Steadfast DefenderSteadfast Defender CR 8Source NPC Codex pg. 100
XP 4,800
Dwarf monk 9
LN Medium humanoid (dwarf)
Init +1; Senses Perception +16DefenseAC 22, touch 18, flat-footed 21 (+4 armor, +1 deflection, +1 Dex, +2 monk, +4 Wis)
hp 93 (9d8+49)
Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +11; +2 vs. poison, spells, and spell-like abilities
Defensive Abilities defensive training (+4 dodge bonus to AC vs. giants), improved evasion; Immune diseaseOffenseSpeed 50 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +9/+4 (1d10+3) or mwk heavy pick +10/+5 (1d6+4/×4) or unarmed strike flurry of blows +10/+10/+5/+5 (1d10+3)
Ranged mwk shuriken +8/+3 (1d2+3) or mwk shuriken flurry of blows +8/+8/+3/+3 (1d2+3)
Special Attacks +1 on attack rolls against goblinoid and orc humanoids, flurry of blows, stunning fist (9/day, DC 18)TacticsBefore Combat The monk drinks his potions of mage armor and bear’s endurance and tries to find a choke point where he can stand fast and hold off his enemies.
During Combat If he can control an opening such as a doorway, the monk does his best not to move or let others past. He uses Vital Strike whenever he cannot use flurry of blows. He uses Improved Bull Rush on any opponent that has failed its saving throw versus Scorpion Style, trying to remove it from direct combat. He trips those adjacent to him so he can make attacks of opportunity when they stand up from prone. Against a single opponent, the steadfast defender uses his ki pool to add extra attacks to his flurry of blows; against multiple opponents he uses it to improve his Armor Class.
Base Statistics When not under the effects of bear’s endurance and mage armor, the monk’s statistics are AC 19, touch 18, flat-footed 18; hp 75; Fort +10; Con 16.StatisticsStr 16, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 6
Base Atk +6; CMB +12 (+14 bull rush or trip); CMD 30 (36 vs. bull rush or trip)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Defensive Combat Training, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack, Scorpion Style, Stand Still, Stunning Fist, Vital Strike
Skills Acrobatics +11 (+28 when jumping), Appraise +3 (+5 to assess nonmagical metals or gemstones), Climb +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering, engineering) +5, Perception +16 (+18 to notice unusual stonework), Sense Motive +12, Stealth +9
Languages Common, Dwarven
SQ fast movement, high jump, ki pool (8 points, magic), maneuver training, purity of body, slow fall 40 ft., wholeness of body
Combat Gear potion of bear’s endurance, potions of cure light wounds (2), potions of cure moderate wounds (2), potions of mage armor (2), potions of magic weapon (2), antitoxin, holy water (2); Other Gear masterwork heavy pick, masterwork shuriken (50), belt of giant strength +2, bracers of armor +1, cloak of resistance +1, ring of protection +1, 141 gp
Steadfast defenders often serve as guards in monasteries and as bodyguards for important dignitaries.Branock UlgrehnBranock’s friends and surviving enemies call him "The Immovable." Mixing dwarven stubbornness with his monk’s training, Branock excels when he is guarding a single chokepoint. He was born the son of a minor dwarven thane, but chose to betray his family in exchange for the hand of the daughter of his father’s rival. His betrayal was for naught, however, as he was double-crossed by his family’s enemies and cast out from his childhood home. Now he hires himself out to this group or that, always searching for a way to erase his shame and win his way back into the warm embrace of his homeland, though he knows that this feat will prove to be nearly impossible—for dwarves do not easily forgive treachery.
Combat Encounters: Branock is typically employed to limit the escape routes on a battlefield. Other times he is hired on as a bodyguard or a bouncer, and could even be found guarding the vault in a bank or royal treasury.
Roleplaying Suggestions: While Branock often seems talkative and friendly, he rarely speaks of his shameful past to strangers. When he does, he tends to gloss over the details of his treachery and subsequent exile.
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