D&D 4E Avenger for Pathfinder (4e class conversion)

[Abstruse]

I haven't seen a conversion of the 4e Avenger class to Pathfinder/3.5 and I can't find anything similar that could be made as a build. It is probably my favorite 4e class and I'd love to see a version in Pathfinder/3.5 due to its unique flavor.

For those unfamiliar with the class, it's basically a divine assassin, receiving power from his/her deity to gain extra strength to destroy enemies. Unlike other divine classes, they are combat-focused and have few abilities to aid others (aside from giving bonuses to hit or damage).

Here's what I believe is core to the Avenger class:

- Oath of Enmity feature, which allows the Avenger to declare a single enemy as the focus of his divine rage, getting combat bonuses against this target. The main one of these bonuses is that, as long as no other ally is closer to the Oath of Enmity target than the Avenger, he can roll any attack rolls twice and user either result.
- Wisdom-based melee fighter.
- Two main build types, one of which focuses on isolating an enemy through mobility and forced movement (Wis/Dex build) and the other focusing on punishing an enemy when it attacks the Avenger by dealing damage or allowing additional retribution attacks (Wis/Int build).
- No armor, high mobility. The Avenger gets a bonus called Armor of Faith to his AC so long as he wears no armor due to the protection of his deity. The Avenger also gains supernatural movement powers including teleportation and flight several levels before most other classes, though they are typically focused solely on staying in the face of their Oath of Enmity target.

Does anyone have any ideas or resources for how to create a class that can mimic the unique Avenger features without breaking game balance or nerfing the class?

 

[Kvantum]

I've made a very rudimentary, unbalanced conversion as an Inquistor archetype.

Lose Armor Proficiency and Shield Proficiency
Lose Stalwart
Lose Teamwork bonus feats
Lose Bluff and Craft as class skills

Gain Armor of Faith (add Wis mod +1/4 class levels to AC while unarmored)
Gain Fast Movement at 1st and again at 11th level
Gain Turn/Command Undead at 3rd level (Good-aligned Avengers gain Turn Undead, Evil-aligned Avengers Command Undead, Neutral-aligned can choose though this choice cannot be reversed without changing deity allegiance, usable 3+Cha mod times per day as per Cleric of same class level)
Gain Combat feats at 6th level and every 3 levels thereafter, counts as a Fighter of (class level -3) for feats devoted to deity's favored weapon
Gain Acrobatics as a class skill

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I'd start with Inquisitor as the base. Is it important to mimick all of that, where there are two build options? Inquisitor is already a dex/wis class...well, dex if you want it to be. With the Tandem Trip feat from Ultimate Combat (in combo w/ Inquisitor's Solo Tactics class feature), guided weapon, and Fury's Fall feat, you could make a very good wis and dex-based tripper Inquisitor, for the movement restricting. Makes trip checks with dex and wis added to CMB (but not strength).

 

[Abstruse]

The trick is getting that feeling of "Never misses but doesn't do a lot of damage" idea of the class. Other striker classes in 4e get some sort of damage boosting power, but the Avenger gets the ability to roll twice and use either result. This increases the chances of hitting any target by some amount I could probably figure out if I were better at statistics.

The problem I see is adding that "roll twice and pick either" ability to Pathfinder would be almost game-breaking with iterated attacks. And a flat additional plus to-hit doesn't have the same feel. Basically, the class should be subpar fighting a non-Oath enemy, but hit almost every time when attacking someone on whom he's sworn his Oath of Enmity on.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Something like this, maybe? Just get it at 1st level like those monk archetypes do and be treated as monk for the 1/level/day faster progression (and it works with one chosen weapon or deity's favored weapon instead of the monk weapon list), and trade some Inquisitor feature for that. I should also note, at level 10 those archetypes get to roll THREE times and take the higher instead of just 2.

 

[Abstruse]

Something like this, maybe? Just get it at 1st level like those monk archetypes do and be treated as monk for the 1/level/day faster progression (and it works with one chosen weapon or deity's favored weapon instead of the monk weapon list), and trade some Inquisitor feature for that. I should also note, at level 10 those archetypes get to roll THREE times and take the higher instead of just 2.

But that's a late-game feat and it has a limit as to the number of times it can be used per day. It makes me think that the roll-twice mechanic might be game-breaking in Pathfinder even though it's underpowered in 4e (since other strikers are capable of dealing massive amounts of damage).

The benchmark I use is the Rogue Sneak Attack. It's situational and can add a great benefit if used consistently. Is the ability to roll twice for attacks better or worse than +1d6 damage every other level? Is combat advantage more or less likely than being adjacent to a specific enemy with no other enemies adjacent to you (the trigger that allows the roll-twice mechanic)? If either situation is more likely, is it so much more likely that it unbalances the class?

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

It's a level 1 feat for Weapon Adept and Zen Archer Monks. It has identical pre-reqs to Stunning Fist, which regular monks get w/o meeting pre-requisites at level 1. It's a Stunning Fist replacement, basically.

So it would be perfectly fine for your own tweaked Avenger class to get it at 1st level as well. And again, just as Monk gets better Stunning Fist options w/ class levels, WA and ZA monks instead get the 3 rolls at 10th level, which is not in the feat text, either.

 

[GreyLord]

Oddly enough, Wizards put out a helping hand towards this already...

Prestige Class: The Avenger

April Fools?????

 

[Abstruse]

Here's the wording I've come up with so far...

Hit Die: d8

Skills: 4 + Int

Oath of Enmity (Su): You proclaim any enemy within 30' of you as your Oath of Enmity target. This designation stays as long as the target is alive. If the target is disabled or killed or after 5 minutes have passed without the target in your line of sight, you may declare a different enemy as the target of your Oath of Enmity. When making an attack roll against your Oath of Enmity target and there are no other enemies adjacent to you, you may roll twice and use either result.

Divine Strike (Ex): You use your Wisdom modifier in place of your Strength modifier for all melee attack rolls.

2nd Level:

Abjure Undead (Su): Any melee attacks made against an undead target do triple damage. This ability may be used a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier + 1/2 level.

3rd Level:

Radiant Vengeance: You may make a ranged attack using your Holy Symbol with a bonus to the attack equal to your base attack bonus plus your Wisdom modifier. This attack does 1d8 + Wisdom modifier Radiant damage, and you gain temporary HP equal to your Intelligence Modifier if the attack is successful.

I'm thinking spell selections similar to a Ranger or Paladin with a very limited spell list, mostly Divine but with some Arcane spells, all focused on direct damage, starting at 4th level. I haven't figured out the Class Skills yet, but Religion and Acrobatics will be in there.

Any suggestions or comments so far?

 

[Abstruse]

Oddly enough, Wizards put out a helping hand towards this already...

Prestige Class: The Avenger

April Fools?????

That looks more like the pre-Essentials version of the Assassin class. Which, for the record, is my second-favorite 4e class