The Radiant Avenger: A Striker Paladin

[FireLance]

Blessing of Challenge Synergy

When you use smite of radiance or pulse of radiance while blessing of challenge is invoked, you gain the following benefits:

Smite of radiance: Until the end of your next turn, if the enemy you hit makes an attack that does not include you as a target while it is marked by blessing of challenge, you may increase the radiant damage that you deal to it as an opportunity action by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier, and it becomes subject to your radiant vengeance until the end of the encounter.

Pulse of radiance: The targets you hit are marked by you until the end of your next turn, and you may deal radiant damage to them as an opportunity action if they make an attack that does not include you as a target while they are marked, as if you had hit them with a melee basic attack.

 

[FireLance]

Blessing of Guidance Synergy

When you use smite of radiance or pulse of radiance while blessing of guidance is invoked, you gain the following benefits:

Smite of radiance: Until the end of your next turn, when you hit the target with a weapon basic attack or a divine attack power but do not score a critical hit, you may re-roll your attack roll and use the better result.

Pulse of radiance: You gain a +1 power bonus to your attack rolls. In addition, your allies in the burst gain a +1 power bonus to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.

Note: The wording of the benefit for smite of radiance was arrived at after balancing the following considerations:

1. I wanted to allow the character to make critical hits more often.
2. I did not simply want to increase the critical range as it would overlap with the action point mechanic.
3. I thought that rolling twice and taking the better result would be too much of a benefit.

Hence, the re-roll only happens if the character has already hit with an attack so that it increases the chance of scoring a critical hit without improving his chance to hit.

 

[FireLance]

Blessing of Protection Synergy

When you use smite of radiance or pulse of radiance while blessing of protection is invoked, you gain the following benefits:

Smite of radiance: You gain a +3 power bonus to all defenses until the end of your next turn.

Pulse of radiance: You and your allies in the burst gain a +2 power bonus to all defenses until the end of your next turn.

Note: Like the basic benefit of the blessing, the benefits from spending an encounter-level power are quite simple.

 

[FireLance]

Blessing of Vigor Synergy

When you use smite of radiance or pulse of radiance while blessing of vigor is invoked, you gain the following benefits:

Smite of radiance: You may regain hit points equal to your Charisma modifier or use your second wind as a free action.

Pulse of radiance: You and your allies in the burst gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier.

Note: The wording of the benefit for smite of radiance is to ensure that the character cannot use it to spend a healing surge more than once per encounter. The benefits are also in addition to the blessing's basic benefit of temporary hit points.

 

[FireLance]

At 12th level, the Instrument of Wrath gains access to the retributive ward power.

Retributive Ward
Instrument of Wrath Utility 12
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, enemies who attack the target take radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier.​

 

[FireLance]

At 14th level, the radiant avenger gains access to a MAD-avoidance feature, Bolstering Symbol. The bonus provided by the feature is not as good as what could be achieved by an optimized character, so there is still some advantage to be gained from optimization (and an optimized character can avoid the need for a holy symbol).

This feature is basically to make a variety of character types more viable: in particular, characters of any race can focus on an ability score that they have a racial bonus in, take Melee Training for that ability score, and this feature ensures that their damage and the effects of their powers do not lag too far behind.

Bolstering Symbol

When you use your radiant vengeance class feature or a power with the weapon or divine keywords, you may use 1 + the enhancement bonus of your holy symbol in place of your Strength modifier or your Charisma modifier to determine damage and any other effects apart from the attack bonus.​

 

[FireLance]

At 15th level, the radiant avenger gains access to two additional daily attack powers, including a new daily battle blessing.

Blessing of the Radiant Burst
Paladin Attack
Daily * Divine, Stance
Minor Action
Personal

Effect: You invoke the blessing of the radiant burst. Until it ends, when you hit an enemy with a weapon basic attack, enemies in a burst 1 centered on the target of your attack, i.e. the enemy you hit and each enemy adjacent to it, take radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier. 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, the size of the burst increases to a burst 2.

If you use pulse of radiance while this blessing is invoked, you deal half damage on a miss.​

 

[FireLance]

The second daily attack power that a radiant avenger gains access to at 15th level is another dual-use power.

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

Hit: 1d8 + Charisma modifier radiant damage, and the target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
Level 29: 2d8 + Charisma modifier radiant damage, and the target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
Miss: Half damage.
Special: When you hit an enemy with a weapon basic attack, you may expend this power as a free action to use smite of dazing radiance instead.

Smite of Dazing 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 is dazed (save ends).
Level 29: 2d10 extra radiant damage and the target is dazed (save ends).
Special: You can only use one power with the smite keyword per triggering attack.​

 

[FireLance]

The radiant avenger has a number of (mostly) single-target daily attack powers that impose conditions that end on a save. At 16th level, an Instrument of Wrath gains an ability that makes it harder for his enemies to escape his wrath.

Persistent Wrath

When you hit an enemy subject to your radiant vengeance, it takes a -3 penalty to saving throws against your divine attack powers until the end of your next turn.​

 

[FireLance]

At 16th level, the radiant avenger also gains a 16th level paladin utility power. Brilliant ward allows the character to cloak himself or an ally in blindingly bright light.

Brilliant Ward
Paladin Utility 16
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 total concealment, but cannot become hidden.​