Breach Guard

The Breach Guard is trained in various defensive combat styles and battle in confined spaces. Known as a Defender to the dwarfs and a Breach Gnome to their smaller cousins, their purpose is the protection of their community. Operating singly or in a line, Breach Guards fearlessly hold off forces many times their number to buy their kin time for escape or victory.

Properties

• Hit Die: d12.
• AB Progression: Medium.
• Primary Save: Fortitude and Will.
• Skill Points: 3 + Int Modifier.
• Class Skills: Balance, Heal, Knowledge, Parry, Perception, Sense Motive.

Requirements

• Alignment: Any Lawful
• Base Attack Bonus: +4.
• Feats: Toughness.
• Race: Dwarf or Gnome.

Progression

Available

Lvl	BAB	Saves			Feats	HP range	Damage reduction	Def. stance uses per day
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Defensive Stance I	12±CON Modifier	-	1
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Defensive Awareness I	24±CON Modifier	-	1
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Damage Reduction III, Defensive Stance II	36±CON Modifier	3/-	2
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Bonus Feat	48±CON Modifier	3/-	2

Not Accessible

Lvl	BAB	Saves			Feats	HP range	Damage reduction	Def. stance uses per day
		Fort	Ref	Will
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Defensive Stance III, Defensive Awareness II	60±CON Modifier	3/-	3
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Damage Reduction VI	72±CON Modifier	6/-	3

Feats

• Defensive Stance - This combat mode prevents the Breach Guard from moving, but grants +2 STR, +4 CON, +2 to all saves and +4 AC until cancelled. Each rank allows an additional use per day.
• Defensive Awareness I - The character retains his dexterity bonus to AC, even if caught flat-footed or attacked by a hidden or invisible creature.
• Defensive Awareness II - The character can no longer be flanked, since he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attack.
• Damage Reduction - The Breach Guard gains DR 3/- or 6/- against all physical attacks.

Bonus Feat list:

• Improved Defense
• Expertise
• Improved Expertise
• Improved Parry
• Skill Focus: Parry
• Greater Skill Focus: Parry
• Shield Bash
• Shield Wall
• Great Shield Proficiency

Class Route to Prestige

This assumes the character has only a single class to meet the requirements and is non-human before taking the prestige class (PrC). Human characters will have greater flexibility in regards to feat progression due to the extra feat granted at character creation by their racial bonus, Quick to Master. Some class routes to prestige may also favour multi-classing in order to more effectively meet pre-requisites or to better synergise the character's skill set to suit the PrC, however caution is advised as most PrCs have strict skill requirements and the wrong combination of classes (due to cross-classing of skills) may result in further delaying and reducing the levels of a prestige class obtainable or render it entirely unobtainable for the character.

Base Class	Minimum Base Class Level	Maximum Prestige Class Level	Toughness
Barbarian	4th Level	4th Level	1st or 3rd Level
Fighter	4th Level	4th Level	1st or 3rd Level
Paladin	4th Level	4th Level	1st or 3rd Level
Ranger	4th Level	4th Level	1st or 3rd Level
Monk	4th Level	4th Level	1st or 3rd Level
Rogue	6th Level	2nd Level	1st or 3rd Level
Druid	6th Level	2nd Level	1st or 3rd Level
Priest	6th Level	2nd Level	1st or 3rd Level