Hardened Paladin (3.5e Class)

Author: KnightofLight (talk) Date Created: 1/15/2015 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

Low - Moderate - High - Very High

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

A hardened Paladin granted absolution by his/her order and deity, you have earned the freedom to seek out and destroy corruption through any means necessary.

{{{length}}}

"{{{length}}}" is not a number.

1

Other Full

Hardened Paladin

You have seen the horrible reality of the world: Children dying in the gutter as the rich feast a hedge-wall away; law used to imprison and terrify those it was created to protect the supposedly devout ignoring and abusing those they deem beneath their interest or contrary to their faith Although you work toward the same goals as other members of your faith, many within it do not trust you. They believe that you and your fellows at best flirt with corruption and at worst embrace it. Paladins see freedom from their code of conduct as weakness, an inability to mete out justice through honorable means, and do not consider you to be their equal. You are not proud of your role, but you accept that one must sometimes embrace a lesser evil to combat greater injustice. Your freedom is not a boon but a loss of innocence, a permanent tarnish on a once-pristine soul. Solidifying your resolve, you face the world of cruel reality, ready to do battle just as valiantly as any paladin but also just as brutally as the monstrosities you oppose. You no longer serve the Church, But A direct servant to your god, Your only goal in mind, do whats right no matter the cost.

Making a Hardened Paladin

Abilities: Charisma is the most important ability for a Hardened Paladin. She also needs high strength and constitution scores to fulfill his/her role as a martial character. Finally, Hardened Paladin's will want a moderately high wisdom score for spell casting

Races: Any

Alignment: Neutral Good

Combat: In battle you are not just a warrior, but also a judge. If you can, you engage your opponent in honorable combat to prove the valor of your cause. However, you are no fool. If the only sure way to finish the high priest of a cult of Vecna is to stab him as he sleeps or lie in wait and attack from the shadows, you make such sacrifices of character to put a permanent end to the threat. Thus, your tactics must change to suit the enemy and the conditions of battle, Torture is sometimes the most viable of options against the most evil. Your mercy also must conform to the necessities of the moment. Ideally you would bring defeated enemies before the proper authorities for righteous judgment, but the reality of your situation might prevent you from taking prisoners, especially if they are likely to escape or impede your greater aims. Some powerful threats simply cannot be permitted to live and potentially rise again. A momentary prayer and a coup de grace end the lives of many of your foes.

Deities: Because Hardened Paladins often do the work of gods who do not shy from the brutality of the world, Hardened Paladins do not serve Gods of compassion, mercy, or generally showing kindness to your enemy(pelor, lakal, etc.).

Starting Gold: 4d6 x 10gp

Starting Age: fighter

Table: The Hardened Paladin

Hit Die: d10

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Detect Evil, Aura of Good, True Smite
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Divine Grace, Lay on Hands
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Aura of Courage, Divine Health
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Stigmata, Turn Undead
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Blinding Sunlight, Divine Attack
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Divine Retribution, Divine Armor
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5	Divine Might
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	Holy Symbol, bonus feat
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	Divine Ward
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	Aura of Discipline
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	Bonus Divine Feat
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	Favored Weapon
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8	Mettle
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	Bonus Feat
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	Divine touch
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	Sunburst
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Aura of Conviction
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Holy Ram
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Rebuke Death
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Divine Champion
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (planes) (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Hardened Paladin.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hardened Paladin are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).

Spells: Because a Hardened Paladin is more or less still a paladin She has access to Paladin spells, but because She see's the world for what it is, And thus operates outside of normal paladins means She only has access to up 3 spells from each Level. Furthermore, She may only use them equal to her Wis Modifier per day.

DOMAINS

A Hardened Paladin may access her deities Domain Like any other Paladin But only one Domain, the usual domain spells become powers, She may only use these powers once per day with A full 2 round increment between them. Hardened Paladin's power/domain level is half her level

Aura of Good (Ex): The power of a Hardened Paladin’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her level.

Detect Evil (Sp): At will, a Hardened Paladin can use detect evil, as the spell.

True smite (Su): A Hardened Paladin has seen enough to know that injustice is not exclusively the province of evildoers. Instead of smiting an evil opponent, he can choose to smite a chaotic opponent instead. At 11th level, True Smite expands to enable her to smite foes of any alignment. She adds his/her Charisma bonus (if any) to his/her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per Hardened Paladin, She may use this Ability once every 1d4 full rounds.

Divine Grace (Su): At 2nd level, a Hardened Paladin gains a bonus equal to his/her Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws.

Lay on Hands (Su): A Hardened Paladin with a Charisma score of 12 or higher can heal wounds (her own or those of others) by touch. Each day she can heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to his/her paladin level × his/her Charisma bonus. A Hardened Paladin may choose to divide her healing among multiple recipients, and she doesn’t have to use it all at once. Using lay on hands is a standard action.

A Hardened Paladin gains A Debilitating touch, for 5 healing he can sicken the constitution of an enemy for 1d4 rounds. While sicken they are more susceptible to telling the Truth (either through bluff, intimidate, and diplomacy,) as well as weak to magical effects.

Aura of Courage (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a Hardened Paladin is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of his/her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects.

This ability functions while the Hardened Paladin is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead.

Divine Health (Su): At 3rd level, a Hardened Paladin gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.

Stigmata: When a Hardened Paladin reaches 4th level, she gains the ability to make his/her enemies suffer along with her. Any enemy who does damage to the Grey Guard must make a Fortitude save with a DC of 10+ 1/2 Grey Guard level + paladin CHA modifier, to suffer half of the damage they dealt to the Hardened Paladin. She may use this ability a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + her charisma modifier. These rounds do not need to be consecutive

Turn Undead: As an innate ability You may attempt to turn undead a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.

Blinding Sunlight: You release a burst of bright sunlight in a 15 ft. radius around you. Anyone within the area with less than a Will DC 10 + 1/2 grey guard level + Cha Mod, (other than you) must become blinded for 1 round. With a 1d4 full round regcharge.

Divine Attack: As a free action, spend one of your turn undead attempts to add your Charisma bonus to your weapon damage for 1 full round.

Holy Symbols (Su): Beginning at 8th level, a Hardened Paladin may carry with her holy symbols related to her religion. For each symbol she gains 1 point of DR. Each symbol must be imbued with the power of the crusaders deity in order to work.

Sunburst: As one of your daily turn attempts, Sunburst causes a 40 ft globe of searing radiance to explode silently from a point you select. All creatures in the globe are blinded and take 6d6 points of damage. A creature to which sunlight is harmful or unnatural takes double damage. A successful Reflex save negates the blindness and reduces the damage by half. Can be used every 1d12 rounds.

Divine Might: A Hardened Paladin can replace Her Dexterity modifier to armor class with Her Charisma modifier. Armor penalties still apply. At Level 15 She gains A 3/- Damage reduction, Though this is lost if She is unconscious.

Divine Armor: By spending one of your turn or undead attempts, your armor or body gains a sacred bonus to Armor Class equal to your Charisma bonus for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus. When active, your armor or body glows with divine light in a radius of 5 feet. The bonus provided by Divine Armor is fully effective against incorporeal creatures.

Favored Weapon: A Hardened Paladin may choose one specific weapon in the character’s possession. She is so familiar with that one specific weapon that she is better at using it than with other weapons of the same type. she receives a +1 to Hit and +2 to Damage when using that specific weapon

Divine Retribution (Ex): As one of your daily turn attempts ,A massive column of divine Daylight descends upon your position to judge everyone and everything you consider to be an enemy, leaving everything else within the area of the spell completely unaffected by your divine decree. Every designated enemy within 60 feet is dealt 2d6 damage per caster level, allowing a Will save for half damage. Designated undead and evil outsiders must instead make a Will save or be destroyed outright and banished to their home plane respectively, taking 1d6 damage per caster level on a successful save. Any designated creature with a challenge rating 10 less than your caster level or lower dies without a save. Can be used once every 1d6 Full Rounds.

Aura of Discipline (Su): A Hardened Paladin is immune to charm spells or spell-like effects. Each ally within 10 feet of his/her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against charm effects.

Divine Touch: As one of your daily turn attempts, you may take a standard action to channel energy into a living or undead creature as an armed touch attack. You channel positive energy; healing living creatures and harming undead. When using this feat you heal/harm for an amount equal to your Charisma bonus + one half your effective turning level. The target may make Will save (DC 10 + ½ your turning level + your Charisma bonus) to halve any damage inflicted.

Mettle (Ex): If a Hardened Paladin succeeds on a Fortitude or Will save against an attack that would normally produce a lesser effect on a successful save (such as a spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), she instead negates the effect. She does not gain the benefit of mettle when she is unconscious or sleeping.

Divine Ward: A Hardened Paladin knows that the forces of evil and injustice will use more than just physical means to harm her, She gains a Holy ward that gives +2 magic shield AC and Half Damage from magical attacks from evil or chaotic.

Aura of Conviction (Su): A Hardened Paladin is immune to compulsion spells or spell-like effects. Each ally within 10 feet of his/her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against compulsion effects.

Rebuke Death: A Hardened Paladin is so closely associated with the power of her patron deity that a small portion of the divine spark comes to dwell within her. Once a week, if a paladin is killed, she will automatically resurrect one turn later without penalties. his/her body travels to the plane of her deity during this time, then reappears at Her given location, with all of her equipment teleported to her properly.

Divine Champion: Upon reaching level 20, a Hardened Paladin becomes the ultimate champion of good against the forces of evil. She gains DR 10/evil, as well as a +2 bonus to his/her Charisma ability score. She is no longer subject to aging penalties, and may use Plane Shift three times per day as a spell-like ability, but may only shift between a chosen Good-aligned plane (under flag morality, her sponsoring plane) or her home plane. Once she chooses her upper plane, it cannot be changed except for through an alignment change. Furthermore, she no longer needs to eat or sleep (though she may choose to do so), as she is sustained directly by his/her deity so that she might focus on the struggle against evil.

Holy Ram: Using the Holy Ram uses up one of your turn undead attempts for the day. Used against a natural wall, roll for turning damage (2d6 + Grey Guard Level + Cha modifier) and multiply by twenty. If the number surpasses the structural hit points of the wall, it is crushed. If you don't succeed, no damage is done. Against a magical wall, such as a wall of force spell, roll for turning damage (2d6 + Grey Guard Level + Cha modifier). If your roll is higher or equal to 11 + the spell's caster level you dispel it. If used against a prismatic wall, each use of the Holy Ram only destroys one colour layer of it. The Holy Ram can only be used to dispel spells with "Wall" or "Barrier" in the name.

Ex-Hardened Paladin

As a Hardened Paladin, you are less at risk of permanently losing your abilities than a paladin is. You might lose them temporarily for committing dishonorable acts, but you are granted clemency for performing such deeds in the name of your faith and can atone more easily. Nevertheless, if you commit unforgivably evil acts (such as slaughtering innocents or despoiling a temple of your faith), take action that opposes your faith’s tenets, or habitually violate your code of conduct, you risk permanent expulsion from the holy order

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Classes → Base Classes