Introduction
Champion is the Pathfinder 2e Remastered class for players who want divine armor, table-facing ideals, and the ability to make enemies regret touching the wrong ally. It is not a passive tank. It is a reaction class with armor attached.
This guide uses Player Core 2 for Champion rules, Player Core for the action, skill, deity, focus spell, and equipment baseline, GM Core for session zero, encounter, treasure, and rarity expectations, Monster Core for enemy matchup advice, and Treasure Vault Remaster for expanded gear context. It is a practical guide, not a rules dump.
Disclaimer
This is a ranking and build guide, not a replacement for Player Core 2. It summarizes Champion choices without reproducing full class tables, feat text, deity entries, devotion spell text, or equipment rules.
Ratings assume a mixed heroic campaign with combat, exploration, social scenes, treasure progression, and GM Core encounter variety. Unholy causes, strict deity anathema, and rare options are table-facing choices, so treat them as session-zero material rather than surprise legal filings with a sword attached.
Class Snapshot
| Feature | Champion |
|---|---|
| Source | Player Core 2 |
| Key attribute | Strength or Dexterity |
| Hit Points | 10 plus Constitution modifier |
| Complexity | Moderate floor, high positioning ceiling |
| Spell tradition | Divine focus spells |
| Skills | Religion, deity skill, plus 2 plus Intelligence modifier |
| Defenses | All armor and unarmored defense |
| Weapons | Simple weapons, martial weapons, unarmed attacks, and deity favored weapon support |
| Signature engine | Deity, sanctification, cause, Champion's Aura, Champion reaction, devotion spells, Shield Block, armor progression, and blessing of the devoted |
| Best party job | Ally protection, front-line anchoring, defensive reaction pressure, and divine moral weight |
Ratings Legend
- ● Excellent: best-in-class, broadly useful, or build-defining.
- ● Strong: recommended for many Champions.
- ● Situational: good in the right build, table, or campaign.
- ● Weak: too narrow, disruptive, redundant, or costly for the payoff.
Why Champion Is Strong
Champion makes enemies pay for choosing the wrong target. That is a different job from simply having high AC. A good Champion stands close enough to allies for Champion's Aura to matter, keeps enough pressure that monsters cannot ignore them, and saves their reaction for the moment that changes the enemy's turn.
The class also has unusually sturdy long-term defenses. It gains strong Fortitude and Will progressions, legendary armor at high level, Shield Block from level 1, and class feats that turn aura, shield, focus magic, and reaction choices into real party tools. If the Fighter is the best weapon specialist, Champion is the martial class that asks, "What if hitting my friend was a bad business decision?"
The tradeoff is responsibility. Your deity, sanctification, cause, edicts, and anathema are not tiny lore stickers. They can shape the campaign. A Champion who treats those choices like flavor text will create friction later. A Champion who talks through them with the GM at session zero usually becomes one of the easiest characters to build scenes around.
Class Feature Ratings
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Cause ● | This is your subclass-equivalent choice. It grants your Champion reaction and decides whether your defense prevents damage, frees allies, punishes attackers, creates control, or leans selfishly into unholy play. |
| Champion's Aura ● | The 15-foot aura is the range gate for your protection. If allies are outside it, you are mostly just a durable martial with religious paperwork. |
| Champion reaction ● | The class-defining moment. Justice, Liberation, Redemption, and Grandeur protect allies directly, while unholy causes tend to punish enemies for attacking you. |
| Shield Block ● | Strong baseline defense and the start of several great shield paths. The caution is reaction competition: Shield Block can fight with your Champion reaction until your feats support both. |
| All armor proficiency ● | Heavy armor plus strong progression makes Champion one of the game's cleanest defensive anchors. |
| Deity ● | Deity sets roleplay pressure, divine skill, favored weapon, sanctification limits, divine font access for devotion magic, and campaign fit. Pick carefully. |
| Sanctification ● | Holy, unholy, or neither changes your available causes, feats, traits, and story position. It is powerful, but campaign-dependent. |
| Devotion spells ● | Focus magic gives the class rescue, healing, shield, movement, and late-game survival tools without turning it into a full caster. |
| Blessing of the Devoted ● | Blessed Armament, Blessed Shield, and Blessed Swiftness are real build identities, not ribbons. |
| Fortitude and Will upgrades ● | Front-line characters get targeted by poison, disease, fear, mental pressure, and monster control. Champion becomes very hard to move off plan. |
| Armor mastery and legendary armor ● | The high-level defensive identity stays relevant instead of fading into nostalgia. |
| Weapon progression ● | Champion is not Fighter-accurate, but martial weapon training and deific weapon support keep it credible. |
| Hero's Defiance ● | A high-level survival button is excellent, but it arrives late enough that it should not define your whole build fantasy. |
| Anathema ● | Great when it creates story and standards. Miserable when used as a trap. Handle it with session zero. |
Cause Rankings
Cause is the Champion's subclass. Do not pick it only for vibe. Pick the reaction you want to use every fight.
| Cause | Best for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Justice ● | Tactical front-liners, reach builds, damage-minded protectors | Retributive Strike reduces ally damage and lets you Strike if the enemy is within reach. It rewards positioning, reach weapons, and party formation. This is the cleanest "you hit my friend, I hit you" Champion. |
| Liberation ● | Mobile parties, anti-grapple play, caster protection | Liberating Step protects against damage and can free allies from grabs, restraints, immobilization, paralysis, and bad positioning. Monster Core enemies love grabbing people; Liberation loves making that annoying. |
| Redemption ● | Heroic campaigns, defensive parties, tables that enjoy moral pressure | Glimpse of Redemption can either stop the damage or reduce it and impose a real penalty. It is powerful, but the roleplay premise matters. If the campaign is "we kick down doors and never ask names," Redemption may feel like you brought a courtroom to a tavern brawl. |
| Grandeur ● | Anti-invisibility support, radiant defenders, holy theme builds | Flash of Grandeur reduces ally damage and reveals the attacker with light. It is less universally sharp than Justice or Liberation, but it punishes hidden tricks and gets nastier with its cause feat. |
| Obedience ● | Ordered antihero campaigns, control-flavored unholy Champions | Iron Command pressures an enemy that damages you: kneel or take pain. It has good drama and can create prone pressure, but the unholy/table-fit issue is real. |
| Desecration ● | Selfish unholy tanks, villain campaigns, damage-soak builds | Selfish Shield protects you, not your allies, and adds offensive pressure against the attacker. Strong for the right campaign, wrong for the usual heroic defender fantasy. |
| Iniquity ● | Risk-loving unholy strikers, revenge builds | Destructive Vengeance trades your own pain for enemy damage and follow-up pressure. It is metal. It is also not what most parties mean when they say "please protect the Wizard." |
Deity And Sanctification
Champion starts with deity, not optimization math. Player Core deities bring edicts, anathema, areas of concern, divine skill, favored weapon, sanctification options, and divine font information. Player Core 2 then ties those choices to Champion causes, devotion spells, and what happens if the character acts against the faith.
| Deity factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Sanctification compatibility ● | If you want a holy or unholy cause, your deity has to support it. This is the first filter, not the last. |
| Edicts and anathema ● | These shape actual table behavior. Choose ideals you want to play under for a whole campaign. |
| Favored weapon ● | Deific weapon can improve simple or small-die favored weapons and can grant access or practical proficiency treatment for unusual deity weapons. A good weapon helps, but it should not override the whole character. |
| Divine skill ● | You are trained in Religion and the deity skill. This can make you the party face, medic, lore character, or social pressure point. |
| Divine font access ● | Heal access points toward lay on hands. Harm access points toward touch of the void. Either can be correct if the campaign supports the tone and tactics. |
| Domain flavor ● | Deity's Domain and Advanced Deity's Domain can be excellent, but domain spells need action economy and focus pool support. |
Sanctification ranking:
| Choice | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Holy ● | Best default for most heroic campaigns. It unlocks holy causes, makes your Strikes holy, and cleanly supports classic party protection. |
| Neither ● | Good for deities and campaigns where cosmic war is not the whole point. You give up some options but avoid some baggage. |
| Unholy ● | Mechanically real, socially risky. Player Core 2 flags unholy Champion options as potentially disruptive and uncommon. Use only when the whole table wants that campaign. |
Blessing Rankings
At 3rd level, blessing of the devoted asks what kind of Champion you are when nobody is reading your backstory.
| Blessing | Best for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blessed Shield ● | Shield defenders, bodyguards, adjacent ally protectors | Reinforcing rune progression or extra shield Hardness makes this the cleanest defensive pick. It directly supports Shield Block and the class's protection identity. |
| Blessed Armament ● | Deity weapon builds, switch-hitters, ghost touch or returning plans | Critical specialization plus a daily property rune choice is flexible and flavorful. It is strongest when your weapon actually drives the build. |
| Blessed Swiftness ● | Mobile Champions, mounted Champions, aura-positioning problems | Speed is secretly defense because it lets your aura be where the fight is. The ally defense bonus against movement-triggered reactions is also practical. |
Second Blessing is excellent because the first pick often solves your core build and the second patches its weakness. Shield plus Swiftness is the all-purpose defender package. Armament plus Shield is the "I protect people and still hit hard enough to be rude" package.
Defensive Play Styles
| Style | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shield aura defender ● | New Champions, fragile parties, dungeon fights | Raise a Shield, keep allies inside the aura, and use Shield Block only when it beats the Champion reaction. This is the most reliable baseline. |
| Reach Justice protector ● | Tactical players, Fighter-adjacent damage fans | Retributive Strike loves reach because reach turns more enemy attacks into punishable mistakes. Use movement and flanking intelligently. |
| Liberation bodyguard ● | Anti-grapple campaigns, protecting casters, mobile teams | Step effects and escape attempts turn enemy control into wasted action economy. Great against monsters that grab, restrain, immobilize, or corner allies. |
| Redemption wall ● | Mercy-first parties, social-heavy heroic games | You are not just preventing damage; you are imposing a moral choice. This is strong, but the table has to enjoy that flavor. |
| Blessed Swiftness skirmisher ● | Open maps, mounted play, moving fights | Speed lets the aura keep up with the battle. Good when the GM uses terrain, elevation, and enemies that do not politely stand next to you. |
| Two-handed divine striker ● | Damage-minded Champions | Works, especially with Justice, Smite, and strong weapon runes. It gives up some shield value, so do not pretend it is the same defensive build with a larger damage die. |
| Unholy self-punisher ● | Villain or antihero campaigns | Desecration, Iniquity, and Obedience play differently from the heroic protector model. That can be fun, but only with table buy-in. |
Ability Scores
| Attribute | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Strength ● | Best for heavy armor, melee weapons, Athletics, shields, reach builds, and most classic Champions. |
| Dexterity ● | Works for agile, ranged, finesse, or lighter mobility builds. It is less natural for the shield-and-heavy-armor default. |
| Constitution ● | You stand near monsters and invite attention. More HP is not glamorous, but neither is falling over while explaining justice. |
| Charisma ● | Devotion spells use Charisma, and several Champion features care about class DC or Charisma-based pressure. Do not dump it if focus magic or unholy reaction scaling matters. |
| Wisdom ● | Perception, Will, Medicine, and awareness are valuable on a front-liner who needs to be in the right square early. |
| Intelligence ● | Extra skills help, especially for Religion plus deity skill coverage, but the class is already stat-hungry. |
Best Ancestries And Heritages
Champion can work with nearly any ancestry because the class brings armor, HP, and a strong role. The best picks improve durability, movement, senses, social presence, or feat flexibility.
| Option | Why it fits Champion |
|---|---|
| Human ● | Flexible feat support is excellent for a class with many competing build priorities. |
| Dwarf ● | Durable, steady, and thematically perfect for shield and armor Champions. Very hard to make bad. |
| Orc ● | Front-line toughness and intimidation flavor fit aggressive holy or unholy Champions. |
| Kholo ● | Strong physical fantasy and divine warrior presence. Good for Champions who want bite instead of stained-glass politeness. |
| Leshy ● | A nature-flavored Champion is more viable than it sounds, especially with defensive support and oddball roleplay. |
| Minotaur ● | Excellent for big bodyguard energy, melee control, and doorway ownership. |
| Catfolk ● | Better for Dexterity or mobile Champions than heavy shield bricks. |
| Tengu ● | Weapon flavor can be fun, but make sure the build still solves the Champion's aura and protection job. |
| Versatile heritages ● | Great when you want a second story layer, divine ancestry hook, or mechanical patch without changing the class role. |
Best Skills
| Skill | Use case |
|---|---|
| Religion ● | Required and central. Use it for divine knowledge, rituals, faith scenes, and identifying sacred nonsense before it bites someone. |
| Athletics ● | Trip, Grapple, Shove, Disarm, climbing, swimming, and front-line control. Best Strength skill. |
| Medicine ● | Lay on hands does not replace Treat Wounds and Battle Medicine. Champion is an excellent secondary healer. |
| Diplomacy ● | Deity, cause, and moral authority make social play natural. Redemption Champions especially like it. |
| Intimidation ● | Demoralize is a good third action when you do not need to move or Raise a Shield. Fits Obedience, Iniquity, and severe holy warriors. |
| Crafting ● | Shield repair, gear maintenance, and item access matter when your equipment is part of your class engine. |
| Society ● | Useful for legal, faction, city, and hierarchy-heavy Champions. Justice and Obedience both like knowing who is allowed to shout orders. |
| Acrobatics ● | Escape and mobility are useful, but most Champions prefer Athletics unless Dexterity is central. |
Backgrounds
Champion backgrounds should do two jobs: explain why this person has a deity-and-cause problem in the first place, and add a useful skill that the class does not already cover cleanly. You already get Religion and a deity skill, so backgrounds are where you patch Athletics, Medicine, Diplomacy, Crafting, Society, or Intimidation.
Use the backgrounds guide for the broader rules layer. For Champion, the best background is usually the one that supports your cause without stealing your entire personality.
| Background direction | Best causes | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Guard, soldier, knight, or militia defender ● | Justice, Liberation, Grandeur | This supports armor, weapons, Athletics, battlefield duty, and the core job of standing where danger is happening. |
| Acolyte, temple attendant, shrine guardian, or pilgrim ● | Redemption, Grandeur, Obedience | This ties deity, edicts, anathema, and Religion into the character before level 1 instead of pretending the Champion found faith in a clearance bin. |
| Medic, battlefield healer, herbalist, or hospice worker ● | Redemption, Liberation, Justice | Medicine is excellent beside lay on hands because Treat Wounds, Battle Medicine, and condition support cover different pressure than focus magic. |
| Armorer, blacksmith, artisan, or siege crew ● | Justice, Obedience, Desecration | Crafting supports shield repair, rune access, item upkeep, and the practical side of being a person wrapped in expensive metal. |
| Noble, emissary, magistrate, advocate, or herald ● | Justice, Grandeur, Obedience | Diplomacy and Society support legal authority, social scenes, faction politics, and Champions who want their ideals to work outside initiative. |
| Prisoner, refugee, rebel, or freedom fighter ● | Liberation, Redemption | This makes the cause personal and gives the GM clean hooks for tyranny, rescue, and moral repair. |
| Criminal, cult survivor, fallen noble, or penitent villain ● | Redemption, Iniquity, Desecration | Excellent with table buy-in, awkward without it. If the character's past will dominate the campaign, say that up front. |
| Scholar, entertainer, merchant, or wilderness specialist ● | Any | These can work, but they need a concrete reason to feed the Champion loop instead of becoming unrelated backstory furniture. |
Best Champion Feat Paths
Use the full Champion feat guide for deeper sorting. In the class guide, think in paths.
Cause-Specific Openers
| Feat | Cause | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nimble Reprisal ● | Justice | Extends Retributive Strike's practical reach through ranged options or a Step into melee reach. This is one of the best early cause feats. |
| Unimpeded Step ● | Liberation | Makes Liberating Step movement ignore common terrain problems. Stronger on cluttered maps. |
| Weight of Guilt ● | Redemption | Swapping enfeebled pressure for stupefied pressure lets you punish enemy casters and mental-stat threats. |
| Brilliant Flash ● | Grandeur | Adding off-guard to Flash of Grandeur is efficient and helps the party capitalize. |
| Iron Repercussions ● | Obedience | Good if enemies often refuse Iron Command and your table supports unholy play. |
| Ongoing Selfishness ● | Desecration | More self-protection after Selfish Shield is good, but it reinforces the least party-protective version of Champion. |
| Vicious Vengeance ● | Iniquity | More damage for Destructive Vengeance. Fun, risky, and not subtle. |
Shield Defender
| Level band | Priority | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Early | Defensive Advance ● | Raise a Shield, move, and Strike in one package. Great when the fight starts a little too far away. |
| Early | Security ● | Makes shields of the spirit protect one ally beyond the normal aura timing. Best with the shield focus spell. |
| Mid | Shield Warden ● | Lets Shield Block protect an adjacent ally. This is where the shield build becomes a party feature. |
| Mid | Quick Shield Block ● | Adds a Shield Block-only reaction, solving some of the class's biggest reaction tension. |
| Mid | Greater Security ● | Makes the companion shield plan sturdier and more practical. |
| Mid | Shield of Reckoning ● | The dream: block for an ally and use your Champion reaction when both triggers line up. |
| High | Divine Wall ● | Adjacent spaces become harder for enemies to navigate. This turns your shield into battlefield control. |
| High | Shield of Grace ● | Splits remaining ally damage after Shield Block. Excellent for bodyguard play. |
Aura And Reaction Upgrades
| Feat | Why |
|---|---|
| Expand Aura ● | A temporary 30-foot aura solves the class's biggest map problem. It gets better as its duration improves. |
| Divine Reflexes ● | An extra Champion reaction is exactly what the class wants at high level. |
| Aura of Courage ● | Holy Champions help reduce fear pressure. Strong against Monster Core enemies with fear themes. |
| Aura of Determination ● | A broad bonus against mental, morph, and polymorph effects is not flashy, but it saves ugly turns. |
| Aura of Life ● | Void resistance and save support matter in undead-heavy campaigns. |
| Aura of Righteousness ● | Excellent against unholy enemies and teleportation escapes. Narrower in campaigns without that axis. |
| Aura of Despair ● | Unholy-only fear pressure. Powerful in a campaign that actually wants unholy Champions. |
Devotion And Divine Power
| Feat | Why |
|---|---|
| Deity's Domain ● | A good initial domain spell can give the Champion a real second button. Check action economy first. |
| Desperate Prayer ● | A once-per-day focus point rescue is excellent when a single lay on hands, touch of the void, or shields of the spirit changes the fight. |
| Mercy ● | Lay on hands can counteract selected conditions with a two-action version. Great support if your party lacks condition answers. |
| Greater Mercy ● | Expands Mercy into nastier conditions as levels climb. |
| Advanced Deity's Domain ● | Strong when the domain spell is good and the focus pool supports it. Skip if you are already action-starved. |
| Champion's Sacrifice ● | A dramatic ally rescue spell, but dangerous because the effects move to you. Use it like a seatbelt, not a hobby. |
| Devoted Focus ● | Completely refilling the focus pool on Refocus is huge for Champions with multiple focus spells. |
| Ultimate Mercy ● | Late-game resurrection through lay on hands support is excellent, but it is a capstone-tier rescue plan. |
Weapon And Mount Paths
| Feat | Why |
|---|---|
| Smite ● | Simple one-action damage pressure that gets better against opposite-trait enemies and hostile targets. |
| Blessed Counterstrike ● | Good for causes that grant ally resistance and want a follow-up Strike with team payoff. |
| Instrument of Zeal ● | Strong high-level payoff for crit-focused Justice or Blessed Counterstrike builds. |
| Faithful Steed ● | Excellent in campaigns with space, travel, and mounted combat. Awkward in tight dungeons. |
| Loyal Warhorse ● | Take it only if the mount plan is real. |
| Imposing Destrier ● | Better action flow for mounted Champions, but maps still decide whether this is great or decorative. |
| Auspicious Mount ● | Very flavorful high-level mount payoff. Campaign geometry remains the tax collector. |
| Radiant Armament ● | Great if Blessed Armament is your identity and you want more daily rune flexibility. |
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Devotion Spells
Champion's focus magic should support the class loop. You are not a Cleric. You are a front-line defender with divine buttons.
| Spell | Best use |
|---|---|
| Lay on Hands ● | Heal an ally or yourself while adding protective tempo. Best for heal-font deities and mercy paths. |
| Shields of the Spirit ● | Raise a shield and extend a small defensive aura benefit to allies while punishing attacks against them with spirit damage. Excellent for shield Champions. |
| Touch of the Void ● | Harm-font option for undead healing or living-target pressure. Stronger in unholy, undead, or specific campaign contexts. |
| Champion's Sacrifice ● | Emergency ally rescue. It can save a character, but it can also put the Champion through a wall emotionally and mathematically. |
| Spectral Advance ● | Blessed Swiftness path mobility that ignores difficult terrain and avoids reactions during movement. Great when maps are wide or hostile. |
| Hero's Defiance ● | Late-game "not yet" button when an attack would drop you. Powerful, but only relevant once the campaign reaches very high levels. |
For spell-adjacent planning, use Champion spells, divine spells, focus spells, and rituals.
Equipment Recommendations
Champion gear should make the protection loop easier: stay alive, keep the shield usable, punish targets, and reach the square where your aura matters.
| Gear | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Heavy armor ● | The default Champion answer. Keep armor potency and resilient runes current. |
| Shield ● | Use a real shield plan if you expect to block. Blessed Shield, reinforcing runes, and sturdy shield-style upgrades matter. |
| Reach weapon ● | Retributive Strike gets much better when more enemies are in reach. Use the deity weapon if it supports the plan, but do not worship a bad damage profile out of politeness. |
| One-handed weapon plus shield ● | The cleanest defender package. Lower burst, higher consistency. |
| Deity favored weapon ● | Deific weapon can improve or enable deity weapons. Strong for theme and access, but still compare traits, hands, reach, and damage. |
| Backup ranged weapon ● | Javelins, thrown weapons, or another simple ranged answer prevent sad turns against flying or distant enemies. |
| Runes ● | Fundamental weapon and armor runes are mandatory math. Property runes should support your damage type, control plan, and enemy mix. |
| Consumables ● | Healing, mobility, condition answers, talismans, and oils solve problems without spending class feats. |
| Repair kit and Crafting support ● | Shield characters need a shield maintenance plan. "It broke heroically" is still "it broke." |
| Magic items by level ● | GM Core treasure assumptions matter. Champion is gear-sensitive even when the class looks self-contained. |
Treasure Vault Remaster is especially relevant for shield, armor, weapon rune, talisman, consumable, and worn item planning. Do not let shiny divine items delay fundamental armor, weapon, and shield progression.
Best Archetypes
Use archetypes to reinforce your existing job, not to apologize for choosing Champion.
| Archetype direction | Why |
|---|---|
| Shield and defensive archetypes ● | Anything that improves shield uptime, ally protection, blocking, or defensive reactions supports the Champion's natural loop. |
| Martial archetypes ● | Fighter-style weapon support, better movement, and combat options can help weapon Champions stay threatening. |
| Medic or Medicine support ● | Champion already wants to protect allies. Medicine turns that into out-of-combat recovery and emergency action value. |
| Multiclass archetypes ● | Good when you want a second class identity, but Champion feats are strong enough that multiclassing has a real opportunity cost. |
| Spellcasting archetypes ● | Divine or utility magic can work, but two-action casting competes with movement, Raise a Shield, and Strikes. |
| Free Archetype ● | Excellent if the GM uses the variant. Do not assume it exists without GM Core table agreement. |
Example Builds
Justice Reach Defender
| Choice | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Key attribute | Strength |
| Cause | Justice |
| Sanctification | Holy or neither, depending on deity and campaign |
| Blessing | Blessed Armament or Blessed Shield |
| Skills | Athletics, Religion, Medicine, Intimidation |
| Feat priorities | Nimble Reprisal, Expand Aura, Smite, Divine Reflexes, Instrument of Zeal |
| Gear | Reach weapon, heavy armor, backup ranged weapon, armor runes, weapon runes |
| Party role | Stand where enemies attacking allies trigger Retributive Strike. If the monster wants the Wizard, it signs the guest book with its face. |
Shield Wall Protector
| Choice | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Key attribute | Strength |
| Cause | Liberation, Redemption, Grandeur, or Justice |
| Sanctification | Usually holy |
| Blessing | Blessed Shield first, Blessed Swiftness second |
| Skills | Religion, Medicine, Crafting, Athletics |
| Feat priorities | Defensive Advance, Security, Shield Warden, Quick Shield Block, Shield of Reckoning, Divine Wall |
| Gear | Heavy armor, sturdy or reinforced shield, one-handed weapon, repair kit, defensive consumables |
| Party role | Keep the fragile characters in aura range and spend reactions on the hit that would actually swing the fight. |
Liberation Bodyguard
| Choice | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Key attribute | Strength or Dexterity |
| Cause | Liberation |
| Sanctification | Deity-dependent |
| Blessing | Blessed Swiftness |
| Skills | Athletics, Acrobatics, Religion, Diplomacy |
| Feat priorities | Unimpeded Step, Expand Aura, Spectral Advance, Divine Reflexes |
| Gear | Mobile armor plan, shield if using shield feats, reach or one-handed weapon, movement consumables |
| Party role | Break grabs, Step allies out of trouble, and make Monster Core grab routines feel much less smug. |
Redemption Mercy Champion
| Choice | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Key attribute | Strength with Charisma support |
| Cause | Redemption |
| Sanctification | Holy |
| Blessing | Blessed Shield or Blessed Swiftness |
| Skills | Religion, Diplomacy, Medicine, Society |
| Feat priorities | Weight of Guilt, Mercy, Greater Mercy, Champion's Sacrifice, Devoted Focus, Ultimate Mercy |
| Gear | Defensive armor and shield, holy or deity-themed weapon runes, healing and condition consumables |
| Party role | Reduce damage, force enemy choices, and make mercy tactically relevant instead of merely decorative. |
GM Core And Monster Core Notes
Champion depends on enemy behavior, map size, and table expectations. GM Core session zero should cover deity, sanctification, cause, edicts, anathema, uncommon unholy options, and how strict religious obligations will be. The right answer is not "ignore the rules" or "punish the player." The right answer is that everyone knows what kind of divine story they agreed to play.
Encounter design matters. Champions shine when enemies threaten allies, use movement, grab or restrain targets, exploit chokepoints, and force positioning decisions. They struggle when every fight starts at long range, every enemy ignores protected allies, or maps are empty rectangles where the aura is either always perfect or always irrelevant.
Monster Core matchup advice:
| Enemy pressure | Champion answer |
|---|---|
| Grabs and restraints | Liberation is excellent. Athletics and ally movement planning also matter. |
| Fear and mental effects | Aura of Courage and Aura of Determination can blunt common control plans. |
| Undead and void damage | Aura of Life, holy sanctification, Religion, and divine tools become more valuable. |
| Fiends and unholy threats | Holy Champions and Aura of Righteousness get better when the campaign actually uses that axis. |
| Flying or ranged enemies | Bring backup ranged options, movement tools, and party coordination. A Champion cannot protect allies from another zip code. |
| Swarms or many enemies | Shield and aura tools are useful, but area damage and positioning from allies often matter more than your single Strike. |
GM Core treasure expectations also matter. Keep armor runes, shield upgrades, weapon runes, and defensive items on schedule. A Champion whose shield is three levels behind is not making a build choice; they are doing unpaid prop comedy.
Hot Take: Deity weapon choice is overrated if it makes you worse at standing in the right place. The aura is the job; the weapon is how you complain.
