Ancestry & Background

While we will be spicing it up later, Georgios starts out as a bog-standard Human. that gets him a +2 in Wisdom and Constitution, but not a whole lot else at level 1. that being said, he is pretty Versatile, giving him a free first-level general feat like Ride. with this, you can automatically command animals to move while riding them, and they act at the same time you do. you also get situational protection from mental effects when you Keep Up Appearances as a reaction. this doesn’t make you immune to emotional effects, but it does prevent enemies from capitalizing on them.

at level 5, you can Sense Allies. a good tank always knows what their party is doing, otherwise the healer might run off and get himself killed pulling yet another mob group we weren’t ready for and- ahem. sorry. we’ve been playing a lot of FFXIV lately. the important thing is you can always detect when allies are nearby, and finding them while hidden is a lot easier.

at level 9 you become a Hardy Traveler, making it easier to ride around in heavy armor. turns out dragons don’t wait that long to attack.

at level 13 you gain a Stubborn Persistence that helps keep you from getting fatigued by making a flat check to avoid the effect. you still have to get away from whatever’s causing it though, or you’ll have to remake the check every once in a while.

finally, at level 17 you can Bounce Back once per day, preventing you from being wounded after hitting 0 HP. that’s one more chance to get up from being knocked down, which is practically a guts on its own.

George’s real background was a soldier, but we can pick up soldiering skills from anywhere- getting photography lessons at a later level would feel weird. that’s why we’re starting as a Printer. that gives you a boost in Charisma and Wisdom, as well as training in the Society and Scribing Lore skills. you’re also Multilingual, giving you two more languages now, and even more if you level up in society. George is simultaneously Greek, Palestinian, and English, depending on who you ask. a real globe-trotter!

Starting Proficiencies

yeah this part takes so long I’m making a whole new section for it.

Trained: Perception; Religion; Survival; Athletics; [Diplomacy; Medicine]; Reflex saves; Class DC; unarmed, simple, and martial attacks; unarmored, light, medium, and heavy armor

Expert: Fortitude saves, Will saves

Class Levels

1. your Key Ability is Strength, giving you another boost to help haul that big sword around. you also get an Ability Boost in four more stats, like Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma.

I’ve heard rumors that they’re planning on removing alignment restrictions for Champions in the next Pathfinder update, but to be honest, being a Paladin still works really well for you. with this, you can Lay on Hands using your devotion points, which are usually one per devotion spell per day, and can be recharged by spending ten minutes doing good deeds. touch someone, and they get healed.

you can also make a Retributive Strike against an enemy who attacks another ally. this grants the ally in question some damage resistance, and you get to make an attack if they’re close enough. you also get trained in Nature for some reason.

following the trend of useless features, you can Shield Block. useful if you have one, but Georgios usually doesn’t carry a shield. maybe he should? might help.

one last feature, your Deity’s Domain grains you a second devotion point and spell. I’d rather just get the Might domain’s second spell right away, but we need to get Athletic Rush first. this spell increases your movement speed and your athletics checks, and as part of the action you use to cast the spell you can stride, leap, climb, or swim. it’s really just helping you be a lot more physical in short bursts. given what you’re fighting, every little bit helps.

2. at level two, you can take the oath to become a Dragonslayer! that means you have to fight evil dragons now, and to help with that you get a +4 bonus to damage against evil dragons when using your retributive strike. again, every bit.

you also hold the Eyes of the City, making it easier to track creatures in villages and towns by listening to local’s stories. I’m sure this can also help you find the perfect photo ops too.

we’re also grabbing the Cavalier archetype this level, giving you an animal companion. you can also pledge yourself to a cause now for bonuses in the archetype later, and given how champions are all about pledging themselves you’ve pretty much done that already.

3. at level three you gain a Divine Ally, a steed who is… also an animal companion with the mount ability. huh. you can’t keep both at the same time, so we’re mostly going to focus on the champion companion.

thankfully, other features like Express Rider can work regardless of the companion you’re partnered with, making it easier to increase your travel speed while riding.

you’re also an expert in Religion now. it’s kind of your thing. that and the dragons, obviously.

4. at level four your Divine Health makes it harder for you to get sick- you get a +1 to all saves against diseases, and your successes are always critical.

you’re also an Experienced Professional, so your photography is never bad enough to keep you from making any money off of it. I know as a man of god you’re not into material possessions, but you’re going to need quite a nest egg to afford a dragonslaying sword.

you also pick up a Cavalier’s Banner, giving all allies within 30’ of your mount a +1 bonus to will saves against fear, at the cost of causing them to be frightened when your banner is destroyed. carrying a flag everywhere is a little unwieldy, but hey it’s more mental debuff resistance.

5. at level five you get an Ability Boost in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma again. more health, more dragonslaying, more spell power. you’re also better at Scribing now, since that’s what we’re using as your photography. everybody needs a hobby.

on top of that, your Weapon Expertise makes you an expert with weapons! everything except advanced weapons are your for the using!

6. at level six you get a Loyal Warhorse, making your champion steed a mature companion, and it can no longer attack you, even if magically compelled to. kind of a specific feature, but given your horse’s unique dietary needs, that’s probably for the best.

you’ve spent enough time studying photography that your Unmistakable Lore makes it easier to recall knowledge about the process, preventing critical failures.

you can also Defend Mount as a reaction, taking the hit for your horse while you’re riding it. that’s kind of the opposite of how this is supposed to go, but you’ll have a lot more defensive buffs by the time this is over to eat damage.

7. speaking of, your new Armor Expertise does what you’d expect, plus you get the armor specialization effects of medium and heavy armor. you can also Pick up the Pace while traveling to hustle more, and you’re a master of Religion.

on last thing- your Weapon Specialization adds an extra 2 damage to all your attacks, and grows as your weapon training does.

8. at level eight you get the Advanced Deity’s Domain devotion spell, giving you a third devotion point each day which you can use to cast Enduring Might. as a reaction, you get resistance to all damage from one attack or effect. this is Bayard’s one attack nullification effect, and it also grows as you level up and also based on your strength.

speaking of defense, you can pray for some sacred defense as an action once an hour! if you succeed, you’ll get some temporary hp- you can also try a harder check for more of it!

if all this protection is getting you down, lets go on the offense with the game hunter dedication! with this, you can target creatures with the hunt prey action if you can see it, hear it, or you’re tracking it down. this gives you a +2 bonus to seek and track it, as well as a bonus to stealth checks! you can also get an extra bonus- if you hit your prey while its flat-footed, it needs to make a constitution save. on a failure, it gets slowed down for up to a minute.

9. that last bit from level 8 uses your class dc, so it’s a good thing your champion expertise just came around to give you expertise in your class dc and divine spells. your divine smite makes creatures you make a retributive strike against take persistent damage too.

your saves get better when you become a juggernaut with lightning reflexes. that’s mastery in fortitude saves, plus more crit succs, and expert for reflex saves.

you’re also an expert with nature now for better riding!

10. level 10’s another ability boost in strength, constitution, wisdom, and charisma! all the stuff you need to slap up a dragon real good. well, most of it. we’re working on it, it’s a long-term goal! on thing that’ll help is your battle prayer, helping you blast an enemy with good or law damage once a day. the damage even triples once you’re legendary in religion.

on the nonmagic side, your steed is now an imposing destrier, turning it into a savage animal companion, plus it gets an action each turn even if you don’t spend time commanding it, letting it attack or move for free!

speaking of movement, your quick positioning helps you get into the thick of things at the start of battle against your prey, letting you step up to two times for free. you’re the one with all the defense buffs, so make sure you’re between your friends and your dragons.

11. at level 11 your alertness gives you expert perception, and your divine will makes you a master of will saves, with more crits to boot! you’re also a master of nature!

you can also exalt your retributive strike, getting the rest of your party in on the hitting stuff action! everybody within 15’ of you can make a melee attack with a -5 penalty as a reaction. just really julius caesar his ass.

you also get an incredible investiture, letting you attune to more magic items. the bones of saints are relics, so you already have like, 200+ magic items on you! congrats!

12. at level 12 you become a Blade of Justice. you can spend two actions to make a special attack against something you’ve seen hurt an innocent person, dealing extra damage against evil creatures, and letting you turn all the damage into good! you can also use all your retributive strike effects on this attack.

as a master of nature, you have Morphic Manipulation, helping you grow a plant through ten minutes of meditation. doing this more than once a day is possible, but it makes you fatigued, and you can’t do it more than twice a day. told you we were bringing back the nature god stuff.

one last thing- you can spend three actions on a Trampling Charge, moving your mount up to its speed and through enemies, dealing damage to everything it passes through, based on the targets’ reflex saves.

13. at level 13 your Armor Mastery gives you mastery… in armor! shocking, I know. you’re also a master in scribing now! and your Weapon Mastery does exactly what you’d think. easy level!

14. at level fourteen, you’re actually expected to fight dragons! at least I assume so, since that’s the level you can finally emit a Wyrmbane Aura, protecting yourself and nearby allies from elemental damage, with extra protection if that damage is from a dragon’s breath.

you can also Quick Mount now, mounting a creature and giving it an order in the same action! dragons move fast, but so do you.

you can also use Double Prey now to mark two enemies at the same time. FGO has three slots in each wave, but if you’re fighting dragons usually one of them is really big and takes up two of those, so it all works out!

15. level fifteen’s Ability Boost bumps your Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom. at this point brute strength won’t add too much to your fight, it’s all about survivability. you’re also a Caravan Leader, for more hustle in your bustle while traveling.

your Greater Weapon Specialization adds even more damage to every swing, and we’ll also bump your Athletics up to expert so you can stay on your horse easier.

16. at level 16, Bayard becomes an Auspicious Mount, making it a specialized companion that can be an “Auspice” mount. there are other options, but the feat’s named after it, come on. this gives your mount expertise in Religion, the ability to speak celestial, and increased intelligence and wisdom.

you’ve also been a knight long enough at this point to know some Courtly Graces, letting you use your societal training to make impressions on nobles. given that your society is actually worse than your diplomacy, that may not be a good idea. you look the part though.

speaking of knighthood, you’re now a Knight Vigilant. this increases your proficiency in Religion to Legendary status, and you now provide greater cover to your allies as they stand behind you.

17. more skill buffs! your Champion Mastery improves your spells and class DC, while your Legendary Armor makes you legendary with armor. you’re also legendary in Nature now, to be almost superhuman in your ability to ride creatures. because you are. that’s how servants work.

18. you now exude an Aura of Righteousness, giving you and all allies resistance to evil damage. you now resist evil, elemental damage, and specific attacks, so it’s really hard for a dragon to actually fight you and leave a scratch.

you’re so religious, you can receive Divine Guidance by spending 10 minutes reading the bible. you make a religion check of the DM’s choice of DC, and you can get a hint on how to move forward.

you can also Keep up the Good Fight once an hour. if you’d drop to 0 HP without dying, you can react to stay a 1 HP with some temporary HP to boot, and you become wounded. unless you bounce back. now this is a guts. and it’s also like 90% of the reason we grabbed Knight Vigilant anyway.

19. at level 19 we go entirely off script thanks to your Fey Life. we’re about to go through faerie britain, so you’re bound to save at least one fey, right? your nearby surroundings are now super vibrant at all times, which would mostly be flavor if not for your photography hobby. you can also summon fey once a day, but that’s not why we’re here.

the first time you die past this point, you come back to life, becoming part fey. now this is the gutsiest guts we could guts. I mean get. I know Georgios is more know for being used as solo fodder, but all that means is he’s great at dying and coming back!

this is great, but it comes with a cost- the second time you die, and each time after, you become completely fey, and no longer care about the material world, essentially turning you into an NPC. this can be reversed with a three-day ritual, but the third and subsequent times would require something like the wish spell to be fixed.

you also gain the Hero’s Defiance devotion spell, letting you heal yourself as a free action right before you would drop to 0 HP, so hopefully you won’t die that often. plus, you’re better at athletics again.

20. for your final level, you get an Ability Boost for Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom. you also become a Sacred Defender, giving you a further 10 resistance to physical damage caused by evil or dragon creatures, and you’re immune to critical hits.

furthermore, you can now Influence Nature over the course of 10 minutes, trying a nature check to affect the behavior of animals in the area, like setting up natural alarms via songbird, or making hunting for food a lot easier.

finally, you can gain Lead the Way, spending two actions to guide an ally through danger. your movement will still trigger reactions, but theirs won’t. it’s rough, but that’s kind of the job you signed up for.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

you are really, really, really hard to kill. you have resistance to almost anything a dragon can throw at you, which means you have resistances to almost everything. add onto that your solid health pool, high AC, self-healing, and ability to further block up attacks as a reaction, and you won’t go down easily. and then you’ll get right back up with one of your three or four abilities that just lets you ignore being knocked out. and then you’ll get back up with your “say no to death” card.

all that tankitude is great for taking hits for the team. you block up line of sight against enemies, you have some powerful counterattacks to encourage enemies focus on you, and you can help your team move around while only making yourself a valid target.

for a guy in plate mail you’re so goddamn fast it isn’t funny. not in combat, of course, but being able to cut down on travel time is fantastic in games that care about that sort of thing. travel speed can mean the difference between getting ambushed and setting an ambush yourself.

Cons:

you need your reaction ready simultaneously to heal yourself, counterattack, and block damage. obviously, you can’t do all those at once. this means that if anything, you’re thinking more when it’s not your turn than when it is, and that’s a weird playstyle to get used to. guess it’s par for the course for defensive types.

that “no death for me thanks” card from earlier comes with a major drawback in trading one death for a later, very permanent one. while your defenses are fantastic, you also have to take into account how much hate you’re focusing on yourself.