The Genius Guide to the Time Warden

Time is something we all understand on an instinctive level, at least to a degree, but few of us have ever tried to define. Time has been called the 4th dimension, nature's way of making sure everything doesn't happen all at once, and a philosophical construct to allow for the comparison of durations. Philosophers grant time the power to heal all wounds, but also warn it is the death of all things from mountains, to kings, to peasants. We do not need to understand time to make use of it, but no matter how much we deny its power, we remain beholden to it.

Time is one of the great forces of the universe. But what if time doesn't just happen? What if time is fragile, or at least mutable, and must be guarded?

The time warden is a master of chronothurgy, the magic of manipulating time, and a self-appointed guardian of the timelinethe sequence of events from the beginning up to the present, and stretching out to the end. With the ability to manipulate time comes the ability to abuse it, and, if damaged, time can become dangerous. Time wardens are aware that if time is stretched too far, ignored too much, or called upon too recklessly, the result can be an injury to time. The measure of how likely a given use of time is to cause damage is known as chronal dissonance, and time wardens seek such dissonance and do their best to reduce it.

Of course, time wardens do far more than place a stitch in time. They are spellcasters, calling on temporal spells as sorcerers call on the arcane and clerics on the divine. Through manipulation of chronothurgy, a time warden can divine the future, heal his allies, undo many harmful effects, and eventually carry friends through time. Much like the bard or monk, the role of the time warden is less well defined than classes that stick closer to the cleric/fighter/rogue/wizard mold, but by the same token is less likely to overlap with existing characters filling those traditional roles. Certainly a time warden can be of great benefit to a band of adventurers, granting time-based benefits and hampering foes, if not through direct damage.