Warmain

given round.Parry ranged attacks works only against ranged attacks and cannot be used in the same round as a normal parry. It works only against attacks the unfettered is aware of—he can’t parry an invisible opponent—and only against physical attacks (not spells or spell-like abilities) that the DM deems the unfettered could knock away with his weapon.For example,a human unfettered could not parry a boulder rolling down a hill or fired from a catapult.

Evasion (Ex): At 9th level the unfettered gains evasion.If exposed to any effect that normally allows a character to attempt a Reflex saving throw for halfdamage,the unfettered takes no damage following a successful saving throw.The character can use evasion only ifhe is wearing Light armor or no armor.

Parry Magic (Ex): At 13th level,the unfettered gains the ability to avoid spells in a manner similar to,but not as well as,a mage blade.He must have a magic weapon in hand to parry a spell.Only spells targeting the unfettered alone can be parried—not area spells or spells targeted elsewhere.Spells that do not allow a saving throw cannot be parried.The unfettered makes an attack roll opposed by the caster’s caster power check.Ifthe unfettered’s roll is higher,he gains a +4 competence bonus on the saving throw against the spell. The unfettered can parry only spells he is aware of;spells from invisible casters or mental-action only spells cannot be parried.He cannot parry a spell in the same round as he uses either parry ranged attacks or a standard parry,and he cannot parry more than one spell in a round.

“As I gaze into the eye ofmy enemy, I know that with my strength, my skill, and my trusted tools ofwar, I shall not fall.”

The ring ofbattle is the clarion call ofthe warmain.In times of strife,no better refuge exists than behind her protective shield. Trained in battle,girded in heavy armor,and capable ofwithstanding unbelievable punishment,the warmain is the warrior’s warrior. She does not rely on quickness or fancy swordplay,but instead on might,determination,and stalwart bravery.The only thing stronger than her will is the power running through her massive limbs.

The warmain’s strength comes not just from her personal might,but from strategy and tactics.Hers is the way ofthe wellplanned and well-prepared military campaign.She studies the histories and knows the stratagems ofpast warriors.She prefers to face an enemy with a plan in mind,and a backup plan for when something goes wrong.

Adventurers: Warmains are usually very serious—they go on quests and perform missions for some great purpose,whether it be to serve a lord,help a friend,earn a payment,or simply to secure an important area from threat.Many high-level members ofthis class end up as powerful lords ruling their own territories or as generals commanding their own armies.

Background: Sometimes warmains act as highly trained mercenaries.More often,they are elite soldiers or military leaders serving a powerful lord.Either way,they learn their skills through experience in military campaigns.First,however,they train in military

THEWARMAIN

Base Fortitude Reflex Will Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special

1 +1 +2 +0 +0 Sturdy 2 +2 +3 +0 +1 Bonus feat 3 +3 +3 +1 +1 — 4 +4 +4 +1 +2 Weapon specialization 5 +5 +4 +1 +2 — 6 +6/+1 +5 +2 +3 Bonus feat 7 +7/+2 +5 +2 +3 — 8 +8/+3 +6 +2 +3 Crushing blow 9 +9/+4 +6 +3 +4 — 10 +10/+5 +7 +3 +4 Bonus feat 11 +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +5 — 12 +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +5 Armor specialization 13 +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +6 — 14 +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +6 Bonus feat 15 +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +6 Crushing blow 2/day 16 +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +7 Weapon size increase 17 +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +7 — 18 +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +8 Bonus feat 19 +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +8 — 20 +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +9 Bonus feat,weapon mastery

colleges and prestigious and rigorous warguilds.The bonds of camaraderie and devotion forged in a warguild never diminish— each member learns both loyalty and leadership.

Races: The only races whose members rarely become warmains are the faen and litorians,both ofwhom usually reject the concept ofheavy armor and methodical military strategy.Giantish warmains have a long history ofmilitary victories and a high station in society.Some warmains like to remain encased in heavy armor so as to actually conceal their race and identity,just for the air ofmystery.

Other Classes: Warmains sometimes have difficulty seeing eye to eye with the unfettered,but they know the value ofshock troops and berserkers and deploy them as such.They also can appreciate the value ofakashics and spellcasters as support personnel. Warmains admire the dedication ofoathsworn and champions, although both can be dangerously foolhardy in their pursuit of their goals.Mage blades and totem warriors make good allies,as their abilities complement a warmain’s.All in all,warmains can find a use for anyone in their strategy.

NPCs: The dire warlord threatening a land with strife and conquest is likely a warmain.The power-mad magister’s bodyguards are warmains.The aging warrior willing to don his armor one last time to defend his land is a warmain.

Hit Die: d12

Skills

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Intelligence bonus) × 4

Skill Points at Higher Levels: 2 + Intelligence bonus

Class Skills: The warmain’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str),Craft (Int),Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha),Jump (Str),Knowledge (architecture) (Int), Knowledge (engineering) (Int),Knowledge (history) (Int),

Knowledge (nobility and courtesy) (Int),Ride (Dex),and Swim (Str).For more on these skills,see Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The warmain is proficient with all simple and martial weapons,Heavy,Medium,and Light armor, and shields.

Sturdy: At 1st level,the warmain gains the Sturdy feat for free. The character is free to take the feat again when available to her. Bonus Feats: At 2nd level,the warmain gets a bonus feat.The warmain gains an additional bonus feat every four levels thereafter (at 6th,10th,14th, and 18th),plus one at 20th level.These are in addition to the feat that other characters get every third level.Draw these bonus feats from the following list:Bloody Strike, Combat Reflexes,Exotic Armor Proficiency,Exotic Weapon Proficiency,Great Fortitude,Improved Critical*,Mighty Unarmed Strike,Mounted Combat (Trample,Ride-By Attack), Power Attack (Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Cleave,Power Charge,Sunder),Shield Specialization,Stomp, Stunning Blow,Sturdy, Tough Hide,Trample, Two-Weapon Fighting (Improved Two-Weapon Fighting,Massive TwoWeapon Fighting), Weapon Focus*,Weapon Specialization*. Some ofthese feats are ceremonial feats.The character need not go through the ceremony (or pay for it) to get a bonus ceremonial feat;even Unbound characters can acquire ceremonial bonus feats in this way.A warmain cannot acquire some ofthese bonus feats until she has gained one or more prerequisite feats;these feats are listed parenthetically after the prerequisite feat.A warmain can select feats marked with an asterisk (*) more than once,but it must be for a different weapon each time.The character still must meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat,including ability score and base attack bonus minimums (but not truenames).

Weapon Specialization (Ex): On achieving 4th level,the warmain gains the Weapon Specialization feat with a melee weapon of her choice.Weapon Specialization adds a +2 damage bonus with the chosen weapon.The warmain needs to have Weapon Focus

New Skill:Sneak

with that weapon to gain Weapon Specialization.Dexterity, Armor Check Penalty Crushing Blow (Ex): Once per day,the 8th-level and higher Characters use the Sneak skill to tread softly and move silently. The character’s Sneak check warmain can choose to channel great physical power into a single is opposed by the Listen check of anyone who blow in melee combat (which can be a part ofeither a full attack or might hear him. He can move up to one-half his normal speed at no penalty. At more than one- a single attack action).The attack,ifsuccessful,inflicts damage as if half, and up to the character’s full speed, he suf- the weapon inflicted a critical hit—even ifstriking a foe normally fers a –5 penalty to Sneak. It’s practically impossible (–20 penalty) to sneak around while immune to critical hits.Ifthe crushing blow attack inflicts an running or charging. actual critical hit,increase the critical’s multiplier by +1;thus,a Hiding: Characters can also use Sneak to hide. longsword inflicts a × 3 critical hit,while a greataxe inflicts a × 4 A character’s Sneak check is opposed by the Spot check of anyone who might see him. The critical hit.Ifthe crushing blow attack misses,the ability is still character can move up to one-half normal considered used for that day.A crushing blow does not trigger speed and hide at no penalty. At more than one-half, and up to his full speed, he suffers a special effects that occur only when critical hits occur,such as the –5 penalty. It’s practically impossible (–20 decapitating power ofa vorpal weapon.Starting at 15th level,the penalty) to hide while running or charging. warmain can make two crushing blow attacks per day. Larger and smaller creatures get size bonuses or penalties to Sneak checks made to hide as Armor Specialization (Ex): The 12th-level and higher warfollows: Fine +16, Diminutive +12, Tiny +8, Small main becomes proficient at moving so as to allow her armor to +4, Large –4, Huge –8, Gargantuan –12, Colossal –16. deflect the most possible force from each attack.The armor bonus If people are observing the character, even for any armor the warmain uses increases by +1 for Light and casually, he can’t hide. The character can run Medium armor and +2 for Heavy armor.So plate armor provides around a corner to get out of sight and then hide, but the onlookers know at least where he the warmain a +10 armor bonus rather than +8.Enhancement went. However, if the onlookers are momentari- bonuses on the armor are not affected. ly distracted (as by a Bluff check; see below), the character can attempt to hide. While the Weapon Size Increase (Ex): Warmains of16th level and onlookers turn their attention from the charac- beyond can use weapons one size category larger than themselves ter, he can attempt a Sneak check if he can get to a hiding place of some kind. (As a general as one-handed weapons,and two size categories larger than guideline, the hiding place has to be within 1 themselves as two-handed weapons.Thus,a verrik warmain could foot for every rank he has in Sneak.) However, the character makes this check at –10 because use a greatsword in one hand (with a shield) or a giant’s sword he has to move fast. in both hands. Characters trying to move silently and hide at Weapon Mastery (Ex): The 20th-level and higher warmain the same time make only one Sneak check, which is opposed by either Spot or Listen. advances in the skills learned with Weapon Specialization,increasing the damage bonus to +4 rather than +2.The weapon chosenThe character can use Bluff to help him hide. A successful Bluff check can create the momen- need not be the same weapon the character uses with Weapon tary diversion he needs to attempt a Sneak Specialization,but the warmain still must have Weapon Focus withcheck to hide while people are aware of his presence. the chosen weapon.