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View Full Version : Alternate Paladin Class Feature [3.5]



Lappy9000
2011-08-16, 08:16 PM
I like paladins. Or perhaps, I like the idea of paladins. I, however, do not like the 3.5 paladin's contradicting fluff. The knight in silver armor and the holy crusader are indeed archetypes, but the paladin class seems to be entirely about killin evul d00ds 4 teh lulz. This alternative class feature is intended to make paladins a little more flexible, powerful, and more fun to play. The sacred bonuses also keep the buffs from stepping on the bard's toes and have good synergy with existing paladin spells. Combine with Divine Spirit (from Dungeonscape) for maximum awesomeness.

While changed, the Code of Conduct is intact, but there is now no reason why you couldn't play an evil paladin, or take these with a Paladin of Tyranny, Slaughter, or Freedom.

Alternative Class Feature: Devoted Soul
Many paladins embrace the thrill of battle, seeking to dispose of evil creatures or those of malevolent intent. You, however, choose to benefit your allies and bring about justice through example, instead of through the sword.

Level: 1st.
Replaces: If you select this alternative class feature, you do not gain the Smite Evil ability at 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, or 20th level. A paladin taking these class features is no longer subject to a paladin's Code of Conduct or Associates.
Benefit: You become a great asset to your companions, by assisting them with powerful auras reflecting your devotion to a higher cause. Each level where you would gain the Smite Evil class feature, or an additional use of Smite Evil, you instead choose a single devotion from those listed below. The effect of each devotion is constant, but you can only have one aura active at any given time. You gain the ability to use both auras granted by a devotion, and switching out an aura can be done as a move action. Auras granted by devotions are supernatural effects. Devotions also sculpt a paladin's code of conduct, adapting each to the personal goals a paladin adheres to. At 20th level, you gain the Holy Guardian class feature.

Devotions:

Faith A paladin must have faith in herself, her allies, and in the ideals to which she pledges herself to. *Can't think of a Code of Conduct for this one* A paladin of faith calculates the hit points she can heal through Lay on Hands by adding her Paladin level x Charisma modifier x 2. She also casts and receives Cure spells at +1 level.


Aura of Hope: A paladin can spend her entire remaining Lay on Hands reserve to revive an ally who has died within a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1) and revive them to 1 hit point at a touch.

Aura of Vigor: All allies within 30 ft. gain a +2 bonus to Initiative checks and increase their land speed by +5 ft. The bonus to initiative checks increases by +2 for every 4 paladin levels.

Peace: All life is sacred and a paladin strives to prevent bloodshed and conflict where avoidable. The actions of others are their own, but a paladin of peace must never commit a coup de grace or attack in the first round of combat. A paladin of peace may deal nonlethal damage without penalty, gains a bonus on Disarm and Sunder checks equal to her paladin level, and can aid another in combat as a move action.


Aura of Pacifism: All enemies within 30 ft. take a -1 sacred penalty to attack rolls and damage rolls for every 4 paladin levels.

Aura of Unity: Any ally aiding another within 30 ft. provides an additional +1 bonus on the check for every 4 paladin levels.

Justice: Knowing that there is power in sincerity, a paladin is strives to be fair in just in all her actions. A paladin does not make promises lightly, but fulfills all obligations in earnest to the best of her ability. Goodness comes from truth, and a paladin of justice must never lie or use the Bluff skill. A paladin of justice gains a sacred bonus to Diplomacy and Gather Information skill checks equal to her paladin level.


Aura of Honor: A paladin can guard a single ally within 30 ft. as a free action for the duration of the encounter. A guarded ally gains a cumulative +1 sacred bonus to attack rolls and AC for every round in which they do not take damage (to a maximum of +5). If they take damage during this time, they lose the effect of this aura and the paladin must wait 1 minute before designating another ally to guard.

Aura of Integrity: All allies within 30 ft. gain a +1 sacred bonus to attack rolls for every 4 paladin levels.

Redemption: To err is to be mortal, and a paladin must understand that mistakes happen, and to learn to forgive. A paladin strives to keep an open mind and must never use weapons with the Bane magic ability, or use the Favored Enemy class feature. A paladin of redemption gains the ability to reroll a number of d20 rolls equal to her Charisma modifier, after making the roll but before hearing the result. She also gains a sacred bonus to this roll equal to her Charisma modifier.


Aura of Atonement: You can allow an ally within 30 ft. to use one of your d20 rerolls, but they do not gain the sacred bonus to the roll.

Aura of Salvation: Dying allies within 30 ft. are instantly stabilized and gain Fast Healing 1 until they recover to 1 hit point or more.

Protection: It is the duty of a paladin to serve and protect, to guard the innocent from corruption and malevolence. Poisons are uncouth and only serve to cause harm, and a paladin of protection may never willing use poison to harm another. A paladin gains Damage Reduction 1/- and increases by 1 for every 4 paladin levels.


Aura of Serenity: All allies within 30 ft. gain a +1 sacred bonus to all saving throws for every 4 paladin levels.

Aura of Warding: All allies within 30 ft. gain a +1 sacred bonus to AC for every 4 paladin levels.

Vigilance: A paladin must always be both aware and prepared for those who would bring harm unto others, and must be constant and steadfast in her duties. *Can't think of a Code of Conduct for this one* A paladin of vigilance gains a bonus on Listen, Spot, and Sense Motive skill checks equal to her paladin level and gains Darkvision out to 60 ft. (or increase existing Darkvision by 30 ft.)


Aura of Empathy: A paladin can sense sense basic needs, drives, and emotions of all creatures within 30 ft. Thirst, hunger, fear, fatigue, pain, rage, hatred, uncertainty, curiosity, friendliness, and many other kinds of sensations and moods can all be perceived.

Aura of Seeing: All enemies within 30 ft. reduce their miss chance (if any) by 20%. In addition, a paladin can sense magical auras as the Detect Magic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/detectMagic.htm) spell.

Holy Guardian: At 20th level you gain wings that grant you a fly speed of 60 ft. with Good maneuverability. This fly speed is unaffected by weight or armor or by carrying a heavy load. In addition, you grant all allies within 10 ft. Fast Healing 5.

blackjack217
2011-08-16, 08:30 PM
You need to spread them out over levels more, as is you seem to get every benefit immediately, and in combat reviving at level 1 with no xp penalty is a bit much.

Lappy9000
2011-08-16, 08:35 PM
You need to spread them out over levels more, as is you seem to get every benefit immediately, and in combat reviving at level 1 with no xp penalty is a bit much.Ah, it doesn't read as intended, thank you for spotting that. Fixed to "Each level where you would gain the Smite Evil class feature, or an additional use of Smite Evil, you instead choose a single devotion from those listed below."

I'm of the opinion that in-combat reviving shouldn't be that much. Besides, you only boost them just barely into the positives and can only do it once per day.

Darthteej
2011-08-16, 09:35 PM
As a rule, I don't like auras. It's boring and poorly scaled, you get one passive benefit, and it's bonus never increases.

One quick fix I'd recommend is letting those with numerative bonuses increase as you go up in levels.

Lappy9000
2011-08-16, 10:37 PM
As a rule, I don't like auras. It's boring and poorly scaled, you get one passive benefit, and it's bonus never increases.

One quick fix I'd recommend is letting those with numerative bonuses increase as you go up in levels.Some of the devotions give you several passive benefits and the ones here...do go up in level? Every 4th level? And you can switch them on the fly?

If you're referring to regular paladin auras, I'd gladly have them scale, but they don't really grant anything worth noting.

Hmm...is this, like...tremendously hard to read or something? I don't mind messing around with the formatting or looking harder to find some pictures.

blackjack217
2011-08-17, 08:22 AM
Ah, it doesn't read as intended, thank you for spotting that. Fixed to "Each level where you would gain the Smite Evil class feature, or an additional use of Smite Evil, you instead choose a single devotion from those listed below."

I'm of the opinion that in-combat reviving shouldn't be that much. Besides, you only boost them just barely into the positives and can only do it once per day.

True you can only do it once per day, but its seems to be a permanent resurrection, with no xp cost for anyone. The only other spell that can revive someone without them using a level is a 9th level spell.

Lappy9000
2011-08-17, 09:11 AM
True you can only do it once per day, but its seems to be a permanent resurrection, with no xp cost for anyone. The only other spell that can revive someone without them using a level is a 9th level spell.If the only problem is embedded within the first devotion, I've outdone myself :smallbiggrin:

If it truly is that big of an issue, I'll change it to look a tad more like Raise Dead. And did you mean the level loss? Because none of the rez spells actually have an XP Cost.

Garryl
2011-08-17, 11:05 AM
You might want to push back Aura of Hope's combat resurrection to level 7-9 or so, when similar effects become available (Last Breath, Revenance, Revivify, Psionic Revivify (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/psionicRevivify.htm)). It also needs a range and some sort of limitation. As written, nothing is stopping you from using it when you have no Lay on Hands points left (you have 0 so you only have to spend 0).

Both of Peace's auras do nothing until level 4. Also, there are no checks involved in either Disarming (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#disarm) or Sundering (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#sunder). There are, however, opposed attack rolls. Is that what you meant to grant the bonus on?

How often can a Redemption Paladin reroll rolls? It's probably supposed to be per day. Redemption is an amazing dip, but does not scale at all.

Protection's auras do nothing until level 4. I don't think DR 1/- is enough to cut it until then.

NeoSeraphi
2011-08-17, 11:09 AM
True you can only do it once per day, but its seems to be a permanent resurrection, with no xp cost for anyone. The only other spell that can revive someone without them using a level is a 9th level spell.

That's not entirely true (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/psionicRevivify.htm), but you have a point. Still, I don't really see a problem with it. The baseline for balance shouldn't be "it's better than what a spellcaster of the same level can do".

Maybe the problem is that reincarnation itself is unbalanced, not that the ability is. Give it a longer casting time, and maybe make it so they lose a level for the first eight paladin levels or so, but after that it doesn't. If it scaled, it would be more balanced, right?

blackjack217
2011-08-17, 11:20 AM
That's not entirely true (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/psionicRevivify.htm), but you have a point. Still, I don't really see a problem with it. The baseline for balance shouldn't be "it's better than what a spellcaster of the same level can do".

Maybe the problem is that reincarnation itself is unbalanced, not that the ability is. Give it a longer casting time, and maybe make it so they lose a level for the first eight paladin levels or so, but after that it doesn't. If it scaled, it would be more balanced, right?

Agreed, also every monarch in existence will have a first level paladin accompanying him at all times :smallbiggrin:

NeoSeraphi
2011-08-17, 11:29 AM
Agreed, also every monarch in existence will have a first level paladin accompanying him at all times :smallbiggrin:

And that's different from the current every monarch in existence who has a wizard that can wish a resurrection how? :smallamused:

Come on, you have to admit that 3.5 paladins need love, and this ACF is giving up Smite Evil, which is one of the paladin's very few actual class features after level 5!