Adam1949
2014-01-23, 11:57 PM
The Dreadnought
http://i.imgur.com/Zn7pJrI.png
"Get past me? You'd have better luck moving a mountain, boy."
The front lines are frightening, dangerous places. War is hell, but there's a major difference between descriptions heard from afar and witnessing it first-hand. A siege is worse, with constant attacks from all around and nowhere to retreat to. There are two main schools of thought when it comes to surviving such an assault; close off the mind and hope the enemy leaves, or weather the attack while making every attempt to make their lives a living nightmare. The Dreadnought is a warrior that mixes both, mastering the Sublime Way as an all-purpose tool of perfect defense. Which is not to say they can't fight back; after all, the best defense is, as they say, a good offense.
Adventures: Dreadnoughts thrive in combat, where their innate talent in protection allows their allies a better chance to survive, perhaps enough to turn the tide and win. A dreadnought that isn't in a fight might just plan to start one, simply to show off their tremendous skills or out of a sort of hero-complex (depending on their personality).
Characteristics: A dreadnought can often be noticed by his choice in equipment: large weapons, great shields, and imposing armor. However, this is not always the case; for some, their skill as a guardian can remain untapped until the fury of combat awakens them, revealing a stalwart defender where there once stood merely a focused mind.
Alignment: The life of a dreadnought is often filled with war; depending on their outlook on how to be a part of it, they might be lawful (if of a more knightly persuasion), neutral (if a mercenary), or chaotic (most likely for a warlord) in equal amounts. Battle knows no morals, and so a dreadnought may be good, evil, or somewhere in-between.
Religion: Dreadnoughts that take up a faith (whether out of a sense of duty or merely to pay lip service) often choose those of combat and protection; even among other races, Moradin and Gruumsh are paid homage by various dreadnoughts. Others take up the mantle of the likes of Heironeous and Hextor. Still, some dreadnoughts do not follow any particular god, instead focusing on the material and the present.
Background: A dreadnought may first decide to take their first step by trial-and-error, practicing various techniques of defense until they achieve mastery. Others are trained by schools and academies, willing to lay down their lives for whatever cause they may have.
Races: Humans are often all-too-willing to become a dreadnought, either from a belief in martyrdom or from a desire for conquest. Dwarves who wish to protect their clan more skillfully follow the Sublime Way through this path. Elves rarely prescribe to the style taught by dreadnoughts, preferring swift and deliberate action over what they see as needless time-wasting. Among the more monstrous races, Orcs and Hobgoblins can be found training to wear the mantle of such a class. Other large races, like Ogres and Trolls, would make excellent dreadnoughts, if only they had the patience and the diligence to do so.
Other Classes: Barbarians, Fighters, and Paladins all see the dreadnought as a fellow brother-in-arms, although each of them also view him in an odd sort of way; after all, why would one willingly wish to get injured, or even find it positive to do so? The squishier classes, such as Wizards and Rogues, find dreadnoughts to be a tremendous boon, allowing them to utilize their special skills without fear of interruption or reprimand. Among other followers of the Sublime Way, the dreadnought is more in common with the Crusader (for his defense) and the Warblade (for his martial aptitude) than with the more overtly-supernatural Swordsage.
Role: Dreadnoughts are front-line fighters, without a doubt. However, unlike more warriors, they put more emphasis into defense, as opposed to damage. The dreadnought uses a tower for a shield; the party uses the dreadnought for a shield.
Adaptation: A dreadnought need not follow the Sublime Way. For those without access to the Book of Nine Swords, or for those that want a more traditional warrior, they could replace the martial training with a fighter's bonus feat progression. A more supernatural take on the class might see them gaining the ability to metaphysically stop their opponents from attacking, perhaps by granting them a small pool of spells from the Enchantment and Abjuration schools.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Abilities: Constitution is your most important score, because it boosts your already-impressive toughness and your more spectacular abilities. Strength comes closely after, in order to make the most of your attacks and maneuvers. Wisdom is important to improve your Will save, as well as several of your skills.
Hit Die: d12
Starting Age: As Fighter (Moderate).
Starting Gold: As Fighter (6d4x10 gp).
Class Skills
The Dreadnought's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History, Local, Nature, and Nobility) (Int, each taken separately), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
DREADNOUGHT
LevelBase Attack BonusFort SaveRef SaveWill SaveSpecialManeuvers KnownManeuvers ReadiedStances
1st
+1
+2
+0
+0Trained in Warfare, Bulwark, Sentinel (Protect), Power Attack331
2nd
+2
+3
+0
+0Amazing Reflexes, Endurance431
3rd
+3
+3
+1
+1Shieldbearer, Stymie Advancement531
4th
+4
+4
+1
+1Mettle, Uncanny Dodge631
5th
+5
+4
+1
+1Master of Shields, Sentinel (Reflex), Stand Still642
6th
+6/1
+5
+2
+2Armor Mastery (Medium), Shieldbearer, Improved Stymie Advancement742
7th
+7/2
+5
+2
+2Hold the Line, Powerful Build742
8th
+8/3
+6
+2
+2Black Armor of Fear, Improved Uncanny Dodge842
9th
+9/4
+6
+3
+3Sentinel (Evasion), Shieldbearer, Superior Stymie Advancement853
10th
+10/5
+7
+3
+3953
11th
+11/6/1
+7
+3
+3Armored Terror (Shaken)953
12th
+12/7/2
+8
+4
+4Armor Mastery (Heavy), Shieldbearer, Perfected Stymie Advancement1053
13th
+13/8/3
+8
+4
+4Sentinel (Medium)1064
14th
+14/9/4
+9
+4
+4Fearless1164
15th
+15/10/5
+9
+5
+5Shieldbearer1164
16th
+16/11/6/1
+10
+5
+5Improved Black Armor of Fear1264
17th
+17/12/7/2
+10
+5
+5Sentinel (Heavy)1275
18th
+18/13/8/3
+11
+6
+6Shieldbearer1375
19th
+19/14/9/4
+11
+6
+6Armored Terror (Helpless)1375
20th
+20/15/10/5
+12
+6
+6Last Stand1475
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Dreadnought.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The dreadnought is proficient with simple and martial weapons, all armor, and all shields (including tower shields).
Martial Known: You begin your career with knowledge of three martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to you are Adamant Soul (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9236947&postcount=8), Army of One (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5710173), Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Iron Tortoise (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160377), and Stone Dragon. Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by a dreadnought is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. Your maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered dreadnought level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), you can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. You can choose a new maneuver of any level you like, as long as you observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. For example, upon reaching 10th level, you could trade in a single 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- or 4th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 5th level or lower, as long as you meet the prerequisite of the new maneuver. You can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: You can ready all three of the maneuvers you know at 1st level, but as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to exercise again and change them. You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers. You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).
You can recover an expended maneuver in two ways. The first is to successfully protect an ally with your Sentinel ability from all damage (as described below). The second is to take a full-round action focusing your mind and retreating into the calm of your thoughts, away from the chaos of battle. Doing either allows you to recover all of your expended maneuvers.
You cannot initiate a maneuver or change your stance while you are recovering your expended maneuvers, but you can remain in a stance in which you began your turn.
Stances Known: You begin play with knowledge of one 1st level stance from any discipline open to dreadnoughts. At 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level, you can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. All the stances you know are available to you at all times, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description. Whenever you would gain an odd-numbered stance (at 9th and 17th levels), you may trade out a stance you know for a new one, much like with maneuvers.
Trained in Warfare: A dreadnought may gain feats as a fighter of their level - 2 for the purpose of meeting prerequisites.
Bulwark (Ex): Whenever the dreadnought fights defensively, they gain DR/Adamantine equal to their armor bonus to AC until they no longer fight defensively.
Sentinel (Ex): Whenever one of the Dreadnought's allies is attacked, if there is an open space adjacent to that ally within the Dreadnought's speed, the Dreadnought may make a Reflex save against a DC equal to the attack roll. If the Dreadnought's save is successful, he moves up to his speed into an open space adjacent to the ally and takes the attack in place of his ally. When he does so, he may not use his move action to move on his next turn (though he may still take a 5-foot step). A Sentinel may not use this ability to cover more distance in a round than his speed, otherwise he may use it as often as he likes.
At 5th level, a dreadnought may use their Reflex save against effects that allow one for half damage such as a dragon's breath weapon; success allows the dreadnought to take the option of suffering the full effects of the attack, but treats their protected ally as though they had made a successful Reflex save. At 9th level, whenever the dreadnought uses Sentinel, the ally protected is treated as having Evasion until the Sentinel ends. At 13th level, the dreadnought gains Evasion himself, and may use it even in medium armor or while under medium encumbrance. At 17th level, the dreadnought may use his Evasion even in heavy armor or while under heavy encumbrance.
Power Attack: The dreadnought gains this feat as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Amazing Reflexes: The dreadnought gains Combat Reflexes, Dodge, and Lightning Reflexes as bonus feats at 2nd level.
Endurance: The dreadnought gains this feat as a bonus feat at 2nd level.
Shieldbearer: At 3rd level and every three levels afterwards (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th), the dreadnought gains a bonus feat from the following list: Active Shield Defense, Block Arrow, Defensive Strike, Formation Expert, Improved Shield Bash, Phalanx Fighting, Shield Charge, Shield Slam, Shield Sling, Shield Specialization, Shield Wall, and Shield Ward. You must meet all prerequisites for the feat in question.
Stymie Advancement (Ex): A dreadnought is the master of their immediate surroundings, forcing his foes to face him instead of his allies. Beginning at 3rd level, whenever an opponent begins his turn in a space threatened by the dreadnought, they treat all spaces threatened by the dreadnought as difficult terrain.
At 6th level, the dreadnought may use a reach weapon to strike at foes adjacent to them (meaning that they also threaten these spaces when wielding such a weapon). At 9th level, opponents treat all spaces threatened by a dreadnought as difficult terrain, regardless of their location. At 12th level, even the air around the dreadnought is filled with his power; flying foes treat the space above any space that the dreadnought threatens as difficult terrain as well.
Mettle (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, by drawing on your experience and ferocity in combat, you can brush aside effects that would hinder or cripple less hardy souls. If you succeed on a Fortitude or Will save against an attack that would normally produce a lesser effect on a successful save (such as a spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), you instead negate the effect. You do not gain the benefit of Mettle when you are unconscious or sleeping.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 4th level and above, a dreadnought retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a dreadnought already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
Master of Shields (Ex): Upon reaching 5th level, a dreadnought no longer suffers from the Armor Check Penalty from wielding any kind of shield, including tower shields.
Stand Still: The dreadnought gains this feat as a bonus feat at 5th level.
Armor Mastery (Ex): At 6th level, a dreadnought is able to move in their armor so naturally that they ignore the standard speed reduction for wearing medium armor. At 12th level, the dreadnought ignores the speed reduction of heavy armor as well.
Hold the Line: The dreadnought gains this feat as a bonus feat at 7th level.
Powerful Build (Ex): A dreadnought's training allows them to function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Beginning at 7th level, whenever you are subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), you are treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to you. You are also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect you. You can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, your space and reach remain those of a creature of your actual size.
Black Armor of Fear (Ex): A dreadnought of 8th level and above gains an insight bonus to Intimidate equal to the AC bonus they gain from wearing armor, including any magical enhancements upon it. At 16th level, the insight bonus increases to being equal to their bonus to AC they gain from any source.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 8th level and higher, a dreadnought can no longer be flanked; he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. He cannot be the target of a sneak attack from flanking unless the attacker has an effective rogue level of four higher than the dreadnought's class level.
If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank the character.
Armored Terror (Ex): Beginning at 11th level, a dreadnought radiates a 5-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. Enemies in the area must succeed on a Will save (DC 5 + 1/2 his class level + his Intimidate modifier) or become shaken for 1d6 rounds. A creature who successfully saves cannot be affected by that dreadnought's fear aura for 24 hours.
At 19th level, foes who would become shaken instead become helpless for 1d6 rounds.
Fearless (Ex): At 14th level, the dreadnought becomes immune to fear effects.
Last Stand (Ex): Upon reaching 20th level, a dreadnought may, once per day, declare a Last Stand for himself. Upon declaring a last stand, the dreadnought automatically confirms all confirms all critical hits, and the critical damage multiplier for their weapons increases by one step. In addition, the dreadnought does not die until they reach an amount of negative HP equal to their Constitution score (not modifier). A last stand lasts a number of rounds equal to the dreadnought's Constitution modifier.
Alright, so how's this? It's my first attempt at making a Tome of Battle-style class, and one about defense, to boot. I'm all ears for advice and critiquing!
http://i.imgur.com/Zn7pJrI.png
"Get past me? You'd have better luck moving a mountain, boy."
The front lines are frightening, dangerous places. War is hell, but there's a major difference between descriptions heard from afar and witnessing it first-hand. A siege is worse, with constant attacks from all around and nowhere to retreat to. There are two main schools of thought when it comes to surviving such an assault; close off the mind and hope the enemy leaves, or weather the attack while making every attempt to make their lives a living nightmare. The Dreadnought is a warrior that mixes both, mastering the Sublime Way as an all-purpose tool of perfect defense. Which is not to say they can't fight back; after all, the best defense is, as they say, a good offense.
Adventures: Dreadnoughts thrive in combat, where their innate talent in protection allows their allies a better chance to survive, perhaps enough to turn the tide and win. A dreadnought that isn't in a fight might just plan to start one, simply to show off their tremendous skills or out of a sort of hero-complex (depending on their personality).
Characteristics: A dreadnought can often be noticed by his choice in equipment: large weapons, great shields, and imposing armor. However, this is not always the case; for some, their skill as a guardian can remain untapped until the fury of combat awakens them, revealing a stalwart defender where there once stood merely a focused mind.
Alignment: The life of a dreadnought is often filled with war; depending on their outlook on how to be a part of it, they might be lawful (if of a more knightly persuasion), neutral (if a mercenary), or chaotic (most likely for a warlord) in equal amounts. Battle knows no morals, and so a dreadnought may be good, evil, or somewhere in-between.
Religion: Dreadnoughts that take up a faith (whether out of a sense of duty or merely to pay lip service) often choose those of combat and protection; even among other races, Moradin and Gruumsh are paid homage by various dreadnoughts. Others take up the mantle of the likes of Heironeous and Hextor. Still, some dreadnoughts do not follow any particular god, instead focusing on the material and the present.
Background: A dreadnought may first decide to take their first step by trial-and-error, practicing various techniques of defense until they achieve mastery. Others are trained by schools and academies, willing to lay down their lives for whatever cause they may have.
Races: Humans are often all-too-willing to become a dreadnought, either from a belief in martyrdom or from a desire for conquest. Dwarves who wish to protect their clan more skillfully follow the Sublime Way through this path. Elves rarely prescribe to the style taught by dreadnoughts, preferring swift and deliberate action over what they see as needless time-wasting. Among the more monstrous races, Orcs and Hobgoblins can be found training to wear the mantle of such a class. Other large races, like Ogres and Trolls, would make excellent dreadnoughts, if only they had the patience and the diligence to do so.
Other Classes: Barbarians, Fighters, and Paladins all see the dreadnought as a fellow brother-in-arms, although each of them also view him in an odd sort of way; after all, why would one willingly wish to get injured, or even find it positive to do so? The squishier classes, such as Wizards and Rogues, find dreadnoughts to be a tremendous boon, allowing them to utilize their special skills without fear of interruption or reprimand. Among other followers of the Sublime Way, the dreadnought is more in common with the Crusader (for his defense) and the Warblade (for his martial aptitude) than with the more overtly-supernatural Swordsage.
Role: Dreadnoughts are front-line fighters, without a doubt. However, unlike more warriors, they put more emphasis into defense, as opposed to damage. The dreadnought uses a tower for a shield; the party uses the dreadnought for a shield.
Adaptation: A dreadnought need not follow the Sublime Way. For those without access to the Book of Nine Swords, or for those that want a more traditional warrior, they could replace the martial training with a fighter's bonus feat progression. A more supernatural take on the class might see them gaining the ability to metaphysically stop their opponents from attacking, perhaps by granting them a small pool of spells from the Enchantment and Abjuration schools.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Abilities: Constitution is your most important score, because it boosts your already-impressive toughness and your more spectacular abilities. Strength comes closely after, in order to make the most of your attacks and maneuvers. Wisdom is important to improve your Will save, as well as several of your skills.
Hit Die: d12
Starting Age: As Fighter (Moderate).
Starting Gold: As Fighter (6d4x10 gp).
Class Skills
The Dreadnought's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History, Local, Nature, and Nobility) (Int, each taken separately), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
DREADNOUGHT
LevelBase Attack BonusFort SaveRef SaveWill SaveSpecialManeuvers KnownManeuvers ReadiedStances
1st
+1
+2
+0
+0Trained in Warfare, Bulwark, Sentinel (Protect), Power Attack331
2nd
+2
+3
+0
+0Amazing Reflexes, Endurance431
3rd
+3
+3
+1
+1Shieldbearer, Stymie Advancement531
4th
+4
+4
+1
+1Mettle, Uncanny Dodge631
5th
+5
+4
+1
+1Master of Shields, Sentinel (Reflex), Stand Still642
6th
+6/1
+5
+2
+2Armor Mastery (Medium), Shieldbearer, Improved Stymie Advancement742
7th
+7/2
+5
+2
+2Hold the Line, Powerful Build742
8th
+8/3
+6
+2
+2Black Armor of Fear, Improved Uncanny Dodge842
9th
+9/4
+6
+3
+3Sentinel (Evasion), Shieldbearer, Superior Stymie Advancement853
10th
+10/5
+7
+3
+3953
11th
+11/6/1
+7
+3
+3Armored Terror (Shaken)953
12th
+12/7/2
+8
+4
+4Armor Mastery (Heavy), Shieldbearer, Perfected Stymie Advancement1053
13th
+13/8/3
+8
+4
+4Sentinel (Medium)1064
14th
+14/9/4
+9
+4
+4Fearless1164
15th
+15/10/5
+9
+5
+5Shieldbearer1164
16th
+16/11/6/1
+10
+5
+5Improved Black Armor of Fear1264
17th
+17/12/7/2
+10
+5
+5Sentinel (Heavy)1275
18th
+18/13/8/3
+11
+6
+6Shieldbearer1375
19th
+19/14/9/4
+11
+6
+6Armored Terror (Helpless)1375
20th
+20/15/10/5
+12
+6
+6Last Stand1475
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Dreadnought.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The dreadnought is proficient with simple and martial weapons, all armor, and all shields (including tower shields).
Martial Known: You begin your career with knowledge of three martial maneuvers. The disciplines available to you are Adamant Soul (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9236947&postcount=8), Army of One (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5710173), Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Iron Tortoise (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160377), and Stone Dragon. Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by a dreadnought is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. Your maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered dreadnought level after that (6th, 8th, 10th, and so on), you can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. You can choose a new maneuver of any level you like, as long as you observe your restriction on the highest-level maneuvers you know; you need not replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. For example, upon reaching 10th level, you could trade in a single 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd- or 4th-level maneuver for a maneuver of 5th level or lower, as long as you meet the prerequisite of the new maneuver. You can swap only a single maneuver at any given level.
Maneuvers Readied: You can ready all three of the maneuvers you know at 1st level, but as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by exercising for 5 minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to exercise again and change them. You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes in practice, you can change your readied maneuvers. You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter (until you recover them, as described below).
You can recover an expended maneuver in two ways. The first is to successfully protect an ally with your Sentinel ability from all damage (as described below). The second is to take a full-round action focusing your mind and retreating into the calm of your thoughts, away from the chaos of battle. Doing either allows you to recover all of your expended maneuvers.
You cannot initiate a maneuver or change your stance while you are recovering your expended maneuvers, but you can remain in a stance in which you began your turn.
Stances Known: You begin play with knowledge of one 1st level stance from any discipline open to dreadnoughts. At 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level, you can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. All the stances you know are available to you at all times, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description. Whenever you would gain an odd-numbered stance (at 9th and 17th levels), you may trade out a stance you know for a new one, much like with maneuvers.
Trained in Warfare: A dreadnought may gain feats as a fighter of their level - 2 for the purpose of meeting prerequisites.
Bulwark (Ex): Whenever the dreadnought fights defensively, they gain DR/Adamantine equal to their armor bonus to AC until they no longer fight defensively.
Sentinel (Ex): Whenever one of the Dreadnought's allies is attacked, if there is an open space adjacent to that ally within the Dreadnought's speed, the Dreadnought may make a Reflex save against a DC equal to the attack roll. If the Dreadnought's save is successful, he moves up to his speed into an open space adjacent to the ally and takes the attack in place of his ally. When he does so, he may not use his move action to move on his next turn (though he may still take a 5-foot step). A Sentinel may not use this ability to cover more distance in a round than his speed, otherwise he may use it as often as he likes.
At 5th level, a dreadnought may use their Reflex save against effects that allow one for half damage such as a dragon's breath weapon; success allows the dreadnought to take the option of suffering the full effects of the attack, but treats their protected ally as though they had made a successful Reflex save. At 9th level, whenever the dreadnought uses Sentinel, the ally protected is treated as having Evasion until the Sentinel ends. At 13th level, the dreadnought gains Evasion himself, and may use it even in medium armor or while under medium encumbrance. At 17th level, the dreadnought may use his Evasion even in heavy armor or while under heavy encumbrance.
Power Attack: The dreadnought gains this feat as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Amazing Reflexes: The dreadnought gains Combat Reflexes, Dodge, and Lightning Reflexes as bonus feats at 2nd level.
Endurance: The dreadnought gains this feat as a bonus feat at 2nd level.
Shieldbearer: At 3rd level and every three levels afterwards (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th), the dreadnought gains a bonus feat from the following list: Active Shield Defense, Block Arrow, Defensive Strike, Formation Expert, Improved Shield Bash, Phalanx Fighting, Shield Charge, Shield Slam, Shield Sling, Shield Specialization, Shield Wall, and Shield Ward. You must meet all prerequisites for the feat in question.
Stymie Advancement (Ex): A dreadnought is the master of their immediate surroundings, forcing his foes to face him instead of his allies. Beginning at 3rd level, whenever an opponent begins his turn in a space threatened by the dreadnought, they treat all spaces threatened by the dreadnought as difficult terrain.
At 6th level, the dreadnought may use a reach weapon to strike at foes adjacent to them (meaning that they also threaten these spaces when wielding such a weapon). At 9th level, opponents treat all spaces threatened by a dreadnought as difficult terrain, regardless of their location. At 12th level, even the air around the dreadnought is filled with his power; flying foes treat the space above any space that the dreadnought threatens as difficult terrain as well.
Mettle (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, by drawing on your experience and ferocity in combat, you can brush aside effects that would hinder or cripple less hardy souls. If you succeed on a Fortitude or Will save against an attack that would normally produce a lesser effect on a successful save (such as a spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), you instead negate the effect. You do not gain the benefit of Mettle when you are unconscious or sleeping.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 4th level and above, a dreadnought retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If a dreadnought already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
Master of Shields (Ex): Upon reaching 5th level, a dreadnought no longer suffers from the Armor Check Penalty from wielding any kind of shield, including tower shields.
Stand Still: The dreadnought gains this feat as a bonus feat at 5th level.
Armor Mastery (Ex): At 6th level, a dreadnought is able to move in their armor so naturally that they ignore the standard speed reduction for wearing medium armor. At 12th level, the dreadnought ignores the speed reduction of heavy armor as well.
Hold the Line: The dreadnought gains this feat as a bonus feat at 7th level.
Powerful Build (Ex): A dreadnought's training allows them to function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Beginning at 7th level, whenever you are subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), you are treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to you. You are also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect you. You can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, your space and reach remain those of a creature of your actual size.
Black Armor of Fear (Ex): A dreadnought of 8th level and above gains an insight bonus to Intimidate equal to the AC bonus they gain from wearing armor, including any magical enhancements upon it. At 16th level, the insight bonus increases to being equal to their bonus to AC they gain from any source.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 8th level and higher, a dreadnought can no longer be flanked; he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. He cannot be the target of a sneak attack from flanking unless the attacker has an effective rogue level of four higher than the dreadnought's class level.
If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank the character.
Armored Terror (Ex): Beginning at 11th level, a dreadnought radiates a 5-foot-radius fear aura as a free action. Enemies in the area must succeed on a Will save (DC 5 + 1/2 his class level + his Intimidate modifier) or become shaken for 1d6 rounds. A creature who successfully saves cannot be affected by that dreadnought's fear aura for 24 hours.
At 19th level, foes who would become shaken instead become helpless for 1d6 rounds.
Fearless (Ex): At 14th level, the dreadnought becomes immune to fear effects.
Last Stand (Ex): Upon reaching 20th level, a dreadnought may, once per day, declare a Last Stand for himself. Upon declaring a last stand, the dreadnought automatically confirms all confirms all critical hits, and the critical damage multiplier for their weapons increases by one step. In addition, the dreadnought does not die until they reach an amount of negative HP equal to their Constitution score (not modifier). A last stand lasts a number of rounds equal to the dreadnought's Constitution modifier.
Alright, so how's this? It's my first attempt at making a Tome of Battle-style class, and one about defense, to boot. I'm all ears for advice and critiquing!