The Radiant Champion
Welcome back to another exciting week here at Necromancers of the Northwest. It’s Monday, and that means a new archetype for you. Lately I’ve been thinking about what classes we don’t talk about enough, and it seems to me it’s been a while since we’ve done anything with paladins, so this week we look at a new paladin archetype that I’m sure will please.
New Paladin Archetype
The Radiant Champion
Radiant champions are paladins who devote themselves not just to the slaying of wicked creatures, but also the promotion of goodness and righteousness in their allies. A great leader of men, a radiant champion backs up her inspiring speeches and tactical acumen with potent and holy magic that enhances her allies’ natural combat abilities.
By Faith Alone: A radiant champion does not cast spells and does not gain the spellcasting class feature at 4th level.
Aura of Grace (Su): A radiant champion is constantly surrounded by a holy energy that protects her, as well as her righteous allies, against the wicked. Beginning at 1st level, a radiant champion is surrounded by a field of holy energy that grants her a +2 sacred bonus to AC against the attacks of evil creatures. This bonus increases to be equal to her Charisma modifier (if it is higher than +2) for the purposes of attacks made by evil dragons, evil outsiders, and evil undead creatures.
Additionally, any of the radiant champion’s allies that are within 10 feet of her and that are also good-aligned gain the benefits of this protection as well, although the sacred bonus to AC that such creatures gain is 1/2 the amount that the radiant champion would gain (+1 for attacks made by evil creatures, or equal to 1/2 her Charisma bonus for the purposes of attacks made by evil dragons, evil outsiders, and evil undead creatures).
Finally, beginning at 2nd level, whenever a radiant champion is attacked by an evil creature, as an immediate action, she may expend any number of her remaining daily uses of her lay on hands class feature in order to increase her sacred bonus to AC until the beginning of her next turn. The amount by which the bonus is increased is equal to the number of daily uses that are expended in this way. The radiant champion may choose to use this ability even after the result of the attack is known, but not after damage is rolled. This increase to her sacred bonus to AC also affects the sacred bonus granted to the radiant champion’s nearby allies.
This ability replaces the smite evil class feature.
Expanded Aura (Su): Beginning at 4th level, a radiant champion's auras extend further from her. The radius of her aura of grace, aura of courage, aura of resolve, and aura of righteousness abilities is doubled.
Aura of Heavenly Wrath (Su): Beginning at 7th level, a radiant champion becomes able to project an aura of holy energy which strengthens those who would do battle against evil. As a swift action, the radiant champion can expend 1 use of her lay on hands ability in order to project a field of holy energy in a 20-foot-radius centered on her. This aura grants all good-aligned creatures within the radius (including the radiant champion) a bonus on all attack rolls made against evil creatures equal to the radiant champion’s Charisma modifier. This bonus lasts until the beginning of the radiant champion’s next turn.
Aura of Rejuvenation (Su): Beginning at 10th level, a radiant champion can project a holy aura that gives a second wind to her allies. As a swift action, she can emit a rejuvenating aura with a range of 20 feet. When she uses this ability, and at the beginning of her turn each round for as long as the aura remains, each of her allies within the aura that are good-aligned may make a new saving throw to end any curse, disease, or poison that they are currently suffering from. The saving throw DC is equal to the affliction’s normal saving throw DC. If the saving throw is successful, the creature is automatically cured of that affliction, even if a successful saving throw would not normally end the affliction. This aura persists for a number of rounds equal to the radiant champion’s Charisma modifier. The radiant champion can use this ability once per day at 10th level. At 15th level, and again at 20th level, she gains an additional daily use of this ability.
Aura Overcharge (Su): Beginning at 11th level, the radiant champion is able to expend some of her holy power in order to dramatically increase the power of the holy auras which surround her. As an immediate action, she may expend 2 uses of her lay on hands ability. If she does, she doubles the morale and sacred bonuses her allies are receiving as the result of her aura of grace, aura of courage, aura of heavenly wrath, aura of resolve, aura of righteousness, aura of mirth, and aura of majesty abilities. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to her class level, after which the bonuses return to their normal amount.
This ability replaces the aura of justice class feature.
Aura of Mirth (Su): Beginning at 13th level a radiant champion constantly emits an aura of good humor which renders her immune to emotion effects and renders her immune to any effect which would impose a morale penalty upon her. Additionally her allies within 20 feet gain a +4 sacred bonus on saving throws against emotion effects.
Aura of Retribution (Su): Beginning at 16th level, a radiant champion gains the ability to project divine energy in order to censure the wicked. Once per day, as a standard action, she can project an aura of holy energy with a range of 20 feet. Evil creatures in the affect area suffer a -2 sacred penalty to attack rolls and AC. Evil outsiders, evil dragons, and evil undead either suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls and AC, or a penalty to attack rolls and ACequal to the radiant champion’s Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. This aura lasts for a number of rounds equal to the radiant champion’s class level.
Aura of Majesty (Su): Beginning at 19th level, a radiant champion is constantly surrounded by golden light which makes it hard to raise a hand against her. This functions as the spell sanctuary, except that the saving throw DC is equal to 10 +1/2 the radiant champion’s paladin level + the radiant champion’s Charisma modifier. Any character that succeeds on a saving throw to resist this ability is immune to it for 24 hours.
Holy Champion: This functions as the holy champion paladin class feature, except that the radiant champion cannot banish evil creatures she smites (unless she gains the smite evil ability from another source).
This ability modifies the holy champion class feature.