The Radiant Avenger: A Striker Paladin

[FireLance]

This is probably the simplest and most straightforward at-will power available to the radiant avenger, so today's post will be very short.

Blessing of Protection
Paladin Utility
At-Will * Divine, Stance
Minor Action
Personal

Effect: You invoke the blessing of protection. Until it ends, you gain a +1 power bonus to all defenses.​

 

[FireLance]

This power evolved as a result of tying the mechanics more closely to the flavor of the power. Originally, the radiant avenger gained temporary hit points when he hit an enemy subject to his radiant vengeance, with the flavor that he was converting some of the radiant energy into temporary vigor. However, if he could do this with radiant energy from his radiant vengeance class feature, why not radiant energy from other divine powers?

Indeed, why not?

Blessing of Vigor
Paladin Utility
At-Will * Divine, Stance
Minor Action
Personal

Effect: You invoke the blessing of vigor. Until it ends, when you deal radiant damage to an enemy with your radiant vengeance class feature or use a divine power with the radiant keyword, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier.​

 

[FireLance]

Smite of radiance is the basic encounter attack power available to the radiant avenger. It allows him to channel radiant energy to deal additional damage to an enemy.

At 1st level, a radiant avenger may use smite of radiance once per encounter. He may use smite of radiance twice per encounter at 3rd level, and one additional time per encounter at 13th level.

Smite of Radiance
Paladin Attack
Encounter * Divine, Radiant, Smite
Free Action
Personal
Trigger: You hit an enemy with a weapon basic attack
Target: The enemy you hit

Effect: The target takes 1d8 extra radiant damage.
Level 17: 2d8 extra radiant damage.
Level 27: 3d8 extra radiant damage.
Special: You can only use one power with the smite keyword per triggering attack.​

EDIT: Fixed the scaling.

 

[FireLance]

Like the wizard, the radiant avenger prepares daily attack powers at the end of each extended rest. Unlike the wizard, the radiant avenger does not have a spellbook. Instead, the radiant avenger automatically gains access to daily powers as he gains levels, and may prepare his daily attack powers from the list of daily powers that he has access to.

Most radiant avenger daily powers deal more damage as he gains levels. This is meant to allow the powers that he gains access to at lower levels to remain competitive with those that he only gains access to at higher levels.

At 1st level, a radiant avenger may prepare one daily attack power at the end of each extended rest. At 5th level, he may prepare a second daily attack power, and at 9th level, he may prepare a third.

 

[FireLance]

At 1st level, the radiant avenger has two choices when preparing his daily attack power. Smite of radiant fury is the simpler of the two; like a more powerful version of smite of radiance, it just deals additional damage on a successful hit with a weapon basic attack.

Radiant avenger smite powers share the common feature of giving the player the option to use them whenever he hits with a weapon basic attack. This means that even though the player may not always be able to use them whenever he wants, he will never "miss" with one.

Smite of Radiant Fury
Paladin Attack
Daily * Divine, Radiant, Smite
Free Action
Personal
Trigger: You hit an enemy with a weapon basic attack
Target: The enemy you hit

Effect: The target takes 2d10 extra radiant damage.
Level 15: 4d10 extra radiant damage.
Level 29: 6d10 extra radiant damage.
Special: You can only use one power with the smite keyword per triggering attack.​

 

[FireLance]

Smite of the radiant nimbus is the second daily attack power that a radiant avenger gains access to at 1st level. It is slightly more complex as it deals ongoing damage.

Another common feature of radiant avenger smite powers is that although they all may be used when the radiant avenger hits with a weapon basic attack, they do not deal additional damage based on the weapon the radiant avenger is using. This is a deliberate design decision to make accurate weapons more attractive to the radiant avenger.

Smite of the Radiant Nimbus
Paladin Attack
Daily * Divine, Radiant, Smite
Free Action
Personal
Trigger: You hit an enemy with a weapon basic attack
Target: The enemy you hit

Effect: The target takes 1d10 extra radiant damage and 5 ongoing radiant damage (save ends).
Level 15: 2d10 extra radiant damage and 10 ongoing radiant damage (save ends).
Level 29: 3d10 extra radiant damage and 15 ongoing radiant damage (save ends).
Special: You can only use one power with the smite keyword per triggering attack.​

 

[FireLance]

At 2nd level, a radiant avenger gains a 2nd-level paladin utility power. Divine armoring presents a less complex option for players who want one.

Divine Armoring
Paladin Utility 2
Daily * Divine
Minor Action
Personal

Effect: You gain a +1 power bonus to AC until the end of your next extended rest.
If an enemy hits you with an attack that targets AC, you may end this effect to gain a +4 power bonus to AC against the attack. This does not require an action.​

 

[FireLance]

This utility power is more complicated, but emphasizes a radiant avenger's ability to use radiant energy to do more than damage his enemies. Similar to blessing of vigor, this power is flavored as converting some of the radiant energy he channels into healing energy.

The rather complex approach to what happens when the target of the power spends a healing surge resulted from attempting to balance the following considerations:

• Avoiding surgeless healing
• Ensuring it is not as good as Leader-role healing powers
• Ensuring it is still good enough that it remains an attractive power choice
• In particular, it shouldn't reduce the long-term efficiency of spending a healing surge

In flavor terms, the target gains a small burst of healing immediately, followed by a steady but slow influx of healing energy that restores the remaining hit points over the length of a short rest.

Radiant Recovery
Paladin Utility 2
Encounter * Divine, Healing
Minor Action
Melee touch
Requirement: You must have dealt radiant damage to an enemy with your radiant vengeance class feature or used a divine power with the radiant keyword during this turn
Target: You or an ally

Effect: The target may make a saving throw or spend a healing surge. If the target spends a healing surge, it regains hit points equal to half its healing surge value immediately, and an equal number of hit points at the end of the encounter.​

 

[FireLance]

Most Essentials characters get a minor benefit at 4th level. The radiant avenger's 4th-level ability builds on the flavor of the mystical bond created when an enemy becomes subject to his radiant vengeance, and calls to mind the ability paladins had in previous editions to detect evil.

Sense the Bond

At 4th level, you develop a faint awareness of the mystical bond between you and enemies subject to your radiant vengeance. You gain a +2 bonus to Perception checks to find or track enemies subject to your radiant vengeance. In addition, you ignore the attack roll penalty for concealment and reduce the penalty for total concealment to -2 against such enemies.​

 

[FireLance]

At 5th level, the radiant avenger gains access to two additional daily attack powers. Pulse of searing radiance is a fairly simple multiple-target attack power.

Pulse of Searing Radiance
Paladin Attack
Daily * Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action
Close burst 2
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex

Hit: 2d8 + Charisma modifier radiant damage.
Level 19: 4d8 + Charisma modifier radiant damage.
Miss: Half damage.​