Inspired Knight- An ongoing Paladin project [Game design] (Version 0.3 up)

Sound of Azure · Jan 29, 2007

As a whole, I think the paladin class is a load of fun to play, and I've had a number of memorable characters that embrace the ideals of the current paladin. The idea of a divinely inspired knight class is pretty cool in my opinion, it's just... the Paladin as it stands is just one type of "Holy Knight" you could have.

Now, with new supplements coming out all the time, it's interesting (for me, at least) to see many ways of implementing ideas. I've rather enjoyed such attempts as the alternate Paladins they showcased in UA, and similar ideas. What I'd like to do is create one of my own, that can work with any god, any pantheon, and maybe... any belief system.

Now, this will be a knight, with the whole heavy armour mojo. They are not priests, but divinely inspired. The idea being that they gain interesting powers when inspired, but are otherwise a normal martial character.

I hope you'll bear with me as I fumble about trying to make this idea work. And comment, of course.

It's still in the formative stages of development right now, but I want to develop it online rather than just stewing on it for a while, then posting.

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Initial stuff

HD d10
Good Save: Fort ~~(Maybe Will as well)~~
Good BAB

Skills: Concentration, Knowledge (Religion) (Core, very important), plus others...

Getting Inspired: The Inspired needs the connection to their Ideal/God in order to use their divine powers. What I'm thinking of here is similar to a Psionic character's Psionic Focus. I want to tie it to Concentration in the same way, with Knowledge (Religion) unlocking new abilities, much like a Bard.

There'd be a bunch of abilities you could get that rely on being Inspired (Such as Divine Grace, Detect Chaos/Evil/Good/Lawful, or fear immunity). Others would require you to expend your Inspiration (like Divine Smite, or summoning your Mount to your side for instance).

Abilities

Here's where it gets harder (for me, anyway). What abilities do I allow, and when? I know that I do not want any Paladin spellcasting, but instead a bunch of effects and class features that operate off of being Inspired. At the moment, it's kind of looking like a Warlock's invocations.

The Inspired would have a general pool of selectable powers, plus specific ones from the charater's deity. Domains, if you like. Each Domain (like a cleric's domains) would have a granted power, plus a single power at each tier of special abilities.

I believe that the Divine Smite ability should work similarly to Eldritch Blast, but only with the Deity/Concept's favoured weapon, and only to the target aligniment/enemy. It may be a melee only ability (with a special ability allowing it with a ranged weapon).

Anyhow, it's supposed to be highly customisable so you can create what ever kind of divine champion you want.

More to come as my thoughts crystallise further.

EDIT: Version 0.3 is up. Please see Post 17 for details.

Sound of Azure · Jan 29, 2007

Prototype of the Divine Smite

Divine Smite: As a swift action, you may expend your Inspired Focus to attempt to deal an extra damage with a normal attack. Divine smite can only deal extra damage to creatures that oppose the subtypes of your Aura. At 1st level this damage equals 1d6, and increases by 1d6 at 5th level, and every 5 levels thereafter (10th, 15th, 20th, etc).

If the Inspired Knight accidentally smites a creature that is not applicable, the smite is wasted and it deals no extra damage.

Here are a few of "least" Divine powers. The descriptors refer to the Domain the powers are from. You cannot acquire powers unless you have the corresponding Domain.
[Fire] Holy Flame: The extra damage from your Divine Smite is half fire damage. If you confirm a critical hit when making a Divine Strike, your weapon deals an additional 1d10 points of fire damage. If your weapon has a critical multiplier of x3, you deal 2d10 extra points of fire damage. If your weapon has a critical multiplier of x4, you deal 3d10 extra points of fire damage.

[Strength] Power Smite: You add one-half of your Strength modifier (if positive) to each die of damage you deal with your Divine Strike

[??] Aura of Courage: When you have Inspired Focus, you are immune to fear (magical or otherwise) effects. Allies within 10 feet of you gain +4 on their saving throws against such effects.

[Law] Aura of Loyalty- When you have Inspired Focus, you are immune to Compulsion effects. Allies within 10 feet of you gain +4 on their saving throws against such effects.

Finally one (kinda familiar looking) Lesser ability (You can get a Lesser ability at 6th level and higher):

Divine Steed [Any]: You gain a cohort that serves as your mount. The Divine Steed is identical to a Paladin’s mount. You may expend your Inspired Focus to summon your Divine Steed to your side as a full-round action. The Divine Steed appears in the nearest open space to your location.

I'm considering giving the steed the subtypes corresponding to the aura of the Inspired Knight (Air and Chaos, for example). I'm also unsure whether it's appropriate to be able to summon the beast to your side.

Sravoff · Jan 29, 2007

Holy, well, Holiness!

Using the psionically focused mechanic is brilliant! Simply brilliant!

Pardon the odd language, and the typos. Its rather late, but I wanted to jot my ideas down real wuick.

Well first off, what did wizards decide your un/holy warrior needed?
-Extra damage to opposition
-An Aura of rightousness
-Detecting opposition
-healing {or harming}
-A special mount
-Undead destruction or controlling
-and disease curing or causeing
-As well as a small number of tricks to help out our warrior in need {spells}

I'm going to take this adaption, as meaning a highly focused and aware warrior, in respect to his cause.

First I would think of this, as a state distantly similar to the barbarian rage, and the psionically focus of the psions. I would have this state usuable by concentrating, as you have, and gaining the state. However, I wouldn't let it last all that long. Thus like the barbarian rage. Of course, the warrior would be entirly capable of anythign he could normally do.

So our warrior is focused, and gains a number of little tricks due to his heightened awareness. He can then end his state early, in order to unleash devestating attacks or work miracales. {Maybe, so far, remove disease and lay on hands could be handled this way. Maybe.}

I can see gaining "sense evil" whiloe focused. I'm not sure if there are any mechanics like this, but make it automatic "detect evil" on everything within a 20? foot radius? Perhaps gaining the blindfight feat while focused, and fighting evil creatures. Due to his "evil sense" tingling.

I like the way you did the divine smite mechanic. Looks cool.

Perhaps when the warior becomes focused, he chooses which abilities he will use. One passive ability he uses while hes focused, and one that he can use to end his focus early. That I think would balance it out, so a warior could know more abilities, but not get too powerful. So say a warrior focuses and chooses to gain the ability to sense all evil within 20'. He also chooses to be able to summon his mount when he is done ealing with these pesky goblins.

Or the same warrior could have passivly sense evil, but choosen smite instead, since he just walked into an anti-paladin's throne room. He would have to end his current focus, and re focus if he wanted to be abe to summon his mount.

Any way, I hope some of that made sense. I really like the idea, hopefulyl tomorrow I'll be able to offer some rules ideas.

Sound of Azure · Jan 29, 2007

I'd probably make the "passive sonar" out to 30 feet (and only detecting the presence or absence of what you're detecting). You can extend it out to 60 feet by concentrating as a standard action.

There'd be a number of abilities that build off of the sense, if you chose to concentrate on being on certain things: seeing incorporeal undead for an undead hunter, detecting lies for a detective, maybe even true seeing as a "True" Inspired ability.

As for the duration, I'm of two minds. Since the class doesn't have a "burnable" divine ability, like a psychic warrior or psion has, it could be problematic to allow the duration to be unlimited like psionic focus is (which relies on having power points or having psi-like abilities).

I'm really trying to make the class spell-less, though they'd have a many spell-like abilities (like a warlock). Basically, giving our Inspired Knight the option of having iconic Paladin-type spells as class abilities chosen from a list.

Anyhow, I look forward to future comments from you. Thanks for the praise, Sravoff. I have some more thinking to do....

Sravoff · Jan 29, 2007

Yeah, thats what I was thinking about when I was talking about the sonar. You could sense the evil fighter, his grim and evil wizard companion, but not the charmed commoner swinging pitch forks at you. Your companions wouldn't be sensed, unless they were evil as well. Looking at it, 30' looks good. And I like the expansion ability, out to 60' feet as a standard action. Good call.
*NOTE: The sense feature could be used for any of the alignments, as well as any other concepts. Evil was just an example.

Yeah, thats what I was thinking about, perhaps a number of rounds, plus the warrior wisdom modifier? Since the ability would be usable any number of times per day, the duration wouldn't have to be that long. Perhaps giving the warrior a bolstered awareness if he rolls high enough? Then again maybe not. Not sure about that one.

Spell-less definetly sounds like the way to go. I was saying in order to build a paladin similar to the core one, they get a few spells. Those could easily be emulated through this "focus" ability.

-Sravoff

Sound of Azure · Jan 29, 2007

On Divine Senses

As I was looking at potential prerequisite ranks of Concentration and Knowledge (Religion) in order to acquire certain Inspiration abilities, I thought about the Listening Lorecall spell in Complete ~~Arcane~~ Adventurer.
This is an interesting spell that grants a bonus on a particular skill, but gets more powerful if you have skill ranks in Listen. This would make an interesting mechanic for the Inspired Knight's Divine Sense ability.

Having enough 10 ranks in Search might allow a free search for secret doors when passing within 5 feet, ranks in Sense Motive might allow the Knight to utilise Detect Lies when concentrating.

Similarly, Lay on Hands could have a "rider" status removing ability, based on Heal ranks (siilar to the Healing Lorecall spell). You could make a good Hospitaler knight with that.
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Re: detect evil. Yeah, I was going on the assumtion of multiple potential alignments. I was also looking into element detection, like the Shugenja gets. It's probably a good idea to model the original Paladin to see how it works though, then work from there.

Sravoff · Jan 29, 2007

Lorecall looks like a good place to start, cool mechanic. Its in Complete Adventurer BTW.

Is this class gonna be able to do alot of different stuff? Like is it going to be able to balance with lorecall? Or are you going to try to keep them rather closer to the knight concept?

Sravoff · Feb 7, 2007

Alright. I really like this idea, and rather hate seeing it on the third page. So here is what I ahev so far.

HD: d10
BAB: Good
Saves: Good fort, poor will and ref
Skills: Concentration(con), Craft(int), Diplomacy(cha), Handle Animal(cha), Heal(wis), Knowledge(religion)(int), Profession(wis), Ride(dex), Sense Motive(wis)
2+int mod per level (Times four at first level)

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Inspired are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, are proficient with all armor and shields, except for tower shields.

Aura: The power of an inspired's aura, is equal to his ranks in religion, minus three, to a minimum of one. An Inspired's aura, matches his Code of Conduct, see below.

Code of Conduct: An Inspired usually, but not always, align's himself with an alignment. If he is aligned with an alignment, his aura matches his alignment, if not... I dunno yet...

Inspired: As a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, you may become Inspired. Becoming inspired requires a DC 15 concentration check, some Inspired abilities may heighten or lower this number. When you become inspired, you may select one Passive Inspired ability, and one Expenditure Inspired Ability. You may select to become inspired with only a Passive or an Expenditure ability. Becoming inspired with out an Expenditure Ability, lowers the DC by 3, to a DC 12. Becoming Inspired without a Passive ability lowers the DC by 2. Becoming inspired without an ability is rather pointless, unless there are feats that require one to be Inspired. We'll see.

Here are four Passive inspired Abilities, taken from the standard paladin class. I boosted them some, since normally they are all active. It would be cool if they all had additional expenditure ability like the detect ability does.

Detect: An Inspired with atleast 4 ranks in Religion gaisn the ability to detect opposition within a 30'. As a standard acion you can concentrate, and know the number of opposite aura's. As a ful round action you may extend this to 60', and know how many opposite auras are present. As an additional standard action, you may know the location of each aura. After you know the location of each aura, you may expend your Inspired focus, to lock onto a particular aura. Once you are locked on, you may as a free action pinpoint its location. However, if it goes beyond 60' from you, you lose track of the aura. This lasts a number of rounds equal to the number of rounds you may stay inspired.

Divine Grace: An Inspired with atleast five ranks in Religion gains a bonus on all saving throws equal to her charisma bonus, with a minimum of one..

Lay On Hands: An Inspired with atleast 5 ranks in Knowledge(Religion) can lay on hands, as per the normal Paladin ability. However, the Inspired heals her ranks in Knowledge(Religion) times her charisma bonus, instead of her level. Also, the minimum is her ranks in Knowledge(Religion).

Aura of Courage: An Inspired with atleast 6 ranks in Knowledge(Religion) can activate an Aura of Courage. When inspired, allies within a 20' radius gain +5 saves against fear, while the Inpired herself is immune to all fear effect, mundane or magical.

Primitive Screwhead · Feb 8, 2007

This looks interesting.. I was panning for some new options for my Skills-n-Feats Paladin and may need to steal some of these ideas here. Y'all might want to check it out since it goes in somewhat the same direction.

I like the 'detect' tree potential..

Sound of Azure · Feb 8, 2007

That looks heaps cool, Sravoff. My brain is rejecting all creative thought right now, so I haven't been able to come up with much in the last week or so.

I like the inspired mechanic... the DC seems low, but with new abilities that increase the concentration DC it seems ok. I'm thinking that the Inspired would eventually be able to have more Inspired abilities readied as he advances in level. Once I'm back home tonight, I'll have a play with some numbers.

It's easier (and quicker) to get inspired than it is to get Psionic Focus at the moment. Perhaps it would be a good idea to keep it as a full-round action, and have a feat that reduces the action that reduces it down to a standard action.

I'm unsure if it's good to only have a certain number of Expenditure abilities available, since you'll only have a small pool of them in the first place. Adding to the fact that every Expenditure ability ends your Inspiration, unlike Passive abilities. Could be kind of Marshal-esque.

Regarding Feats that add on to Inpired abilities, yeah, that was planned.

It might be good to have certain divine feats work as expenditure abilities.

Like I said, good work!