Class Identity

Vanguard is the class of the trained frontline soldier: the adventurer built to be first into danger, first to receive pressure, and still dangerous enough that enemies cannot ignore them. A Vanguard is not just durable. A Vanguard is a disciplined combatant whose training is built around holding ground, controlling contact, surviving pressure, and winning direct fights.

This class should feel like: - tank - soldier - fighter - line-holder - close-range combat specialist

A Vanguard is the person who steps into the worst place in the room on purpose and makes it the party’s place instead of the enemy’s.

Party Role

A Vanguard usually fills these roles: - frontline holder - main tank - pressure absorber - close-range fighter - line stabilizer - direct combat anchor

A good Vanguard helps the party by: - taking and controlling initial contact - holding dangerous enemies in the wrong place - protecting softer allies by occupying hostile pressure - dealing reliable close-range damage while staying functional - keeping the fight structured instead of letting it dissolve into chaos

Distinct Identity

Vanguard is not just the one who stands there.

The class differs from Rogue because: - Rogue supports, shifts, and relieves pressure - Vanguard directly contains and endures pressure

It differs from Ritualist because: - Ritualist becomes dangerous through body enhancement and mana-fueled personal escalation - Vanguard becomes dangerous through training, weapon discipline, positioning, endurance, and combat experience

It differs from Hunter because: - Hunter controls approach and ranged pressure - Vanguard controls contact and contested space once the enemy arrives

Vanguard should feel like the party’s clearest answer to: - who stands in front - who keeps this thing here - who can take the hit and still hit back

Mechanical Identity

Vanguard skills should emphasize: - holding ground - absorbing and managing pressure - shield and armor discipline where applicable - direct close-range combat - line control - threat control - cover and protection of allies - sustained fighting under injury or exhaustion - simple, decisive soldierly offense - tactical discipline in melee

Vanguard should not own: - stealth mobility identity - long-range specialist identity - body-enhancement mana identity - environment-crafting identity - support-through-compounds identity - pure wall, no damage design

Vanguard must be able to: - tank - hold - fight - damage

Equipment Relationship

Natural weapon families

• swords - spears - polearms - axes - maces and hammers - shields - sidearms as backup weapons

Natural support equipment

• medium armor - heavy armor - shields - harness and combat load gear - formation tools if the setting supports them - breaching or entry tools in limited cases - practical sidearms for close backup use

Not core Vanguard equipment

Vanguard does not naturally own mastery over: - deep ranged systems - tracking kit specialization - crafting tools as a class pillar - alchemical combat kit - ritual tools - grimoire use - stealth gear - fragile high-speed skirmish kits

Skill List

Combat

• Weapon Discipline - Committed Strike - Fight Through - Finisher's Pressure

Control

• Hold the Line - Threat Lock - Shield Control - Drive Back - Cover Ally

Movement / Position

• Frontline Advance

Fieldcraft / Combat Read

• Battle Read - Guard Rotation

Skill Entries

Weapon Discipline

Category: Combat

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Fight like someone trained for war, not survival alone.

What competency this skill represents:

The disciplined use of structured martial weapons in close combat: edge alignment, thrust control, recovery, guard transitions, spacing, and sustained combat form.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

Vanguard is the trained soldier class. It needs a true martial foundation, not just durability skills.

Typical prerequisites: - proficiency in one Vanguard weapon family

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - swords - spears - polearms - axes - maces - hammers - shields in support role

What Rank D means:

Can fight competently with military weapons under real combat pressure.

What Rank C means:

Maintains cleaner form, stronger recoveries, and fewer wasted actions in sustained melee.

What Rank B means:

Weapon use is integrated enough to remain dangerous even under fatigue, pain, or pressure disruption.

What Rank A means:

Displays exceptional martial control recognizable to other serious fighters.

Narrative use:

Makes the class feel like a trained fighter rather than just a tough person in armor.

Tabletop use:

Supports close-range combat reliability, strong baseline martial performance, and prerequisite access for advanced Vanguard offense.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Not all-weapon mastery.

Overlap check with other classes:

Rogue fights opportunistically; Vanguard fights with structured martial commitment.

Hold the Line

Category: Control

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Stand where the enemy is not allowed to pass.

What competency this skill represents:

The management of footing, weight, guard, shield position, weapon presence, and bodily commitment required to hold contested ground under incoming pressure.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

This is the defining tank skill.

Typical prerequisites: - Weapon Discipline Rank D - shield or heavy frontline equipment proficiency helps but is not mandatory for all builds

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - shields - spears - swords - axes - heavy armor - medium armor

What Rank D means:

Can hold straightforward contested space against ordinary pressure.

What Rank C means:

Maintains position more efficiently and with less overcommitment.

What Rank B means:

Can keep key ground under serious sustained pressure and force enemies to work around them.

What Rank A means:

Turns chosen space into a true frontline anchor point.

Narrative use:

One of the strongest prose-defining skills for the class.

Tabletop use:

Supports holding chokepoints, resisting displacement, frontline anchoring, and tank identity.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Does not mean immovability under all conditions.

Overlap check with other classes:

No other class should match Vanguard in direct contested-space holding.

Threat Lock

Category: Control

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Make yourself the problem the enemy cannot safely ignore.

What competency this skill represents:

The deliberate control of enemy commitment through threat presence, pressure timing, proximity, and combat credibility so hostile attention remains on the Vanguard instead of softer targets.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

A tank must not only survive attention, but keep it.

Typical prerequisites: - Hold the Line Rank D

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - all standard Vanguard melee families - shields - armor

What Rank D means:

Can keep ordinary enemies focused on them in direct combat.

What Rank C means:

Understands how to remain the most urgent close-range threat in a fight.

What Rank B means:

Can maintain hostile attention even while under strain or when enemies would prefer softer targets.

What Rank A means:

Exerts battlefield presence strong enough that opponents pay for trying to ignore them.

Narrative use:

Explains why enemies stay on the Vanguard instead of simply walking around them.

Tabletop use:

Supports aggro-style control, target fixation pressure, tank enforcement, and ally protection.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Not mind control.

Overlap check with other classes:

Rogue diverts threat briefly. Vanguard holds threat as a frontline role.

Shield Control

Category: Control

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Turn the shield from protection into battlefield leverage.

What competency this skill represents:

The disciplined use of shields for blocking, line shaping, pressure absorption, space control, impact redirection, and local enemy denial.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

If shields matter in the setting, Vanguard should own the deepest combat use of them.

Typical prerequisites: - shield family proficiency - Hold the Line Rank D

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - shields - swords - spears - maces - heavy armor and medium armor

What Rank D means:

Can use shields competently for active protection in real combat.

What Rank C means:

Uses shield placement to shape enemy movement and protect adjacent space more effectively.

What Rank B means:

Turns shield use into a true control tool rather than just passive defense.

What Rank A means:

Can dominate local frontline exchanges through highly efficient shield management.

Narrative use:

Useful if shield-bearing Vanguards should feel distinct and professional.

Tabletop use:

Supports active blocking, line shaping, adjacent protection, and local control.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Shieldless Vanguard builds should still exist.

Overlap check with other classes:

Basic shield use may exist universally. Vanguard owns shield combat depth.

Battle Read

Category: Fieldcraft / Combat Read

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Know how the fight is changing before it punishes the line.

What competency this skill represents:

The reading of active melee engagement state: enemy pressure direction, ally strain, line weakness, momentum shifts, and which immediate development will matter most in the next few seconds.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

A true frontline soldier reads more than the enemy in front of them.

Typical prerequisites: - Hold the Line Rank C

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - all standard Vanguard gear

What Rank D means:

Makes good frontline decisions when pressure is manageable.

What Rank C means:

Begins anticipating dangerous line changes before they fully happen.

What Rank B means:

Reads the engagement’s structural drift early enough to respond before collapse begins.

What Rank A means:

Can command their own local battlefield function with exceptional real-time judgment.

Narrative use:

Makes the Vanguard feel like a soldier, not just a body.

Tabletop use:

Supports combat prediction, choosing where to hold or shift, and better tank or fighter decision-making.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Not omniscience.

Overlap check with other classes:

Rogue reads connective flow between positions. Vanguard reads the frontline fight-state most deeply.

Cover Ally

Category: Control

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Take the hit, body the path, save the weaker line.

What competency this skill represents:

The ability to interpose body, shield, weapon, or line presence between danger and an ally at the correct moment without fully losing frontline function.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

Protecting allies is one of the class’s core jobs.

Typical prerequisites: - Hold the Line Rank C - Battle Read Rank D

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - shields - swords - spears - heavy or medium armor

What Rank D means:

Can protect allies from obvious immediate danger when the window is clear.

What Rank C means:

Interposes more quickly and with less self-disruption.

What Rank B means:

Can repeatedly protect vulnerable allies while still remaining a functional frontline presence.

What Rank A means:

Turns ally protection into one of the defining strengths of the party’s formation.

Narrative use:

Perfect for showing why parties trust a Vanguard with their lives.

Tabletop use:

Supports bodyguard play, intercepting attacks, protecting backline or wounded allies, and frontline rescue action.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Does not permit infinite interception of everything.

Overlap check with other classes:

Rogue relieves pressure. Vanguard physically covers the threatened ally.

Frontline Advance

Category: Movement / Position

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Move forward without surrendering control.

What competency this skill represents:

The disciplined advance into hostile space while maintaining guard, pressure, and line integrity.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

A frontline soldier must not only hold. They must also take ground.

Typical prerequisites: - Weapon Discipline Rank C - Hold the Line Rank D

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - swords - shields - spears - polearms - heavy and medium armor

What Rank D means:

Can advance under manageable pressure without losing combat posture.

What Rank C means:

Takes ground more cleanly and with better timing.

What Rank B means:

Advances in a way that compresses enemy options while preserving Vanguard control.

What Rank A means:

Can force the fight backward on their terms against serious resistance.

Narrative use:

Prevents Vanguard from feeling static.

Tabletop use:

Supports advancing while guarding, pushing engagement lines, taking space under pressure, and aggressive tank or fighter play.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Not Rogue mobility.

Overlap check with other classes:

Rogue moves to support positions. Vanguard advances to seize contested space.

Drive Back

Category: Control

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Make the enemy give ground or pay for standing.

What competency this skill represents:

The use of force, pressure, leverage, shield work, and committed melee threat to push enemies out of favorable ground, bad angles, or protected position.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

A Vanguard who can only stand still is incomplete.

Typical prerequisites: - Frontline Advance Rank C - Weapon Discipline Rank C

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - shields - spears - swords - axes - maces and hammers

What Rank D means:

Can force weaker or poorly placed enemies backward in straightforward exchanges.

What Rank C means:

Can dislodge enemies from important local advantages more reliably.

What Rank B means:

Creates meaningful positional change under contested conditions.

What Rank A means:

Can repeatedly force enemy frontline structure to bend or break.

Narrative use:

Shows Vanguard as an active battlefield shaper.

Tabletop use:

Supports pushing enemies, forcing bad space, disrupting enemy frontline positioning, and aggressive tank or fighter control.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Not guaranteed displacement.

Overlap check with other classes:

Rogue breaks position through angle and timing. Vanguard drives position through force and line pressure.

Committed Strike

Category: Combat

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Hit like someone who expects to stay in the exchange.

What competency this skill represents:

The delivery of heavy, disciplined close-range attacks designed to matter in real frontline combat: not reckless swings, but strikes backed by structure, weight, timing, and pressure acceptance.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

Vanguard must be able to do real damage and fight as a true fighter.

Typical prerequisites: - Weapon Discipline Rank C

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - swords - axes - spears - polearms - maces and hammers

What Rank D means:

Can deliver strong, meaningful frontline attacks in ordinary exchanges.

What Rank C means:

Combines offense with line integrity more efficiently.

What Rank B means:

Can pressure enemies with strikes that remain dangerous even in sustained combat.

What Rank A means:

Turns disciplined melee offense into one of the party’s most reliable sources of direct fight-winning pressure.

Narrative use:

Makes Vanguard feel like a fighter, not just a defender.

Tabletop use:

Supports reliable melee damage, heavy committed attacks, and tank-damage hybrid play.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Not burst-glass-cannon offense.

Overlap check with other classes:

Ritualist may hit harder in enhanced spikes. Vanguard hits as a disciplined frontline combatant.

Fight Through

Category: Combat

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Keep functioning after the point where most fighters start failing.

What competency this skill represents:

The disciplined continuation of combat function under pain, fatigue, injury, shock, and sustained impact.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

This is one of the key reasons Vanguard can tank and keep dealing damage at the same time.

Typical prerequisites: - Hold the Line Rank C - Weapon Discipline Rank D

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - all standard Vanguard combat equipment

What Rank D means:

Can continue fighting through moderate injury and fatigue better than ordinary combatants.

What Rank C means:

Retains cleaner function under visible degradation.

What Rank B means:

Can remain a meaningful threat and line-holder deep into punishing exchanges.

What Rank A means:

Finishes fights in conditions that should have reduced them far more than they do.

Narrative use:

Very strong for serious soldier tone.

Tabletop use:

Supports endurance under damage, reduced degradation from pressure, staying dangerous while tanking, and long-fight reliability.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Does not negate injury.

Overlap check with other classes:

Ritualist filters through enhancement. Vanguard endures through training and discipline.

Guard Rotation

Category: Fieldcraft / Combat Read

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: Know when to absorb, when to strike, and when to recover structure.

What competency this skill represents:

The management of frontline rhythm: guard, strike, pressure, reset, absorb, and reassert.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

This separates a trained soldier from a brute brawler.

Typical prerequisites: - Battle Read Rank C - Weapon Discipline Rank C

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - all standard Vanguard gear - especially shield-bearing and structured martial builds

What Rank D means:

Can maintain a basic rhythm of defense and offense without losing themselves in the exchange.

What Rank C means:

Rotates guard and offense with better timing and less wasted exposure.

What Rank B means:

Can control their combat rhythm well enough to stay dangerous and stable in prolonged melee.

What Rank A means:

Uses combat sequencing with exceptional discipline and efficiency.

Narrative use:

Makes Vanguard feel trained, not clumsy.

Tabletop use:

Supports defensive-offensive tempo control, better frontline sequencing, and reducing overcommitment.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Not a flashy finisher.

Overlap check with other classes:

This is the Vanguard’s soldierly exchange discipline.

Finisher's Pressure

Category: Combat

Class access: Vanguard

Short identity line: When the enemy starts failing, make sure they do not recover.

What competency this skill represents:

The ability to capitalize on a weakened, off-balanced, cornered, or pressured enemy through sustained frontline offensive pressure until the fight is decided.

Why this belongs to this class in the lore:

Vanguard should be able to finish fights, not just survive them.

Typical prerequisites: - Committed Strike Rank C - Drive Back Rank D - Battle Read Rank D

Compatible weapon / tool / item families if relevant: - swords - axes - spears - maces and hammers - shields in pressure builds

What Rank D means:

Can recognize when an enemy is beginning to fail and press that advantage.

What Rank C means:

Converts partial enemy breakdown into likely defeat more reliably.

What Rank B means:

Excels at ending frontline fights once control has already been established.

What Rank A means:

Turns enemy instability into decisive fight conclusions with brutal consistency.

Narrative use:

Prevents Vanguard from reading as a class that only delays outcomes.

Tabletop use:

Supports close-range finishing pressure and offensive payoff after successful tank or control play.

Limits and anti-abuse notes:

Depends on first having created or recognized enemy instability.

Overlap check with other classes:

Hunter finishes from range openings. Vanguard finishes by staying on the enemy until they break.

Redundancy Pass

Close but still distinct

Hold the Line and Threat Lock - Hold the Line is about controlling space - Threat Lock is about controlling enemy commitment

Weapon Discipline and Committed Strike - Weapon Discipline is the martial foundation - Committed Strike is heavy frontline offensive expression

Battle Read and Guard Rotation - Battle Read reads the fight-state - Guard Rotation manages the Vanguard’s own exchange rhythm

Drive Back and Frontline Advance - Frontline Advance is taking ground while keeping structure - Drive Back is forcing the enemy out of ground they wanted