Steadfast Defender

The steadfast defender receives a dodge bonus to Armor Class that starts at +1 and improves as the steadfast defender gains levels, until it reaches +4 at 10th level.

When you adopt a defensive stance, you gain phenomenal strength and durability but must restrict your movement away from the spot you are defending. You gain +2 to Strength, +4 to Constitution, a +2 bonus on all saves, and a +4 dodge bonus to AC. The increase in Constitution increases your hit points by 2 points per Hit Die, but these hit points go away at the end of the defensive stance when your Constitution score drops back 4 points. These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.

While in a defensive stance, you cannot move more than 5 feet in a round without ending your defensive stance, this includes unwilling movement, such as failing to resist a bull rush against you. A defensive stance lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the steadfast defender’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A steadfast defender may end his defensive stance voluntarily prior to this limit.

A steadfast defender can only use his defensive stance a certain number of times per day as determined by his level. Using the defensive stance takes no time itself, but a defender can only do so on his turn.

At 2nd level, you learn to properly ground yourself, becoming exceptionally stable in combat. You gain a +2 bonus on checks made to resist being bull rushed, overrun, or tripped when standing on the ground. This stacks with any bonus to stability gained as a racial ability.

This bonus to stability increases to +4 at 5th level and +6 at 8th level.

Starting at 2nd level, a steadfast defender retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. You still lose any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If you gain uncanny dodge from a second class, the you automatically gain improved uncanny dodge.

A steadfast defender becomes comfortable in his armor, finding it hinders him almost as little as normal clothing. At 3rd level, you increase the maximum Dexterity bonus of of any armor you wear by 1 and reduce the armor check penalty by 2, to a minimum of 0. You are also able to sleep in your armor without becoming fatigued.

At 9th level, you further increase the max Dex bonus of your armor by 1 and reduce the armor check penalty by another 2, to a minimum of 0.

You learn to take an active interest in your defenses, often stopping an enemy before he can strike. When determining your threatened squares, treat your reach as if it were 5 feet longer than normal. So, a Medium defender would threaten squares 5 feet and 10 feet away, or 10 feet and 15 feet while wielding a reach weapon. However, your reach is not actually increased.

Whenever an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from you in one of these more distant squares, you may use an immediate action to take a 5-foot step towards that enemy before making your attack of opportunity. This does not interrupt your defensive stance (if active) and does not count against your limited movement in a round, nor does it count as your one 5-foot step for the round.

At 4th level, you gain a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks by traps. At 8th level, these bonuses increase to +2. These bonuses stack with trap sense bonuses gained from other classes.

At 6th level, you improve the damage reduction of any armor you wear by +3. At 10th level, this increases to +6.

For purposes of Stacking Damage Reduction, this ability improves an existing effect from Equipment.

At 6th level, you can no longer be flanked. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks make sneak attacks against you. A rouge at least 4 levels higher than your steadfast defender level can still flank, and thus sneak attack, you.

If you gain uncanny dodge from a second class you automatically gain improved uncanny dodge, and the levels from those classes stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank you.