Paladins of the temple of Tem-Et-Nu are sometimes selected to become the guardians of the rivers. The waterways of the wastelands are sacred to the river deity, and the source of life and livelihood for the plains people. It is given to you to enforce the deity’s laws and ensure that those who misuse the river are punished. To that end, you can draw upon your ever-increasing martial skills, but you must also learn the many ways of the river, its strengths, and how to tap those strengths when you need its power most.

The paladin class is the most straightforward path to becoming a guardian of the river; Diplomacy is a class skill, and the base attack bonus requirement keeps many classes out until they reach at least 7th level. However, you need not have all of your levels devoted to paladin; there is just enough wiggle room to take a level in another class, such as cleric.

Guardians of the River aren’t particularly invasive—they’re almost monklike in their single-minded devotion to their duties—so adding them to a campaign should be relatively easy. The scions could have been around all along: They were those friendly river marshals the PCs saw helping farmers and fishers.

This prestige class appeals to players who appreciate the paladin lifestyle but want to take it in a more specific direction. A DM with a guardian of the river in his campaign should try at least some of the time to play to the guardian’s strengths. The DM should set adventures on or near rivers so the guardian can use her powers. A DM should feel free to occasionally remind the guardian’s player that temple accommodations extend to the guardian’s companions as well—meaning free room and board in a safe environment so long as the party sticks close to the rivers and waterways.

Role: DPS

Characteristics: River protecting paladin-like classes that use the river to heal and protect it with divine power

Source: Sandstorm

Game Rule Information

The Guardian of the River has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Strength and Constitution (for combat) and Charisma (for your spells and interpersonal skills) are key abilities for you.

Alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral

Hit Die: d10

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Guardian of the River's class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Guardian of the River.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Guardian of the River is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Buoyancy Ex: Upon entering this class, you become buoyant in water, giving you a +4 circumstance bonus on Swim checks. Additionally, your armor has been blessed by a cleric of a river deity, which means the armor check penalty for your armor is not doubled for the purposes of Swim checks. If you ever lose your armor, or if you want a new suit blessed, a cleric of a river deity can perform the ceremony to bless your armor at any temple devoted to your patron deity. The blessing is free of charge for scions.

River Mastery Ex: As a member of this class, you gain a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against river-dwelling aquatic creatures.

Spellcasting: At each even-numbered level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a Guardian of the River, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

River's Vigor Su: Beginning at 2nd level, you can emulate the vigor and unstoppable power of the river during a spring flood, gaining 5 temporary hit points per scion class level for 1 minute per guardian class level once per day.

From 6th level on, you can use river’s vigor two times per day (the temporary hit points gained with each use of this ability do not stack).

River Walk Sp: At 3rd level and higher, you can tread on river water as though you were affected by a water walk spell from. You can use this ability once per day for every three Guardian of the River levels. Your caster level for this ability is equal to your class level.

The River's Life is Mine Su: At 3rd level and higher, you gain fast healing 5 whenever you begin your turn in or adjacent to a square containing a river.

Smite Evil Su: Beginning at 4th level, once per day you can attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. You add your Charisma bonus (if any) to your attack roll and deal an extra 1 point of damage per class level. If you accidentally smite a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for the day. You must declare the use of the smite before making the attack roll. Starting at 8th level, you can smite twice per day.

If you have levels in a class that grant a smite evil ability (such as paladin), you gain extra uses of that ability, and the levels of that class stack with your Guardian of the River class levels to determine the power of your smite evil ability.

Divine Power Sp: At 5th level, you gain the benefit of Divine Power, as the spell, once per day. Your caster level is equal to your class level. If you activate this ability while submerged up to your waist (or deeper) in a river, the amount of time you benefit from the ability does not count toward the duration of the effect until you move out of water of this depth. Once the duration begins to count down, however, it does not stop even if you proceed to immerse yourself in waist-deep water.

At 10th level, you can use this ability twice per day.

Control Water Sp: Beginning at 6th level, you can use Control Water, as the spell, three times per day. Your caster level is equal to your class level.

Restoring Immersion Sp: When you attain 7th level, you become able to draw upon the power of your deity once per day to benefit from a Restoration effect if you immerse yourself completely in water for a short time. Restoring negative levels requires that you be immersed for 1 minute per negative level. Curing ability score damage requires 5 rounds per point, and restoring drained ability score points requires 1 minute per point. You can receive more than one benefit during each period of immersion you undergo. For example, you could restore three negative levels and four drained ability points by remaining immersed for 7 consecutive minutes .Your caster level for this ability is equal to your class level.

Divert River Sp: At 9th level, you become capable of changing the course of a river for a short time. With slow-moving rivers, this is the equivalent of casting both versions of control water simultaneously: lower water downstream of your location, and raise water aimed at where you divert the river. Water overflows the river’s bank where you specify, rather than following the natural contours of the river. With fastmoving rivers, the effect is more dramatic: The river downstream is affected as though the lower water version of control water had been cast, and a Flashflood effect, as the spell, originates at the point on the river that you specify. Regardless of the speed of the river, the effect lasts for 2 hours unless you choose to end it sooner.

Multiclass Note: A paladin who becomes a Guardian of the River may continue advancing as a paladin.