Sub Paladin (3.5e Class)
Sub Paladin
The Paladin class with many substitution levels applied:
Players Handbook: Paladin
Champions of Valor: Vigilant Eye of Helm (1st), Red Falcon (2nd and 6th), Golden Cup (3rd, 4th, and 10th), Mystic Fire Knight (5th), Ruby Rose Knight (12th)
Dungeonscape: Divine Spirit ACF
CoV Benefits of Membership: Harmonious Knight (9th)
WotC Article: Dead Levels
Making a Sub Paladin
Alignment: Lawful Good
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spells per Day | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Aura of good, know greatest enemy, smite evil 1/day | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Brilliant strategy, lay on hands, military knowledge | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Defend the weak, divine health | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Shield other | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Smite evil 2/day, Divine Spirit | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Military knowledge, remove disease 1/week, spontaneous extend spell, trained militia | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Righteous Cause | 0 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Inspire Greatness 1/day | 0 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Expanded healing | 0 | 1 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11th | +11/+6/+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Heroic Rapture, Inspire Greatness 2/day | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Inspire Greatness 3/day, Smite evil 3/day | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Inspire Greatness 4/day | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Smite evil 4/day | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Sub Paladin.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:Sub Paladins are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).
Aura of Good (Ex):The power of a Sub Paladin's aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her Sub Paladin level, just like the aura of a cleric of a good deity.
Know Greatest Enemy (Su):A Sub Paladin automatically knows which enemy in her presence is the most powerful (in game terms, which enemy has the highest CR). This benefit applies only to enemies that she can see that are within 60 feet of her. She does not need to use an action to know this, and this sense updates automatically if current foes leave or die or if new opponents arrive. She doesn't know why the most powerful enemy is such (for example, she wouldn't know that the most powerful orc in a patrol was a 3rd-level barbarian), just that it is so. She doesn't know exactly how tough this enemy is, but does know if that enemy is significantly more powerful than her (in game terms, if its CR is 4 or more above her effective character level).
Smite Evil (Su):Once per day, a Sub Paladin may attempt to smite evil with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per Sub Paladin level. For example, a 13th-level Sub Paladin armed with a longsword would deal 1d8+13 points of damage, plus any additional bonuses for high Strength or magical affects that would normally apply. If the Sub Paladin accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.
The Sub Paladin gains an additional use of this ability at 5th, 15th, and 20th level.
In addition to the normal effect, when a Sub Paladin of 5th level or higher hits a creature with her smite evil attack, that creature finds it temporarily difficult to cast spells or use spell completion or spell trigger items. For 1 round, any attempt to complete one of these actions requires a successful Concentration check (DC 10 + Sub Paladin's level + Cha modifier + spell level); failure means that the action fails. If a spell was being cast, the spell or spell slot is lost; if a magic item was being activated, the attempt merely fails. Multiple smite evil hits on the same creature don't have a cumulative effect.
Brilliant Strategy (Ex):At 2nd level and higher, a Sub Paladin can draw upon her instinct for battle to give her an amazing ability to predict the imminent actions of her enemies and her best options for taking advantage of those actions. Activating this ability is an immediate action; it grants her an insight bonus to AC equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) for 1 round. A Sub Paladin can use this ability a number of times per day equal to one-half her class level.
Lay on Hands (Su):Beginning at 2nd level, a Sub 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 her Sub Paladin level times her Charisma bonus. For example, a 7th-level Sub Paladin with a 16 Charisma (+3 bonus) can heal 21 points of damage per day. A Sub 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.
Alternatively, a Sub Paladin can use any or all of this healing power to deal damage to undead creatures. Using lay on hands in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. The Sub Paladin decides how many of her daily allotment of points to use as damage after successfully touching an undead creature.
Military Knowledge (Ex):At 2nd and 6th gains a cumulative +2 competence bonus on Knowledge checks concerning military history or strategy.
Defend the Weak (Ex):Starting at 3rd level, a Sub Paladin can protect nearby allies in combat. If she uses Combat Expertise, fights defensively, or uses the total defense action, she can grant the dodge bonus to AC from these actions to any single creature standing adjacent to her in addition to herself.
Divine Health:At 3rd level, a Sub Paladin gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases (such as mummy rot and lycanthropy).
Shield Other (Sp):Beginning at 4th level, a Sub Paladin can use shield other as a spell-like ability. She needs no focus for this ability, but she must be able to touch the character. She can use this ability a number of times per day equal to her Charisma bonus (minimum 1/day), though she can't affect more than one target simultaneously (a second use ends the duration of any previous use). Her caster level is equal to her Sub Paladin level.
Spells:Beginning at 4th level, a Sub Paladin gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells (the same type of spells available to the cleric, druid, and ranger), which are drawn from the Paladin spell list with See Invisibility as an added 2nd level spell. A Sub Paladin must choose and prepare her spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a Sub Paladin must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level (Wis 11 for 1st-level spells, Wis 12 for 2nd-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Sub Paladin's spell is 10 + the spell level + the Sub Paladin's Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Sub Paladin can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. When the table above indicates that the Sub Paladin gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level (for instance, 1st-level spells for a 4th-level Sub Paladin), she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Wisdom score for that spell level the Sub Paladin does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.
A Sub Paladin prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though she cannot lose a prepared spell to spontaneously cast a cure spell in its place. A Sub Paladin may prepare and cast any spell on the Paladin spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.
Through 3rd level, a Sub Paladin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is one-half her Sub Paladin level.
Divine Spirit:Upon reaching 5th level, a Sub Paladin can call upon her deity for aid in the form of a celestial spirit. Using this ability is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. See below for detailed spirit descriptions and rules.
Remove Disease (Sp):At 6th level, a Sub Paladin can produce a remove disease effect, as the spell, once per week.
Spontaneous Extend Spell (Su):At 6th level, once per day a Sub Paladin can cast one of her spells as if she had prepared it with the Extend Spell feat. Doing this does not require a higher-level slot or increase the casting time for the spell.
Trained Militia:At 6th level, due to her leadership and skill at war, all cohorts and followers of the Sub Paladin are treated as if they had Martial Weapon Proficiency in a single weapon of the Sub Paladin's choice. This benefit remains as long as the cohorts and followers remain in her service and as long as she meets with them at least once a month to refresh their training. If more than a month goes by without such a meeting, the cohorts and followers lose this proficiency until she has the opportunity to train them again. A Sub Paladin can grant different weapon proficiencies to different cohorts and followers (they don't all have to gain longsword proficiency, for example).
Righteous Cause (Ex):Starting at 7th level, a Sub Paladin is either rewarded with a bonus to form a lawful community or route out duplicitous intent. The Sub Paladin gains an additional bonus at 8th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th, and 19th level. The bonus must be drawn from one of the following two abilities.
Inspiring Presence (Ex):A Sub Paladin can become the rallying standard for decency and fairness. If a Sub Paladin takes the Leadership feat, the character gains +1 to her leadership score, but only for the purpose of attracting 1st-level followers.
Discerning Insight (Ex):A Sub Paladin can recognize when a person is trustworthy or not, giving the character a +1 bonus on Sense Motive checks when trying to get a "hunch" about the subject's personality after a 1-minute conversation.
Inspire Greatness (Su):A 9th-level Sub Paladin with at least 5 ranks in Perform can sing to inspire greatness in himself or one chosen ally as a standard action. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the Sub Paladin sing and for 5 rounds thereafter. The affected ally gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (applying the target’s Constitution modifier, if any, to both extra Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells such as sleep. Inspire greatness is a mind-affecting ability and is usable once per day. The Sub Paladin gains another use of this ability per day at 12th, 15th, and 18th level.
Expanded Healing (Su):Beginning at 10th level, a Sub Paladin treats her Sub Paladin level as three higher than normal for the purpose of determining the maximum amount of healing she can bestow with her lay on hands ability per day. She can also treat her caster level as three higher than normal for the purpose of any conjuration (healing) spell she casts.
Heroic Rapture (Su):At 12th level, once per day a Sub Paladin can spend a full-round action embracing another creature to grant it great bravery. The affected creature gains a +4 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks, immunity to fear effects, and a number of temporary hit points equal to the Sub Paladin's Sub Paladin level. The effect lasts for 1 minute.
Code of Conduct:A Sub Paladin must be of lawful good alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits an evil act. Additionally, a Sub Paladin's code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends), and punish those who harm or threaten innocents.
Associates:While she may adventure with characters of any good or neutral alignment, a Sub Paladin will never knowingly associate with evil characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A Sub Paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good.
Divine Spirit
| Sub Paladin Level | Spirit Summoned |
|---|---|
| 5th-10th | Spirit of Healing |
| 11th-15th | Spirit of Combat |
| 16th-19th | Spirit of Heroism |
| 20th+ | Spirit of the Fallen |
The following entries describe how each of the different spirits function. Unless otherwise specified, all spirits share some characteristics, as set out below.
• A spirit occupies a 5-foot square on the battle map.
• When a Sub Paladin Summons a spirit, the spirit appears on the battlefield within 30 feet of her. She can use a free action to have it move once per round. The spirit has a land speed of 30 feet.
• All spirits are insubstantial and transparent. Any creature can move through them normally, and they do not block line of sight or line of effect.
• A spirit cannot attack or be attacked. It is not undead and cannot be turned. It is subject to dispel magic, dismissal, or banishment as if it were a summoned creature, using her Sub Paladin level as the caster level.
• If she lose line of sight to a spirit, it disappears immediately.
• Each spirit available to her can be summoned once per day.
• A spirit remains for a number of rounds equal to her Sub Paladin level, until it is dismissed, or until special conditions in the spirit’s description are met.
Spirit of Healing::This spirit increases a Sub Paladin's ability to heal damage dealt to her or her allies. When summoned, it can heal an amount of damage equal to twice the amount she can heal using her lay on hands ability. To use its healing ability, the Sub Paladin or an ally must begin or end their turn in the same square as the spirit. That character can then use a standard action to transfer some or all of the hit points from the spirit to herself. Once the spirit has used all its healing ability, it dissipates.
Spirit of Combat::This spirit enhances combat ability. Whenever an ally (including the Sub Paladin) is adjacent to the spirit of combat or occupying its space, that character gains holy fervor. Holy fervor grants a +1 sacred bonus on attacks and damage rolls for every four Sub Paladin levels she possess (up to a maximum of +5 at 20th level). In addition, affected characters’ weapons are treated as good-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Spirit of Heroism::This spirit automatically occupies the Sub Paladin's space and does not leave until dismissed or dispelled, or the duration of the summoning ends. The Sub Paladin gain DR 10/—. In addition, she gain the benefit of the Diehard feat (even if she do not meet the prerequisite) and can use her lay on hands ability as a free action once per round instead of as a standard action.
Spirit of the Fallen::While the Sub Paladin or any of her allies are adjacent to this spirit, it grants fast healing 10 to those characters. If an affected character’s hit points drop to 0 or fewer while within 30 feet of this spirit, it revives that character at the start of his next turn, allowing him to take his action as normal. The character heals an amount of damage equal to twice her Sub Paladin level, though if his hit points are still at –10 or below, he still dies. The spirit can use its revive ability once per round. A spirit of the fallen cannot revive creatures whose bodies have been destroyed (such as by a disintegrate spell), nor can it reverse the effects of bodily changes, such as from flesh to stone or baleful polymorph, or other effects that slay a character without dealing damage.
Ex-Sub Paladins
A Sub Paladin who ceases to be lawful good, who willfully commits an evil act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all Sub Paladin spells and abilities (including the service of the Divine Spirit, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any farther in levels as a Sub Paladin. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell description, page 201), as appropriate.
Like a member of any other class, a Sub Paladin may be a multiclass character, but multiclass Sub Paladins face a special restriction. A Sub Paladin who gains a level in any class other than Sub Paladin may never again raise her Sub Paladin level, though she retains all her Sub Paladin abilities. The path of the Sub Paladin requires a constant heart. If a character adopts this class, she must pursue it to the exclusion of all other careers. Once she has turned off the path, she may never return.
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