Steel Crusader (3.5e Class)

Steel Crusader

First and foremost, a steel crusader is acompetente combatant. She fight as a skillfully as a fighter, paladin, or ranger des, relying on heavy armor and a good selection of weapons to gain the edge over her oppnents. Even if the name remainds to some sort of divine class the steel crusader is too proud to even think about hiding behind a God. She knew that the only thing she can trust is her armor. A steel crusader is still capable to use some sort of divine magic in combat, especially when if she has to defend her allies. In general a steel crusader has faith in some god or divine power, but she usally prefer to use the good old heavy steel instead of hiding behind some sort of magic tirck.

Making a Steel Crusader

A steel crusader is primarily a front-line melee battler, much like the fighter or paladin. Most steel crusaders als make good leaders, since they are both charismatic and dedicated.

Abilities: Strength and Constitution are vital to a steel crusader, since she is so often in harm's way. Intelligence is useful for gaining plenty of skill points, which a steel crusader needs to purchase the rankes in Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Balance. Charisma is also usefull for a steel crusader for a better control of her allies on the battlefield.

Races: Most steel crusaders are humans, half-elves or dwarves because the ideals of dedication, service, zeal and courage are important in both dwarf and human cultures. Elevs, gnomes and halflings generally lack the seriousness, single-minded devotion, and moderate fanaticism required to succeed as a steel crusaders. Half-orcs rarely become crusaders, but those wo do follow this path often excel at it. Many half-orcs spend their lives searching for an ideal to believe in or a community which they can belong and the way of the steel crusader appeals to such souls.

Alignment: A steel crusader can choose any alignment except neutral- she must stand for some ideal, whether chaos, good, evil, law, or a combination of principles.

Starting Gold: 6d4×10gp (150 gp).

Starting Age: As a paladin(PH 109).

Table: The Steel Crusade

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Furious Counterstrike, Steely Resolve
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Steel Fortress
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Heavy Metal
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Indestructible
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	-
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Insurmountable
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5	-
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	Cursed Steel
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	-
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	As One
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	-
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	Press The Attack
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8	-
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	Devotion To The Cause
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	-
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	Triumph Of Steel
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	-
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Hold The Line
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	-
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	FOR THE CRUSADE!
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Blance, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (religion), Ride.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As a steel crusader you are proficient with all simple weapons, all martial weapons, light, medium, and heavy armors and all shields.

Steely Resolve (EX): Your supreme dedication and intense focus allow you to temporarily set aside the pain and hindering effects of injuries. When an opponent strikes you, the injury does not immediately affect you. You have a delayed damage pool that allows you to forestall the effects of many injuries. This pool begins at 0 with each encounter. When you are attacked, any hit point damage the blow deals is added to your delayed damage pool. At the end of your next turn, you take damage equal to the total stored in your delayed damage pool, which then resets to 0. Any healing you receive can either increase your current hit point total as normal or reduce the total damage in your delayed damage pool. When you receive healing, you choose whether it affects your damage pool, your hit points, or both (you can split the amount of healing as you wish). Most steel crusaders opt to keep as much damage in their delayed damage pool as possible to maximize the benefit of their Furious Counterstrike ability (see below). Special effects tied to an attack, such as energy drain, stun, and so forth, still affect you as normal, and their effects are not delayed by this ability. For example, if you are bitten by a venomous spider, you must still attempt a Fortitude save against the poison immediately, even though the bite damage shifts into your delayed damage pool. By the same token, any other special attack that imposes a condition, such as a medusa's petrifying gaze, takes immediate effects on you.

Furious Counterstrike (Ex): You can channel the pain of your injuries into a boiling rage that lets you lash out at your enemies with renewed vigor and power. Each attack that strikes you only pushes you onward to greater glory. During your turn, you gain a bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls equal to the current value of your delayed damage pool (see Steely Resolve above). You can only gain a maximum bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls of +5 from Furious Counterstrike. Use the table below to quickly determine the attack bonus and damage bonus from Furious Counterstrike, based on the amount of damage in your delayed damage pool. This ability's benefits last until the end of your turn.

Delayed Damage Pool Points	Furious Counterstrike Bonus
0-4	+1
5-9	+2
10-14	+3
15-19	+4
20-24	+5

Steel Fortress (Ex): You know the limits and the weak spots of your armor and you are more capable to defend yourself using your armor instead of dodging. From the second level and beyond the Steel Crusader uses their Constitution modifier instead of Dexterity (max +5) for their armor class. Steel Crusaders also receive a bonus of +2 AC while using a metal armor and a shield. This bonus is applied to the AC of your armor. Additionally you are no longer slowed down by your armor (Dwarves retain their racial penalty to land speed).

Heavy Metal (Ex): You strike the ground with all your strength and weight, generating a powerful shockwave that hits every creature in front of you. The shockwave deals damage to every creature standing on the ground equaling to 1d8 + your Armor & Shield AC (except the enchantment bonus) + Your Constitution modifier in a 15 foot cone with a fortitude DC equal to 8 + your Armor & Shield AC (except the enchantment bonus) + Your Constitution modifier) to take half damage. Every creature hit by the shockwave must succeed a a Balance skill check of DC 10 + your Armor & Shield AC (except the enchantment bonus) + your Constitution modifier or be knocked prone. You can use this ability once every 5 turns. You can use this ability using a full round action or at the end of a charge.

Indestructible (Ex): You know how to use you armor at its maximum potential. You gain Damage Reduction against any type of damage equal to one-quarter of your Steel Crusader levels + your Constitution modifier.

Insurmuntable (Ex): When you wear armor you are vastly more difficult to move and your experience on the battlefield helps you to react to any incoming threat. You gain extra Attacks of Opportunity equal to your Constitution modifier and a morale bonus of +4 against bull rush and any other trip or push effect.

Cursed Steel (Sp): You curse an enemy allowing you and your allies to heal for 2 hit points with successful melee attacks against it. Cursing an enemy uses a Standard Action and requires that your are able to speak. Targets of the curse can make a Will save with a DC of 10 + your Steel Crusader level + your Constitution modifier. If the target of the curse fails its Will save it receives an additional debuff of -2 to every attack roll, damage roll, ability check, and subsequent Will saving throws.

As One (Sp): You can take far more punishment that your comrades and you all know it. Using your basic understanding of magic you can redirect to yourself half of the damage taken by your allies that are within 30ft of you. You can activate or deactivate this ability using a free action during your turn. This bond is broken if you or your allies move more then 30 feet away from each other, but every ally that enters the area automatically gains the bonus. Your damage reduction is applied to the incoming damage. You cannot reduce the effects of abilities that kill without dealing damage. This effect does not stack with other abilities, magics, or enchantments that perform similar effects.

Press The Attack (Ex): Each of your attacks expose the weak spots in the enemy's defense. Each consecutive hit on the same enemy gives a +2 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls made by you and your allies against that enemy. This bonus stacks up to 5 times for a total of +10 and resets if you miss an attack. The bonus is lost if you change target. This effect does not apply when using your Heavy Metal ability.

Devotion To The Cause (Ex): Your determination and devotion to the crusade is so great that it allows you to carry on through even the hardest fights. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier per day after a long rest. This ability lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution modifier and gives you half of your steel crusader's level as natural armor. Furthermore during this time you regain a number of hit points equal to your Constitution modifier.

Triumph Of Steel (Ex): Killing an enemy only makes you and the crusade stronger. If you kill an enemy, you and every ally affected by As One ability immediately gains healing equal to your Constitution modifier x2.

Hold The Line (Ex): Your team is stronger and more confident while you are commanding them. Every ally affected by As One now has a +2 bonus to their AC.

FOR THE CRUSADE (EX):Your pure devotion to the crusade is so powerful that even death could do nothing against you and your fellow soldiers. You can channel positive (or negative) energy to keep allies fighting even after suffering mortal wounds. Activating this ability requires only a move action. While active allies within the radius of your As One ability may ignore the effects of being reduced to 0 or less hp. However, any creature reduced to –20 hp dies immediately. When the effect ends, or if a creature moves more than 100 feet from the you, the normal effects of the damage apply immediately.

Ex-Steel Crusaders

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Epic Steel Crusader

Table: The Epic

Hit Die: d

Level	Special
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
29th
30th
+ Int modifier skill points per level.

:

:

Bonus Feats: The epic gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic bonus feats) every levels after 20th.

Epic Bonus Feat List: .

Steel Crusader Starting Package

Weapons: .

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty

Feat: .

Bonus Feats: .

Gear: .

Gold: .

Campaign Information

Playing a Steel Crusader

Religion: .

Other Classes: .

Combat: .

Advancement: .

Steel Crusaders in the World

“		”
—,

Daily Life: .

Notables: .

Organizations: .

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Steel Crusader Lore

Characters with ranks in can research to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

DC	Result
5	.
10	.
15	.
20	.

Steel Crusaders in the Game

Adaptation: .

Sample Encounter: .

EL : .

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