jiriku
2011-03-09, 04:21 PM
DAWNBLADE
"Superman don't need no seat belt."
-- Muhammad Ali
"I am a sexy, shoeless god of WAR!"
-- Belkar, The Order of the Stick
http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab24/gallopinggiraffes/holywarrior_small.jpg
The dawnblade is a righteous slayer, a mighty warrior who engages in battle for his god or his principles. In combat he moves fast and strikes hard, felling foes with both smites and channeled spells. He also debuffs tough foes, coordinating fellow party members and making it easier to take down a difficult opponent. The dawnblade is a class for daring, aggressive players who want to be in the center of the action, taking risks and confronting their opponents head-on.
Design Notes:
The dawnblade a counterpart to my knight-paladin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187700) class; if the knight-paladin is the stout defender, the dawnblade is the bruiser. A dawnblade also excels at intimidation and coercion, and should prove an effective, if thuggish, contributor in social challenges.
As a dawnblade, you're going to have lots of options in combat, and are well-positioned to take advantage of the action economy at higher levels. You can race across the battlefield and deliver a punishing strike with divine channeling, while you can spend your swift or immediate action to enhance your attack with a smite or cast a defensive or disrupting spell on a foe. By getting right in the thick of the action, you can debuff multiple foes, setting them up for attacks by your allies. However, you're a striker, not a tank, so beware of your limits and use your healing spells. You probably don't have the greatest AC, and most of your protective spells require your immediate action, so you'll drop quickly if you come under concentrated assault.
Change Log:
1.0 Original version.
1.01 Name changed from holy warrior to dawnblade.
1.1 Modified spell list and spells per day.
1.2 Removed divine health.
1.3 Increased maximum number of 0-level spells from 4 to 6.
1.4 Removed divine grace.
1.41 Updated tables.
1.5 Reduced Forceful Presence bonus by 50%.
1.51 Added touch of the blackened soul to the spell list to expand options for evil dawnblades.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Dawnblades have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma enhances a dawnblade's smites, self-protective capabilities, and auras. Strength is important for a dawnblade because of its role in combat. Several dawnblade skills are based on Wisdom, and a Wisdom score of 16 or higher is required to get access to the most powerful dawnblade spells. A Wisdom score of 11 or higher is required to cast any Dawnblade spells at all. As front-line combatants, dawnblades benefit from a decent Constitution score as well.
Alignment: Dawnblades may be of any alignment, but generally are strongly lawful, chaotic, good, or evil. Neutral faiths tend not to inspire the fervor and zealotry necessary to create a dawnblade. A dawnblade with neutral alignment components won't have access to as many spells as he would if he had a more committed moral outlook.
HIT DIE: d10
LvlBase AttackFortRefWillSpecial-0--1--2--3--4--5--6-
1st+1+2+0+2Code of honor, smite 1/day, knightly order, spontaneous casting21
2nd+2+3+0+3Smite 1+Cha/day32
3rd+3+3+1+3Aura of freedom, divine channeling43
4th+4+4+1+4Armor mastery (medium), imbued smite (sicken), smite 2+Cha/day441
5th+5+4+1+4Knight of the code542
6th+6/+1+5+2+5Detect hostile intent, divine boost +2553
7th+7/+2+5+2+5Aura of menace5541
8th+8/+3+6+2+6Imbued smite (knockback), smite 3+Cha/day6542
9th+9/+4+6+3+6Armor mastery (heavy)6653
10th+10/+5+7+3+7Divine boost +4, forceful presence66541
11th+11/+6/+1+7+3+7Aura of fragility66542
12th+12/+7/+2+8+4+8Imbued smite (confuse), smite 4+Cha/day67653
13th+13/+8/+3+8+4+8Divine channeling (full attack)676541
14th+14/+9/+4+9+4+9Divine boost +6676542
15th+15/+10/+5+9+5+9Aura of vulnerability687653
16th+16/+11/+6/+1+10+5+10Imbued smite (full attack), smite 5+Cha/day6876541
17th+17/+12/+7/+2+10+5+10Impetuous endurance6876542
18th+18/+13/+8/+3+11+6+11Divine boost +8, mighty aura6887653
19th+19/+14/+9/+4+11+6+11Aura of retribution6987654
20th+20/+15/+10/+5+12+6+12Imbued smite (daze), overwhelming smite, smite 6+Cha/day6987664
CLASS SKILLS (4 + Int mod per level, x4 at 1st level)
A dawnblade's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Swim (Str).
"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for."
-- William Shedd
http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab24/gallopinggiraffes/warrior-334x409.png
CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the dawnblade.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A dawnblade is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light, medium, and heavy armor and shields (except tower shields). As he advances in level, he is able to move more freely while wearing medium and heavy armor.
Spells: A dawnblade gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells, which are drawn from the dawnblade spell list (see below). A dawnblade must choose and prepare his spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a dawnblade must have a Wisdom score of 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a dawnblade's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the dawnblade's Wisdom modifier. Like other spellcasters, a dawnblade can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. The base daily spell allotment is given in the table above. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day for a high Wisdom score. When the table above indicates that the dawnblade gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Wisdom score for that spell level. A dawnblade's caster level is equal to his dawnblade level.
At the DM's discretion, the dawnblade may know other spells from the blackguard, cleric or paladin spell list that are not reproduced below. The DM should use best judgment in deciding what level to assign to these spells, but as a rule of thumb, they should be learned and cast at the same level at which they appear on the cleric list or at one level higher than they appear on the blackguard or paladin list.
A dawnblade cannot cast a spell with an alignment descriptor that does not match his own alignment. For example, only good-aligned dawnblades can cast spells with the [Good] descriptor.
DAWNBLADE SPELL LIST
The dawnblade spell list appears below. All spells are notated with the name and page number of the sourcebook in which they appear.
0 Level: cure minor wounds (PH 216), dawn (SpC 59), ice gauntlet (SpC 119), inflict minor wounds (PH 244), light (PH 248), read magic (PH 269), resistance (PH 272), virtue (PH 298).
1st Level: blood wind (SpC 33), command (PH 211), cure light wounds (PH 216), detect weaponry (City 66), divine favor (PH 224), guiding light (SpC 108), inflict light wounds (PH 244), magic weapon (PH 251), moment of clarity (SpC 142), protection from chaos/evil/law/good (PH 266), sense heretic (SpC 182), shivering touch, lesser (Frost 104), sign (SpC 184), spiritual weapon (PH 283).
2nd Level: blade of blood (PH2 103), bless weapon (PH 205), bless weapon, swift (SpC 31), bull's strength (PH 207), clear mind (SpC 47), corrupt weapon (DMG 182), corrupt weapon, swift (new spell), cure moderate wounds (PH 216), deafening clang (SpC 59), deific vengeance (SpC 62), divine insight (SpC 70), divine presence (CC 119), eagle's splendor (PH 225), execration (CC 120), find temple (SpC 91), freedom of breath (Sand 116), grace (Spc 107), infernal wound (SpC 122), inflict moderate wounds (PH 244), know greatest enemy (SpC129), owl's wisdom (PH 259), quick march (SpC 164), resist energy (PH 272, shatter (PH 278), soul of order (DM 73), sound burst (PH 281), stone fist (RoS 163), stretch weapon (PH2 126), visage of the deity, lesser (SpC 231), zeal (SpC 244).
3rd Level: aura of righteousness (new spell), awaken sin (SpC 21), bestow curse (PH 203), binding snow (Frost 89), aura of cold, lesser (Frost 88), blindness/deafness (PH 206), body blades (SpC 35), checkmate's light (SpC 46), crown of smiting (PH2 108), cure serious wounds (PH 216), daylight (PH 216), dispel magic (PH 223), enduring scrutiny (CM 103), energy vortex (SpC 81), energy vulnerability (PH2 112), flame of faith (SpC 95), hesitate (PH2 114), ice axe (SpC 118), inflict serious wounds (PH 244), invoke the cerulean sign (LoM 211), knight's move (SpC 129), loyal vassal (SpC 134), mantle of chaos/evil/good/law (SpC138), poison (PH 262), ring of blades (SpC 177), shield of warding (SpC 188), soul of light (DM 73), strength of stone (SpC 211), weapon of the deity (SpC 237).
4th Level: assay spell resistance (SpC 17), blessing of bahamut (SpC 31), castigate (SpC 44), condemnation (PH2 107), consumptive field (SpC 51), cure critical wounds (PH 215), death ward (PH 217), divine retaliation (PH2 110), earth hammer (RoS 162), holy transformation, lesser (SpC 116), hypothermia (SpC 118), infernal transformation, lesser (SpC 122), inflict critical wounds (PH 244), magic weapon, greater (PH 51), mind bond (BoED 102), mystic aegis (PH2 120), parboil (Sand 118), rejection (SpC 172), righteous fury (SpC 177), ruin delvers fortune (SpC 178), shivering touch (Frost 104), surge of fortune (CC 128), touch of the blackened soul (DM 73), undead bane weapon (SpC 226).
5th Level: bleed (CC 117), choking sands (Sand 112), command, greater (PH 211), dispel chaos/evil/good/law (PH 222), divine retribution (CC 119), draconic might (SpC 72), favor of the martyr (SpC 89), flaywind burst (Sand 115), frostbite (Frost 95), holy sword (PH 242), lawful sword (SpC131), lucent lance (SpC 134), mark of justice (PH 252), righteous aura (SpC 177), righteous might (PH 273), slay living (PH 280), visage of the deity (SpC 230).
6th Level: aura of cold, greater (Frost 88), bestow curse, greater (SpC 27), bolt of glory (SpC 35), brilliant blade (SpC 40), consumptive field, greater (SpC 51), crown of brilliance (BoED 95), destruction (PH 218), dictum (PH 220), dispel magic, greater (PH 223), harm (PH 239), heal (PH 239), holy transformation (SpC 116), infernal transformation (SpC 122), visage of the deity, greater (SpC 231).
"He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realise."
-- Oscar Wilde
Code of Honor: The dawnblade must have and adhere to a code of honor that defines his expected behavior both in and out of combat. This code should incorporate the code of his knightly order (see below). The player and DM should work together to craft an appropriate code that fits the campaign setting, the party, and the expected playstyle of the group. Good starting points for developing such a code include the paladins code (PHB 44 or UA 53-55), the knights code (PH2 27), and the samurais code (OA 22 or CW 10), or the kensais oath (CW 50).
Smite (Su): As a swift action, a dawnblade can invoke divine authority against his target. His next attack against the target this round is considered a smite attack; he adds his Charisma bonus (if any) to his attack roll, and gains a damage bonus equal to his dawnblade level. The dawnblade may smite anyone whom he regards as an opponent, but he cannot smite his allies; if he should do so accidently, the smite attempt is wasted.
A dawnblade (only) may expend smite attempts as if they were turn undead attempts when powering divine feats. He qualifies for divine feats as if he possessed the ability to turn undead, although some divine feats may not be relevant to him since he cannot actually turn or rebuke undead creatures.
A dawnblade may use his smite ability once per day. At 2nd level, he gains a number of additional uses per day equal to his Charisma modifier (minimum 1). At 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the dawnblade may smite one additional time per day.
As the dawnblade advances in level, he gains the ability to imbue his smite attempts with additional effects beyond the normally granted attack and damage bonuses. He may opt to add any one of the effects below to his smite.
Imbued smite effects:
Sickening smite: A dawnblade of 4th level or higher can deliver a sickening smite. The foe struck is sickened by the pain for 1 round (Fortitude negates, DC 10 + ½ dawnblade level + Cha modifier).
Crushing smite: A dawnblade of 8th level or higher can deliver a crushing smite. The dawnblade automatically initiates a bull rush if he strikes his opponent, moving and provoking attacks of opportunity as normal for a bull rush. If the smite was made as part of a full attack, the dawnblade completes his full attack after performing the bull rush.
Disorienting smite: A dawnblade of 12th level or higher can deliver a disorienting smite. The foe struck is confused for 1 round (Will negates, DC 10 + ½ dawnblade level + Cha modifier).
Whirling smite: A dawnblade of 16th level or higher can deliver a whirling smite as part of a full attack. He applies his smite bonuses to every attack made as part of the full attack.
Dazing smite: A dawnblade of 20th level or higher can deliver a dazing smite. The foe struck is dazed for 1 round with no saving throw.
Knightly Order: Dawnblades belong to one of several possible knightly orders within their church, army or other organization. While the orders available for a dawnblade to join vary depending on his race, culture, and affiliations, several example orders are provided below. The DM may include other orders appropriate to the campaign setting.
A dawnblades choice of a knightly order provides him with a Code. A code is similar to a clerics domain, providing both additional power and new spells, but also includes a behavioral restriction. A dawnblade who violates his code loses its benefits until he performs the listed atonement. Knightly orders are described in detail in the second post of this thread.
Example knightly orders:
The Order of the Silver Spur: An order which embraces the chivalrous valor of the mounted knight.
The Order of the Righteous Blade: An order which embraces the reckless fury of the charging zealot.
The Order of Arcane Mastery: A group of knights who study esoteric mysteries in the name of gods of arcane magic.
The Order of the Unblinking Eye: Knights-inquisitor who watch the clergy and laypeople of the faith vigilantly for signs of betrayal, corruption, or spiritual weakness.
The Order of the Rowan: An order which embraces the pure focus of the archer.
Spontaneous Casting: A dawnblade (even one of good alignment) can channel stored spell energy into inflict spells that he did not prepare ahead of time. The dawnblade can lose any prepared spell in order to cast any inflict spell of the same spell level or lower (an inflict spell is any spell with inflict in its name). Dawnblades can cast inflict spells in this way because they are especially proficient at wielding negative energy to bring judgment to their foes.
Aura (Su): Starting at 3rd level, a dawnblade is surrounded by an aura of divine power out to a range of 10 feet. When first acquired, this aura possesses the freedom quality (described below). The dawnblade gains the ability to infuse his aura with other attributes for every 4 additional levels he gains. Adding or removing an aura quality requires a swift action, and the aura can contain as many qualities as the dawnblade is able to produce. The dawnblade gains all the benefits of his own aura, except as noted below.
Aura qualities:
Freedom: The dawnblade becomes immune to charms and compulsions, and allies within the dawnblade's aura gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against charms and compulsions.
Menace: Beginning at 7th level, foes within the dawnblade's aura take a -2 penalty to attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or until they successfully hit the dawnblade (save negates, Will DC 10 + ½ class level + Charisma modifier). A creature that has resisted or broken this effect cannot be affected by the same dawnblade's aura of menace again for 24 hours.
Fragility: Beginning at 11th level, foes within the dawnblade's aura have their damage reduction and energy resistance reduced by the dawnblades class level while they remain within the aura (minimum 0, save negates, Will DC 10 + ½ class level + Charisma modifier). A creature that fails its save against the aura and later leaves the aura recovers, but is automatically affected again if it re-enters the aura within 24 hours. A creature that has resisted this effect cannot be affected by the same dawnblade's aura of fragility again for 24 hours.
Vulnerability: Beginning at 15th level, foes with spell resistance (or power resistance) within the dawnblade's aura have that resistance reduced by an amount equal to half the dawnblades class level (save negates, Will DC 10 + ½ class level + Charisma modifier). A creature that fails its save against the aura and later leaves the aura recovers, but is automatically affected again if it re-enters the aura within 24 hours. A creature that has resisted this effect cannot be affected by the same dawnblade's aura of vulnerability again for 24 hours.
Retribution: Beginning at 19th level, foes within the dawnblade's aura deal only half damage when attacking the dawnblade's allies who are also within the aura, and the attacker takes the remainder. The attacker can negate this reflected damage with a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ class level + Charisma modifier), but the damage he inflicts is still halved. A creature that has resisted this effect need not save again versus this dawnblade's aura of retribution for 24 hours.
Divine Channeling (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a dawnblade learns to channel a spell through his weapon when attacking. As a standard action, you can cast any divine touch spell you know and deliver the spell through your weapon, unarmed strike, or natural weapon with a melee or ranged attack. Casting a spell in this manner does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less; you can even channel spontaneously converted inflict spells. If the melee attack is successful, the attack deals damage normally; then the effect of the spell is resolved. You still need a free hand to cast a spell with somatic components in this way, although you can briefly take one hand off a two-handed weapon, cast the spell, then grip your weapon in both hands to complete your attack.
At 13th level, you can cast any divine touch spell you know as part of a full attack action, and the spell affects each target you hit in combat that round. If the touch spell would normally last longer than one round, it is discharged at the beginning of your next turn.
Armor Mastery (Ex): Starting at 4th level, the dawnblade is able to wear his armor as a second skin and ignore the standard speed reduction for wearing medium armor.
Starting at 9th level, he ignores the speed reduction imposed by heavy armor as well.
Detect Hostile Intent (Sp): A dawnblade of 6th level or higher can use detect hostile intent at will, as the psionic power.
Divine Boost (Su): Starting at 6th level, a dawnblade becomes empowered with the gift of the divine. He gains a +2 sacred (or profane, if he is of evil alignment) bonus to an ability score of his choice. If he improves a casting attribute, he immediately gains bonus spells for the new stat. Divine boost cannot grant additional skill points, even if the dawnblade uses it to improve his Intelligence. With 8 hours of rest, he can switch this bonus to a different ability score of his choice.
Every four levels thereafter, he gains an additional +2 bonus, which may be applied to the same or a different ability score.
Example of divine boost in play:
Sir Bors is a 14th level dawnblade given a quest to seek a lost relic. After a full night's rest, Bors assigns his divine boost: he chooses to gain a +4 sacred bonus to his Charisma score, to get better saves and a higher save DC on his smites, and a +2 sacred bonus to his Strength, to improve his attack and damage rolls. After several days of adventuring, Bors and his party have secured the relic and much other loot besides, but the party's cleric has fallen in battle. After a night's rest, Bors reassigns his +4 Charisma to Strength, gaining a total +6 sacred bonus to Strength. This helps him carry the cleric's body and gear back to a nearby temple for resurrection. Once his fallen companion is restored, the party returns to the king who gave them their quest. Bors isn't sure what sort of challenges he'll face in court, so after a night's rest he chooses to reassign his entire divine boost, gaining a +2 sacred bonus to each of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Hopefully, the slight edge to his mental and social skill checks will help him avoid any pitfalls in the king's court.
Forceful Presence (Ex): At 10th level, the dawnblade has developed a reputation as a fearsome zealot and implacable opponent. His complete confidence in himself and his cause grants him a forceful presence both on and off the battlefield. He gains a competence bonus on all Intimidate checks equal to 1/2 his class level, and gains a like bonus when using the two skills granted by his Knightly Code.
Impetuous Endurance (Ex): At 17th level, the dawnblade's fighting spirit enables him to push his body beyond the normal limits of endurance. He no longer automatically fails saving throws on a roll of 1. He might still fail the save if his result fails to equal or beat the saving throw DC.
Mighty Aura (Su): At 18th level, the radius of the dawnblade's divine aura doubles to 20 feet, and the bonus provided by his aura of freedom doubles.
Overwhelming Smite (Su): At 20th level, the dawnblade can choose any two special smite effects when performing a smite.
"Superman don't need no seat belt."
-- Muhammad Ali
"I am a sexy, shoeless god of WAR!"
-- Belkar, The Order of the Stick
http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab24/gallopinggiraffes/holywarrior_small.jpg
The dawnblade is a righteous slayer, a mighty warrior who engages in battle for his god or his principles. In combat he moves fast and strikes hard, felling foes with both smites and channeled spells. He also debuffs tough foes, coordinating fellow party members and making it easier to take down a difficult opponent. The dawnblade is a class for daring, aggressive players who want to be in the center of the action, taking risks and confronting their opponents head-on.
Design Notes:
The dawnblade a counterpart to my knight-paladin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187700) class; if the knight-paladin is the stout defender, the dawnblade is the bruiser. A dawnblade also excels at intimidation and coercion, and should prove an effective, if thuggish, contributor in social challenges.
As a dawnblade, you're going to have lots of options in combat, and are well-positioned to take advantage of the action economy at higher levels. You can race across the battlefield and deliver a punishing strike with divine channeling, while you can spend your swift or immediate action to enhance your attack with a smite or cast a defensive or disrupting spell on a foe. By getting right in the thick of the action, you can debuff multiple foes, setting them up for attacks by your allies. However, you're a striker, not a tank, so beware of your limits and use your healing spells. You probably don't have the greatest AC, and most of your protective spells require your immediate action, so you'll drop quickly if you come under concentrated assault.
Change Log:
1.0 Original version.
1.01 Name changed from holy warrior to dawnblade.
1.1 Modified spell list and spells per day.
1.2 Removed divine health.
1.3 Increased maximum number of 0-level spells from 4 to 6.
1.4 Removed divine grace.
1.41 Updated tables.
1.5 Reduced Forceful Presence bonus by 50%.
1.51 Added touch of the blackened soul to the spell list to expand options for evil dawnblades.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Dawnblades have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma enhances a dawnblade's smites, self-protective capabilities, and auras. Strength is important for a dawnblade because of its role in combat. Several dawnblade skills are based on Wisdom, and a Wisdom score of 16 or higher is required to get access to the most powerful dawnblade spells. A Wisdom score of 11 or higher is required to cast any Dawnblade spells at all. As front-line combatants, dawnblades benefit from a decent Constitution score as well.
Alignment: Dawnblades may be of any alignment, but generally are strongly lawful, chaotic, good, or evil. Neutral faiths tend not to inspire the fervor and zealotry necessary to create a dawnblade. A dawnblade with neutral alignment components won't have access to as many spells as he would if he had a more committed moral outlook.
HIT DIE: d10
LvlBase AttackFortRefWillSpecial-0--1--2--3--4--5--6-
1st+1+2+0+2Code of honor, smite 1/day, knightly order, spontaneous casting21
2nd+2+3+0+3Smite 1+Cha/day32
3rd+3+3+1+3Aura of freedom, divine channeling43
4th+4+4+1+4Armor mastery (medium), imbued smite (sicken), smite 2+Cha/day441
5th+5+4+1+4Knight of the code542
6th+6/+1+5+2+5Detect hostile intent, divine boost +2553
7th+7/+2+5+2+5Aura of menace5541
8th+8/+3+6+2+6Imbued smite (knockback), smite 3+Cha/day6542
9th+9/+4+6+3+6Armor mastery (heavy)6653
10th+10/+5+7+3+7Divine boost +4, forceful presence66541
11th+11/+6/+1+7+3+7Aura of fragility66542
12th+12/+7/+2+8+4+8Imbued smite (confuse), smite 4+Cha/day67653
13th+13/+8/+3+8+4+8Divine channeling (full attack)676541
14th+14/+9/+4+9+4+9Divine boost +6676542
15th+15/+10/+5+9+5+9Aura of vulnerability687653
16th+16/+11/+6/+1+10+5+10Imbued smite (full attack), smite 5+Cha/day6876541
17th+17/+12/+7/+2+10+5+10Impetuous endurance6876542
18th+18/+13/+8/+3+11+6+11Divine boost +8, mighty aura6887653
19th+19/+14/+9/+4+11+6+11Aura of retribution6987654
20th+20/+15/+10/+5+12+6+12Imbued smite (daze), overwhelming smite, smite 6+Cha/day6987664
CLASS SKILLS (4 + Int mod per level, x4 at 1st level)
A dawnblade's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Swim (Str).
"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for."
-- William Shedd
http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab24/gallopinggiraffes/warrior-334x409.png
CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the dawnblade.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A dawnblade is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light, medium, and heavy armor and shields (except tower shields). As he advances in level, he is able to move more freely while wearing medium and heavy armor.
Spells: A dawnblade gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells, which are drawn from the dawnblade spell list (see below). A dawnblade must choose and prepare his spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a dawnblade must have a Wisdom score of 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a dawnblade's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the dawnblade's Wisdom modifier. Like other spellcasters, a dawnblade can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. The base daily spell allotment is given in the table above. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day for a high Wisdom score. When the table above indicates that the dawnblade gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Wisdom score for that spell level. A dawnblade's caster level is equal to his dawnblade level.
At the DM's discretion, the dawnblade may know other spells from the blackguard, cleric or paladin spell list that are not reproduced below. The DM should use best judgment in deciding what level to assign to these spells, but as a rule of thumb, they should be learned and cast at the same level at which they appear on the cleric list or at one level higher than they appear on the blackguard or paladin list.
A dawnblade cannot cast a spell with an alignment descriptor that does not match his own alignment. For example, only good-aligned dawnblades can cast spells with the [Good] descriptor.
DAWNBLADE SPELL LIST
The dawnblade spell list appears below. All spells are notated with the name and page number of the sourcebook in which they appear.
0 Level: cure minor wounds (PH 216), dawn (SpC 59), ice gauntlet (SpC 119), inflict minor wounds (PH 244), light (PH 248), read magic (PH 269), resistance (PH 272), virtue (PH 298).
1st Level: blood wind (SpC 33), command (PH 211), cure light wounds (PH 216), detect weaponry (City 66), divine favor (PH 224), guiding light (SpC 108), inflict light wounds (PH 244), magic weapon (PH 251), moment of clarity (SpC 142), protection from chaos/evil/law/good (PH 266), sense heretic (SpC 182), shivering touch, lesser (Frost 104), sign (SpC 184), spiritual weapon (PH 283).
2nd Level: blade of blood (PH2 103), bless weapon (PH 205), bless weapon, swift (SpC 31), bull's strength (PH 207), clear mind (SpC 47), corrupt weapon (DMG 182), corrupt weapon, swift (new spell), cure moderate wounds (PH 216), deafening clang (SpC 59), deific vengeance (SpC 62), divine insight (SpC 70), divine presence (CC 119), eagle's splendor (PH 225), execration (CC 120), find temple (SpC 91), freedom of breath (Sand 116), grace (Spc 107), infernal wound (SpC 122), inflict moderate wounds (PH 244), know greatest enemy (SpC129), owl's wisdom (PH 259), quick march (SpC 164), resist energy (PH 272, shatter (PH 278), soul of order (DM 73), sound burst (PH 281), stone fist (RoS 163), stretch weapon (PH2 126), visage of the deity, lesser (SpC 231), zeal (SpC 244).
3rd Level: aura of righteousness (new spell), awaken sin (SpC 21), bestow curse (PH 203), binding snow (Frost 89), aura of cold, lesser (Frost 88), blindness/deafness (PH 206), body blades (SpC 35), checkmate's light (SpC 46), crown of smiting (PH2 108), cure serious wounds (PH 216), daylight (PH 216), dispel magic (PH 223), enduring scrutiny (CM 103), energy vortex (SpC 81), energy vulnerability (PH2 112), flame of faith (SpC 95), hesitate (PH2 114), ice axe (SpC 118), inflict serious wounds (PH 244), invoke the cerulean sign (LoM 211), knight's move (SpC 129), loyal vassal (SpC 134), mantle of chaos/evil/good/law (SpC138), poison (PH 262), ring of blades (SpC 177), shield of warding (SpC 188), soul of light (DM 73), strength of stone (SpC 211), weapon of the deity (SpC 237).
4th Level: assay spell resistance (SpC 17), blessing of bahamut (SpC 31), castigate (SpC 44), condemnation (PH2 107), consumptive field (SpC 51), cure critical wounds (PH 215), death ward (PH 217), divine retaliation (PH2 110), earth hammer (RoS 162), holy transformation, lesser (SpC 116), hypothermia (SpC 118), infernal transformation, lesser (SpC 122), inflict critical wounds (PH 244), magic weapon, greater (PH 51), mind bond (BoED 102), mystic aegis (PH2 120), parboil (Sand 118), rejection (SpC 172), righteous fury (SpC 177), ruin delvers fortune (SpC 178), shivering touch (Frost 104), surge of fortune (CC 128), touch of the blackened soul (DM 73), undead bane weapon (SpC 226).
5th Level: bleed (CC 117), choking sands (Sand 112), command, greater (PH 211), dispel chaos/evil/good/law (PH 222), divine retribution (CC 119), draconic might (SpC 72), favor of the martyr (SpC 89), flaywind burst (Sand 115), frostbite (Frost 95), holy sword (PH 242), lawful sword (SpC131), lucent lance (SpC 134), mark of justice (PH 252), righteous aura (SpC 177), righteous might (PH 273), slay living (PH 280), visage of the deity (SpC 230).
6th Level: aura of cold, greater (Frost 88), bestow curse, greater (SpC 27), bolt of glory (SpC 35), brilliant blade (SpC 40), consumptive field, greater (SpC 51), crown of brilliance (BoED 95), destruction (PH 218), dictum (PH 220), dispel magic, greater (PH 223), harm (PH 239), heal (PH 239), holy transformation (SpC 116), infernal transformation (SpC 122), visage of the deity, greater (SpC 231).
"He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realise."
-- Oscar Wilde
Code of Honor: The dawnblade must have and adhere to a code of honor that defines his expected behavior both in and out of combat. This code should incorporate the code of his knightly order (see below). The player and DM should work together to craft an appropriate code that fits the campaign setting, the party, and the expected playstyle of the group. Good starting points for developing such a code include the paladins code (PHB 44 or UA 53-55), the knights code (PH2 27), and the samurais code (OA 22 or CW 10), or the kensais oath (CW 50).
Smite (Su): As a swift action, a dawnblade can invoke divine authority against his target. His next attack against the target this round is considered a smite attack; he adds his Charisma bonus (if any) to his attack roll, and gains a damage bonus equal to his dawnblade level. The dawnblade may smite anyone whom he regards as an opponent, but he cannot smite his allies; if he should do so accidently, the smite attempt is wasted.
A dawnblade (only) may expend smite attempts as if they were turn undead attempts when powering divine feats. He qualifies for divine feats as if he possessed the ability to turn undead, although some divine feats may not be relevant to him since he cannot actually turn or rebuke undead creatures.
A dawnblade may use his smite ability once per day. At 2nd level, he gains a number of additional uses per day equal to his Charisma modifier (minimum 1). At 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the dawnblade may smite one additional time per day.
As the dawnblade advances in level, he gains the ability to imbue his smite attempts with additional effects beyond the normally granted attack and damage bonuses. He may opt to add any one of the effects below to his smite.
Imbued smite effects:
Sickening smite: A dawnblade of 4th level or higher can deliver a sickening smite. The foe struck is sickened by the pain for 1 round (Fortitude negates, DC 10 + ½ dawnblade level + Cha modifier).
Crushing smite: A dawnblade of 8th level or higher can deliver a crushing smite. The dawnblade automatically initiates a bull rush if he strikes his opponent, moving and provoking attacks of opportunity as normal for a bull rush. If the smite was made as part of a full attack, the dawnblade completes his full attack after performing the bull rush.
Disorienting smite: A dawnblade of 12th level or higher can deliver a disorienting smite. The foe struck is confused for 1 round (Will negates, DC 10 + ½ dawnblade level + Cha modifier).
Whirling smite: A dawnblade of 16th level or higher can deliver a whirling smite as part of a full attack. He applies his smite bonuses to every attack made as part of the full attack.
Dazing smite: A dawnblade of 20th level or higher can deliver a dazing smite. The foe struck is dazed for 1 round with no saving throw.
Knightly Order: Dawnblades belong to one of several possible knightly orders within their church, army or other organization. While the orders available for a dawnblade to join vary depending on his race, culture, and affiliations, several example orders are provided below. The DM may include other orders appropriate to the campaign setting.
A dawnblades choice of a knightly order provides him with a Code. A code is similar to a clerics domain, providing both additional power and new spells, but also includes a behavioral restriction. A dawnblade who violates his code loses its benefits until he performs the listed atonement. Knightly orders are described in detail in the second post of this thread.
Example knightly orders:
The Order of the Silver Spur: An order which embraces the chivalrous valor of the mounted knight.
The Order of the Righteous Blade: An order which embraces the reckless fury of the charging zealot.
The Order of Arcane Mastery: A group of knights who study esoteric mysteries in the name of gods of arcane magic.
The Order of the Unblinking Eye: Knights-inquisitor who watch the clergy and laypeople of the faith vigilantly for signs of betrayal, corruption, or spiritual weakness.
The Order of the Rowan: An order which embraces the pure focus of the archer.
Spontaneous Casting: A dawnblade (even one of good alignment) can channel stored spell energy into inflict spells that he did not prepare ahead of time. The dawnblade can lose any prepared spell in order to cast any inflict spell of the same spell level or lower (an inflict spell is any spell with inflict in its name). Dawnblades can cast inflict spells in this way because they are especially proficient at wielding negative energy to bring judgment to their foes.
Aura (Su): Starting at 3rd level, a dawnblade is surrounded by an aura of divine power out to a range of 10 feet. When first acquired, this aura possesses the freedom quality (described below). The dawnblade gains the ability to infuse his aura with other attributes for every 4 additional levels he gains. Adding or removing an aura quality requires a swift action, and the aura can contain as many qualities as the dawnblade is able to produce. The dawnblade gains all the benefits of his own aura, except as noted below.
Aura qualities:
Freedom: The dawnblade becomes immune to charms and compulsions, and allies within the dawnblade's aura gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against charms and compulsions.
Menace: Beginning at 7th level, foes within the dawnblade's aura take a -2 penalty to attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or until they successfully hit the dawnblade (save negates, Will DC 10 + ½ class level + Charisma modifier). A creature that has resisted or broken this effect cannot be affected by the same dawnblade's aura of menace again for 24 hours.
Fragility: Beginning at 11th level, foes within the dawnblade's aura have their damage reduction and energy resistance reduced by the dawnblades class level while they remain within the aura (minimum 0, save negates, Will DC 10 + ½ class level + Charisma modifier). A creature that fails its save against the aura and later leaves the aura recovers, but is automatically affected again if it re-enters the aura within 24 hours. A creature that has resisted this effect cannot be affected by the same dawnblade's aura of fragility again for 24 hours.
Vulnerability: Beginning at 15th level, foes with spell resistance (or power resistance) within the dawnblade's aura have that resistance reduced by an amount equal to half the dawnblades class level (save negates, Will DC 10 + ½ class level + Charisma modifier). A creature that fails its save against the aura and later leaves the aura recovers, but is automatically affected again if it re-enters the aura within 24 hours. A creature that has resisted this effect cannot be affected by the same dawnblade's aura of vulnerability again for 24 hours.
Retribution: Beginning at 19th level, foes within the dawnblade's aura deal only half damage when attacking the dawnblade's allies who are also within the aura, and the attacker takes the remainder. The attacker can negate this reflected damage with a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ class level + Charisma modifier), but the damage he inflicts is still halved. A creature that has resisted this effect need not save again versus this dawnblade's aura of retribution for 24 hours.
Divine Channeling (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a dawnblade learns to channel a spell through his weapon when attacking. As a standard action, you can cast any divine touch spell you know and deliver the spell through your weapon, unarmed strike, or natural weapon with a melee or ranged attack. Casting a spell in this manner does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less; you can even channel spontaneously converted inflict spells. If the melee attack is successful, the attack deals damage normally; then the effect of the spell is resolved. You still need a free hand to cast a spell with somatic components in this way, although you can briefly take one hand off a two-handed weapon, cast the spell, then grip your weapon in both hands to complete your attack.
At 13th level, you can cast any divine touch spell you know as part of a full attack action, and the spell affects each target you hit in combat that round. If the touch spell would normally last longer than one round, it is discharged at the beginning of your next turn.
Armor Mastery (Ex): Starting at 4th level, the dawnblade is able to wear his armor as a second skin and ignore the standard speed reduction for wearing medium armor.
Starting at 9th level, he ignores the speed reduction imposed by heavy armor as well.
Detect Hostile Intent (Sp): A dawnblade of 6th level or higher can use detect hostile intent at will, as the psionic power.
Divine Boost (Su): Starting at 6th level, a dawnblade becomes empowered with the gift of the divine. He gains a +2 sacred (or profane, if he is of evil alignment) bonus to an ability score of his choice. If he improves a casting attribute, he immediately gains bonus spells for the new stat. Divine boost cannot grant additional skill points, even if the dawnblade uses it to improve his Intelligence. With 8 hours of rest, he can switch this bonus to a different ability score of his choice.
Every four levels thereafter, he gains an additional +2 bonus, which may be applied to the same or a different ability score.
Example of divine boost in play:
Sir Bors is a 14th level dawnblade given a quest to seek a lost relic. After a full night's rest, Bors assigns his divine boost: he chooses to gain a +4 sacred bonus to his Charisma score, to get better saves and a higher save DC on his smites, and a +2 sacred bonus to his Strength, to improve his attack and damage rolls. After several days of adventuring, Bors and his party have secured the relic and much other loot besides, but the party's cleric has fallen in battle. After a night's rest, Bors reassigns his +4 Charisma to Strength, gaining a total +6 sacred bonus to Strength. This helps him carry the cleric's body and gear back to a nearby temple for resurrection. Once his fallen companion is restored, the party returns to the king who gave them their quest. Bors isn't sure what sort of challenges he'll face in court, so after a night's rest he chooses to reassign his entire divine boost, gaining a +2 sacred bonus to each of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Hopefully, the slight edge to his mental and social skill checks will help him avoid any pitfalls in the king's court.
Forceful Presence (Ex): At 10th level, the dawnblade has developed a reputation as a fearsome zealot and implacable opponent. His complete confidence in himself and his cause grants him a forceful presence both on and off the battlefield. He gains a competence bonus on all Intimidate checks equal to 1/2 his class level, and gains a like bonus when using the two skills granted by his Knightly Code.
Impetuous Endurance (Ex): At 17th level, the dawnblade's fighting spirit enables him to push his body beyond the normal limits of endurance. He no longer automatically fails saving throws on a roll of 1. He might still fail the save if his result fails to equal or beat the saving throw DC.
Mighty Aura (Su): At 18th level, the radius of the dawnblade's divine aura doubles to 20 feet, and the bonus provided by his aura of freedom doubles.
Overwhelming Smite (Su): At 20th level, the dawnblade can choose any two special smite effects when performing a smite.