Warden Archetype (Open Legend RPG)

This month I wanted to create a post that looks into an open source roleplaying ruleset called Open Legend RPG. I wanted to share some of the character options that Open Legend has to offer and present a character build to showcase the customization and possibilities of this new RPG system.

Archetype: Warden

The main idea behind this build is an extremely tanky front-line support. It focuses on static defenses for attribute scores and uses support and defensive based feats, boons, and banes to give you and your allies a constant edge in battle. This fits a similar role to that of a paladin or battle-cleric, but synergizes well with them.

By stacking up on all of the main attributes that determine defenses, you can produce a character that has a greater ability to stand on the front lines of battle and stay alive long enough to be available to support your allies.

The Attribute scores

We want the main ability scores that are used to calculate defenses, so we can take the well-rounded score distribution to have a decent defense in each one.

Note: Attribute dice are written here as  ‘attribute dice/explosion chance’ or #d#/%; for example an attribute score of 4 is (1d10/10%) to represent the attribute dice 1d10 and the chance it will explode (10%)

Agility 4 (1d10/10%) – Agility is an important attribute for defense and to be able to dodge attacks (against precise weapons and supernatural projectiles). Agility also has a large array of debilitating banes associated with it and can be used for damaging attacks, using precise weapons.

Fortitude 4 (1d10/10%) – Contributes to both hit points and toughness (against forceful weapons, supernatural melee and area attacks).

Will 3 (1d8/12.5%) – Contributes to both Resolve and hit points.

Presence 3 (1d8/12.5%) –Like Will this ability score contributes to both Resolve and hit points, and gives some benefits to social encounters.

Creation 3 (1d8/12.5%) – Access to important support Boons such as Heal, Regeneration, and Restoration.

Prescience 1 (1d4/25%) – Access to divination-like boons, giving some utility options like Augury and Detection

Protection 1(1d4/25%) – Access to Dispel, which allows you to further control enemies in battle, by making them less effective.

Note: Why put 1 point into anything? Explosive dice happen 25% of the time with 1d4s, making it more likely that you will actually have a 4+1d4 with attribute dice, an average bonus of a 6.5 which is slightly worse than the average of 2d6 (or a score of 5) which is slightly above 7. This strategy, although a viable one, shouldn’t be relied on completely – also the boon and bane availability is limited when using attribute scores of 1. I also should mention that an attribute score of 5 is a significant increase, since the explosive dice is only slightly lower than 20% chance (much better than 1d10/10%).

The Feats

Battlefield Defender  - A small amount of damage while defending, also it opens up the possibility for more powerful feats, later on.

Armor Mastery I (Scale Mail) – Scale mail is very strong armor. This feat helps enforces your front-line presence

Hospitaler – A great support feat that helps with healing.

The Boons and Banes

Possible Banes

Blinded

Demoralized

Disarmed

Dispel

Immobile

Persistent Damage

Silenced

Slowed

Stunned

Possible Boons

Genesis

Heal

Light

Regeneration

Restoration

Augury

Detection

The Strategy

A main strategy for this archetype is to use close range disabling banes by applying conditions such as Demoralize and Immobile to make enemies less effective in combat. This is to give you and your allies that edge and emphasizes the idea of damage mitigation over healing. Although you are able to easily tank and heal when needed, letting your allies focus on dealing as much damage as possible.

In a pinch you can still deal a relatively decent amount of damage using your agility and precise weapons, such as longswords or switch to ranged weaponry.

The Weaknesses

The weaknesses of this build are the relatively low Might and social skillset. Because it is a close combat-style idea, Might could be a useful attribute that isn’t found in this build - so be wary of that. Additionally, social encounters will likely be more challenging for you since your limited to your presence in regards to social skills.

Conclusion

In summary, Open Legend gives character building an excellent array of options allowing players to bring almost any concept into reality. I purposefully left out perks, flaws, and a few other options that lend to the roleplay aspect of the character building experience, which should be unique to each character you make.

Are there any powerful tweaks you’d like to add to this Archetype build? Or maybe you have a few questions? Please comment below and thank you for reading!

Source: http://www.openlegendrpg.com/