Warden

The Covenant forbids using flux to harm, with one exception, and you are it. You carry the gift into battle in steel and conviction, and your sword shines when it finds what the Covenant has named an abomination. Heretics fear you. So do the ashen. Some days, so do you.

Adventures. Wardens are the enforcers of the Celestial Covenant, its "peacekeepers." They hunt heretics who make claims against flux, root out ashen, guard votaries in dangerous places, and hold the line against the exspiratis. In Caerdydd they work alongside Gilirak's Peacekeepers. A few wardens break with the Covenant and keep the gift without its leash. These are heretic wardens, knights with no order, and the Covenant hunts them as it hunts any heretic (see The Heretic Warden).

Characteristics. A warden is a heavily armored warrior who channels flux through their body and blade. They sense the flow of life around them, strike abominations with a radiant Flux Strike, mend wounds with a touch, and can cut a heretic or an ashen off from their power with Sever the Flow. At higher levels they gain a few flux spells of their own.

Outlook. Covenant wardens are the Covenant's law, sworn to obey its orders. Heretic wardens answer to no order but their own judgment.

Religion. Covenant wardens serve the Covenant as a whole, and many favor Aostre. Heretic wardens serve no god and no order. Some still pray, and some have stopped.

Background. Wardens are chosen from gifted children and trained by the Covenant from youth: arms, law, scripture and the detection of heresy. Some are drawn from the ranks of Usmon's Justicars. Heretic wardens are usually Covenant wardens who saw something they couldn't accept.

Races. Only humans born with the gift can become wardens.

Other Classes. Wardens protect votaries and are protected by them. They are suspicious of aetherians, merciless toward fleshgrafters, whom the Covenant calls heretics, and watch every ashen in the room. They rely on engineers for their guns and don't like to talk about it. Fighters respect their skill. Runners avoid their gaze.

Role. The warden is a front-line fighter with self-healing, strong saves and a punishing strike against the setting's most dangerous foes: ashen, exspiratis, malumtene and souldriven.

Abilities. Charisma powers Flux Strike, Mending Touch, Flux-Steeled and Sever the Flow. Wisdom powers warden spells. Strength and Constitution keep a warden fighting.

Race: Human, born with the gift for flux.

Hit Die: d10.

Starting Wealth: 6d4 × 10 gl (150 gl).

Class Skills

The warden's class skills (and the key ability for each) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis) and Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

All of the following are class features of the warden.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Wardens are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with shields (except tower shields). Covenant wardens are also trained with firearms (see Firearms and Artillery), the inquisitor's weapon of choice. Heretic wardens are not.

Oath: At 1st level, a warden swears to the Covenant or becomes a heretic. There is no middle ground.

• Covenant: The warden must obey the Covenant's orders, hunt heretics, protect its faithful and never use flux to harm except as the Covenant permits. Flux Strike and Radiant Weapon against heretics and abominations are always permitted. Any other harmful use requires a Restraint save (see Rules of Flux). In return, Covenant wardens have the authority to detain suspected heretics, buy Covenant arms, armor and firearms at cost, and receive atonement without charge once per character level.
• Heretic: The warden reaches the flow without the Covenant. They never make Restraint saves and fight with flux the Covenant forbids, and the Covenant's wardens hunt them. The heretic warden is a subclass with its own features, described in The Heretic Warden.

Heretics and Abominations. For a Covenant warden, these are exspiratis and anything bound to one (ashen, skitz, exspiratis-bound weapons and their wielders), malumtene, souldriven, riftcallers and their servants, and flux users outside the Covenant. A heretic warden has no such list (see The Heretic Warden).

Sense the Flow (Sp): A warden can use sense the flow at will, as the spell.

Flux Strike (Su): Once per day, a warden can strike with flux. They add their Charisma bonus (if any) to one melee attack roll and deal 1 extra point of damage per warden level. Covenant wardens can use it only against heretics and abominations without a Restraint save. Heretic wardens can use it against any living creature. A strike against an invalid target has no effect but still uses the attempt. Uses increase to 2/day at 5th level, 3/day at 10th, 4/day at 15th and 5/day at 20th.

Flux-Steeled (Su): At 2nd level, a warden adds their Charisma bonus (if any) to all saving throws.

Mending Touch (Su): At 2nd level, a warden with a Charisma score of 12 or higher can heal wounds by touch, their own or others'. Each day they can heal a total number of hit points equal to their warden level × their Charisma bonus. They can divide this healing among multiple uses, and using it is a standard action.

Steadfast Heart (Su): At 3rd level, a warden is immune to fear, magical or otherwise. Allies within 10 feet gain a +4 morale bonus on saves against fear while the warden is conscious.

Hardy Flow (Ex): At 3rd level, a warden is immune to all diseases, magical or otherwise.

Sever the Flow (Su): At 4th level, a Covenant warden can cut a creature off from flux a number of times per day equal to 3 + their Charisma modifier. Using it is a standard action against one creature within 30 feet, which must make a Will save (DC 10 + ½ warden level + Charisma modifier) or suffer the effects of sever the flow for 1 round per two warden levels. It can't cast divine spells or use flux abilities, and an ashen immediately ends its Manifestation and can't manifest or use Gifts. Feats that add uses of turn undead add uses of Sever the Flow instead. Heretic wardens gain Unchained Flux in its place.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a warden can cast a small number of divine spells drawn from the warden spell list. They prepare spells as a votary does but have no domains, and their caster level is one-half their warden level. To prepare or cast a spell, a warden must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level. A warden gets bonus spells for a high Wisdom score. A 0 on the table means the warden gets only bonus spells of that level. Every warden spell by level is in Spells by Class.

Radiant Weapon (Su): At 5th level, as a swift action, a warden can fill their weapon with flux. For a number of rounds equal to their Charisma modifier (minimum 1), it sheds light as a torch and deals an extra 1d6 points of damage to living creatures. A Covenant warden using it on anything but heretics and abominations must make a Restraint save. They can use it once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day at 9th, 13th and 17th level.

Purge Ailment (Sp): At 6th level, a warden can use remove disease once per week. They can use it one additional time per week at 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th level.

Ex-Wardens: A Covenant warden who grossly violates their oath, or who fails a Restraint save, loses all spells and supernatural class features until they receive atonement. A Covenant warden who breaks with the Covenant and reaches the flow on their own becomes a heretic warden: they lose Sever the Flow and firearm training, gain Unchained Flux and the heretic's Flux Strike, and are hunted from that day on.

A warden who reaches the flow without the Covenant's leave is a heretic, like any votary who does the same. There is no oath in between. Heretic wardens are knights with no order: some were Covenant wardens who saw too much, and some were never ordained at all. They fight with flux the Covenant forbids, and the wardens they once trained beside are sworn to kill them.

A warden chooses the heretic path at 1st level, in place of the Covenant oath, or turns heretic later (see Ex-Wardens). The heretic warden uses the warden table and every warden rule, with the changes below.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A heretic warden isn't trained with firearms. Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) costs them a feat, as it does anyone else.

Unbound Current (Su): A heretic warden never makes Restraint saves and can prepare forbidden (†) spells from the warden list freely.

Flux Strike (Su): A heretic warden's Flux Strike works against any living creature. It has no effect on constructs (including souldriven), objects or anything else with no flux in it, which a Covenant warden can strike if it is an abomination.

Radiant Weapon (Su): A heretic warden can use Radiant Weapon against any living creature. It still doesn't harm constructs.

Unchained Flux (Su): At 4th level, in place of Sever the Flow, a heretic warden can hurl raw flux a number of times per day equal to 3 + their Charisma modifier. As a standard action, they make a ranged touch attack against one living creature within 30 feet, dealing 1d6 points of damage per two warden levels. Feats that add uses of turn undead add uses of Unchained Flux instead. A heretic warden can't cut others off from flux. That art belongs to the Covenant, which teaches it only to its own.

Ex-Heretic Wardens: A heretic warden loses flux only through doubt, as a heretic votary does (see Ex-Heretics). A heretic warden who wants to return to the Covenant must receive atonement and swear the Covenant oath, and the Covenant rarely believes them.

Hunter or Protector? A Covenant warden is a heretic-hunter by job description. That puts you in tension with an ashen, malumtene or heretic votary in your own party. Talk about it before play, and decide what your warden does when the Covenant's orders and the party's needs collide. That's the story.

Know Your Targets. Flux Strike, Radiant Weapon and Sever the Flow are at their best against ashen and exspiratis. Against ordinary foes, a warden is a strong armored fighter who heals themselves.

Charisma Matters. Charisma drives most of the warden's abilities. Don't neglect it.