The Radiant Avenger: A Striker Paladin

[FireLance]

The second daily attack power that the radiant avenger gains access to at 5th level is another smite power, smite of piercing radiance.

Another point to note about smite powers is that they can be triggered whenever the radiant avenger hits with a weapon basic attack, whether melee or ranged. This allows for more variation when it comes to viable radiant avengers: you could have one focused on Dexterity and ranged basic attacks, for example.

Smite of Piercing Radiance
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 gains vulnerable 5 to radiant damage (save ends).
Level 19: 2d10 extra radiant damage and vulnerable 10 to radiant damage (save ends).
Special: You can only use one power with the smite keyword per triggering attack.​

 

[FireLance]

At 6th level, a radiant avenger gains a 6th-level paladin utility power. Like divine armoring, divine fortitude is a less complex option.

Divine Fortitude
Paladin Utility 6
Daily * Divine
Minor Action
Personal

Effect: You gain a +1 power bonus to Fortitude until the end of your next extended rest.
If you are weakened or subject to a poison effect, you may end this effect to remove the weakened condition or poison effect. This does not require an action.​

 

[willows]

So, seeing as this has gone on two pages without a response, let's throw you a bone.

You should really think about using a thesaurus or simply diversifying the radiant dude's powers, because more than half of them have "radiant" in them, and that's awfully confusing, as is using another class's name in your subclass name.

 

[FireLance]

Thanks for the comment. I think of it more as theme naming, though.

 

[FireLance]

Protective ward is another power that requires the radiant avenger to channel radiant energy before use.

Protective Ward
Paladin Utility 6
Encounter * Divine
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: Until the end of your next turn, the target gains a +2 power bonus to all defenses.​

 

[Terraism]

Thanks for the comment. I think of it more as theme naming, though.

Well, with that opened up... I've been desperately wanting to comment on this all week, but when I found it there was already a large number of posts with no comments, and I thought maybe that was intentional and just quietly stayed away. Except that this has been in the first ten things I've checked each morning since.

Thank god someone else broke the ice.

I love what you've got going here. I'm very fond of subclasses that fill a different role than the primary class (the slayer, the sentinel,) and this has been a very interesting re-tooling of the paladin. I like that, while a striker, it has a very strong defender backing. I've wondered a little, thus far, if it's on the weak side for a striker, or even a mixed striker/defender, but I've been waiting to see more before really looking at it closer in that sense.

Anyway, keep writing, and I'll be thrilled to keep reading!

 

[FireLance]

Hi Terraism, I'm glad you liked what you've read so far.

I agree that the radiant avenger can't compare with the slayer in terms of at-will damage. Its at-will damage is probably closest to the blackguard (perhaps not coincidentally ) but without the damage-increasing Spirit of Vice options.

The points in the radiant avenger's favor are: the option to get reliable damage boosts from daily powers, and some multi-attack capability (see post below).

 

[FireLance]

At 7th level, the radiant avenger learns to release the radiant energy he channels with smite of radiance into a burst of searing light.

Pulse of Radiance
Paladin Attack
Encounter * Divine, Implement, Radiant
Standard Action
Close burst 2
Requirement: You must have at least one use of smite of radiance remaining
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma vs. Reflex

Hit: 1d6 + Charisma modifier radiant damage.
Level 17: 2d6 + Charisma modifier radiant damage.
Level 27: 3d6 + Charisma modifier radiant damage.
Effect: You expend one use of smite of radiance.​

The radiant avenger may use pulse of radiance twice per encounter at 17th level, and three times per encounter at 27th level.

Simplify! At the DM's option, this power may be used as many times per encounter as the character can use smite of radiance. This requires less tracking on the part of the player, but it makes the character more effective against groups of enemies.

Pulse of radiance gives the radiant avenger some multi-attack capability and increases the complexity of the class because it presents an alternate use for smite of radiance, and also because the player must track uses of pulse of radiance and smite of radiance separately unless the Simplify! option is taken. This is in line with the design objectives of gradually increasing complexity and a class that works well for solo campaigns.

The power does affect a larger area than the existing 7th-level paladin powers, but it is not out of line for an area striker such as the sorcerer.

EDIT: Fixed the scaling.

 

[FireLance]

At 9th level, the radiant avenger gains access to two somewhat more complicated daily attack powers. Of course, players who prefer not manage this level of complexity may continue to use the simpler daily attack powers introduced at earlier levels.

Blessing of might is a daily battle blessing. As a daily power, it provides a greater benefit than would be obtained from an at-will battle blessing. In addition, it enhances the effect of the encounter powers smite of radiance and pulse of radiance if they are used while the battle blessing is invoked.

As a side note, the bit about the target taking extra damage if it does not fall prone is my way of short-circuiting arguments about whether such-and-such a creature can be knocked prone or not.

Blessing of Might
Paladin Attack
Daily * Divine, Stance
Minor Action
Personal

Effect: You invoke the blessing of might. Until it ends, you gain a power bonus to damage rolls with weapon basic attacks equal to your Charisma modifier, and when you hit an enemy with a weapon basic attack, you may push the enemy 1 square. Until the end of the encounter, you may re-invoke this blessing as a minor action.
If you use smite of radiance while this blessing is invoked, you may push the target 1 additional square, and the target may choose to fall prone. If it does not fall prone, it takes 1d8 additional damage.
If you use pulse of radiance while this blessing is invoked, you may push each target you hit 1 square.
Level 17: If you use smite of radiance, you may push the target 2 additional squares, and the target takes 2d8 additional damage if it does not fall prone.
Level 27: If you use smite of radiance, you may push the target 3 additional squares, and the target takes 3d8 additional damage if it does not fall prone.​

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

You should really think about using a thesaurus or simply diversifying the radiant dude's powers, because more than half of them have "radiant" in them, and that's awfully confusing, as is using another class's name in your subclass name.

Yeah, using the word "avenger" in the name really bothers me, possibly irrationally.

Perhaps another name? Like, say, Hand of Judgement? Or Itinerant Crusader?

Brad