This subclass is intended for use with the fighter class as presented in the 5e core rules or in conjunction with the options in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
We’ve generally viewed fighters as equipment specialists, largely differentiated by their weapon and armor of choice. Where fighters have been allowed to utilize magic as part of a subclass this has typically resulted in an equipment specialist who can also cast a selection of spells. We don’t think this is what a fighter who uses magic would look like at all. We believe that in a fantasy world where fighters can learn magic they would continue to specialize, learning just a few spelsl and then honing it to squeeze out every last drop of tactical advantage. Here we have taken this thought experiment to its logical conclusion and built a fighter archetype around the concept of the spells Featherfall and Fly.
A skyguard is a fighter who trains to gain limited magical abilities that allow them to operate as a member of the airbourne division of a fantasy world army. They focus on using aerial combat tactics to out-maneuver land based foes and counteract flying threats by joining them in the air. They specialize in one of two forms of aerial combat - mounted or independent flight.
For those with natural flying abilities, the Skyguard is seen as the pinnacle of the trained independent warrior, even in certain land based cultures access to skyguard status is reserved for the upper echelons of society. Many skyguards of this type consider themselves a cut above ground based fighters, and this sense of an elite status can lead to them being disliked by their grounded allies.
In other places the short life expectancy of a Skyguard leads to it being generally considered foolhardy, and tantamount to a deathwish, to enroll in one of these flying units and most of those taking the fight into the air are criminals seeking a reduced sentence or just the poor and desperate, derided for their life choices.
- from the publisher's blurb