The Champion, Hero of the Masses
Finally, a tank! Melee classes are actually a lot tougher to design than caster or hybrid classes. I could sit here for hours rattling off ideas for spellcasters – druids, necromancers, conjurers, enchanters, red mages, blue mages, calculators, etc. Since magic users are only a peripheral participant of the healer/tank/damage holy trinity, they can get away with being eclectic – or even downright absurd. The purview of a tank is much narrower. Above all else, he needs to be a big, honking meat shield. If he can’t succeed in this role, his party is doomed.
The champion pulls no punches in this regard. He is a titanic, ambulatory slab of meat. Wielding a massive two-handed weapon and shrugging off arrows like they were toothpicks, the champion is feared by his enemies and cheered by his allies. Great examples of this archetype include Conan the Barbarian and Achilles of Greek mythology. Even in this early stage, champions are panning out to be one of the most fun classes to play. The amount of damage they can dish out is simply heroic.
One-Paragraph Overview
Champions are powerful warriors who wield large weapons and don little armour. While they lack the formal training or refined equipment of knights and soldiers, they make up for it with brute strength and determination. Champions are capable of dealing and absorbing great amounts of damage and are masterful at initiating encounters and controlling the battlefield. They are one of the two primary tanking classes in the game.
Lore
Champions are the heroes of their people. They are barbarians, highlanders, and gladiators who fight not just to protect their homelands, but for glory. While uncommon in the more sophisticated lands of Tol and Venizzia, fearsome champions still exist among the ranks of the Khor and Beastmen.
Abilities
Charge
The champion may move an additional distance per class level as long as he is moving towards an opponent and he follows this movement with an offensive action. This action can be a standard attack, an intimidate attempt, or a tackle attempt. A champion cannot charge if his movement is impaired by heavy armour.
Intimidate
The champion attempts to scare a foe, causing them to flee or lose their next action. This ability can be used outside of combat to root information out of squeamish NPCs.
Bull Rush
Using his superior strength, the champion can attempt to run and tackle an opponent. If the attempt is a success, the champion may choose whether to grapple his foe or knock them back one square.
Toughness
Each level, the champion gains 1 point of passive damage resistance. This damage resistance does not stack with the damage resistance provided by heavy or massive armor.
