Feat-Based Paladin PrC

[Halivar]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Here is yet another paladin PrC, but with an eye towards customization. I have defined three different roles paladins typically take, and created a generalized class that can be defined specifically for one or more of these roles by taking different feat chains:[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]1) Holy Crusader: Fights for good, kills evil, and has a heavy emphasis on smiting and other divine combat magic, as well as a nice mount. Will probably specialize against either undead or outsiders.
2) Faith Healer: The combat medic will want to invest in lay hands and protective abilities. Non-combat abilites will include ability restoration and remove disease.
3) War Priest: Mass buffs are the order of the day. The war priest is more of a tank than a regular cleric, with a decided bent towards a greater leadership role.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Note that this is just a framework. Can I get help balancing this? I feel the SRD paladin is much more powerful. Do I need to up the number of bonus feats they get? Or, does the increased divine spellcasting make up for it? Am I missing any cool/nifty divine feat ideas?[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Halivar's Paladin PrC[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Hit Die: d10.
Requirements
To qualify to become a paladin, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Lawful good.
Weapon Proficiency: Must be proficient with all martial weapons.
BAB: +6
Spells: Must be able to cast 2nd-level divine spells.
Special: Must be called by a celestial power. This is up to the DM's discretion.

Class Skills: The paladin's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.[/font]

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1.....+1...+2..+0...+2. Aura of good, 2 bonus feats
2.....+2...+3..+0...+3. +1 existing divine spellcaster level
3.....+3...+3..+1...+3. bonus feat
4.....+4...+4..+1...+4. +1 existing divine spellcaster level
5.....+5...+4..+1...+4. bonus feat
6.....+6...+5..+2...+5. +1 existing divine spellcaster level
7.....+7...+5..+2...+5. bonus feat
8.....+8...+6..+2...+6. +1 existing divine spellcaster level
9.....+9...+6..+3...+6. bonus feat
10....+10..+7..+3...+7. +1 existing divine spellcaster level
11+ You get the pattern...

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the paladin PrC.
Spells per Day: When an even-numbered paladin level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in any one divine spellcasting class in which he could cast 2nd level spells before taking the PrC. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained.
Aura of Good (Ex): As the SRD paladin.
Bonus feats: When an odd-numbered paladin level is gained, the character gains a number of bonus feat from the following list:[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]TRUESIGHT (Sp)
Benefit: You can cast detect evil at will, as the spell.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]GREATER TRUESIGHT (Sp)
Prereq's: Truesight.
Benefit: The Truesight ability is usable as a free action. When using the Truesight ability, you can also see evil creatures that are invisible, incorporeal, ethereal, or astral. This effect lasts for one round, and must be reactivated at your next turn.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]ATTACK ETHEREAL (Su)
Prereq's: Truesight, Greater Truesight.
Benefit: When using the Truesight ability, you may attack evil creatures that are incorporeal without the standard miss chance. You may also attack evil creatures that are ethereal.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]SMITE EVIL (Su)
Benefit: As the SRD paladin ability, once per day.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, you may smite evil one extra time per day.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]FAVORED UNDEAD/PLANE (Ex)
Benefit: Choose either an undead or an evil outsider as a favored enemy. If undead, choose a specific undead creature (vampire, ghoul, wight, etc.). If evil outsider, choose a specific plane. For those creatures (or creatures from that plane), you gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time if is taken, choose a new favored enemy of the same type as the previous (undead or evil outsider). Previous favored enemy bonuses are increased by +1.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]DIVINE GRACE (Su)
Benefit: You gain a bonus equal to your Cha bonus (if any) on all saving throws.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]AURA OF GRACE (Su)
Prereq's: Divine Grace.
Benefit: Allies within 10 ft. gain a bonus equal to your Cha bonus (if any) on all saving throws.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the radius of the aura increases by 10 ft.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]TURN UNDEAD PROGRESSION (Su)
Prereq's: Turn Undead ability, Paladin level 3rd.
Benefit: Increase in undead turning as if you had gained 2 levels in a previous class with turning ability.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Its effects stack.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]LAY ON HANDS (Su)
Prereq's: Able to cast cure moderate wounds.
Benefit: As the SRD paladin ability.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]REMOVE DISEASE (Sp)
Prereq's: Able to cast cure moderate wounds.
Benefit: You may cast remove disease once per week.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, you may cast remove disease an additional once per week.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]AURA OF COURAGE (Su)
Benefit: As the SRD paladin ability.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the radius of the aura increases by 10 ft.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]AURA OF WRATH (Su)
Prereq's: Aura of Courage.
Benefit: All evil creatures within 10 ft. must Will save (DC 11 + Cha mod.) or be affected as by the fear spell. This aura may be activated and deactivated as a free action.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the radius of the aura increases by 10 ft.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]AURA OF LEADERSHIP (Su)
Prereq's: Aura of Courage.
Benefit: Allies within 10 ft. gain a +1 divine bonus to attack rolls, saves (does not stack with Aura of Grace), and skill checks. Lawful good allies gain a +2 bonus.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the radius of the aura increases by 10 ft.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]DIVINE HEALTH (Ex)
Benefit: You gain immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]AURA OF HEALTH (Su)
Prereq's: Divine Health.
Benefit: Allies within 10 ft. gain a +4 save verses diseases, poison, energy drains (that allow saves), and death effects (again, which allow saves).
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the radius of the aura increases by 10 ft.[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]SPECIAL MOUNT (Sp)
Prereq's: Mounted Combat, 5 ranks Handle Animal, 5 ranks Ride
Benefit: As the SRD paladin ability at 5th level.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the mount increases in power as if the paladin had gained levels as the SRD paladin (8th level, 11th level and 15th level).

DIVINE WEAPON (Su)
Benefit: Choose a +1 weapon enchantment. Any time you strike an evil creature with a non-magical weapon, treat that weapon as if it had the chosen enchantment.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, choose another +1 enchantment. These enchantments stack.
[/font]

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I really like the idea. Personally, I think Paladins should be a PrC as a matter of course... but that's another issue.

I think, if anything, your PrC is possibly a little bit too powerful, compared to the normal ones. It has Fighters attack and even more bonus feats, Clerics saves and custom feats that allows them to select special abilities that other characters couldn't get... Something needs to be nerfed! Possibly divide the bonus feats into 'chains', and the character picks 1 at first level and sticks to it.

For example:
Crusader type
1st Smite, Aura of courage.
3rd Divine Grace
5th Special Mount
ETC

Demon Killer
1st Favoured enemy: Demons,
ETC

I think other things need to be changed, but my balancing really isn't good enough.


I think the easiest way to get a 'basic' paladin PrC, is to take the Blackguard and replace it's abilities and requirements with good equivalents, change the infernal pet thing for a holy mount. Change spell list to a paladin one. Havn't got the DMG to hand, or I'd do it. It's already balanced by wizards, so works pretty well.

The 'Defenders of the Faith' splat book contains some good paladin like PrCs - the Templar and Hospitaler are quite good fighty/crusader classes. Warpriest is fighter like, with some spell progressions and some mass buff spells...

 

[XCorvis]

Cap it at 10th level and bump up the prereqs a bit. Otherwise they wind up getting to many feats. Fewer feats means they need to pick a focus and can't just take it all eventually. You might want to include some more prereqs on the feats, like a minimum BAB or save.

 

[CCamfield]

Nice concept! I would suggest changing the name of "Favored enemy" since it is the same as the ranger ability - but different in effect. What about Slayer?

I'm no good at balancing, but here are my thoughts:

Increasing spell level once every 2 levels seems pretty darn good. As it stands a 3rd level Cleric/1st level Fighter qualifies. (There should be some additional requirements - maybe ranks of Knowledge(religion)? I don't know what feats...)

So you could have a character who's Clr 3/Ftr 1/PalPrC 10. Such a character would be effectively level 8 as a cleric for casting - and receive considerably more spells than a 14th level core paladin.

I don't know about the feats. It seems like "lots of feats" but these are essentially the paladin class abilities, and the character build mentioned above will end up with many fewer of these than a 14th level core paladin.

I don't know if it's worth additional "feats" to pick things like Remove Disease additional times to get additional uses per week. You might consider allowing those abilities to increase in uses/week every 2-3 Paladin PrC levels.


Finally, I think it would be highly appropriate and very cool for the character to have to go through one or more ordeals to be accepted into the order. Keep vigil all night in front of the god's altar, walk barefoot over hot coals ("if the god is truly with you, you will not be burned!"), etc.

 

[Halivar]

I changed the requirements to add BAB +6. I figure this will require 4 levels of fighter + 3 levels of cleric at minimum. Also added the req that you must be called by a deity, which is up to DM purvue.

So, if we consider 8th level the first level you can take with this, we have an 18th level Paladin that can cast 4th level cleric spells. Not too shabby, IMO, and not much more powerful than a standard SRD paladin. In fact, this paladin gets fewer abilities.

Also, you are correct, I have added very few non-paladin abilites, and most of the "feats" are just a rehashing of existing SRD paladin abilities. I suppose what I need is some suggestions for cool ideas/feat chains to make this class more interesting and worth taking.