Abilities and characteristics	Special abilities	Rules and restrictions	Guardians in the campaign	New spells
Dragon	-	Classes	-	Dragon 129

Halfling guardians are a rare subclass of
fighters with special abilities and clerical
spell-use. Guardians are typically commanders of halfling fighters  in  wartime
and troubleshooters in times of peace. In
areas where guardians appear, an average
halfling community has one guardian for
every 25 halflings. Villages situated in
dangerous areas may have more, perhaps
two or three for every 25 halflings, while
those in safer locales have less (one for
every 50 halflings or none at all). In any
case, no more than 10 will guard any
single community.

The patron god of all guardians is Arvoreen the Defender (see  Unearthed Arcana,
pages 115-116, or the Best of DRAGON®
Magazine Anthology, Volume III, pages 20-
21). Guardians are taught to have utmost
respect for their patron and his clerics, as
both play an important part in guardian
training. Guardians are often sheriffs or
deputies whose function is to keep domestic affairs in order. Even if guardians do
not hold these positions, the sheriff or
clerics of the halflings can always call
upon guardians for assistance.

Abilities and characteristics
Only exceptional halflings can become
halfling guardians. The class requires no
prime requisite, and guardians do not
receive an experience-point bonus for high
ability scores. To determine the needed
scores, use Table 1. Saving throws and
combat attacks are made on the fighter?s
tables. Hit dice are eight-sided, with one
gained for every level up to the 9th (the
maximum level that can be gained). Any
armor, shield, or weapons may be used, as
well as oil, but poison cannot be used at
all. Initial weapon selection is restricted, as
noted under ?Proficiencies? below, and
t h e i r   s i z e   p r o h i b i t s   t h e   u s e   o f   m a n y   w e a p o n s   a s   w e l l
[see "Two Hands Are Better Than One," in DRAGON issue #127].

Race:  Halfling guardians must be halflings, of course, but may be of the tallfellow, stout, or hairfeet subrace.

Alignment:  Guardians may only be lawful good, lawful neutral, or neutral good.
Wandering guardians may have changed
to chaotic good or neutral alignments, but
this is extremely rare. About 70% of all
guardians are lawful good.

Starting money:  Guardians receive 30-
180 gp.

Number of attacks per round:  Guardians
receive attacks of 1/1 up to 6th level, and
3/2 at 7th-9th level.

Followers:  Guardians do not gain any
followers.

Proficiencies:  Guardians begin their
careers with proficiencies in four weapons; they acquire one additional weapon
proficiency at 4th, 7th, and 9th levels.
Their nonproficiency penalty is -2. Halfling guardians may use any weapon their
size permits, but must be proficient with
the short sword, the short bow, and the
sling at 1st level. The fourth weapon is
usually the dagger, although the axe,
spear, knife, hammer, mace, dart, scimitar
or even the trident are possible. Guardians
of 1st-level experience have two nonweapon proficiencies  (see Dungeoneer's
Survival Guide,  pages 23-29).

Special abilities
Guardians have the bonuses normal
halflings have, as per the Players Handbook,  page 17. They are + 3 to hit with
bow and sling, and save at + 4 or + 5
against rods, staves, wands, and poison
(according to constitution).

At 1st level, guardians are + 1 to hit and
damage when wielding short swords; at
6th level, they are + 2.

Guardians have the ability to track as
rangers do (as per  Unearthed Arcana),  but
at -20%. Thus, a 1st-level guardian has a
basic - 10% chance to track quarry. When
indoors, there is an additional - 10%.

A guardian can heal himself by calling
on religious power. He must be in a state
of complete rest similar to a trance. The
power heals 1 hp per level of the guardian
for every five rounds spent in concentration, up to a maximum of 15 rounds. This
healself  ability can only be used once per
day. For example: A 7th-level guardian
spends one turn healing himself. He regains 14 hp (7 X 2). He can?t heal himself
again that day, although he could have
spent five more rounds healing himself if
he hadn?t stopped.

At 3rd level, guardians acquire a special
warning sense. If a guardian is in a familiar place and evil is nearby, there is a
chance that he will sense it by making a
saving throw vs. poison (without bonuses).
If the roll fails, the guardian senses nothing unless the evil being remains nearby
for another turn. The range of this power is 120 yards,
and it only functions when the guardian concentrates upon using it.

At 5th level and above, guardians are
able to cast spells. Spell-use ability up to
third level is available for clerical and
some druidic spells (including five new
spells); see Tables 2 and 3 for details.
Guardians who are with a specific community and church need pay only a quarter of the normal fees required to gain a
level of experience. This fee represents a
donation to the clerics. Wandering guardians, however, must pay normal costs to
advance in level.

R u l e s   a n d   r e s t r i c t i o n s
Halfling guardians have a number of
restrictions and rules they must follow:
Guardians defending a specific community may not accumulate wealth beyond
what they need to cover moderate living
expenses. (This restriction is usually relaxed slightly for the rare and important
high-level guardians.) Any excess money
acquired from monsters or intruders is
immediately donated to the community
government and the churches. (In a typical
halfling village, there may be only one or
two churches that have shrines for all the
halfling gods.)

If a guardian becomes evil, he is immediately stripped of all special powers and
becomes a normal fighter. If the alignment
change was involuntary, the former guardian might be allowed to return to the class
after performing a quest and penance,
Like cavaliers and paladins, halfling
guardians must follow a code of conduct,
but it is simpler and less restrictive than
those of other classes. If obeying a rule of
conduct would cause the death of the
guardian, he is allowed to break it, although he may be expected to perform a
simple penance later. The first rule is the
exception:

1. Guardians may never flee from an
enemy unless all those under his protection have safely escaped.

2. Like their patron Arvoreen, guardians
never attack first. However, if obvious
invaders (such as orc raiders) are about to
enter the village, the invaders are considered to have attacked first. This point is
subject to interpretation, of course, but
Arvoreen may be flexible in his final
judgment.

3. Guardians will defend the honor of
their god and race.

4. Guardians will respect and obey the
clerics and druids of all the halfling gods.

Guardians in the campaign
The guardians' job of defending halfling
communities does not leave time to practice another trade. Consequently, halfling
guardians receive money by collecting
taxes from the community. In simpler
communities, guardians request what they
need from other halflings, who are obliged
to fulfill the request. In return, guardians

patrol the community and surrounding
areas, driving away or killing monsters
and intruders. They also command the
defense of the village when invaders attack and keep the peace within the village.
Any zero-level halfling who feels qualified to be a guardian can apply for training. Training for this class often lasts for
several years. In the final test, clerics
perform a special ritual to determine if the
candidate meets Arvoreen's standards and
is finally worthy of becoming a guardian.
There are usually several candidates at the
start of a training period; most, however,
aren't determined or competent enough to
complete the course. Sometimes, though,
two, three, or even more halflings complete training and are approved. If there
are more guardians than the community
needs and can comfortably support, some
must leave. If none of the older guardians
retire, one of the younger ones must volunteer to return to normal halfling life or
become a wanderer. Because only the
most adventuresome halflings become
guardians anyway, there are usually some
who are happy to take the second option.
Regardless of what they do (such as becoming an adventurer or finding a steady
job), wandering guardians must still follow
the guardian?s code and defend those who
need to be defended.

If the DM agrees, wandering halfling
guardians may be used as PCs. Note that
guardians are not an official class and
might not be well-fitted to a campaign.

N e w   s p e l l s
The following are spells gained only by
halfling guardians. The spell-use information
for guardians is found in Tables 2 and 3.

Humansize  (Alteration)
Level:  1
Range:  Touch
Duration:  5 rounds/level above the 4th
Components:  V,S
CT:  2 segments
ST:  None
AE: One halfling

Explanation/Description:  This spell
makes a halfling grow to the size of a
human and appear exactly human in all
ways. Everything the halfling is wearing
and carrying also grows proportionately. A
short sword, for example, grows to the
size of a long sword. The spell does not
cause the halfling to be disoriented or
clumsy; the recipient is adjusted to and in
control of the larger body as if it were
normal-sized. The larger halfling also gains
two additional points of strength. If the
halfling's strength goes above 18, it goes to
the first percentile rank on the strength
tables on page 9 of the  Players Handbook
(e.g., a halfling with a strength of 17 increases to 18, which becomes 18/01 for
the duration of the spell). The true race of
humansized  halflings can not be discovered even by magical means. If the guardian casts the spell on himself, he can
return to normal at will. But if the spell
was cast on another, that halfling remains
humansized until the spell expires.

Warning Shout  (Alteration)
Level: 1 Components: V,S
Range: 0 CT: 1 segment
Duration: Instant. ST: None
AE: ½-mile radius

Explanation/Description:  A halfling
guardian who casts a  warning shout can
project a single word loud enough to be
heard outdoors approximately a half-mile
away. The sound is magically amplified so
that it is the same volume close to the
spell-caster as it is at the edge of the spell?s
radius. Only one word may be projected
using this spell (such as ?Intruders!? or
?Help!?). The caster must decide what the
word is when praying for the spell, not
when casting it.

Sparkling Sword  (Evocation)
Level:  2
Range:  0
Duration:  See below
Components:  V,M
CT: 1 segment
ST:  None
AE:  Spell-caster’s sword

Explanation/Description:  When this
spell is cast, the guardian's sword takes on
a bright, sparkling silver glow (silver is
Arvoreen's holy color). There are two
applications of the spell. The first effect
lasts for only one round and only one
attack; that attack is at +2 to hit and +3
to damage. It allows the spell-caster to
strike creatures hit only by +2 weapons.
If the attack misses, the spell is wasted.

The second form of the spell is not as
powerful as the first but lasts longer. This
effect lasts for five rounds plus one round
per level above 6th. All attacks made while
the spell is in effect are at +1 to hit and
+1 to damage, and affect creatures hit
only by +1 weapons. When the spell is
finished, the sword must save vs. crushing
blow as hard metal or be ruined. If there
is 10 gp or more worth of silver in the
sword or hilt, the sword receives a +2
bonus on the saving throw. The material
components are a short sword and a pinch
of sulfur, which is tossed upon the sword's
blade.

Blazing Sword  (Evocation)
Level: 3
Range: 0
Duration:  See below
Components:  V,M
CT: 1 segment
ST: None
AE: Spell-caster?s sword

Explanation/Description: Blazing sword
is a stronger version of sparkling sword.
The first version of the spell lasts one
round and makes the caster's next attack
+3 to hit and +5 to damage. The second
use makes the sword +1 to hit and +2 to
damage for four rounds plus one per level
over 7th. The effect upon the sword following
the spell's casting is the same as
that of a sparkling blade spell. The components
used are also the same as for the
sparkling blade.

Giantsize  (Alteration)
Level:  3
Range:  Touch
Duration:  9 rounds +3 rounds/level above 7th
Components: V,S
CT: 3 segments
ST: None
AE:  One halfling

Explanation/Description:  Giantsize is
similar to the first-level spell  humansize,
except that the recipient and his possessions grow to the size of a hill giant. In this
case, a short sword grows to the size of a
bastard sword (which a giant could wield
for full effect with one hand). The halfling's strength automatically becomes 19
for the duration of the spell. A giantsized
halfling wielding a  blazing bastard sword
is a very formidable opponent while the
spells last. There is no effect on armor
class while the spell-caster is  giantsized as
the halfling lacks a tough hide.

Table 1
Guardian Score Determination
 

Ability	Minimum score	Score generation (Method V)
Strength	14	6d6
Intelligence	11	4d6
Wisdom	11	4d6
Dexterity	14	6d6
Constitution	14	6d6
Charisma	14	6d6

Table 2
Experience Levels for Halfling Guardians
                                          Spells usable -- by level --

Experience  points	Level	8-sided dice for hit points	1	2	3	Level title
0 -- 2,000	1	1	-	-	-	Patroller
2,001 -- 4,000	2	2	-	-	-	Minor Guardian
4,001 -- 9,000	3	3	-	-	-	Sheriff
9,001 -- 18,000	4	4	-	-	-	Major Guardian
18,001 -- 40,000	5	5	1	-	-	Watcher
40,001 -- 70,000	6	6	2	1	-	Master Guardian
70,001 -- 140,000	7	7	2	1	1	Halfling Protector
140,001 -- 250,000	8	8	3	2	1	Halfling Defender
250,001	9	9	3	2	2	Halfling Champion

Table 3
Spells for Halfling Guardians
 

-	First level	Second level	Third level
1	Animal friendship (D1)	Aid (D2)	Blazing sword (new)
2	Bless (C1)	Barkskin (D1)	Detect lie (C4)
3	Command (C1)	Cure light wounds (C1)	Dispel magic (C3)
4	Detect Evil (C1)	Find traps (C2)	Feign death (C4)
5	Detect Magic (C1)	Hold person (C2)	Giantsize (new)
6	Entangle (D1)	Messenger (C2)	Locate object (C3)
7	Humansize (new)	Slow poison (C2)	Neutralize poison (C4)
8	Remove fear (C1)	Sparkling sword (new)	Prayer (C3)
9	Speak with animals (D1)	Trip (D2)	Pyrotechnics (D3)
10	Warning shout (new)	Warp wood (D2)	Snare (D3)

C1-4 indicates the level of a clerical spell.
D1-4 indicates the level of a druidic spell.
 

1. SUBCLASS =
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM =
3. ABILITY SCORE MINIMUMS
    STRENGTH =
    INTELLIGENCE =
    WISDOM =
    DEXTERITY =
    CONSTITUTION =
    CHARISMA =
    COMELINESS =
    PERCEPTION =
4. XP BONUS =
5. POSSIBLE RACES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE =
6. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES =
7. HIT DIE TYPE =
8. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE =
9. SPELL ABILITY =
10. ARMOR PERMITTED =
11. SHIELD PERMITTED =
12. WEAPONS PERMITTED =
13. OIL PERMITTED =
14. POISON PERMITTED =
15. ALIGNMENT =
16. STARTING MONEY =
17. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
18. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY =
19. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
20. STARTING AGE =
21. COMBAT =
22. SAVING THROWS =
23. MAGIC ITEMS =

ROGUES GALLERY

1.