Gunnar, Warden/Sentinel

Another update that is really a complete remaking. I finally managed to find a no-homebrew Spheres build for this character. Maybe one day there’ll be a fitting monoclass build too?

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Gunnar Einarson

Human warden 1

NG Medium humanoid (human)

Init +0; Senses Perception +0

Defense

AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +2 shield)

hp 13 (1d10+3)

Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +5

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee broadsword +3 (2d4+2)

Special Attacks steadfast (+1 attack of opportunity per round)

Magic

Caster Level 1; MSB +1, MSD 12, Concentration +4
Tradition Demonology (Drawbacks: Draining Casting, Mental Focus; Boons: Fortified Casting), Madness Mantra; CAM Con
Spell Points 5

Mind Sphere - DC 13; Duration None; Range Close (25 ft); Talents Hostility, Powerful Charm; Drawbacks Empath

- Hostility (Lesser, Greater, Powerful)

- Powerful Charm

War Sphere - DC 13; Duration 1 minute or instantaneous; Range 50 ft; Talents None; Drawbacks None

- Totem (Totem of War)

- Rally (Commanding Aid)

Martial
Tradition Crushing Juggernaut (Equipment sphere: Armor Training, Custom Training; Brute sphere: Muscular Surge); PAM Con
Berserker sphere - DC 13, Talents Advancing Carnage, Drawbacks none
- berserking (take a penalty to AC in exchange for temporary hit points during a round)

- brutal strike (inflict the battered condition with a successful attack)

- advancing carnage (take a -2 on attacks to make a succession of additional attacks in a round)

Brute sphere - DC 13, Talents Brace Weapon, Muscular Surge, Drawbacks Armed Combatant
- shove (inflict the battered condition and bludgeoning damage through impact)
- brace weapon (use overrun with a heavy weapon or a shield)

- muscular surge (bonus +1 to jump and on Strength checks)

Equipment sphere - DC 13, Talents Armor Training, Custom Training

- armor training (proficiency with medium and heavy armor)
- custom training (discipline) (proficiency with broadsword, greatsword, longbow, battle axe, and greataxe)

Guardian sphere- DC 13, Talents none, Drawbacks none

- patrol (increase threatened area by 5 ft. as a full-round action)

Statistics

Str 14, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10

Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 12

Traits Adopted, Adventurous Explorer, Armor Expert

Feats Extra Combat Talent*, Weapon Focus (broadsword)

Skills Intimidate +4, Profession (sailor) +7, Sense Motive +7, Swim +6

Languages Common, Halfling, Norse

SQ vigil (Willpower)

Gear barbarian’s kit (9 gp), broadsword (20 gp), common cure (50 gp), heavy steel shield (20 gp), scale mail (50 gp)

Special Abilities

Berserker Sphere Berserkers are indomitable warriors with boundless reservoirs of endurance and unmatched destructive potential. Practitioners of the Berserker sphere gain the following abilities:

Berserker: Berserking As a free action at the start of each turn, you may choose to take a -2 penalty to AC in exchange for 3 temporary hit points. The penalty and the temporary hit points end at the start of your next turn. For every point of base attack bonus you have, the granted temporary hit points increase by 1.
See Adrenaline talents, below, for alternative benefits to gaining temporary hit points while berserking.

Berserker: Brutal Strike As a special attack action, you may make a melee attack against a target. Creatures damaged by a brutal strike gain the battered condition until the end of your next turn. You may expend martial focus to have the attack deal additional damage equal to twice your base attack bonus.
Each brutal strike may be modified by a single (exertion) talent.

Berserker: Advancing Carnage Whenever you make a melee attack using the attack action, you may choose to take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls made that round. If your attack hits, you may make an additional attack as a free action against a creature that is adjacent to the first and also within your reach. If this additional attack hits, you may make another additional attack against a new target adjacent to the struck target. You may continue attacking targets adjacent to your most recent struck target as long as you still have a valid target for this ability, but you cannot attack the same creature twice. The number of additional attacks made with this ability cannot exceed 1/2 your base attack bonus (minimum 1).
You can take this talent a second time, allowing you to take a single 5-ft. step as a free action after making an attack when using this ability. If doing so places a creature within your threatened area, that creature becomes a legal target for your additional attack(s) as long as it meets all the other prerequisites. Your movement with this talent cannot exceed your move speed. Associated Feats: Cleave, Great Cleave, Cleave Through when taken twice.

Brute Sphere Brutes like to throw their weight around, jostling and battering foes to move them about the battlefield. Brute practitioners are unarmed fighters who deal additional damage with their unarmed strikes as described in the unarmed strike practitioner table. Associated Feat: Improved Unarmed Strike.
All practitioners of the Brute sphere gain the following ability:

Brute: Shove As a move action, you may move up to half your speed and make a melee touch attack against a creature. If successful, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to your Strength modifier (or whichever attribute was used to make the check) and gains the battered condition until the end of your next turn. You may perform a shove in place of the attack granted by a charge, although this does not grant the extra movement.
Manhandle: When you successfully perform a bull rush, drag, reposition, or overrun combat maneuver (assuming the target decided to block you and did not simply move out of the way), you may apply the effect of one (manhandle) talent you know to that creature. (Manhandle) talents cannot be applied to maneuvers performed as a free action.

Armed Combatant [SA:MD] The Brute sphere does not grant increased unarmed damage, confer the benefits of Improved Unarmed Strike, or count as a sphere focused on unarmed combat. You do not treat Improved Unarmed Strike as an associated feat, and cannot select this drawback if you gained the Brute sphere instead of gaining Improved Unarmed Strike. In addition, you may not perform a shove without a shield or a weapon. You gain Brace Weapon with this drawback.
Incompatible: Burly.

Brute: Brace Weapon You may use a shield or a weapon held in two hands to perform an overrun maneuver. If using a shield, you may add the shield’s AC bonus to your CMB. If using a weapon held in two hands, you may add the weapon’s enhancement bonus, as well as bonuses to attack from spells or feats such as Weapon Focus, to your CMB. You may choose to use a shield bash as your weapon for this purpose, in which case the shield’s attack bonus, rather than its AC bonus, is used.
In addition, you may use one of the above to perform a shove, adding their bonuses to your shove’s attack roll. If using a weapon in this fashion, you may also add its enhancement bonus to your shove’s damage, as well as damage from appropriate special abilities such as flaming, holy, etc.

Brute: Muscular Surge As a move action, you gain a bonus equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus (minimum 1) on Acrobatics checks made to jump, to all Strength checks and Strength-based skill checks, as well as to your Strength for determining your carrying capacity, for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution modifier. This does not apply to combat maneuver checks nor attack and damage rolls. You are fatigued for 1d4 rounds after the duration ends, even if you would normally be immune to fatigue. If you are fatigued when you begin or end this effect, you are instead exhausted. If you are already exhausted, you cannot use this ability.
If you expend your martial focus, this bonus increases to become equal to your full base attack bonus, but automatically leaves you exhausted for 1d4 rounds afterward.

Draining Casting Using magic saps your lifeforce. Whenever you spend one or more spell points you are dealt 1 point of nonlethal damage which cannot be avoided by nonlethal damage immunity, reduced by damage reduction, and cannot be healed through any means except rest (a full night’s rest heals all nonlethal damage caused by this drawback at once). This nonlethal damage increases by 1 point for every 5 caster levels.

Equipment: Armor Training You gain proficiency with light armor and medium armor. If you are already proficient with light armor, you instead gain proficiency with medium armor and heavy armor. You may take this talent up to two times.

Equipment: Custom Training (discipline) Select 5 weapons; you gain proficiency with the selected weapons. Exotic weapons count as two weapons against your total (so you could gain 1 exotic weapon proficiency and proficiency in 3 martial or simple weapons, or proficiency in 2 exotic weapons and 1 martial or simple weapon). You may take this talent multiple times, selecting new weapons each time.

Fortified Casting You may use your Constitution as your casting ability modifier if it is higher than your usual casting ability modifier. You must possess the Draining Casting drawback to select this boon.

Guardian Sphere Guardians specialize in protecting their allies and drawing the ire of their enemies.
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.
In addition, choose one of the following packages:

Guardian: 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.
Talents with the (zone) tag grant additional effects to this ability. Each patrol may only benefit from one (zone) talent.

Madness Mantra [Apoc] Your magic fights against you for control. At the end of any round in which you spend 1 or more spell points you must succeed at a Will saving throw with a DC of 10 + 1/2 your magic skill bonus or enter into an enraged state at the beginning of your next turn. While enraged, you gain the antagonized condition, always treating the creature(s) closest to you as your antagonist(s).

The GM may rule that the nature of your power will make you focus specifically on your allies, or beings of great importance to you (for example power that comes from a demon bound inside you may cause you to inflict harm to those you value the most before it can be contained).

When you attempt a Sense Motive check to end the antagonized condition, the skill check is made against your own magic skill defense + your casting ability modifier (minimum DC 15).

Incompatible: Emotional Casting

Mental Focus Your magic requires you to have a focus that is not always possible to achieve. You normally have focus, but lose it whenever you fail a save versus mind-affecting magic, have a critical hit confirmed on you, or a condition causes you to lose the ability to concentrate (such as being nauseated or helpless or failing a forced concentration check such as from being entangled). Using magic without your mental focus requires you to attempt a concentration check (DC 20 + 1/2 caster level) to produce the desired effect. Failure means time (and any spell points) are spent, but no effect happens. If focus is lost, the caster can refocus by meditating as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Mind Sphere You gain the ability to alter the minds of others, causing them to act as you see fit. All (charm) and (cloud) effects are enchantment (compulsion) mind-affecting abilities.

Mind: Charm You may place charms on creatures. Charms require a standard action to use, have a range of close, and are subject to spell resistance. You may only use charms on targets that possess your own creature type (humanoid for humanoids, etc.) although the Expanded Charm talent changes this. Each charm has three strengths; lesser, greater, and powerful. Lesser charms are at-will abilities, but you may not target an individual creature more than once in a day with any individual lesser charm. Greater charms cost a spell point to use and powerful charms cost 2 points to use. You must possess the Powerful Charm talent before you may use any powerful charms.

Empath You do not gain the Suggestion charm. You must select a (charm) talent with the bonus talent granted by this drawback.

Mind: Hostility (charm) You cause the target to enter a blinding rage.
Lesser Charm: You compel the target to attack the nearest creature on its next turn (Will negates). The target moves until this creature is within range and makes at least one attack with a weapon, natural attack, or unarmed strike. If no such creature can be reached, the target instead deals damage to itself equal to 1d8 + its Strength modifier with whatever it has in hand.
Greater Charm: The target enters a rage for 1 round per caster level (Will negates if unwilling). The target gains a +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution, a +1 bonus to Will saves, and a -2 penalty to AC. In addition, the target cannot use any spells, nor any skills or class features based off of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. This counts as a barbarian’s rage, except the target is not fatigued at the end.
Powerful Charm: Same as the greater charm, but you may grant one of the following packages to the target as well:
Heroic Rage: The target’s bonus to Strength and Constitution increases to +4, and their bonus to Will saves increases to +2. The target may still use spells, as well as class features and skills based off of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
Brutal Rage: The target is compelled to hostility and each round attacks the nearest target to itself, be it friend or foe. If the creature cannot attack something during its turn, it deals 1d8 + its Strength modifier damage to itself with whatever it has in hand.

Mind: Powerful Charm You may spend 2 spell points to use the powerful charm and powerful cloud version of any charm or cloud you possess.

Mystical Guardian A warden gains the Guardian sphere as a bonus sphere, although he must select the (patrol) package. The warden also gains the sphere associated with his vigil as a bonus sphere.

Steadfast (Ex) A warden may make 1 additional attack of opportunity per round. For every 5 class levels that the warden possesses, he may make an additional 1 attack of opportunity per round. These additional attacks of opportunity stack with those granted by the Combat Reflexes or Muscular Reflexes feat.

Vigil (Su) Whereas some casters draw their magic from a divine presence or years of practice, the warden instead draws his magic from his will to protect. At 1st level, the warden chooses the source of his protective nature, known as a vigil. Once selected, this choice cannot be changed. (Vigils are listed below)

At 3rd level, the warden gains a vigil ability that augments his guard ability, in addition to gaining an additional vigil ability every 4 class levels beyond 3rd.

Vigil: Willpower A warden of willpower is incredibly resolute and willful, typically protecting the minds of their allies whilst opening them to a world of clarity and calm. These wardens focus around unity and prevention, granting their allies connection and calm when within their presence.
Vigil Sphere: Mind

War Sphere You can alter a battlefield, affecting both allies and enemies with your magic.

War: Totem As a standard action, you may place a totem. A totem is an effect on a 50-foot + 5 feet per 2 caster level radius area centered on you, but does not move as you do (if a totem is created entirely on top of a vehicle, it will move with that vehicle but only extend to the edge of the vehicle’s space). Creatures who leave this area lose the effects of your totem. You must concentrate to maintain a totem, but may always spend a spell point as a free action to allow a totem to remain for 1 minute per caster level without concentration.

You must remain within long range of the center of your totems when maintaining them through concentration. If you move beyond this range, the totem ends. The effects of a totem are subject to spell resistance.

When you gain the War sphere, you gain the following totem:

War: Totem Of War (totem) You and your allies gain a +2 circumstance bonus to all weapon damage rolls. This bonus increases by 1 for every 5 caster levels.

War: Rally A rally is a magical effect you may enact as an immediate action, targeting a creature within the area of effect of one of your totems (or with whom you share a mandate, as detailed below), granting the target bonuses or allowing them to take certain actions. You must be within long range of a target to rally that target. If a rally targets a specific creature, it is subject to spell resistance.

Some rallies can be used in response to other events, in which case the rally occurs before the triggering event completes, unless noted otherwise. Rallies that work from triggers can only be used when that trigger occurs, and can only affect those allies that the trigger applies to.

When you gain the War sphere, you gain the following rally:

War: Commanding Aid (rally) You may use the aid another action on the target. You must use your caster level + your casting ability modifier in place of your melee attack bonus for this purpose, and may aid them against any creature also within range of your rally.

Build
Gunnar is built with a 20-point buy and 140 gp starting wealth. He doesn’t use Warden as his favored class (he will use the human FCB when switching to Sentinel: see below). If using a lower point buy, you can lower Dexterity and Intelligence. If using a higher point buy (or rolling really well), your most important attributes are Constitution and Wisdom. Constitution is your casting statistic and affects the save DCs of all your magic and martial talents and your spell pool, and bolsters your hit points and Fort saves; Wisdom gives you great willpower and betters your Will save. Having a good Strength score is important for your fighting style too, and a high Charisma will allow you to become a beloved ship captain at high levels.

How to Play Gunnar

The son of an exiled Viking warrior, Gunnar was adopted by a halfling family when his parents died. He grew up learning to appreciate the halflings’ peaceful lifestyle, but was torn between that and his own yearning for adventure and inclination to violence. His raging powers first manifested when, as an adolescent, he fought to defend the lady of a castle from a giants’ attack, frightening him. Cursed by the ancestral gods of his tribe to risk losing control whenever he uses rage on himself, Gunnar doesn’t wish for anything more than learning to control this power- or get rid of it. Keeping his friends and family safe is just as important for him, and he won’t resort to violence unless it is strictly necessary, for fear of releasing the fury that sleeps in his body.

Future Abilities

Martial Absolute Determination, Advancing Carnage 2nd*, Armor Expert, Armored Defense, Barbaric Throw*, Cold Iron Call, Deathless, Defend Other, Dreadnought, Durable, Giant, Glutton for Punishment*, Greater Delayed Damage, Immovable Object, Indomitable, Shatter Earth, Steel Body, Titan, Unfettering Armor, Unstoppable Force

Magic  Inner Peace*, Protection Sphere (Limited Protection [aegis], Protected Soul), Reflection*, Terrifying Mind

Reinforcements Squadron Guardian

Feats Endurance, Extra Combat Talent x2, Extra Spell Points, Hive Mind, Power Attack, Protective Reserve, Squadron Commander*, Toughness, True Rage

Skills: Intimidate, Profession (sailor), Survival, and Swim are the most useful skills for this build.

After the 1st level in warden, take 11 levels in sentinel (Adamant Guardian), then 2 more levels in warden to gain the minor vigil power. The remaining levels can be assigned to either class.