Zagaroth
2004-07-18, 05:41 AM
Light gleamed off the blade as it briefly flashed with holy power, slashing down in an arc that crashed against a darker, blood stained axe, whose orcish wielder staggered back a step from the impact. The human bearing that bright blade growled with a low fury, and his eyes were a disturbing sight: cat like pupils, surrounded by a molten gold color which was eerily reminiscent to that of a dragon’s eyes. “You’ll not harm these people!” behind him, several people were watching the fight with mixed fear and hope in their eyes.
The orc merely snarled in return, and swung his blade again, only to find it easily turned aside before the noble warrior lunged forward with a sudden surge of strength and speed, driving his blade into the slaver’s heart in one quick thrust, then letting the body drop as he spun to face the other slavers who had watch from the opposite side of the battle field. “Your leader is dead, those who surrender themselves now I will recommend for lenient treatment by the magistrate. Those who attempt to fight or flee I will sentence myself.” The body at his feet declared what sort of sentence that was likely to be.
The Holy Blades of Zagaroth are (usually non-dragon) warriors who have dedicated themselves to the ideals laid out by the draconic deity Zagaroth, which include nobility and a passionate sense of duty, tempered by wisdom and mercy, giving kindness and gentleness to the innocent, and bringing justice to the cruel and the evil. They do not shirk in either their duty to fight against evil, or to care for those in need. In return for this dedication, they are granted powers to aid them in defending those who need it, and to help them find the truth of a situation so they may act most appropriately as dispensers of justice.
Though he is a dragon, Zagaroth is not aloof from the affairs of other races as some other draconic deities tend to be. Instead, he encourages people from all races to strive to follow his ideals as best they can, and rarely chastises some one who fails when they have striven their best.
Hit Die: d10
Prerequisites:
Alignment: Lawful Good
Diplomacy: 4 ranks
Knowledge, Religion: 6 ranks
Knowledge, Arcane: 2 ranks
Sense Motive: 4 Ranks
Feats: Dragonfriend, Sacred Vow
BaB: +7
Languages: Draconic
Special: the ability to use Smite Evil at least once per day.
Class Features:
Weapon & armor proficiency: A Holy Blade is proficient in all simple & martial weapons, all armors, and small & large shields.
Skills: the following skills are class skills:
Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge(all), Listen, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Search, Spellcraft, Spot
Skill points: (4+int bonus) per level
BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities
1. +1 +2 +0 +2 Dragonmark, Oath, Aura of Good, Smite Evil +1/day
2. +2 +3 +0 +3 Divine Grace
3. +3 +3 +1 +3 Holy Fervor 1/day
4. +4 +4 +1 +4 Exalted Feat, Truth Sense
5. +5 +4 +1 +4 Smite Evil +2/day
6. +6 +5 +2 +5 Zone of Truth, Holy Fervor 2/day
7. +7 +5 +2 +5 Greater Holy Fervor
8. +8 +6 +2 +6 Dragon Feat
9. +9 +6 +3 +6 Smite Evil +3/day, Holy Fervor 3/day
10.+10 +7 +3 +7 Pure Blade
Dragonmark:(Ex) Upon completion of the right of initiation, a Holy Blade of Zagaroth is marked by a very noticeable change in his eyes: they change appearance to look look like a dragon’s eyes. This tends to make them stand out, and they are often targeted by assasins from evil organizations who have a minimum bounty they’ll pay for the body (or other suitable proof of death) of even the lowliest Holy Blade. The eyes retain this appearance in any form that has normal eyes, even in illusionary forms or if Shapechanged.
The Holy Blade receives a Circumstance Bonus of +3 to all diplomacy checks when interacting with people who consider themselves allies or benificiaries of Zagaroth's church. (good aligned dragons, celestials, paladins, and most people who spend their lives focused on justice, such as a judge or policeofficer, woudl consider themselves allies, while most good aligned commonors would be benificiaries).
A circumstance penalty of -6 applies to all diplomacy to all who consider themselves active foes of Zagaroth or his church, but the Holy Blade also gains a +3 circumstance bonus to any intimidate checks made against the same.
These bonuses and penalties apply only to those who see the dragonmark, or otherwise know that the character is a Holy Blade.
Oath: Like a Paladin (which many Holy Blades are), a Holy Blade must adhere to a strict code of behavior. Failure to follow this code will lead to the loss of all class abilities:
A Holy blade may never commit an evil act (apply all the rules of a paladin who commits an evil act here)
A Holy Blade must always do his best to protect the innocent from harm.
A Holy Blade should temper punitive justice with both wisdom and mercy whenever feasible.
As an arbitrator of Justice, a Holy Blade is bound to settle civil disputes when asked of him by all parties involved, so long as there is no more appropriate authority around (such as a priest of a domestic deity for domestic troubles) and it would not cause a delay in an urgent quest. (Adventures like exploring an old ruined castle do not count as urgent unless there is a specific reason such as some one needing rescue, or a special spell to break a deadly curse, etc.)
A Holy Blade may not lie. Should circumstances force the holy blade to lie to protect others or otherwise more truly serve justice, the Holy Blade must present himself to high ranking officials in his church and explain the situation and serve penance as judged by his superiors. Failure to do so as soon as possible results in the loss of all class abilities until such a time as penance is achieved and an Atonement is made. As befits the wisdom of Zagaroth, "As soon as possible" means AFTER you finish your quest if delay means the potential endangerment of others.
Aura of Good: (Ex) The power of a Holy Blade’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to the Holy Blade's class level. This stacks with any other Aura of Good effect
Smite Evil:(Su) As part of an attack action, a Holy blade may Smite Evil 1 more time per day. This ability functions as the source of his perquisite Smite Evil ability does, and if he can use Smite Evil from more than one source, then he may choose which one to use as his qualifier when he takes this class. Example; A half-celestial Paladin can either add this Smite Evil to his Paladin Smite evils (stacking class levels) or may choose to make it so that he can Smite Evil as per his ability from being a Half-Celestial. An additional use of Smite Evil is granted at 5th and at 9th level.
Divine Grace:(Su) At 2nd level, a Holy Blade gains a bonus equal to his Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws. If a Holy Blade already has this ability, add +1 to all saving throws instead.
Holy Fervor:(Su) At 3rd Level, Once per day, while actively defending an innocent or helpless person, a Holy Blade gains a Sacred Bonus of +2 to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. This lasts a number of rounds equal to his class levels in Holy Blade, but never any longer than the current battle. An Extra Use of this ability is gained at 6th and at 9th level. Activating this ability is a free action.
Exalted Feat: At 4th level, a Holy Blade may choose any exalted feat as a bonus feat. The Holy Blade must meet all prerequisites for the feat they select
Truth Sense:(Ex) From 4th level on, a Holy Blade gains a Competence bonus equal to his class level to Sense Motive and to Diplomacy.
Zone of Truth:(Sp) At 6th level, a Holy Blade gains the Ability to cast Zone of Truth a number of times per day equal to his Charisma Bonus (minimum 1). Caster Level is equal to his Character Level, and the save DC is 10 + Class Level +Charisma Modifier
Greater Holy Fervor:(Su) At 7th level, the bonuses from Holy Fervor increases to +4.
Dragon Feat: at 8th level, a Holy blade may select one of the following feats even if he does not normally qualify for them: Dragon Cohort, Dragon Familiar, Dragon Steed, Dragonsong. Note: if Dragon familiar or dragon Steed is chosen, add 1/2 class levels towards effective class levels of paladin or Wizard for determining the steed or familair's abilities, even if he has no levels in that class.
Pure Blade:(Su) The purity of the Holy Blade’s faith and will enables any weapon the Holy Blade is currently wielding to bypass the damage reduction of any creature with a subtype of [Evil]. For Example, a Holy Blade with a non-magical sword of normal steel could bypass the damage reduction of a Demon or a Devil because they have a subtype of [Evil], but an evil dragon doesn't have that subtype, so a magical blade would still be needed.
NOTES: much editing has occurred..
Now that Z got me thinking about the dragon eyes more, I've actually woudn up adding a lot fo text. That's what you get for making me think!
Divine grace will remain un-named, because the paladin's ability is un-named.
I was going to make Zone of truth be based of the normal spell level for DC, but then decided i LIKED the idea of an Epic Holy Blade having a kick-ass Zone of Truth ability, so took Zherog's suggestion and made it class-level based.
The orc merely snarled in return, and swung his blade again, only to find it easily turned aside before the noble warrior lunged forward with a sudden surge of strength and speed, driving his blade into the slaver’s heart in one quick thrust, then letting the body drop as he spun to face the other slavers who had watch from the opposite side of the battle field. “Your leader is dead, those who surrender themselves now I will recommend for lenient treatment by the magistrate. Those who attempt to fight or flee I will sentence myself.” The body at his feet declared what sort of sentence that was likely to be.
The Holy Blades of Zagaroth are (usually non-dragon) warriors who have dedicated themselves to the ideals laid out by the draconic deity Zagaroth, which include nobility and a passionate sense of duty, tempered by wisdom and mercy, giving kindness and gentleness to the innocent, and bringing justice to the cruel and the evil. They do not shirk in either their duty to fight against evil, or to care for those in need. In return for this dedication, they are granted powers to aid them in defending those who need it, and to help them find the truth of a situation so they may act most appropriately as dispensers of justice.
Though he is a dragon, Zagaroth is not aloof from the affairs of other races as some other draconic deities tend to be. Instead, he encourages people from all races to strive to follow his ideals as best they can, and rarely chastises some one who fails when they have striven their best.
Hit Die: d10
Prerequisites:
Alignment: Lawful Good
Diplomacy: 4 ranks
Knowledge, Religion: 6 ranks
Knowledge, Arcane: 2 ranks
Sense Motive: 4 Ranks
Feats: Dragonfriend, Sacred Vow
BaB: +7
Languages: Draconic
Special: the ability to use Smite Evil at least once per day.
Class Features:
Weapon & armor proficiency: A Holy Blade is proficient in all simple & martial weapons, all armors, and small & large shields.
Skills: the following skills are class skills:
Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge(all), Listen, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Search, Spellcraft, Spot
Skill points: (4+int bonus) per level
BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities
1. +1 +2 +0 +2 Dragonmark, Oath, Aura of Good, Smite Evil +1/day
2. +2 +3 +0 +3 Divine Grace
3. +3 +3 +1 +3 Holy Fervor 1/day
4. +4 +4 +1 +4 Exalted Feat, Truth Sense
5. +5 +4 +1 +4 Smite Evil +2/day
6. +6 +5 +2 +5 Zone of Truth, Holy Fervor 2/day
7. +7 +5 +2 +5 Greater Holy Fervor
8. +8 +6 +2 +6 Dragon Feat
9. +9 +6 +3 +6 Smite Evil +3/day, Holy Fervor 3/day
10.+10 +7 +3 +7 Pure Blade
Dragonmark:(Ex) Upon completion of the right of initiation, a Holy Blade of Zagaroth is marked by a very noticeable change in his eyes: they change appearance to look look like a dragon’s eyes. This tends to make them stand out, and they are often targeted by assasins from evil organizations who have a minimum bounty they’ll pay for the body (or other suitable proof of death) of even the lowliest Holy Blade. The eyes retain this appearance in any form that has normal eyes, even in illusionary forms or if Shapechanged.
The Holy Blade receives a Circumstance Bonus of +3 to all diplomacy checks when interacting with people who consider themselves allies or benificiaries of Zagaroth's church. (good aligned dragons, celestials, paladins, and most people who spend their lives focused on justice, such as a judge or policeofficer, woudl consider themselves allies, while most good aligned commonors would be benificiaries).
A circumstance penalty of -6 applies to all diplomacy to all who consider themselves active foes of Zagaroth or his church, but the Holy Blade also gains a +3 circumstance bonus to any intimidate checks made against the same.
These bonuses and penalties apply only to those who see the dragonmark, or otherwise know that the character is a Holy Blade.
Oath: Like a Paladin (which many Holy Blades are), a Holy Blade must adhere to a strict code of behavior. Failure to follow this code will lead to the loss of all class abilities:
A Holy blade may never commit an evil act (apply all the rules of a paladin who commits an evil act here)
A Holy Blade must always do his best to protect the innocent from harm.
A Holy Blade should temper punitive justice with both wisdom and mercy whenever feasible.
As an arbitrator of Justice, a Holy Blade is bound to settle civil disputes when asked of him by all parties involved, so long as there is no more appropriate authority around (such as a priest of a domestic deity for domestic troubles) and it would not cause a delay in an urgent quest. (Adventures like exploring an old ruined castle do not count as urgent unless there is a specific reason such as some one needing rescue, or a special spell to break a deadly curse, etc.)
A Holy Blade may not lie. Should circumstances force the holy blade to lie to protect others or otherwise more truly serve justice, the Holy Blade must present himself to high ranking officials in his church and explain the situation and serve penance as judged by his superiors. Failure to do so as soon as possible results in the loss of all class abilities until such a time as penance is achieved and an Atonement is made. As befits the wisdom of Zagaroth, "As soon as possible" means AFTER you finish your quest if delay means the potential endangerment of others.
Aura of Good: (Ex) The power of a Holy Blade’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to the Holy Blade's class level. This stacks with any other Aura of Good effect
Smite Evil:(Su) As part of an attack action, a Holy blade may Smite Evil 1 more time per day. This ability functions as the source of his perquisite Smite Evil ability does, and if he can use Smite Evil from more than one source, then he may choose which one to use as his qualifier when he takes this class. Example; A half-celestial Paladin can either add this Smite Evil to his Paladin Smite evils (stacking class levels) or may choose to make it so that he can Smite Evil as per his ability from being a Half-Celestial. An additional use of Smite Evil is granted at 5th and at 9th level.
Divine Grace:(Su) At 2nd level, a Holy Blade gains a bonus equal to his Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws. If a Holy Blade already has this ability, add +1 to all saving throws instead.
Holy Fervor:(Su) At 3rd Level, Once per day, while actively defending an innocent or helpless person, a Holy Blade gains a Sacred Bonus of +2 to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. This lasts a number of rounds equal to his class levels in Holy Blade, but never any longer than the current battle. An Extra Use of this ability is gained at 6th and at 9th level. Activating this ability is a free action.
Exalted Feat: At 4th level, a Holy Blade may choose any exalted feat as a bonus feat. The Holy Blade must meet all prerequisites for the feat they select
Truth Sense:(Ex) From 4th level on, a Holy Blade gains a Competence bonus equal to his class level to Sense Motive and to Diplomacy.
Zone of Truth:(Sp) At 6th level, a Holy Blade gains the Ability to cast Zone of Truth a number of times per day equal to his Charisma Bonus (minimum 1). Caster Level is equal to his Character Level, and the save DC is 10 + Class Level +Charisma Modifier
Greater Holy Fervor:(Su) At 7th level, the bonuses from Holy Fervor increases to +4.
Dragon Feat: at 8th level, a Holy blade may select one of the following feats even if he does not normally qualify for them: Dragon Cohort, Dragon Familiar, Dragon Steed, Dragonsong. Note: if Dragon familiar or dragon Steed is chosen, add 1/2 class levels towards effective class levels of paladin or Wizard for determining the steed or familair's abilities, even if he has no levels in that class.
Pure Blade:(Su) The purity of the Holy Blade’s faith and will enables any weapon the Holy Blade is currently wielding to bypass the damage reduction of any creature with a subtype of [Evil]. For Example, a Holy Blade with a non-magical sword of normal steel could bypass the damage reduction of a Demon or a Devil because they have a subtype of [Evil], but an evil dragon doesn't have that subtype, so a magical blade would still be needed.
NOTES: much editing has occurred..
Now that Z got me thinking about the dragon eyes more, I've actually woudn up adding a lot fo text. That's what you get for making me think!
Divine grace will remain un-named, because the paladin's ability is un-named.
I was going to make Zone of truth be based of the normal spell level for DC, but then decided i LIKED the idea of an Epic Holy Blade having a kick-ass Zone of Truth ability, so took Zherog's suggestion and made it class-level based.