls until the start of your next turn.

At +10 base attack bonus, this penalty increases to -4 and you may target up to three adjacent targets with sweeping defense.

Swift Guardian

If you possess the (challenge) package, you reduce the required action to use challenge by 1 step (move to swift, swift to free).

If you possess the (patrol) package, you may use patrol as a standard action. You may instead expend your martial focus to use patrol as a move action.

Swift Reflexes

As long as you have martial focus, you gain +1 attack of opportunity per round. You may make attacks of opportunity even when flat-footed. These additional attacks of opportunity stack with those granted by the Combat Reflexes or Muscular Reflexes feat.

For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, you gain an additional attack of opportunity.

Advanced Talents

Guardian Talents (Challenge)

Inescapable Challenge

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +7.

A creature affected by your challenge must make a Will save each time it attempts to move away from you (including via teleportation or other magical effects) or lose the attempted action. The creature does not lose any spell, spell points, or magic item uses on a failed save if this prevents a teleportation attempt. The creature may be moved normally by other creatures. This is an extraordinary mind affecting compulsion effect.

Punishing Challenge

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +5.

Whenever a creature affected by your challenge makes an attack roll or casts a non-harmless spell that does not target you or include you in its effect, that creature takes untyped damage equal to your base attack bonus. This damage is not subject to resistance or damage reduction. This is a supernatural effect.

Guardian Talents (Threat)

I Will Come

Prerequisites: I Will Hear, Defend Other, base attack bonus +10.

When a creature calls you with the I Will Hear talent, you may spend a full-round action to teleport to their location. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed your maximum load. You may also bring one additional willing Medium or smaller creature (carrying gear or objects up to its maximum load) or its equivalent per three points of base attack bonus you possess. A Large creature counts as two Medium creatures, a Huge creature counts as two Large creatures, and so forth. All creatures to be teleported must be in contact with one another, and at least one of those creatures must be in contact with you.

You arrive in the safe space nearest to the calling creature that is large enough for you and any creatures you bring along to occupy. You are exhausted for 10 minutes after using this ability, and fatigued for 1 hour thereafter. You may expend focus as a free action to delay these conditions for a number of rounds equal to your base attack bonus. You incur the penalties of these conditions even if you are immune to the exhausted and fatigued conditions. You may attempt to use this ability while exhausted or fatigued, but doing so incurs a 50% chance that the ability fails to work; regardless of whether you succeed at this attempt, you suffer 1d6 points of Constitution damage and the duration of the exhausted and fatigued conditions caused by using this ability are doubled.

You may only travel to a particular creature using this ability once per day. This is a supernatural teleportation effect.

I Will Hear

Prerequisites: Defend Other. You may form a bond with a creature as a full-round action. A bonded creature can call your name as an immediate action; if you are within 1 mile per base attack bonus, you become immediately aware of the call and the direction to the creature.

At +5 base attack bonus, this range increases to 10 miles per base attack bonus. At +10 base attack bonus, the range becomes unlimited as long as you are both on the same plane. At +15 base attack bonus, you may hear the call across the planes and gain knowledge of what plane the calling creature is on.

You may maintain a number of these bonds equal to your base attack bonus.

Guardian Talents (Delayed Damage)

Final Retribution

Prerequisites: Indomitable, Punishment, base attack bonus +10.

When you use the Punishment talent while postponing death with Indomitable, you may force the target to make a Fortitude save or die immediately. This is a death effect. Regardless of the success or failure of this save, you die immediately, even if immune to death effects.

Indomitable

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6.

When you would die, you may expend your martial focus to delay the onset of the dead condition until the end of your next turn. If you are not unconscious, you do not fall unconscious from hit point loss during this time.

Any healing you receive during that turn that would bring you above your death threshold can prevent you from dying. Such healing has no affect on death from anything other than hit point damage.

You may only delay death in this manner once per time that you would die.

Punishment

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +5.

When you deal damage to a creature while you have damage in your delayed damage pool, you may spend an immediate action to expend your martial focus and deal damage equal to your delayed damage pool to the target creature.

If you possess the Cold Iron Call or Durable talents, you may also inflict any effects you are postponing with those abilities. If the effect allowed a save, the target may make a save immediately at the original DC.

A successful Fortitude save reduces the amount of damage transferred by half and negates the transfer of any effects.

Guardian Talents (Zone)

These talents grant additional effects to Patrol. Each patrol may only benefit from one (zone) talent.

Singularity

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +5.

At the start of their turns, hostile creatures within the area of your patrol must succeed on a Fortitude save or be moved 5 ft. closer to you, though stop when they become adjacent. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Hostile creatures within the area of your patrol count every square of movement directed away from you as two squares when determining their movement for the round. This stacks with the effects of difficult terrain.

At +10 base attack bonus, the distance moved toward you and the additional cost of movement away from you increases by 5 ft.

This is a supernatural effect.

Drawbacks

Sphere-specific drawbacks must be chosen when a practitioner first gains the associated sphere, and grant the practitioner an extra combat talent in the prerequisite sphere.

Drawbacks may be removed in place of gaining a new talent through your class progression or by taking the Extra Combat Talent feat. You cannot gain multiple drawbacks that remove or augment the same ability.

Indifferent Defender

You do not get to select a Guardian package.

You gain Greater Delayed Damage with this drawback. You may not possess both this and the Without Delay drawback.

Without Delay

You do not gain a delayed damage pool and may not select any talent which relies on the delayed damage pool.

You must take Swift Guardian with this drawback. You may not possess both this and the Indifferent Defender drawback.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Jason Bulmahn, Tim Hitchcock, Colin McComb, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Russ Taylor.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race Guide © 2012, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Jim Groves, Tim Hitchcock, Hal MacLean, Jason Nelson, Stephen RadneyMacFarland, Owen K.C. Stephens, Todd Stewart, and Russ Taylor.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Equipment (OGL) © 2012, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Benjamin Bruck, Ross Byers, Brian J. Cortijo, Ryan Costello, Mike Ferguson, Matt Goetz, Jim Groves, Tracy Hurley, Matt James, Jonathan H. Keith, Michael Kenway, Hal MacLean, Jason Nelson, Tork Shaw, Owen KC Stephens, Russ Taylor, and numerous RPG Superstar contributors

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Intrigue © 2016, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Robert Brookes, Jason Bulmahn, Ross Byers, Robert N. Emerson, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Steven Helt, Thurston Hillman, Tim Hitchcock, Mikko Kallio, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Tom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Thomas M. Reid, Alexander Riggs, David N. Ross, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Linda Zayas-Palmer.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Class Guide © 2014, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Ross Byers, Jesse Benner, Savannah Broadway, Jason Bulmahn, Jim Groves, Tim Hitchcock, Tracy Hurley, Jonathan H. Keith, Will McCardell, Dale C. McCoy, Jr., Tom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Thomas M. Reid, Sean K Reynolds, Tork Shaw, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Russ Taylor.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Joe Homes, James Jacobs, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, Thom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Wes Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Mike Shel, James L. Sutter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4 © 2013, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, Savannah Broadway, Ross Byers, Adam Daigle, Tim Hitchcock, Tracy Hurley, James Jacobs, Matt James, Rob McCreary, Jason Nelson, Tom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Tork Shaw, and Russ Taylor.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

Guardian Sphere

From Titan's Teeth

Contents

Delayed damage pool

Guardian Packages

Challenge

Patrol

Base Talents

Guardian Talents (Challenge)

Flush of Victory

Guardian’s Focus

Mass Challenge

Steel Hide

Guardian Talents (Threat)

Complex Patrol

Defend Other

Mageguard

Guardian Talents (Zone)

Assist

Clear Path

Punishing Rebuke

Roving Flanker

Stand Still

Steel Hedge

Guardian Talents (Delayed Damage Pool)

Cold Iron Call

Durable

Endure Pain

Greater Delayed Damage

Guardian Talents (Other)

Expanded Guardian

Iron Wall

Sweeping Defense

Swift Guardian

Swift Reflexes

Advanced Talents

Guardian Talents (Challenge)

Inescapable Challenge

Punishing Challenge

Guardian Talents (Threat)

I Will Come

I Will Hear

Guardian Talents (Delayed Damage)

Final Retribution

Indomitable

Punishment

Guardian Talents (Zone)

Singularity

Drawbacks

Indifferent Defender

Without Delay

COPYRIGHT NOTICE