So, I have never made a class before, but I've helped people a couple of times, so I decided to make an attempt at it. Before I go into it though, I'd like to explain the idea and theme behind it.
Firstly, this class is very paladin-esq feeling, but without really any paladin abilities really. I wanted a tanky divine character that didn't bother to worship a god in exchange for power, but instead strong believed in some set of ideals. As such they wouldn't all be alike, and would drawn power from different domains. I was later prompted to change the whole domain business to spheres since they are all within a similar power range, and domains are very variable. Plus spheres just worked better in the end for what I was going for. Anyways.
There where a few powers I wanted them to have, like turning weapons into swords because swords are the weapon/symbol I liked for them to use. I also wanted them to have a gap closing power I had envisioned some time ago, as well as a ton of auras.
I tried to research as many other similar classes as I could to get the feel of power I was handing out at each level, but I'm posting here for some help in fine tuning it to be balanced, thematically correct and what-not.
So without further ado, and no more gilding the lily:
Firstly, this class is very paladin-esq feeling, but without really any paladin abilities really. I wanted a tanky divine character that didn't bother to worship a god in exchange for power, but instead strong believed in some set of ideals. As such they wouldn't all be alike, and would drawn power from different domains. I was later prompted to change the whole domain business to spheres since they are all within a similar power range, and domains are very variable. Plus spheres just worked better in the end for what I was going for. Anyways.
There where a few powers I wanted them to have, like turning weapons into swords because swords are the weapon/symbol I liked for them to use. I also wanted them to have a gap closing power I had envisioned some time ago, as well as a ton of auras.
I tried to research as many other similar classes as I could to get the feel of power I was handing out at each level, but I'm posting here for some help in fine tuning it to be balanced, thematically correct and what-not.
So without further ado, and no more gilding the lily:
"Whatever I do, I do in the name of justice and goodness! Yes, even that!"
Info:
The Divine Champion is a wielder of domains of influence, bent on achieving what he believes is righteous, and good for the world. Fervently they will seek out "evil" and destroy it with any means they deem acceptable.
This means you might see a Divine Champion who fervently adheres to an idea that is actually rather evil. Like murdering orphans to prevent Voldemorts. But usually Divine Champions are a little more vague on what is "good." And occasionally they might seem to be making it up. But they never are of course!
Alignment: Divine Champions are very passionate about whatever it is that they think is important, and as such cannot be true neutral. Unless true neutrality is there whole deal. Then I guess they can be. But they will always consider themselves as good, if not lawful good. Just that their "good" is good and your "good" is dumb.
Race: Any race can be divine champions, but the more headstrong and self-righteous a race is, the more likely it is to have Divine Champions.
Attributes: As a primarily melee fighter, STR is your most important attribute. But since yelling at people, and calling the church of Pelor "a sinful abomination against all that is holy" tend to tick people off, having plenty of CON is good too. You'll probably avoid other stats, so you can be S.A.D.
Starting Gold: As much as the next guy over. If it really matters, the next guy over is probably a paladin.
Starting Age: As Paladin.
Hit Die: D12
Class Skills: Divine Champions value different skills. One Divine Champion's favorite skill might be taboo to another. But all of them have intimidate. Unless they don't which is ok too. If it really matters, pick one knowledge, and 11 others.
Skills/Level: 5 + Int or in ToP: 6
BAB: Full Good Saves: Fort, Will
This means you might see a Divine Champion who fervently adheres to an idea that is actually rather evil. Like murdering orphans to prevent Voldemorts. But usually Divine Champions are a little more vague on what is "good." And occasionally they might seem to be making it up. But they never are of course!
Alignment: Divine Champions are very passionate about whatever it is that they think is important, and as such cannot be true neutral. Unless true neutrality is there whole deal. Then I guess they can be. But they will always consider themselves as good, if not lawful good. Just that their "good" is good and your "good" is dumb.
Race: Any race can be divine champions, but the more headstrong and self-righteous a race is, the more likely it is to have Divine Champions.
Attributes: As a primarily melee fighter, STR is your most important attribute. But since yelling at people, and calling the church of Pelor "a sinful abomination against all that is holy" tend to tick people off, having plenty of CON is good too. You'll probably avoid other stats, so you can be S.A.D.
Starting Gold: As much as the next guy over. If it really matters, the next guy over is probably a paladin.
Starting Age: As Paladin.
Hit Die: D12
Class Skills: Divine Champions value different skills. One Divine Champion's favorite skill might be taboo to another. But all of them have intimidate. Unless they don't which is ok too. If it really matters, pick one knowledge, and 11 others.
Skills/Level: 5 + Int or in ToP: 6
BAB: Full Good Saves: Fort, Will
| Level | Class Features |
| 1 | Blessed Blade 1d6; Auramancer: Resistance; Domain |
| 2 | Disk of the Champion; Blessed Armor: Weightless; |
| 3 | Blessed Blade: 2d6; Consecrate |
| 4 | Domain; Auramancer: Dauntless |
| 5 | Divine Bolts; Blessed Armor: Fortified (Medium) |
| 6 | Blessed Blade: 3d6; Blessed Body: Immunities |
| 7 | Domain; Auramancer: Heartiness; Blessed Body: Healthy Radiance |
| 8 | Blessed Armor: Fortified (Heavy); Protection of the Pantheon; |
| 9 | Blessed Blade: 3d6; Nothing Stands in the Way of Justice |
| 10 | Domain; Blessed Armor: Winged |
| 11 | Auramancer: Certainty; Auramancer: Neutrality; |
| 12 | Blessed Blade: 4d6; Nothing Stands in the Way of Justice: Allies |
| 13 | Domain; Auramancer: Resilience |
| 14 | Divine Bulwark; Auramancer: Bastion. |
| 15 | Blessed Blade: 5d6; Domain; |
Aura of Goodness: No matter the alignment of the Divine Champion, he is sure he is acting for the good of the world. As such, he radiates an aura of good, and, when targeted by spells or effects, is affected as such. He counts as his own alignment when applying for feats, classes, etc.
Intimidating Diplomacy: Politely telling people the dire consequences of not giving you what you want is diplomacy! Really! As such the Divine Champion can use the result of an intimidate check as the result of a diplomacy or gather information check.
Master of Many Domains: A Divine Champion is a master of many domains of magic, as such he can pick of domain at level 1 and every 3 class levels after. You can use the granted power of your domain more often than usual, a number of times equal to half the domains you possess rounded up. If the granted power is purely a numerical bonus, multiple that bonus by half the domains you possess rounded up. Any reference to a cleric level is replaced by your levels in Divine Champion.
Spells: You gain full castng levels, except the total number of spells you can cast are cut in half (after extra from any bonuses) rounded up. Your gain more spells based on your CHA as normal, except they are added to your total before getting cut in half. You can only cast spells from your domain spell lists.
Auramancer: A Divine Champion has such a forceful personality, that it’s essence leaks from him. The result is a number of auras. Each aura affects allies within 80ft of you. Or something. Some distance.
Auras:
Resistance: 2 + ¼ level (rounded up) resistance bonus to saving throws. Allies gain half.
Dauntlessness: You are immune to fear. Your allies gain your level in bonus to saves vs fear.
Heartiness: You gain half your level in DR. Your allies half your DR, even if higher from a different source, as DR.
Certainty: You are immune to Compulsion and charm effects. Your allies gain your level in bonus to saves vs these effects.
Neutrality: Your elemental resistance equal to twice your level, and your allies gain half as much.
Resilience: You gain SR equal to 10 + your level. Your allies gain SR equal to 5 + your level.
Bastion: You are immune to mind effecting effects, as are your allies.
Ultimate: At Level 20, if you have at least 11 levels of this class you gain the Ultimate Aura. You win the game. Your allies gain half this effect.
Blessed Blade: A Divine Champion is only as good as his sword. As such, they often turn their weapons into swords. After all, being only as good as something you don't have is being useless. After a 1 hour ritual, any melee weapon or set of melee weapons can be turned into either a long sword or great sword, depending on the number of hands it normally takes to hold it. This change is entirely cosmetic. A scythe turned into a great sword is mechanically a scythe, but visually a great sword. Spear and their ilk can still be set against a charge, but you'll look odd doing it. If you just want the blessing and not the cosmetic change that's fine. If you really want your weapon to appear into another form, this is just cosmetic, so it doesn't really matter. You can even run around smacking people with scales. To summarize, your melee weapon can look like a different melee weapon of the same size and category.
Despite the purely cosmetic change, just holding a Blessed Blade allows a Divine Champion to challenge enemies just as Knights do. Should an enemy not attack the Divine Champion, all attacks made by the Divine Champion with a Blessed Blade deal extra damage as shown on the chart. If any Blessed Blades is not touched by a Divine Champion for 48 hours, it reverts into a normal weapon as if it was never Blessed. Blessed Blades can be enchanted normally.
Consecrate: As a standard action, the Divine Champion thrusts his Blessed Blade into the ground, and pours divine energy into it. This causes a “Consecrated Ground” effect within close range that remains stationary, and lasts a number of rounds equal to his BAB over two. Any one the Divine Champion considers an enemy within the effect takes twice his CON mod in damage.
Nothing Stands in the Way of Justice: A Divine Champion is constantly under the effects of Freedom of Movement. Later, as a swift action can grant this effect to everyone within 10ft of him for a number of rounds equal to his BAB once per hour.
Protection of the Pantheon: Once per day, as a swift action the Divine Champion can make himself immune to any effects he wants to be immune to for a number of rounds equal to the number of domains he currently has access to. Higher access counts higher, as would make sense. Domains from other sources can count, why not? While so protected, the Divine Champion cannot deal damage or cast spells on others. He may still move. He may end this effect as a non-action.
Disk of the Champion: As the first attack action of a full-attack, a Divine Champion can hurl his shield at a foe, and then teleport adjacent to that foe. The attack uses the Divine Champion’s ranged total attack bonus, targets touch AC, and deal damage equal to a great sword enchanted with the bonuses granted by his main hand. If the Champion doesn’t have a shield, he can still use this ability, but it deals 2d4 damage and gains no bonuses from his main hand. If the Champion is TWF, the attack can be taken from his total number of off hand or main hand attacks. The same applies multi-weapon fighting. So if you have a dagger in your off-hand and a mace in the other, (which are both obviously going to look like long swords, right?) you can opt for the thrown shield attack to replace one dagger swing, or one mace swing at your option.
Divine Bolts: The Divine Champion can, as an attack action, attack at a range with his Blessed Blade(s) within close range. However, the damage dealt by the weapon is 1 dice smaller for two handed weapons, and 2 dice smaller for one handed weapons. All on hit effects still work normally.
Divine Bulwark: Sometimes dragons try to breathe fire on the just, or an insane wizard hurls fireballs at the wrong team, and in these cases it's nice to call upon a massive shield to stand in the way of such a mishap. As an immediate action, once per encounter, the Divine Champion may cast Wall of Force with caster level equal to his BAB. However, the Wall of Force only lasts a maximum of until the end of his next turn, but can be ended early as a non-action.
Blessed Armor: His armor has cool things. It can still be enchanted normally. The effects of Blessed Armor only apply while the Divine Champion wears them. The Armor also gets really pretty.
Weightless: Weighs nothing when worn by you and has no ACP Has no max dex bonus, and no spell failure.
Winged: You gain flying 60’ average with hover.
Fortified: You gain fortification for free.
Blessed Body: The Divine Champion has a body blessed by the Gods.
Immunities: You are immune to disease and poison.
Healthy Radiance: You glow with healthy vigor, as bright as a lantern in fact, but only when you feel like it. Changing this is a free action. You also gain +4 social skills when interacting with non-chaotic non-evil people.
Intimidating Diplomacy: Politely telling people the dire consequences of not giving you what you want is diplomacy! Really! As such the Divine Champion can use the result of an intimidate check as the result of a diplomacy or gather information check.
Master of Many Domains: A Divine Champion is a master of many domains of magic, as such he can pick of domain at level 1 and every 3 class levels after. You can use the granted power of your domain more often than usual, a number of times equal to half the domains you possess rounded up. If the granted power is purely a numerical bonus, multiple that bonus by half the domains you possess rounded up. Any reference to a cleric level is replaced by your levels in Divine Champion.
Spells: You gain full castng levels, except the total number of spells you can cast are cut in half (after extra from any bonuses) rounded up. Your gain more spells based on your CHA as normal, except they are added to your total before getting cut in half. You can only cast spells from your domain spell lists.
Auramancer: A Divine Champion has such a forceful personality, that it’s essence leaks from him. The result is a number of auras. Each aura affects allies within 80ft of you. Or something. Some distance.
Auras:
Resistance: 2 + ¼ level (rounded up) resistance bonus to saving throws. Allies gain half.
Dauntlessness: You are immune to fear. Your allies gain your level in bonus to saves vs fear.
Heartiness: You gain half your level in DR. Your allies half your DR, even if higher from a different source, as DR.
Certainty: You are immune to Compulsion and charm effects. Your allies gain your level in bonus to saves vs these effects.
Neutrality: Your elemental resistance equal to twice your level, and your allies gain half as much.
Resilience: You gain SR equal to 10 + your level. Your allies gain SR equal to 5 + your level.
Bastion: You are immune to mind effecting effects, as are your allies.
Ultimate: At Level 20, if you have at least 11 levels of this class you gain the Ultimate Aura. You win the game. Your allies gain half this effect.
Blessed Blade: A Divine Champion is only as good as his sword. As such, they often turn their weapons into swords. After all, being only as good as something you don't have is being useless. After a 1 hour ritual, any melee weapon or set of melee weapons can be turned into either a long sword or great sword, depending on the number of hands it normally takes to hold it. This change is entirely cosmetic. A scythe turned into a great sword is mechanically a scythe, but visually a great sword. Spear and their ilk can still be set against a charge, but you'll look odd doing it. If you just want the blessing and not the cosmetic change that's fine. If you really want your weapon to appear into another form, this is just cosmetic, so it doesn't really matter. You can even run around smacking people with scales. To summarize, your melee weapon can look like a different melee weapon of the same size and category.
Despite the purely cosmetic change, just holding a Blessed Blade allows a Divine Champion to challenge enemies just as Knights do. Should an enemy not attack the Divine Champion, all attacks made by the Divine Champion with a Blessed Blade deal extra damage as shown on the chart. If any Blessed Blades is not touched by a Divine Champion for 48 hours, it reverts into a normal weapon as if it was never Blessed. Blessed Blades can be enchanted normally.
Consecrate: As a standard action, the Divine Champion thrusts his Blessed Blade into the ground, and pours divine energy into it. This causes a “Consecrated Ground” effect within close range that remains stationary, and lasts a number of rounds equal to his BAB over two. Any one the Divine Champion considers an enemy within the effect takes twice his CON mod in damage.
Nothing Stands in the Way of Justice: A Divine Champion is constantly under the effects of Freedom of Movement. Later, as a swift action can grant this effect to everyone within 10ft of him for a number of rounds equal to his BAB once per hour.
Protection of the Pantheon: Once per day, as a swift action the Divine Champion can make himself immune to any effects he wants to be immune to for a number of rounds equal to the number of domains he currently has access to. Higher access counts higher, as would make sense. Domains from other sources can count, why not? While so protected, the Divine Champion cannot deal damage or cast spells on others. He may still move. He may end this effect as a non-action.
Disk of the Champion: As the first attack action of a full-attack, a Divine Champion can hurl his shield at a foe, and then teleport adjacent to that foe. The attack uses the Divine Champion’s ranged total attack bonus, targets touch AC, and deal damage equal to a great sword enchanted with the bonuses granted by his main hand. If the Champion doesn’t have a shield, he can still use this ability, but it deals 2d4 damage and gains no bonuses from his main hand. If the Champion is TWF, the attack can be taken from his total number of off hand or main hand attacks. The same applies multi-weapon fighting. So if you have a dagger in your off-hand and a mace in the other, (which are both obviously going to look like long swords, right?) you can opt for the thrown shield attack to replace one dagger swing, or one mace swing at your option.
Divine Bolts: The Divine Champion can, as an attack action, attack at a range with his Blessed Blade(s) within close range. However, the damage dealt by the weapon is 1 dice smaller for two handed weapons, and 2 dice smaller for one handed weapons. All on hit effects still work normally.
Divine Bulwark: Sometimes dragons try to breathe fire on the just, or an insane wizard hurls fireballs at the wrong team, and in these cases it's nice to call upon a massive shield to stand in the way of such a mishap. As an immediate action, once per encounter, the Divine Champion may cast Wall of Force with caster level equal to his BAB. However, the Wall of Force only lasts a maximum of until the end of his next turn, but can be ended early as a non-action.
Blessed Armor: His armor has cool things. It can still be enchanted normally. The effects of Blessed Armor only apply while the Divine Champion wears them. The Armor also gets really pretty.
Weightless: Weighs nothing when worn by you and has no ACP Has no max dex bonus, and no spell failure.
Winged: You gain flying 60’ average with hover.
Fortified: You gain fortification for free.
Blessed Body: The Divine Champion has a body blessed by the Gods.
Immunities: You are immune to disease and poison.
Healthy Radiance: You glow with healthy vigor, as bright as a lantern in fact, but only when you feel like it. Changing this is a free action. You also gain +4 social skills when interacting with non-chaotic non-evil people.
I'll rundown why each ability is the way it is here:
Class Features:
Aura of Goodness: No matter what, a Divine Champion is "good." Maybe I should switch the effects though? Targeted like his real alignment but can prestige and feat it up like he is good? I just want him to pick up a holy sword of dragon slaying and use it to lop off Puff's head because "ALL DRAGONS are evil! Especially ones that till the crops for us!"
Intimidating Diplomacy: This *could* go, but I like it. "I come here in the name of all that is good and holy! Surrender to me your onions in the name of Mighty Pelor or his wrath will be guided down onto you as it should be! I must destroy your onions, for onions are what is tainting this world, and causing necromancery! Please! Listen and obey! Or else!"
Master of Many Domains: This is his shtick.
Auramancer: I felt like auras are something that every paladin-esq guy needs! Plus, he doesn't do much damage, and doesn't tank all that well. Auras make him useful to his party. And Pelor knows they need a reason to put up with his rants about chipmonks being the balors of the rodent world. Or whatever it is he goes on about. Maybe that vampirism is secretly the next step in human evolution. Just something out-there.
Auras:
Resistance: I took this from someplace else. I needed the numbers for this, and it had the numbers!
Dauntlessness: At level 10, your allies should make their saves more often than not. At level 15 they should always make them, but not quite be "immune."
Heartiness: Well, tanks need DR, and nice people share!
Certainty: Same logic as fear.
Neutrality: This might need nerf'd but you get it kinda late, when people get crazy stuff anyways.
Resilience: 10+ level is about 50% of the time, assuming they dont boost spell pen. 5+level is about 25%. Not that big of a deal. And SR stacks, albeit oddly, right? So this is nice, but not OP, I thinks.
Bastion: Seemed like a good idea at the time!
Ultimate: I just love how most of the time allies get more or less "half" the effect. So they get to half win. This is also something I see a lot in someone else's classes... I like it.
Blessed Blade: A reason for the baddies to hit the champ, other than how annoying he can be.
Consecrate: I want to keep this, for reasons unknown, so tell me if the damage is out of whack. I think all paladins should have this kind of ability.
Nothing Stands in the Way of Justice: I guess I don't have a good reason for giving this out other than thematically with the name.
Protection of the Pantheon: This was actually the first ability I gave the champ beyond having domains. Kind of a "oh shit, I gotta get out of this situation" kinda thing. Promotes reckless play!
Disk of the Champion: This is awesome, and not broken, right? Right? I hope so. It helps the champion stick to the bad guy he wants to fight.
Divine Bolts: Just because the bad guys can fly, doesn't mean they don't need a hearty helping of justice!
Divine Bulwark: An idea I had and liked. It basically protects someone from some aoe once. Or plugs up a choke point from a round so his allies can run. Or whatever. It has uses.
Blessed Armor: His armor has cool things. Because it's cool.
Weightless: I wanted him to be able to cast spells, and the other things just seemed to fit in nicely. I don't think many will be of much use. But if you want to stack dex, good for you.
Winged: Seems like everyone and their cousin learns to fly now. Plus I was inspired a bit by Kayle from League of Legends when I started to run out of ideas.
Fortified: What kind of tanky armor doesn't do this?
Blessed Body:Well, yeah. Why just bless your gear, when you too can be blessed?
Immunities: Blessed bodies always get this sort of stuff.
Healthy Radiance: And the just can always light up the dark!
So... I might be posting a bunch of nonsense along with this class, but I hope everything makes sense! Feed back and what not! I'll check back as often as I can (and remember) until this class is satisfactory! Thanks everyone for reading my nonsense.
