Class Specialization Rules and Conversion of Paladin Abilities

[FireLance]

Class specialization is a concept similar to multiclassing and works using similar mechanics. Characters with specialized classes have access to abilities that are not normally available to other members of their class. This could represent an area of focus or special training given by a specific organization.

Mechanically, characters become members of a specialized class by taking a class specialization feat, and gain access to additional abilities from the specialized class by taking additional feats. You cannot take a class specialization feat if you have a multiclass feat or another class specialization feat.

The following sample specialized class, the Holy Paladin, seeks to re-create some of the flavor and abilities of the 3e paladin.

Holy Paladin (Class Specialization)
Prerequisites: Paladin class, Good or Lawful Good alignment, no other multiclass or class specialization feat
Benefit: You gain training in one skill from the paladin's class skill list.
In addition, once per encounter as a free action, you may gain a +1 bonus to all your defences against a single attack. If the attack is made by an Evil or Chaotic Evil creature, the bonus increases to +2. You must decide to use this ability before the attack roll is made.​

The following feats may be taken by a character with the Holy Paladin feat:

Aura of Courage
Prerequisites: Holy Paladin, Cha 13+
Benefit: You gain a +5 feat bonus to saving throws against fear effects. When you suffer a fear effect that a saving throw can end, you may make an saving throw against that effect as an immediate reaction.
In addition, your allies within 5 squares gain a +2 feat bonus to saving throws against fear effects.

Divine Grace
Prerequisites: Holy Paladin, Cha 15+
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to all defences against attacks made by Evil or Chaotic Evil creatures.

Divine Health
Prerequisites: Holy Paladin, trained in Heal
Benefit: You gain a +5 feat bonus to saving throws against infection, defences against attack rolls made by diseases, and Endurance checks made to recover from disease.
If you are 6th or higher level, you may perform the Cure Disease ritual once per day without expending any components. You do not need to have a ritual book or the Ritual Caster feat to do so.

Specialized Power (Holy Paladin)
Prerequisite: Holy Paladin
Benefit: You may exchange one of your powers known for another power of the same type (encounter, daily or utility) and of the same or lower level from the list of Holy Paladin powers.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you select this feat, choose a different Holy Paladin power.​

The following is an incomplete list of Holy Paladin powers. Additional powers may be added subsequently.

Encounter Powers

Smite Evil
Holy Paladin Attack 3
Encounter * Divine, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage. If the target is Evil or Chaotic Evil, you gain a bonus to the damage roll equal to half your level.

Blessed Smite
Holy Paladin Attack 7
Encounter * Divine, Weapon
Standard Action
Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Charisma vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage. If the target is Evil or Chaotic Evil and you did not score a critical hit, you deal maximum damage. If you wield a magic weapon, you deal +1d6 damage per plus of your weapon in addition to dealing maximum damage.

Utility Powers

Detect Evil
Holy Paladin Utility 2
Daily * Divine
Standard Action
Personal
Effect: You may use your Insight skill instead of your Perception skill to detect the presence of Evil or Chaotic Evil creatures within 10 squares of you. A successful Insight check (opposed by the creature's Hide check, or against a DC of 10 + 1/2 creature's level, if it is already in plain sight) reveals an Evil or Chaotic Evil creature's location and alignment. While this power is active, you gain a +1 power bonus to attack rolls against creatures revealed to be Evil or Chaotic Evil.
Sustain Minor: You can sustain this power until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes. You may make an Insight check every round as part of the minor action used to sustain this power.

Protection From Evil
Holy Paladin Utility 6
Daily * Divine
Standard Action
Melee touch
Target: One creature
Effect: The target gains a +2 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by Evil or Chaotic Evil creatures until the end of the encounter.

Summon Mount
Holy Paladin Utility 10
Daily * Divine
Standard Action
Ranged 5
Effect: You conjure a celestial charger (see Monster Manual) to use as a mount. It appears in a suitable space within range, and comes equipped with a saddle. If there is no space within range large enough for it to appear, the prayer fails.
The celestial charger does not take any actions unless you ride it. If you have the Mounted Combat feat, you may also use its mount ability.
The celestial charger disappears after 10 hours, if you take an extended rest, if it is slain, if it moves more than 5 squares away from you, or if you dismiss it as a free action.​

 

[generalhenry]

I like it. Currently multiclassing is an option that's just about too good to pass up.

 

[FireLance]

Here are some more Holy Paladin powers:

Utility Powers

Hallowed Defences
Holy Paladin Utility 16
Daily * Divine
Standard Action
Close burst 5
Targets: You and each ally in burst
Effect: The targets gain a +2 bonus to all defences against attacks made by Evil and Chaotic Evil creatures.

Necrotic Ward
Holy Paladin Utility 16
Daily * Divine
Standard Action
Melee touch
Target: One creature
Effect: The target gains a +2 bonus to all defences against necrotic attacks and necrotic resistance equal to your level + your Charisma modifier until the end of the encounter or for 5 minutes.

Holy Sword
Holy Paladin Utility 22
Daily * Divine
Minor Action
Melee touch
Target: One held weapon
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, the weapon loses all its magical properties (if any) and gains the properties of a holy avenger +5 instead.​

 

[Ingolf]

Blessed Smite strikes me as a little bit potent for an Encounter power, but that's a gut reaction, I haven't compared it to other 7th level powers. Are there any extant powers that (effectively) give you a free crit?

Otherwise, nice work. I like it.

ETA - Though I think the idea of specialized classes has merit, would you also consider working this up as a Paragon Path? Of course, that would require you to narrow the focus and eliminate some (most, I suppose) of the abilities, but it might be more acceptable to some DMs.

 

[FireLance]

Blessed Smite strikes me as a little bit potent for an Encounter power, but that's a gut reaction, I haven't compared it to other 7th level powers. Are there any extant powers that (effectively) give you a free crit?

There are quite a few powers that grant extra damage (3[W] and up), but they do tend to be higher level. This was basically an attempt at converting the 3e bless weapon spell, which automatically confirmed any threat made against an evil opponent.

One possibility is to lower the damage to 1[W], but that would make it generally worse than smite evil if you don't have a magic weapon.

Another is to make it a 5th or 9th level daily. Perhaps a 5th-level daily since there's another 5th level paladin daily, martyr's retribution, that deals 4[W] damage, but requires you to spend a healing surge. In the case of blessed smite, you only get the extra damage against evil or chaotic evil opponents (not much of a restriction, I know) and you have to spend a feat to gain access to the power.

Otherwise, nice work. I like it.

Thank you.

ETA - Though I think the idea of specialized classes has merit, would you also consider working this up as a Paragon Path? Of course, that would require you to narrow the focus and eliminate some (most, I suppose) of the abilities, but it might be more acceptable to some DMs.

I think I would prefer to do up a paragon path for holy paladins instead (and it would allow me to make hallowed defences the 12th level paragon path utility so that it doesn't compete with necrotic ward for the 16th level utility slot. Maybe a converted Crusader of Raziel? I think that would be nice.

 

[cooperflood]

Cool concept, not completely neccessary but balanced none the less. Those multiclass feats are so powerful that almost every build eventually takes one, so this makes a nice alternative. Don't forsee WotC ever going this route though (too much overlap with Paragon classes), but who cares. One suggestion, you should replace the feat Specialized Power (Holy Paladin) with these three generic feats:

Novice Power [Class Specialization Encounter]
Prerequisites: Any class-specific specialization feat,
4th level
Benefit: You can swap one encounter attack power
you know for one encounter attack power of the same
level or lower from the class you specialized into.

Acolyte Power [Class Specialization Utility]
Prerequisites: Any class-specific specialization feat,
8th level
Benefit: You can swap one utility power you know
for one utility power of the same level or lower from
the class you specialized in.

Adept Power [Class Specialization Daily]
Prerequisites: Any class-specific specialization feat,
10th level
Benefit: You can swap one daily attack power you
know for one daily attack power of the same level or
lower from the class you specialized in.

These feats probably aren't worded perfectly but you get the general idea. The level prereqs are important balance wise and the format makes it easy to expand the concept into other classes. Some ideas off the top of my head include:

Wizard: Illusionist (easy way to introduce the Illusionist Dragon supplement), Conjurer, Necromancer, ect..
Rogue: Swashbuckler, Duelist, Master Thrower
Cleric: Healer, Cleric of X Deity