A spear warden is a spear fighter who focuses on getting into the thick of a crowded melee. While most lancers aim to keep their foes at bay with the reach of their polearms, spear wardens make use of both ends, spinning their spears around to strike at their foes from up close. Their style of combat can be particularly lethal when they jump behind a group of enemies and let loose with a whirlwind of slashes and strikes.
The spear warden is an archetype of the dragoon class.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The spear warden mainly focuses on STR/DEX for martial combat and STR and DEX for their class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Deadly Lancer, Strengthened Agility. 2nd – Dragoon Talent. 3rd – Blood of the Dragon, Lancet. 4th – Dragoon Talent, Elusive Jump. 5th – Dragon’s Breath 6th – Dragoon Talent, Wyrmkiller. 8th – Dragoon Talent, Tail Sweep. 10th – Dragoon Talent, Ride the Wind. 11th – Dragon Sight. 12th – Dragoon Talent. 13th – Multi-Jump 14th – Dragoon Talent. 16th – Dragoon Talent. 17th – Stardiver. 18th – Dragoon Talent. 20th – Dragoon Talent.
Acrobatic Focus (Ex)
Starting at 1st level, the spear warden gains the feat Skill Focus (Acrobatics) as a bonus feat.
This ability replaces strengthened agility.
Vorpal Thrust (Ex)
If a spear warden can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The spear warden’s attack deals extra precision damage anytime his target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the spear warden flanks his target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every 3 dragoon levels thereafter. If he gains the sneak attack ability from another source, the bonuses stack.
This ability replaces deadly lancer.
Spear Dancing Style (Ex)
Starting at 1st level, the spear warden gains the feat Spear Dancing Style as a bonus feat. At 7th level he gains Spear Dancing Spiral, and at 9th level he gains Spear Dancing Reach as bonus feats. The spear warden obtains these feats even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
This ability replaces blood of the dragon, lancet, tail sweep, and wyrmkiller.
Thief Training (Ex or Su)
Starting at 2nd level, the spear warden gains a thief talent. He gains an additional talent for every two levels of spear warden attained after 2nd level. Unless specified otherwise, a spear warden cannot select an individual talent more than once. The spear warden treats his dragoon levels as thief levels for the purposes of qualifying for talents. Talents that would require or affect Sneak Attack instead can use Vorpal Thrust.
- A complete list of thief talents can be found here: Thief Talents
This ability replaces dragoon talents.
Springing Charge (Ex)
At 4th level, when the spear warden jumps a distance of 10 or more feet using a charge action, he may move after the attack, but the spear warden’s total distance that he can move cannot be greater than his speed. The spear warden does not provoke any attacks of opportunity from the target of his attack. A spear warden cannot use this ability to attack a foe that is adjacent to him at the start of his turn.
This ability replaces elusive jump.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
At 5th level, a spear warden gains the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does he lose his Dex bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. He still loses his Dexterity bonus to armor class if immobilized. A spear warden with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to armor class if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him. If a spear warden already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
This ability replaces dragon’s breath.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
At 10th level and higher, a spear warden can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a thief the ability to sneak attack the spear warden by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more thief levels than the target has spear warden levels. If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum thief level required to flank the character.
This ability replaces ride the wind.
Disembowel (Ex)
Starting at 11th level, when the spear warden would be flanking an opponent the bonus is instead +4.
This ability replaces dragon sight.
Raiden Thrust (Ex)
Starting at 13th level, when the spear warden is adjacent to an ally, or sharing a square, and both threatens the same opponent, he is considered to be flanking that opponent, regardless of his actual positioning.
This ability replaces multi-jump.
Greater Raiden Thrust (Ex)
Starting at 17th level, the benefits of the Disembowel and Raiden Thrust class features are shared with all allies that threaten the same creatures as the spear warden.
This ability replaces stardiver.
