[The Paladin Project] The Celestial Steward - A Pal/Drd PrC

Hi all, to give credit where credit is due, this prestige class was the result of a question asked by Golem2176 regarding a Paladin/Druid prestige class. Comments welcome.

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CELESTIAL STEWARD

The celestial steward has seen the glories of a lawful good outer plane, or possesses an emphatic link with one that has done so. His connection with that plane enables him to draw on its power to affect the natural world, summon celestial creatures to aid him, and even transform into an outsider. Celestial stewards work in the natural places of the world, nurturing them to reflect the beauty and harmony of the celestial planes, and defending them fiercely against the corruption of evil.

Many celestial stewards are paladins, whose connection with their special mounts allows them to draw on heavenly energies. In addition, a significant number of celestial stewards are ex-druids who have devoted themselves to the lawful good outer planes instead of the natural world.

Requirements:
Alignment: Lawful Good.
Handle Animal: 4 ranks.
Profession (farmer) or Profession (gardener): 4 ranks.
Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (nature): 8 ranks.
Special: Must have spent more than 24 hours in a lawful good outer plane, or have an emphatic link with a creature that has done so (such as a paladin's special mount).
Special: In campaigns where the multiclassing restrictions on paladins are enforced, the character must be able to gain levels in the paladin class.

Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills: The celestial steward's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis) Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The celestial steward is proficient in the use of all simple weapons, light and medium armor, and shields (except tower shields). He is also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form he assumes with celestial shape (see below).

Lvl. BAB . Fort Ref. Will. Spells per Day
1 .. +0 .. +2 . +0 . +2 .. +1 level of druid
2 .. +1 .. +3 . +0 . +3 .. +1 level of druid
3 .. +2 .. +3 . +1 . +3 .. +1 level of druid
4 .. +3 .. +4 . +1 . +4 .. +1 level of druid
5 .. +3 .. +4 . +1 . +4 .. +1 level of druid
6 .. +4 .. +5 . +2 . +5 .. +1 level of druid
7 .. +5 .. +5 . +2 . +5 .. +1 level of druid
8 .. +6 .. +6 . +2 . +6 .. +1 level of druid
9 .. +6 .. +6 . +3 . +6 .. +1 level of druid
10 . +7 .. +7 . +3 . +7 .. +1 level of druid

Lvl. Special
1 .. Celestial companion, celestial empathy, celestial insight,
. .. celestial speech, combined spellcasting
2 .. Channel celestial help: easy path, enhanced spellcasting
3 .. Celestial shape, channel celestial help: hide trail
4 .. Channel celestial help: fey ward, healing touch
5
6
7
8
9 .. Venom immunity
10 . Outsider shape 1/day

Spells: Starting at 1st level, and at each celestial steward level thereafter, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in the druid class. If the character had no druid levels before becoming a 1st-level celestial steward, he gains the spellcasting ability of a 1st-level druid (including the ability to spontaneously convert prepared spells to summon spells) when he takes his first celestial steward level.

A celestial steward has access to all spells on the druid spell list except for the Summon Nature's Ally group of spells. He gains access to the Summon Monster group of spells instead. A celestial steward is not prohibited from using offensive necromantic spells such as Blight, Finger of Death and Poison. However, many refrain from doing so except against truly evil opponents.

An ex-druid who gains a level of celestial steward regains his previous druid spellcasting ability, except that he gains access to the Summon Monster spells instead of the Summon Nature's Ally spells.

A celestial steward's spells affect animals and vermin with the celestial template as if they were animals and vermin, and not magical beasts.

Celestial Companion (Sp): If the celestial steward has a special mount, his effective level to determine its abilities (including the length of time per day that it remains with him) is equal to his celestial steward level, plus effective paladin levels from any classes that grant a special mount or improve its abilities, plus effective druid levels from any classes that grant an animal companion or improve its abilities (including levels of ex-druid). If he does not have a special mount, he gains a celestial animal companion instead, and uses the same effective level to determine its abilities. A celestial steward may choose to gain a celestial animal companion instead of a special mount. Except as noted below, a celestial companion is the same as an animal companion.

Once per day, as a full-round action, the celestial steward may magically call his companion from the celestial realms in which it resides. The companion immediately appears adjacent to the celestial steward and remains for 2 hours per effective level; it may be dismissed at any time as a free action. The companion is the same creature each time it is summoned, though the celestial steward may release a particular companion from service. He may call for a new companion when he increases his effective level (for example, by gaining a level of celestial steward or paladin).

Each time the companion is called, it appears in full health, regardless of any damage it may have taken previously. The companion also appears wearing or carrying any gear it had when it was last dismissed. Calling a companion is a conjuration (calling) effect, and is the equivalent of a spell of a level equal to one third the base hit dice of the companion (before bonus hit dice are added).

Should the celestial steward's companion die, it immediately disappears, leaving behind any equipment it was carrying. The celestial steward may not summon another companion for thirty days or until he increases his effective level, whichever comes first, even if the companion is somehow returned from the dead. During this thirty-day period, the celestial steward takes a -1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

A celestial steward may select as his companion any animal from the druid's list of animal companions, including the alternative lists, as a druid of three levels lower than his celestial steward level. A celestial steward with an effective level below 4th cannot obtain a celestial companion. As a celestial steward advances in level, the animal's power increases as shown on the table below. A celestial companion from one of the alternative lists gains abilities as if the celestial steward's level were lower than it actually is in a manner similar to a druid's animal companion, and he cannot select an animal if the choice would reduce his effective level below 4th.

Class . . . Bonus HD / . Str/Dex
Level . . . Nat Arm Adj. Adj. . . Int . Special
4th-5th . . +0 . . . . . +0 . . . 3 . . Celestial, emphatic link, share spells
6th-8th . . +2 . . . . . +1 . . . 4 . . Evasion
9th-11th. . +4 . . . . . +2 . . . 5 . . Devotion
12th-14th . +6 . . . . . +3 . . . 6 . . Multiattack
15th-17th . +8 . . . . . +4 . . . 7
18th-20th . +10. . . . . +5 . . . 8 . . Improved evasion

Celestial Companion Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the companion's kind, but make the following changes.

Class Level: The character's effective level, including levels from any other classes that grant a special mount or animal companion.

Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the celestial companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. A celestial companion's base attack bonus is the same as that of a cleric of a level equal to its HD. A celestial companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal's HD). A celestial companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster's Hit Dice.

Nat Arm Adj: The number noted here is an improvement to the celestial companion's existing natural armor bonus.

Str/Dex Adj: Add this value to the celestial companion's Strength and Dexterity scores.

Int: The celestial companion's minimum Intelligence score. Use the celestial companion's actual Intelligence score if it is higher.

Celestial (Ex): The celestial companion gains the celestial template. Use its total Hit Dice, including its bonus HD, to determine its resistance to acid, cold and electricity, its damage reduction, its spell resistance, and the bonus damage when it smites evil.

Emphatic Link (Su): The celestial steward has an empathic link with his celestial companion out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The celestial steward cannot see through the companion's eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Note that even intelligent companions see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible. Because of this empathic link, the celestial steward has the same connection to an item or place that his companion does.

Share Spells (Ex): At the celestial steward's option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts upon himself also affect his celestial companion. The celestial companion must be within 5 feet of him at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the celestial companion if the companion moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the celestial companion again, even if it returns to the celestial steward before the duration expires.

Additionally, the celestial steward may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his celestial companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A celestial steward and his celestial companion can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion's type (magical beast).

Evasion (Ex): If a celestial companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.

Devotion (Ex): A celestial companion gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

Multiattack: A celestial companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more natural attacks and does not already have that feat. If it does not have the requisite three or more natural attacks, the celestial companion instead gains a second attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a -5 penalty.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a celestial companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.

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Celestial Empathy (Su): A celestial steward can improve the attitude of an animal. Except as noted below, this ability is the same as a druid or ranger's wild empathy class ability. The celestial steward rolls 1d20 and adds his celestial steward level plus his levels of ex-druid, ranger or any other class with the celestial empathy or wild empathy class ability plus his Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. If he has the ability to turn undead, he may also expend one of his daily uses of the ability as a free action to add his turning level to the check result.

Celestial Insight (Su): A celestial steward gains a +2 insight bonus on Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (the planes) and Survival checks.

Celestial Speech (Su): A celestial steward gains Celestial as a free language.

Combined Spellcasting (Ex): A celestial steward's caster level for druid or paladin spells is equal to his celestial steward level plus his druid level plus half his paladin level. For example, a Paladin 5/Celestial Steward 2 would cast spells as a 4th-level spellcaster. If the character has another spellcasting class apart from druid or paladin, he does not gain this benefit for the spells of that class, even if they are also on the druid or paladin spell lists.

If the character has the combined spellcasting ability from another class, the effects stack, but levels from each class can only be counted once. For example, a Cleric 2/Paladin 5/Holy Vassal 2/Celestial Steward 2 has an effective caster level of 8 for any cleric, druid or paladin spell.

Channel Celestial Help (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a celestial steward with the ability to turn undead may expend one daily use of the ability to move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment for 1 hour per turning level. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect him.

At 3rd level, a celestial steward may expend one daily use of his ability to turn undead to leave no trail in natural surroundings so that he cannot be tracked for 1 hour per turning level. He may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

At 4th level, a celestial steward may expend one daily use of his ability to turn undead to gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey for 1 hour per turning level.

A celestial steward only gains one benefit for each daily use of his ability to turn undead. He must expend three uses to gain all three benefits.

The celestial steward may share the benefits of this ability with other creatures if he touches them while he invokes it, to a maximum of one creature per celestial steward level. The duration is divided by the number of creatures affected.

Enhanced Spellcasting (Ex): At any time after achieving 2nd level, a celestial steward with paladin levels may permanently sacrifice two paladin spellcaster levels to increase his druid spellcaster level by one. The increase to his druid spellcaster level may not exceed half his celestial steward level, and he may not reduce his paladin spellcaster levels to less than zero, or increase his druid spellcaster level more than once per increase in character level. Since his druid spellcasting level increases whenever he gains a celestial steward level, this means he can only exercise this option when he gains a level in other classes. For example, if a Paladin 5/Celestial Steward 2 gains a level of paladin, he may choose to permanently sacrifice two paladin spellcaster levels (effectively casting spells as a 4th-level paladin) in order to cast spells as a 3rd-level druid.

Celestial Shape (Su): At 3rd level, a celestial steward gains the ability to turn himself into a Small or Medium celestial animal and back again as many times per day as a druid of his effective level can use wild shape. Thus, he cannot use this ability if his effective level is 4th or lower. His effective level is equal to his celestial steward level plus half his paladin level plus his levels of ex-druid or any other class that has the wild shape or similar ability. He also gains the ability to take the shape of plant creatures and creatures of different sizes as a druid of his effective level. The new form's Hit Dice cannot exceed the character's effective level minus two. The effect lasts for 1 hour per effective level, or until he changes back. This ability is the same as the druid's wild shape ability except as noted below.

The celestial steward gains the celestial template and all of the extraordinary and supernatural abilities granted by that template while in celestial shape, including the ability to smite evil. Abilities that are dependent on Hit Dice, such as resistance to acid, cold and electricity, damage reduction, spell resistance, and bonus damage from smite evil, are determined by the Hit Dice of a typical creature of the kind that the celestial steward takes the form of. For example, since a typical black bear has 3HD, a celestial steward who takes the form of a celestial black bear gains acid resistance 5, cold resistance 5, electricity resistance 5, spell resistance 8, no damage reduction, and does an 3 extra points of damage against an evil foe when he smites evil (as a 3HD creature) while in celestial shape.

The celestial steward's ability to smite evil while in celestial shape is renewed each time he uses the ability, even if he takes on the form of a creature that he had already changed into earlier the same day. However, it is expended if he does not use it before he changes back or takes on another shape. If he has the ability to smite evil from another source, e.g. paladin levels, or if he is a celestial or half-celestial creature, the ability may be used while he is in celestial shape, but it is expended normally and is not regained when he takes on a new shape. In addition, multiple smite evils do not stack when used in the same melee attack. The celestial steward's ability to smite evil while in celestial shape cannot be used to qualify for feats or prestige classes that have the ability to smite evil (or the ability to smite) as a prerequisite. It does not affect nor is it affected by feats and class abilities that depend on or affect the character's ability to smite evil (or the ability to smite).

A celestial steward with levels of ex-druid may regain his Woodland Stride, Trackless Step and Resist Nature's Lure class abilities for 24 hours, if he previously possessed them as a druid, by expending one daily use of celestial shape per ability. Unlike the ability to channel celestial help, he may not share this benefit with other creatures.

Healing Touch (Su): a celestial steward with the spell-like ability to Remove Disease as a class feature may choose to trade in all his uses of the ability to increase the choice of spells into which he can spontaneously convert prepared spells. For each use of the Remove Disease ability traded in, the celestial steward gains the ability to spontaneously cast one of the following spells, in order: Remove Disease, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Neutralize Poison, Restoration. A celestial steward who can spontaneously convert prepared spells to Neutralize Poison may also convert prepared spells to Slow Poison, and one that can spontaneously convert prepared spells to Restoration may also convert prepared spells to Lesser Restoration. For example, a celestial steward that trades in three uses of his Remove Disease ability may spontaneously cast Remove Disease, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Slow Poison or Neutralize Poison by expending a prepared spell of the respective spell's level or higher. A celestial steward that trades in more than four uses of his ability does not gain any additional benefit. This benefit lasts until the celestial steward's ability to Remove Disease is renewed. The celestial steward has to make this choice when his ability is renewed, and must trade in all his uses of the ability.

Venom Immunity (Su): At 9th level, a celestial steward gains immunity to all poisons.

Outsider Shape (Su): At 10th level, a celestial steward becomes able to use celestial shape to change into an angel or an archon once per day. The new form's Hit Dice cannot exceed the character's effective level for celestial shape. These outsider forms are in addition to her normal celestial shape usage. In addition to the normal effects of celestial shape, the celestial steward gains all the outsider's extraordinary and supernatural abilities.

Code of Conduct: A celestial steward has a code of conduct identical to that of the paladin.

Associates: Like a paladin, a celestial steward may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, but will never knowingly associate with evil characters. He will not continue an association with someone who consistently offends his moral code, and may only hire henchmen or accept followers who are lawful good.

Ex-celestial stewards: A celestial steward who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all spells and special abilities, including his celestial companion. He also may not progress in levels as a celestial steward. He regains his abilities if he atones for his violations, as appropriate.

Multiclassing: Paladins may multiclass freely with this class. In campaigns where the multiclassing restrictions on paladins are enforced, a celestial steward who gains a level in a class that cannot multiclass freely with the paladin may no longer advance as a celestial steward.

Very well written. I hate it when a great idea gets written up poorly.

I only skimmed it, so just a few comments:
The abilities seems a little front loaded. There's a big gap between levels 4 and 9 ability wise - I realize a lot of those powers increase incrementally, but you might want to consider spreading them out a bit more.
The class seems quite powerful, possibly too much so.
Code of conduct - I think there's room for expansion here, adding bits about protecting nature and being a benevolent warden.

Thanks FireLance. I have created an organization for my campaign called The Celestial Order, with the leader being a 50th level character (20th level paladin, 20th level druid, 10th level Celestial Steward), and I gotta admit, she kicks a$$. Thanks for posting this great PrC. Also I imported the text into MS Word, cleaned it up a little bit and printed it using Acrobat Distiller. It is now presented as a PDF download.

hmmm

druids are very rarely lawful good. most are neutral to some degree. instead of just lawful good, i'd make the alignment requirements to any good as the heavenly planes are quite varied.

True and certainly it would make it far easier for a druid/paladin to exist, or ex-paladin/druid. This just some ideas but I certainly thing NG or LG would be much better.

Hi all, thanks for the comments so far. Apologies for the late responses, but it's been a busy period at work.

First, perhaps some background. This is one of a series of PrCs to "mix paladins with everything". The idea is to create paladin-like variations of each of the core classes to serve three purposes. First, to enable paladins to multiclass into and gain some of the benefits of another core class without running afoul of the multiclassing restrictions. Second, to allow characters of the other core classes to have a paladin-like slant while still essentially progressing in their original class. Third, to create new abilities that would synergize the paladin's class features with those of other classes.

My starting point is thus the paladin. Hence, the lawful good alignment and the clauses that allow an ex-druid to regain some of his previous abilities. Of course, if you're introducing this PrC into your own campaigns, you could modify it to allow neutral good ex-paladin celestial stewards who regain their paladin abilities as they progress in the PrC.

The front loading of abilities was simply based off the druid's ability progression table. Between 5th to 8th level, the druid gets increased wild shape uses per day and the ability to change into Large shapes. The celestial steward uses a slightly different mechanic (which allows stacking of half paladin levels) to determine his celestial shape ability, so this information cannot be reflected in the table. In any case, like a druid, he will get access to a new spell level every two levels, which should be incentive enough to progress in the class.

I will admit that this class is quite powerful, but I would peg it to be about on par with a Druid or a Druid/warrior-type multiclass with access to exalted feats from the Book of Exalted Deeds.

As for the code of conduct, I will admit it can be improved, but I don't want to re-invent the wheel. I believe I saw a code of conduct for a paladin of Ehlonna on these boards before. If someone could post a link to that, I think it would make a great code of conduct for a celestial steward.