Svanzic Guard

The monks who roam the Kingdom are not just punch-happy friars who wander the dusty country roads, hermits expert in mystical wrestling who sat alone for years to meditate on pillars and columns, or abbots who give the commandments of the "Slap One Another" in the coolness of their monasteries. In fact, there are noble and sought-after monastic traditions, exclusive and secret, which represent, if you will, "the aristocracy" of the Brawly Orders of the Creed. The most famous of these is the Svanzic Guard, a battalion of unarmed combat and halberd expert monks, representing the most important religious congregation of the Svanzic cult in the territories of the Gray League and throughout Elevezia.

Both because of a centuries-old tradition and as a sign of friendship between the Elevezia's patriarch and that of Alazia, a squad of Svanzic Guards is sent and maintained as the Patriarch King of Vaticin City's chosen guard.

This small army constitutes the elite corps at the disposal of the higher hierarchies of the Creed of Alazia, and sometimes some of its members are sent on missions as spies, observers, informants, or messengers. That's how many of them also end up serving in Bands and companies throughout the Kingdom, where they always stand out for their matchless training.

This religious order's monks are known for their martial training and their high standard of living, and huge personal wealth. Their wages are very high and paid in svanzics, Elevezia's silver coins. Those stationed in Vaticin City are in charge of maintaining public order, investigating the most dangerous crimes, commanding the town's common guards, guarding the innermost part of the Creed's buildings, and escorting its major officers. The number of these monks is always kept at around 500 units, and their turnover occurs slowly, with reinforcements sent from the motherland once a year.

The Svanzic Guard Table

Class Features
As a Svanzic Guard, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per svanzic guard level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per svanzic guard level after 1st

Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: Simple weapons, punching daggers, shortswords, throwing daggers
Tools: Choose one type of artisan’s tools or one musical instrument
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, History, Insight, Perception, Religion and Stealth

Equipment
You begin the game with 30 silver which you can spend on your knave's starting weapons, armor, and adventuring gear. You can only purchase shoddy quality equipment.

Level 1

Agile Defense
While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Martial Arts
Your trail to perfection gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and svanzic guard weapons, which are quarterstaffs, punching daggers, shortswords, and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property.

You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only svanzic guard weapons and you aren’t wielding a shield:

• You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and svanzic guard weapons.
• You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or svanzic guard weapon. This die changes as you gain friar levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Svanzic Guard table.
• When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a svanzic guard weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with a quarterstaff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven’t already taken a bonus action this turn.

Level 2

Adept Speed
Your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield.

Exertion Focus
Your training allows you to harness your mental energy into a supernatural state of focus. Your access to this energy is represented by your exertion pool.

You can spend exertion points to fuel various focus features. You start knowing three such features:

Flurry of Blows
Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 exertion to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.

Long Step
You can spend 1 exertion to take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on your turn, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.

Patient Defense
You can spend 1 exertion to take the Dodge action as a bonus action on your turn.

Leading Throw
An opponent that strikes at you invites peril as they find the momentum from their attack turned against them.

When a creature within your reach misses you with a melee weapon attack, you can use your reaction to try to throw it. The creature makes a Dexterity saving throw or moves 15 feet in a straight line in a direction of your choice. The DC to resist this effect is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Level 3

Extract Aspects
You can strike pressure points to intuit crucial information about a foe.

When you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can analyze it. Whenever an analyzed creature misses you with an attack, you can immediately use your reaction to make an unarmed strike against that creature if it’s within your reach. This benefit lasts until you finish a short rest or a long rest.

Additionally, when you analyze a creature, you learn all of its damage vulnerabilities, damage resistances, damage immunities, and condition immunities.

Eye for Detail
You notice patterns others cannot.

As an action, you can spend 1 exertion to study a creature you have watched speak for at least 1 minute. You can ask one of these questions:

• Is the creature hiding any strong emotions?
• Does the creature have a secret agenda?
• Did the creature lie in the last minute?
• Is the creature hiding their true heritage and/or culture?

You will receive a truthful answer.

Training of the Guard
You specialize in the traditions of the ancient order of the Svanzic Guards and become a master in the use of the halberd. You gain the following benefits:

• Proficiency in the Religion skill.
• Proficiency in the halberd, which is from now on considered a svanzic guard weapon for you.
• While you wield a halberd, you have a +2 bonus to AC when you take the Dodge action.
• While you wield a halberd, other creatures that enter your range provoke an opportunity attack. You must make the opportunity attack with the halberd.
• When you hit a creature with a halberd attack, you can spend 1 exertion point to attempt to knock that creature prone. The target must make a successful Constitution saving throw or be knocked prone. The DC to resist this effect is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

Level 4

Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Battle Dance
You gain proficiency in the Performance skill. As a bonus action, you can spend 2 exertion to bob and sway, starting a battle dance. Until the end of your turn, your Speed increases by 20 feet and opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage. When an opportunity attack misses you, you can use your reaction to retaliate with an unarmed strike.

Wall Walk
You gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces on your turn without falling during the move.

You can use a bonus action and spend 1 exertion to cast spider climb on yourself. The effect lasts until the start of your next turn.

Warding Wield
With seeming ease you whirl your weapon about your body, weaving it in a threatening pattern that makes your opponents hesitant to attack.

You use a bonus action to increases your AC by 2. The effect lasts until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Level 5

Deflect Missiles
You can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack.

When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your svanzic guard level.

If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 exertion to make a ranged weapon attack with the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and the missile counts as a svanzic guard weapon for the attack, which has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.

Extra Attack
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Level 6

Deflect Strike
With a bit of effort as an opponent strikes at you, you can knock the blow away and divert the attack.

When a creature hits you with a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the attack’s damage by a number of d6 equal to your proficiency bonus.

If this reduces the damage to 0, the attack becomes a miss.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Mirage Dance
As a bonus action, you can spend 2 exertion to swiftly start a mirage dance. Until the end of your next turn, you are under the effect of the mirror image spell.

Sacred Svanzic Dogma
You can use your exertion to duplicate the effects of certain spells.

As an action you can spend 2 exertion points to cast beacon of hope, searing smite, shield of faith, or spirit guardians without providing any material components. Additionally, you gain the thaumaturgy cantrip.

Water Walk
You gain the ability to move across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.

You can use a bonus action and spend 1 exertion to cast water walk on yourself. The effect lasts until the start of your next turn.