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Alteran
2008-12-11, 10:29 PM
I'm writing a campaign world for a campaign I plan to DM sometime in the future. It hasn't got very far right now, but this is one of the things I have done. It's not a huge project, and most of the changes I make are fluff changes. The only new material is going to be a few PPs, a few EDs, some items, and maybe some artifacts. I suppose you could always go with Demigod or Chosen if you wanted to be an Exarch, but I had something a bit different in mind for this one.

To be honest, I'm not quite sure how it turned out. I have not had a lot of sleep recently, and it seemed to me that balance was not coming very easily tonight. This is also my first ED, so it complicates things a bit. I think overall it's pretty fair, but I could be wrong. Please feel free to tell me what you think of it, especially if you have comments about balance. Without further ado, here it is!

Exarch of Bahamut
You commit yourself to the service of the Platinum Dragon, using the power granted to you to bring peace and justice to the world.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f245/GTY999/HalfDragon.jpg
Tiberus Hal: Exarch of Bahamut, Warden of the Red Gate

Prerequisite: 21st level, Any Divine Class, Must Worship Bahamut

You have ascended to the rank of Exarch, the highest honour a servant of Bahamut can hope to achieve. You rank only below the Five Noble Dragons and Bahamut himself. You are a tool of your god, and are sent on missions of critical importance to Bahamut and his followers. Exarches are a rare sight indeed, and their mere presence is accompanied by a soft glow on the horizon. All who set eyes upon you feel a quiet awe at your divine majesty.

Exarches of Bahamut are transformed, taking on a half-dragon appearance. Most Exarches retain the size they had as a mortal, but some transform into truly massive creatures of divinely inspired might. Powerful Exarches can even sprout the wings of a dragon, and gain the ability to fly.

You are a paragon of justice and virtue, and you are respected wherever you go. Evil creatures tremble whenever they hear your footsteps. You strive to bring honour to all beings, and you conduct yourself in the manner decreed by your god. An Exarch is not a messenger of Bahamut; he is akin to a personal representation of the great Platinum Dragon. You speak for your god, and those who hear you speak can sense you represent a power far greater than yourself.

An Exarch of Bahamut’s greatest honour is to fight on the battlefield for their god. An Exarch is a truly fearsome warrior, and they impose a brand of justice on their foes, even in the most heated of battles. Every enemy you kill is a sacrifice to your god, each swing of your sword guided by his all-seeing eyes. You are a leader and an inspiration to your allies and a terrifying presence to your enemies.

Immortality and Glory

An Exarch can only die on the battlefield. When you are finally struck down by a foe, your body explodes in ribbons of burning radiance. Entire battles will freeze as every soldier looks to the sky, a coalescing mass of platinum light streaking towards the heavens. When your final divine manifestation reaches Bahamut’s domain, your essence becomes intertwined in his, and you become one with your god.

Exarch of Bahamut Features
All Exarches of Bahamut have the following class features.

Bringer of Justice (21st level): Bahamut grants you the strength and judgment to impose justice upon the dishonourable. Increase your Wisdom score by 2. When you score a critical hit, deal extra radiant damage to the target equal to your level plus your wisdom modifier.
Divine Inspiration (24th level): Once per encounter, when you score a critical hit, you gain an action point that you must spend immediately.
Wings of the Dragon (30th Level): Bahamut blesses you with the gift of flight. Gain a fly (hover) speed equal to your land speed +2.

Exarch of Bahamut Power

Shield the Righteous – Exarch of Bahamut Utility 26
You fight with valor, and just as your foe is about to fell a killing blow, Bahamut grants you divine protection.
Daily * Divine, Healing
Immediate Interrupt – Close Burst 10
Trigger: You or an ally in the burst range is hit by an attack that would reduce you to 0 hp or lower.
Effect: The attack misses. If the attack would deal damage on a miss, the target takes no damage. They gain a bonus to all defenses equal to your wisdom modifier until they are hit by an attack.


Also, I don't love the level 24 feature. I'm thinking of replacing it with something like:

Divine Vigor (24th level) When you reduce an enemy to 0 hp or lower, gain (temporary?) hitpoints equal to your level.

Glooble Glistencrist
2008-12-12, 10:15 PM
I like it. I like it a lot. A few balance issues that I see:

Bringer of Justice is a lot of extra damage, even for a level 21 character. I might reduce it to half your level.

Re: level 24 features. The first one doesn't seem unbalanced to me, but do you really want two powers that only function on a critical hit? I wouldn't, but maybe that's just me. The second one might be okay, but don't forget about minions. Let's say this exarch is fighting 5 minions - that's 24 HP he's gaining a turn. Needs some limiting factor. Or try half your level again. I just think we're verging on broken.

It does look like a really fun ED, though. Keep working on it.

Alteran
2008-12-13, 12:13 AM
I'm a bit unsure about Bringer of Justice. I'm not sure whether the damage bonus is enough to offset getting a fixed bonus to one stat.

As for level 24 features, my main problem with the first one was that I would have two features that keyed off of a critical hit, so I agree with you there. Making the second feature give 24 temporary hit points would act as a limiting factor, since temporary hit points don't stack. I could also just throw in a clause that you can't get them from killing minions. I'll keep thinking about it, maybe something will come to me.

Thanks for the comments, I'm glad you like it so far.

Draz74
2008-12-13, 03:23 AM
Bahamut and Paladins are supposed to go together. Yet I worry that many Paladins will find the Wisdom boost virtually useless. I guess Perception and Insight are always appreciated, but ...

Alteran
2008-12-13, 06:19 AM
Wisdom is the most important secondary stat for paladins. Number of lay on hands uses, bonus damage for several attacks, and other bonuses from attacks can all rely on wisdom. Wisdom is to paladins as intelligence is to warlocks.

It also goes well with the Bringer of Justice aspect, since you have the wisdom to judge the accused and deliver fair punishment (it's usually death).