Holy Rager (3.5e Prestige Class)

Holy Rager

“	I will execute terrible vengeance against them to punish them for what they have done. And when I have inflicted my revenge, they will know that I am the LORD GOD!	”
—-Ezekiel 25:17, The Bible

Soldiers of the divine each fill a specific roll. Favored souls are the chosen sent out to bear the word of their patron; Clerics are the mercy, healing the sick & laying the dead to rest, & Paladins are the will of the gods sent to enact justice in their names; however, when the word is ignored, mercy is rebuked, and justice denied the Holy Rager is sent to reap the vengeance of the heavens teaching those who would defy the will of the gods that doing so carries a heavy toll. In exchange for divine protection The Holy Rager Pledges his life to the service of his deity's wrath. The Rager loses any semblance of fear or hesitation & the deity gains a powerful weapon to unleash on his enemies.

Becoming a Holy Rager

Holy Ragers do not take this class by choice but rather are chosen by the gods from the stock of great warriors who roam the world. Most Holy Ragers start out in life as barbarians though some are Clerics, Bards & even a few select fighters who have learned either through multi-classing, a racial ability or another prestige class to harness the ferocity of the barbarian's rage. The selective nature of Holy Ragers make them a very exclusive group & DMs are encouraged to make it difficult for characters to join the class.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	True Neutral, Neutral Good, or Chaotic Good. As an agent of good those of evil alignment are excluded & the chaos of the Holy Rager is distasteful to those of a Lawful nature.
Race:	Any.
Skills:	Knowledge Religion 10 ranks, Intimidation 10 ranks
Feats:	Power attack, Toughness, Righteous Wrath (BoED)
Special:	Must have the ability to enter a Rage as per the Barbarian class ability. Must worship a non-evil god & be chosen by that god to join the Holy Rager prestige class.

Table: The Holy Rager

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Divine protection +2, Fear Immunity, Righteous Fury 1 / day, Aura of Good, Detect Evil
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Heavenly Wrath 1d6, Damage Reduction 1/-
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Righteous Fury 2 / day, Holy Fury 1/day
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	Divine protection +3, Aura of Resolve, Damage Reduction 2/-
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Righteous Fury 3 / a day, The Grace of Gods, Holy Fury 2/day
6th	+6	+5	+2	+2	Heavenly Wrath 2d6, rage +1 / day, Aura of Fury, Damage Reduction 3/-
7th	+7	+5	+2	+2	Divine protection +4, Greater Righteous Fury 4 / day, Holy Fury 3/day
8th	+8	+6	+2	+2	Divine Enlightenment , Aura of Tenacity, Damage Reduction 4/-
9th	+9	+6	+3	+3	Greater Righteous Fury 5 / day, Tireless Rage, Holy Fury 4/day
10th	+10	+7	+3	+3	Divine protection +5, Heavenly Wrath 3d6, Improved Grace of Gods, Damage Reduction 5/-
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) The Holy Rager’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (int) Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str). Class Features All of the following are class features of the Holy Rager. Divine Protection (Su): Holy Ragers are more cavalier than the most stalwart of warriors, eagerly charging in with reckless abandon where even other barbarians hesitate; and with good reason. They know that they go in the name of their god & so long as they hold to their faith no harm will come to them. Attacks that would seem to deal a death knell instead glance off harmlessly or miss all together much to the bewilderment & dismay of would be attackers. Starting at 1st level Holy Ragers receive a +2 divine bonus to armor class. Every three levels there after (4th, 7th, 10th) this bonus increase by one to a maximum of +5 at 10th level. Fear Immunity (Ex): Knowing they are protected by the gods grants the Holy Rager a Fearlessness typically only seen in Paladins. At first level Holy Ragers become immune to all fear effects & fear based spells. Righteous Fury (Su): Holy Ragers can still enter Rage as normal; however, once in this state they can, if they so choose, enter a stat of divine transcendence that allows them to channel not their own rage but the unfathomable fury of an enraged god. So beyond comprehension is this power that the Holy Rager is overcome with a chilling calm, a sight that is unsettling to all who view it. Their eyes glow with the holy light of a god & they lose partial control over themselves as they submit to the will of the divine. In this state the Holy Rager's body is filled with heavenly power & their weapon (or fist if unarmed) is guided by a higher will granting an additional +4 divine bonus to hit, +4 divine bonus to strength & constitution. This state is not with out it's draw backs. A god expects it's will to be done & will brook no failure or insolence. When a Holy Rager invoke his Righteous Fury he must declare the target of his fury to the DM. Once the Fury is invoked The Holy Rager cannot stop, grant quarter, or surrender until that target or the Holy Rager himself is dead. Even if the Holy Rager's Rage ends the Righteous Fury persists until his target has succumb. If the first target does die the Holy Rager can either end his Fury immediately or continue picking new targets until none remain or the initial Rage ends. At 1st level the Holy Rager can enter Righteous Fury once per day, while Raging. At every odd level there after he gains an additional use to a maximum of 5 times per day at level 9. At 7th level His Fury becomes fully unleashed becoming Greater Righteous Fury and doubling the bonuses to +8. Aura of Good (Su): This is exactly like the paladin ability of the same name. Detect Evil (Su): This is exactly like the paladin ability of the same name. Heavenly Wrath (Su): Starting at 2nd level Holy Ragers can channel their deity's wrath through their weapon. A Holy Rager's weapon becomes Holy (Good aligned) for the purposes of penetrating damage reduction & adds an additional 1d6 holy damage damage to any successful hit. Holy Fury (Su): Once per day, a holy rager of 3trd level can call down the wrath of heaven to strike down her foes during a rage. As a swift action, the holy rager chooses one target within sight to attack. If the target is of good or neutral alignment, she adds 1/2 her level to all damage rolls. If the target is evil, she adds her level to all damage rolls made against the target. If the target is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the holy rager possesses. Regardless of the target, this attack automatically bypasses any DR the creature might possess.In addition, while holy wrath is in effect, the holy rager gains a divine bonus equal to 1/2 her Charisma modifier (if any, rounded down) to her DR against attacks made by the target of the attack. The holy wrath effect remains until the target is dead or the Righteous Fury ends, which ever comes first. Can only be used during Righteous Fury. Aura of Resolve (Su): This is exactly like the paladin ability of the same name. The Grace of Gods (Ex): At 5th level a Holy Rager's very steps are guided by the divine. At 5nd level and higher, a Holy Rager gains Evasion as per the Rogue feat allowing them to avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save (such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a fireball), he instead takes no damage. A helpless Holy Rager (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of evasion. If the Holy Rager already has Evasion from another class he instead gains improved evasion. At 10th level The Holy Rager gains Improved Evasion if he doesn't have it already. Also at 10th level the Holy Rager gains the Paladin's Divine Grace class feature increasing their Saving Throws by their charisma mod. Aura of Fury (Su): A holy rager can expend 2 rounds of her Righteous Fury ability to grant the ability to rage to all allies within 10 feet, using all her bonuses to rage. Allies must use this rage ability by the start of the holy rager’s next turn and the bonuses last for 1 minute. Using this ability is a free action. Evil creatures gain no benefit from this ability. Divine Enlightenment (Su): At 8th level, as a gift from the divine for their loyal service and self sacrifice they are permitted to ask one question of their deity to which the deity will answer with the truth. The revelation of this divine knowledge opens the Holy Rager's mind to a new understanding of the world around them granting them a permanent +2 divine bonus to their Wisdom score. Aura of Tenacity (Su): A holy rager gains immunity to compulsion spells and spell-like abilities. In addition, when in a rage, each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against compulsion effects. This ability functions only while the holy rager is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead. Campaign Information Playing a Holy Rager Holy Rager are good for parties that are heavy with divine characters or for campaigns that will be seeing lots of daemons, devils or undead. This is a front line DPS class bot don't let that fool you, being the vessel of a deity's holy wrath is rife with roll play opportunity. Combat: Holy Ragers are living weapons, forged by battle & empowers by the gods to destroy anything foolish enough to stand before it. It's right at home on the front line in any battle no mater the scope or scale. Advancement: This class is almost always built on a base of barbarian although some clerics or bards who picked up rage from another prestige class may venture down this path. Resources: Holy Ragers are elite soldiers in a gods army. The strongest (highest level) among them takes command and all others fall in rank & file. They tend to work alone, but when they do get together in even moderate size groups for a common goal nations fall at their feet. Holy Rager's in the World As mentioned above one does not chose to be come a Holy Rager; one is chosen. This makes it a very exclusive group. They are the best of the best cherry picked by gods who can scour the world for talent in seconds. While some Ragers tend to carry out their gods will alone taking orders from a Cleric or Favored Soul who can directly commune with their god, others find them selves leaders of elite groups of soldiers with in armies or as commanders of suicidal expeditions in to foreign lands deep in enemy territory or through arcane gates that lead to other terrible planes of reality. No mater what, Ragers take the jobs other fear to try. NPC Reactions: Ragers typically (though not always) bare the symbol of their god. This typically colors the initial response most NPCs have more than anything else about the Holy Rager's outward appearance. Most NPCs will not know what a Holy Rager is as they are exceedingly rare so the response to discovering the Holy Rager's class will be minimal most of the time. Holy Rager Lore Holy Ragers are known to those in the church. Paladins, Clerics & Favored souls of good or neutral deities would respect & possibly even admire the Holy Rogers absolute dedication & self sacrifice in the name of their god. Those who serve evil deities would run in fear at the mere mention of them. Characters with ranks in Knowledge Religion can research the Holy Rager to learn more about their renown. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs. Knowledge History DC Result 11 Holy Ragers are barbarians who made a deal with a god. 16 they don't feel fear at all. 21 It's rumored that Holy Ragers can actually channel a gods wrath in to them selves. 26 Legend has it that they are protected by the gods & are nearly impossible to kill. Holy Rager's in the Game Adaptation: This class can serve either as a PC fighting with the party or as an NPC sent by a god to either guide the party... or rain vengeance upon them for their transgressions. Additionally, non-good variants serving non-good gods can exist, simply adjust alignment and damage type of Heavenly Wrath accordingly. Sample Encounter: temple guardian, woodland protector, executioner of infidels Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Classes → Prestige Classes