[3.5] The Channeler, an angelic invoker [Base Class]

[ErrantX]

The Channeler

Lenora Armitage, a channeler

“Don’t fear, friend. I am a servant of the light; I’m here to help you in these dark times.”
-Lenora Armitage, to the survivors of the massacre of Miller’s Reach.

There are many who would follow the ways of the gods and their servants. Some follow for love of their god, some follow for fear, and some follow for power through faith. Channelers are men and women who have entered into a pact of sorts with angels for divine powers. These powers come in the form of divine transformation within the being of the channeler as well as holy invocations that utilize divine magic. While unorthodox to many, channelers see themselves as angels incarnate upon the world and strive to meet the perfection of their holy patron.

Adventures: Channelers adventure to promote the causes of their patron angel as well as the goals of their deity. Many have entered these pacts for personal reasons, some for justice against a horrible wrong that has been done to them and their loved ones, and some because angelic patrons are more easily understood than inscrutable gods.

Characteristics: What sets channelers apart from others is that they seem to radiate an inner light and goodness that almost is tangible to those around them. They tend to have flawless features, almost eerily so, and perfect skin and hair. Those closest to their angelic patron begin to display beautiful wings and halos of light.

Alignment: Channelers are always good in some form or fashion, in regards to their morality, but in regards to following law or chaos they are divided, and some elect not to choose at all. There is a hushed rumor that some fallen angels and devils have taken up the training of dark channelers, men and women devoted to evil and wielding hellish powers, but most disregard them as particularly vile warlocks or channelers.

Religion: Strangely, some channelers do not worship deities in any sense, instead venerating their angelic patron. While tolerated, the angel attempts to direct his vessel towards the worship of his divine master. Other channelers tend to follow gods of light, healing, justice and heroism.

Background: Some channelers arise in areas where old ways are followed, where a tradition of one or more channelers arise as a village wisdom and protector. Others come to be from studying forgotten lore in temple libraries where the art has been lost amongst the majority of peoples. Then there are those who the angels choose specifically to be their heralds amongst the mortals and offer great power in exchange for the mortal’s service and friendship.

Races: Humankind is most likely to take up the role of the channeler, followed hotly by elves, Halflings, and gnomes. Half-breeds such as half-elves and half-orcs rarely become channelers as the mixed blood members of this class are considerably rarer, perhaps due to impure bloodlines. Aasimar naturally take up this path, often forming a pact with their angelic ancestor. Dwarves are rarely members of this class as well, and not for lack of lore to do so; many dwarves do not find themselves taking to the sky and thus keep their feet firmly planted to the ground beneath them.

Other Classes: Channelers get on well with paladins as they have very similar purposes and abilities, and oftentimes bards and fighters are fast friends as well. Clerics occasionally have friction due to the idea of gaining powers in this method is heretical to most faiths, but most can overlook it. Warlocks and channelers, understandably, do not get on well with each other as being their diametric opposition, while celestial-blooded sorcerers and favored souls feel that the channeler is different take on their own type of power and welcome them warmly as cousins.

Role: Channelers fulfill the role of a melee fighter well, due to their celestial light abilities and invocations, but they cannot stand as long as the more martial classes. They are also well suited to the role of healer in a pinch, and often find themselves in the role of party face. Their invocations provide many additional uses for party support, but will not find themselves as useful in those roles as a full caster. Their unlimited spell power with their invocations, however, does provide them with longevity that full casters don’t enjoy.

GAME RULE INFORMATION:
Abilities: Wisdom is important due to its factoring into invocation saving throw DCs. Strength and Constitution provide additional survivability in combat, and Dexterity helps for the purposes of using celestial light in battle.
Starting Age: As sorcerer.
Starting Gold: As cleric.

Hit Die: d8
Skills: Channelers have access to the following skills: Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (the Planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the channeler.

Weapon and Armor proficiencies: Channelers are proficient in the use of all simple and martial weapons, as well as the use of light and medium armor and shields.

Invocations (Sp): A channeler does not prepare or cast spells as other wielders of arcane or divine magic do. Instead, he possesses a repertoire of attacks, defenses, and abilities known as divine invocations that require him to focus the holy energy that suffuses his soul. An channeler can use any invocation he knows at will, with the following qualifications:

An channeler's invocations are spell-like abilities; using an invocation therefore a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. An invocation can be disrupted, just as a spell can be ruined during casting. A channeler is entitled to a Concentration check to successfully use an invocation if he is hit by an attack while invoking, just as a spellcaster would be. A channeler can choose to use an invocation defensively by making a successful Concentration check, to avoid provoking attacks of opportunity. A channeler's invocations are subject to spell resistance unless an invocation's description specifically states otherwise. A channeler's caster level with his invocation is equal to his channeler level.

The save DC for an invocation (if it allows a save) is 10 + equivalent spell level + the channeler's Wisdom modifier. Since spell-like abilities are not actually spells, a channeler cannot benefit from the Spell Focus feat. He can, however, benefit from the Ability Focus feat, as well as from feats that emulate metamagic effects for spell-like abilities, such as Quicken Spell-Like Abilities and Empower Spell-Like Ability.

The four grades of invocations, in order of their relative power, are least, lesser, greater, and holy. A channeler begins with knowledge of two invocations, which must be of the lowest grade (least). As a channeler gains levels, he learns new invocations, as summarized on the class progression table and described below. A list of available invocations can be found following the class description, and a complete description of each invocation can be found at the end of this document.

Every four levels when a channeler learns a new invocation, he can also replace an invocation he already knows with another invocation of the same grade or of a lower grade. At 6th level, a channeler can replace a least invocation he knows with a different least invocation (in addition to learning a new invocation, which could be either least or lesser). At 11th level, a channeler can replace a least or lesser invocation he knows with another invocation of the same ore a lower grade (in addition to learning a new invocation, which could be least, lesser, or greater). At 16th level, a channeler can replace a least, lesser, or greater invocation he knows with another invocation of the same or a lower grade (in addition to learn a new invocation, which could be least, lesser, greater, or holy). At 20th level, he can trade out any one invocation he has for any other invocation of an equal or lesser grade.

Finally, unlike other spell-like abilities, channeler invocations are divine in nature and not subject to arcane spell failure chance. Channelers can qualify for some prestige classes usually intended for spellcasters, provided that the prestige class in question requires a caster level requirement, as opposed to a specific level of spells capable of being cast by the character.

Aura of Good (Su): The channeler gains an aura of good as a cleric with a strength equal to his channeler level, plus any additional levels in classes that also grant an aura of good.

Detect Evil (Sp): The channeler’s innate connection with his celestial patron grants him the ability to see through an angel’s eyes, allowing him to detect evil at will as a caster of their class level.

Celestial Light (Su): The channeler’s connection with his angelic patron manifests in his ability to generate a celestial light and halo about his person, using its light to smite his foes. The channeler may summon this holy energy to his hands at a moment’s notice, allowing him to channel this power through a touch or through an unarmed strike. Alternately, the character may project this light in a ray of divine light as a ranged touch attack. Used as a ray, the character may make iterative attacks if using it as a full attack. The character must make a touch attack (if unarmed) or a melee attack (if using an unarmed strike) to use this ability and it can be added to any touch or unarmed melee attack the character makes as part of that action, including all attacks on a full attack action. Celestial light may not be combined with any other special ability (such as martial maneuvers) unless specifically mentioned (such as halo shape and halo essence invocations). Celestial light inflicts 1d6 points of good-aligned energy damage at 1st level, and it increases by 1d6 points of damage every odd level (to a maximum of +10d6 at 19th level). Celestial light inflicts full damage on evil, half damage against neutral creatures, and no damage when used on good-aligned creatures, as its energy is neither positive nor negative energy in its source; it is raw divine power. When used as a touch attack or as a ranged touch attack, celestial light scores a critical threat on a natural 20 and inflicts x2 damage on a confirmed critical. When channeled through a weapon (through use of certain halo shape invocations), weapon damage is multiplied as normal, but celestial light damage is never multiplied. This is a supernatural ability and is not subject to spell resistance.

Healing Light (Su): With the angelic grace gifted to him, the channeler is capable of healing the wounds of those injured with a touch. With the power of angels within his soul, the character is capable of placing his hands on a subject and restoring a number of hit points by rolling his celestial light dice and restoring an equal amount of health to a target creature over the course of one minute (the channeler must maintain contact for one full minute before hit points are restored). Some invocations may alter this abilities use, see holy invocations below.

Angelic Aspect: The channeler, through constant spiritual interaction with his angelic patron, begins to find his physical form changing to reflect that of his heavenly mentor. The character gains traits from the following list:

Spoiler

Show

Angelic Presence: The character radiates a powerful and radiant presence, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Charisma.
Cassian Memory: The character gains the long memory of a cassian, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Intelligence.
Celestial Grace: The channeler's limbs and form gain the grace of heavenly creatures, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Dexterity.
Divine Durability: The channeler’s resilience is improved, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Constitution.
Harmonious Insight: The character’s inner serenity grows, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Wisdom.
Heavenly Form: The holy light within the channeler’s soul may be allowed to seep out around him to create a beautiful halo of light and causes his eyes to glow. The character may generate illumination as a light spell at will. The character’s skin also becomes flawless and smooth, yet strong and durable. He gains a +2 bonus to natural armor.
Shield of Wings: The character’s wings become strong and extremely tough, able to partially protect him from blows. He gains a +2 shield bonus from his wings. (Must possess the Aspect of the Deva class feature)
Strength of Heaven: The channeler’s strength is improved, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Strength.
Bonus feat: The character may select a bonus feat from the following list- Ability Focus (MM1), Cleave, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Extra Invocation, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Invoke Word of Power, Mobility, Power Attack, Spring Attack, Supernatural Crusader(ToM) Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus. The character may select this aspect multiple times.

Imbue Item (Su): A channeler of 8th level or higher can use his divine power to create magic items, even if he does not know the spells required to make an item (although he must know the appropriate item creation feat). He can substitute a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level for divine spells or 25 + spell level for arcane spells) in place of a required spell he doesn’t know or cannot cast. If the check succeeds, the channeler can create the item as if he had cast the required spell. If it fails, he cannot complete the item. He cannot retry this Spellcraft check for that spell for one week.

Aspect of the Deva: At 10th level, the channeler sprouts a pair of beautiful, white feathered wings from his shoulders. He gains a fly speed equal to his movement speed with good maneuverability. His features begin to shift as this point as well, becoming more comely than a normal mortal’s face, and often times the channeler will begin to display other signs of celestial bearing such as golden eyes or flawless skin. This celestial boon grants the character a +2 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy checks with good creatures and a +2 circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks against evil creatures, as well as a +2 bonus to his Charisma score.

Consecrated Presence (Su): Upon reaching 12th level, the channeler’s holy power flows constantly from his form in waves, causing his very presence to purify the area. The character radiates a 30ft radius zone that mimics the effects of the consecrate spell.

Aspect of the Planetar: Reaching 18th level, the channeler has become a paragon of his kind as he nears the perfection of form of his angelic patron. He grows a second set of beautiful wings upon his back and his flight speed increases to twice his land speed. The channeler’s body becomes hardier as well, gaining a +2 racial bonus to Constitution, a +4 racial bonus to resist poison and magical disease, and complete immunity to mundane disease.

Angelic Ascendancy: At 20th level, the channeler’s form undergoes one last fantastic transformation. The seed of rebirth has finally grown into full bloom within the soul of the channeler and he becomes as his patron, an angel. The character gains the outsider type (with the augmented, good, and extraplanar subtypes with his new home plane being that of his angelic patron’s home). He gains damage reduction 10/magic, his natural armor improves by +1, he gains a +2 racial bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom. He is treated as if he possessed the angel subtype for purposes of spells, items, and effects.


PLAYING A CHANNELER

The old saying ‘Is it better to rule in Hell or serve in Heaven?’ isn’t a question at all; service in Heaven brings one close to divinity.

To play a channeler is to find your niche and expand upon it, and that can largely be done by filling in the gaps in your party through the selection of invocations, aspects, and feats. These choices allow you to fill in roles as a healer, a front-line combatant, a ranged combatant, or as party support and party face. You can use your powers from above as a powerful champion, or as a peaceful healer.

As an exemplar of what mortals can strive to become in the service of good, your path is set as hero to those who would be in service to good and a scourge to those who would flock to evil’s banner. Some of your kind may gather in to groups within churches or in secret societies when your path is considered heretical; this can happen when gods become jealous of their servants getting more worship than they themselves are receiving from mortals. Some religions actively train channelers, and some towns and villages have a position of honor where one among them takes up the role of a channeler to be the people’s protector and spiritual leader.

Your invocations and your aspects will help determine what sort of channeler you will eventually become. These selections will define your role as you advance in level and will determine what sort of focus you will have within your party.
Combat: Common combat modes for the channeler often involve copious and gratuitous use of your celestial light ability or luminous blade invocation combined with halo essence and halo shape invocations, or channeling the use of this ability through melee attacks. Many invocations aren't well suited for direct combat effectiveness; it is up to you to determine the exact use of these abilities in a heated battle. Ranged combat is a standard method for the channeler of a less martial bend; they can excel at it through the right choices of invocation and feat selection.
Advancement: The channeler benefits most from staying single classed, or by making small dip into classes that accent its native abilities, most especially from classes that will improve upon casting advancement. Additionally, prestige classes specially designed to work in tandem with the channeler, such as the Knights Caeli and the Angelic paragon take the abilities of the channeler and build in a more specialized direction.
Resources: Depending on your choices in background, the channeler may have a church to draw upon or he may have the resources of an entire order of channelers. Alternately, he may have the resources of a normal mundane person, or a single teacher.

CHANNELERS IN THE WORLD
“We was in dire straits we was, that was when she came to us’n healed the sick an’ hurt folk we had’n she stayed long ‘nough to see us through the winter to make sure we lived. If not for her, then we’d all’ve died after that black-hearted fiend slaughtered over ‘alf of us!”
-a grateful peasant recalling the winter after massacre of Miller’s Reach

Channelers are often perceived as being angels made flesh, and that’s not far from the truth. Though they are bound by their very soul to the spirit of their celestial patron, their wills are their own, and while their missions may have them travel the world, they do so because this is the path that they have chosen through this life. A channeler's only motives are the mastery of their heavenly arts through whatever means they discover on their own.
Daily Life: The routine of a channeler varies, but most begin their day with meditation and communion with their angelic patron and seek answers for their questions. Some do charity work to aid the poor and destitute or work in clinics to aid the sick and injured, and some serve as community priests and protectors. The rest of their non-adventuring time is spent in study and practice of their techniques, both martial and mystical. Some spend their time in devotion; others study histories and treatises on the exploits of angels and heroes to discover the true purpose of their calling and their potential role in the Heavens above.
Notables: The channeler known as Lenora Armitage is a folk hero amongst the people of the land, traveling kingdom to kingdom while helping any who cross her path. Skilled martially, her abilities as a healer and mercy-bringer far exceed her warrior exploits. The powerful channeler known as Hand of Raziel has abandoned his mortal name in favor of his title to show his dedication to his celestial lord. An implacable foe, Hand of Raziel was said to be responsible for the slaying of no less than three balors single handedly on one hellish battlefield, and is said to reside in the heavens at his master’s side.
Organizations: Channelers have several organizations should they choose to throw lot in with others of their kind. The Knights Caeli are a respected group of heavenly warriors who utilize martial talents in conjunction with their holy invocations to fight the forces of evil. The Seekers of the Fallen are a group of gifted arcanists who have learned to blend their talents as mages with their invocations to be the demon hunters of heaven. A group of druids who have learned to channel the power of angels exist in remote areas where purity of nature still remains, known as the Aelvalie, who imbue nature with the power of heaven in its defense. Those who seek to blend their holy invocations with divine magic should seek out the Hooded Apostles, a group of pious angel-worshipers who known as powerful exorcists.

----

FEATS

Extra Invocation [General]
You have prayed and remained steadfast, and your angelic patron has seen fit to gift you with another holy art.
Prerequisites: Ability to use lesser invocations, Spellcraft 5 ranks.
Benefit: You learn another invocation of any level of you're capable of using.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat you must choose a different invocation.

Invoke Word of Power [Metamagic]
Your skill and power allow you to bypass some of your invocational processes and use power words to accomplish your magic.
Prerequisites: Ability to use lesser invocations, Spellcraft 5 ranks.
Benefit: You are capable of bypassing the casting times and requirements for your invocations, boiling them down to swift action invocations that only require a vocal and material component. The invocation to be turned into a power word must have a casting time of 1 standard action or faster. Possession of this feat gives you the ability to turn any one invocation that you're capable of casting into a swift action power word 3/day.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times for additional uses, each additional time taken granting an additional 2 uses of this feat per day.

Knight of Angels [General]
You’ve learned to blend some of your talents as a channeler with your abilities as a paladin.
Prerequisites: Lay on hands, celestial light +2d6.
Benefit: Your levels in paladin are counted as channeler levels in regard to your caster level for using invocations and you may combine your paladin level and your channeler level to determine your lay on hands ability.