Paladin of Burning Hate (Pelor Is Evil.baseclass.com/work_in_progress)

[bkdubs123]

The Paladin of Burning Hate
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19558798/Pelor,_the_Burning_Hate - Because I've wanted to play this concept for a long time now.


"The Sun. They say it brings us light and warmth. They say it provides us with crops and with orderly cycles of days and harvests. The truth about the Sun, the truth most people would rather ignore, is that it's a big ball of fire. And fire hungers. Fire consumes. One day when the Sun has grown tired of blasting this stellar scree from afar it will come and devour us in a bath of awesome and terrible red flame. And the world will be as it was always meant to be. Everything burns." - Jozanus, Paladin of Burning Hate.

Alignment: Lawful Evil
Hit Die: 1d10

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	2nd	4th	6th	8th
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Smite the Darkness 1/day, Pelor's Fire	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Searing Touch	—	—	—	—
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Tempered Grace	—	—	—	—
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Greater Flame	0	—	—	—
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Smite the Darkness 2/day	0	—	—	—
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Bonus Feat	1	—	—	—
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5	Burning Hate 1/week	1	—	—	—
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	Bonus Feat	1	0	—	—
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	Smite the Darkness 3/day	1	0	—	—
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	Bonus Feat	1	1	—	—
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	Burning Hate 2/week	1	1	0	—
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	Bonus Feat	1	1	1	—
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8	Smite the Darkness 4/day	1	1	1	—
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	Bonus Feat	2	1	1	0
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	Burning Hate 3/week	2	1	1	1
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	Bonus Feat	2	2	1	1
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Smite the Darkness 5/day	2	2	2	1
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Bonus Feat	3	2	2	1
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Burning Hate 4/week	3	3	3	2
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Fulminating Firebrand, Bonus Feat	3	3	3	3

Class Skills (4+Int): Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Arcane), Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Planes), Knowledge (Religion), Perform (Oratory), Profession, Ride, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, and Swim.

Weapons and Armor Proficiencies: A Paladin of Burning Hate is proficient with all simple and martial weapons as well as light, medium, and heavy armors. A Paladin of Burning Hate is proficient with all shields (including Tower Shields).

Smite the Darkness (Su): A Paladin of Burning Hate bears contempt for all things under the sun, but above all he loathes darkness, in the empirical sense, but also in the metaphysical "forces-of-darkness-and-all-its-servitors" sense. Once per day, he may unleash the fullness of Pelor's hatred upon the world to the best of his ability, creating a Daylight effect as the spell, centered on his face.

Within the area, the forces of darkness¹ must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 Paladin level + Charisma modifier) each round to avoid catching fire as though directly hit with an indefinitely long-burning Alchemist's Fire (the save for which to put out is equal to the save made to avoid catching fire).

While the effect persists, the Paladin adds his Charisma modifier as a morale bonus to attack rolls and as a deflection bonus to AC against the forces of darkness and also deals +2 points of fire damage to such creatures with his attacks per class level.

Smite the Darkness dispels Darkness and Shadow effects as a Light spell with an effective level equal to 1/2 the Paladin's class level. A Paladin of Burning Hate gains additional daily uses of Smite the Darkness every four levels beyond 1st.

¹ Defined as - Undead and Incorporeal creatures, Vermin, Chaotic Evil creatures or creatures of the Chaotic subtype, creatures with Light Sensitivity or Light Blindness, any arcane spellcaster, any creature that has deliberately lied to or kept a secret from Lawful authority within the last week, and any creature capable of using a spell-like ability or supernatural ability that duplicates the effect of a spell with the Darkness or Shadow descriptors.

Pelor's Fire (Su): Like a Cleric may turn or rebuke Undead, by invoking Pelor's Fire, a Paladin of Burning Hate may send Undead creatures running into the shadows or command creatures of the Fire subtype. A Paladin of Burning Hate has a number of uses of this ability per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. This ability works like Turn Undead (as a Good Cleric), but can also be used to Rebuke creatures of the Fire subtype (as an Evil Cleric Rebukes Undead). Pelor's Fire counts as Turn Undead for the purposes of meeting prerequisites and activating certain abilities.

Searing Touch (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a Paladin of Burning Hate may deal 1d6 points of fire damage per class level as a melee touch attack. He automatically deals this damage to a creature he successfully grapples and deals 1 point of Constitution damage per three class levels to any creature he is able to pin.

He may use his touch on himself as a swift action to cauterize his own wounds and rejuvenate himself in Pelor's glory. If he does so, instead of taking fire damage, he regains hit points equal to 1d6 per class level (to a maximum number equal to the amount of damage he has been dealt within 1 round) and ends any ongoing damage he is suffering.

Tempered Grace (Su): Starting at 3rd level, a Paladin of Burning Hate adds his Charisma modifier to all his saving throws. Furthermore, whenever he fails a saving throw against a creature's attack, if he didn't roll a 1, the Paladin deals that creature 1d6 fire damage per point of his Charisma modifier.

Greater Flame (Su): Starting at 4th level, when a Paladin of Burning Hate Turns Undead or Rebukes the Fire subtype he automatically destroys any Undead he would normally turn and automatically commands any Fire subtypes he would normally rebuke.

Additionally, when a Paladin of Burning Hate deals fire damage he ignores Fire Resistance of a value up to twice his class level. If he would deal fire damage to a creature that is Immune to Fire, instead that immunity becomes Fire Resistance 50 and the Paladin ignores an appropriate portion of that according to his class level.

Spellcasting: Starting at 4th level a Paladin of Burning Hate gains access to the Burning Hate spell list and gains a caster level equal to his class level. His key ability score is Charisma and he knows every spell on the list, casting available spells spontaneously.

Burning Hate Spells

*Spells of the Cure and Inflict line have a range of Medium (100ft +10ft/level) rather than Touch. When either is used to restore hit points the spells use d12s but when used to deal damage they use d8s. The Mass versions have a range of Long (400ft +40ft/level) rather than Short and omit the phrase "no two of which may be more than 30ft apart" from the target entry.

2nd level - Augury, Consecrate, Cure Moderate Wounds*, Daylight, Disrupting Weapon, Divine Insight, Flame Arrow, Flame Strike, Greater Magic Weapon, Hold Person, Invisibility Purge, Knight's Move (SC), Lionheart (SC), Loyal Vassal (SC), Panacea (SC), Protection from Energy, Pyrotechnics, Scorching Ray, Speak with Dead, Undetectable Alignment, Zone of Truth

4th level - Air Walk, Bestow Curse, Break Enchantment, Cure Critical Wounds*, Death Ward, Delayed Blast Fireball², Discern Lies, Dispel Magic, Divination, Fire Shield, Fire Storm¹, Hallow, Hold Monster, Lawful Sword (SC), Lesser Geas, Lesser Planar Ally, Revenance (SC), Slay Living, Sunburst, Symbol of Pain, Wall of Fire

6th level - Antilife Shell, Destruction, Forbiddance, Geas/Quest, Greater Dispel Magic, Heal, Horrid Wilting, Incendiary Cloud, Mass Cure Critical Wounds*, Planar Ally, Power Word Blind, Revivify (SC), Symbol of Persuasion/Stunning/Weakness, True Seeing, Undeath to Death, Wind Walk

8th level - Binding, Detonate (PHB2), Greater Planar Ally, Imprisonment, Mass Heal, Meteor Swarm, Plane Shift, Power Word Stun, Power Word Kill, Raise Dead, Shield of Law, Soul Binding³, Symbol of Death, Unholy Aura

¹ - Firestorm deals damage in d8s not d6s and deals half fire damage, half divine damage like Flame Strike.
² - The blast may be delayed for up to 24 hours or until the next time you rest to regain spell slots, whichever comes first. You choose precisely how long you wish the delay to last, in increments of hours, minutes, and rounds, but you may choose either to cancel or detonate the blast prematurely at any time during this delay by speaking a command word.
³ - As Soul Bind, but also you may expend an 8th level spell slot as a standard action to summon the form of the trapped soul as it was in life, an effect which lasts 1 round/caster level. This does not consume the trapped soul or destroy the imprisoning black sapphire gem. While summoned in this way, the form has all memories of it's life and access to all of its former abilities, but answers to your commands (a free action).

Bonus Feats: At 6th level and every two levels thereafter a Paladin of Burning Hate gains a bonus feat, which may be drawn from the Fighter's list of bonus feats or from the list of Divine feats.

Burning Hate (Su): This ability is currently under construction.

Starting at 7th level, once per week, a Paladin of Burning Hate can fix his smoldering glare upon a swath of land and curse it and all its inhabitants with a desertifying heat wave. He gains additional uses of the ability per week every four levels after 7th. This ability requires Concentration from the Paladin for 30 minutes and takes effect 30 minutes after he has finished. He curses any area he has line of sight to with a maximum radius of 5 miles per class level. Over the next 24 hours the temperature bands in the area increase to dangerous levels (see Sandstorm for details).

Each hour, the temperature in the cursed area rises by 1 band. An area heated to Burning Heat begins at 220° F and the heat in the area rises by 20° F per hour. As the temperature rises creatures in the area may be required to make Fortitude saves against Heat Hazards and could become Dehydrated. If the temperature grows to be intense enough objects and even creatures in the area may spontaneously combust. After the 24 hour period the temperature quickly falls back to normal. Every ten minutes the temperature drops by 20° until it falls to 220° and then the temperature continues to drop by one full band until it reaches equilibrium with the surrounding area.

Each hour that the area experiences in a temperature band of Severe Heat or hotter causes plants (including Plant creatures) to suffer 1d8 desiccation damage + 1d8 additional desiccation damage per band hotter than Severe Heat. If all plant-life in an area is destroyed from this damage, for every hour the area is subject to this effect since the last plant's destruction, plant life will not grow or seed for the next decade. During those decades, any remaining water is infected as with the Sandeyes disease, and the very air of formerly forested areas is infested with the Volcanic Fever disease.

Sunburn in the area is three times as dangerous, leaving unprotected creatures in the area mildly sunburned after only 1 hour and becoming severely sunburned after 2 hours. Each hour beyond the second, an unprotected and severely sunburned creature is dealt 1d4 Constitution, 1d4 Wisdom, and 1d4 Charisma damage. This ability score damage will not heal naturally and cannot be removed by magic short of a Miracle spell. A Remove Disease spell will suppress 1d4 points of damage to each affected score for 6 hours, but after that time the damage returns. Double the time between more severe stages of sunburn for each level of heat protection a creature has. A creature with level 3 or higher heat protection is immune to sunburn.

Burning Hate can be disrupted during the Paladin's initial 30 minutes of concentration, but after he has completed the ritual the effect is difficult to stop and even more difficult to reverse. After the Paladin's concentration has been completed, in the 30 minutes before the curse takes effect a Control Weather spell successfully cast within the area can counter the effect if it's caster is able to succeed on an opposed caster level check with the Paladin. Once the curse takes effect its duration is instantaneous and only time, powerful magic, and divine intervention can restore the area.

Fulminating Firebrand (Su): At 20th level, [...] (Not sure yet)

To be completed...

[oslecamo]

You're definetely on...

Puts on glasses

Hot homebrewing streaking.

YYYYEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Even tough the spell list and higher level abilities still aren't done, I'm quite liking where this class is heading. 

[PhaedrusXY]

OH YEAH... I like where this is going (and where it is from ).

[bkdubs123]

Okay, the spell list is up. It's probably much too powerful and needs paired down some. I'm open to suggestions.

The Burning Hate ability is under construction, but is currently in a playable, if incredibly powerful, form. It's very likely that the current form of Burning Hate will be turned into a capstone ability of some sort and that I'll come up with something new for the Paladin's per week ability.

[RobbyPants]

I like the concept.

So, why even numbered spells?  To keep the DCs up?

[bkdubs123]

I like the concept.

So, why even numbered spells?  To keep the DCs up?

Yeah. That and keep scrolls of them at the appropriate spell level to prevent Archivist shenanigans. That sort of thing.

[Petruchio]

I like this class a lot. Very powerful and the conception of Pelor being evil is brilliant when combined with a paladin (though I'm sure we all thought that paladins of Pelor were evil anyways). With this in mind, the burning hate feature is too powerful. Nigh impossible to heal ability damage over a large area is very powerful, and shouldn't be given at level seven. I like the idea though, bringing a plague of Sun and fire to scourge the people of the land should be part of this class, but it should be heal-able by lesser magics. I would suggest a break enchantment spell would be needed, but would only allow the ability damage to be healed naturally, as oppose to healing it outright. That way a mid-level sorcerer would be able to get healing and enact revenge if he is caught unawares, but the unwashed multitudes will not.

It is a good compilation of a spell list. I would suggest removing 9th level spells from the list, as that would invite some sort of abuse by archivists.

You need a mount for this to be a true paladin. A nightmare maybe?

I would like to see this thing play tested before I could come up with a good capstone feature. Fulminating Firebrand should be similar to the beguiler's and the DN's capstone, a realization of the character's deepest desires. A beguiler says, if only I could... bypass SR. A Dread Necromancy says, if only I could... be a lich. And there designers, in their infinite wisdom, grants them just that.

[Midnight_v]

          

YEEAAHH! Bkdubs, that's freaking awesome!
This is one of my favorite Gods.

[Amechra]

Your missing something...

Give them an Aura of Good at first level. There. You now have a little bit more of Pelor's deceit.

[Midnight_v]

Your missing something...

Give them an Aura of Good at first level. There. You now have a little bit more of Pelor's deceit.

Nope. Aura of Deceit. At first level, basic immunity to Detect X spells, so they never radiate what you're looking for.

I really like this. I always thought paladins should be a shell with more individual abilities, dependant on the god... kinda like clerics get domains, maybe pallys get a smite/Aura/spell package or something.

[oslecamo]

Depending on the power level you're aiming, the pimped Soul Bind may be too powerful. It's basically a dominate monster on steroids (bypasses immunities, they'll never again get a save to disobey you and not even death in battle can release them now), and you already got dominate monster on the same level. Considering the fluff of the class and for balance issues, it should at least consume the soul after the summoning time ends, as it is sent to Pelor's realm.

[bkdubs123]

Depending on the power level you're aiming, the pimped Soul Bind may be too powerful. It's basically a dominate monster on steroids (bypasses immunities, they'll never again get a save to disobey you and not even death in battle can release them now), and you already got dominate monster on the same level. Considering the fluff of the class and for balance issues, it should at least consume the soul after the summoning time ends, as it is sent to Pelor's realm.

Well, yes, but compared to Dominate Monster you have to first kill the creature, and the summon lasts for 1 round per level rather than 1 day per level. With such a short duration you have to pull the gem out of your pocket in the middle of battle (material focus component) leaving it vulnerable to disarm, sunder, and dispelling. Seems fair to me.

Now, like I said, the spell list is probably too powerful anyway, as Dominate Monster and stuff like that probably have no business on an already powerful melee class, but it'd always be good to hear more thoughts on that.

[oslecamo]

Well, yes, but compared to Dominate Monster you have to first kill the creature, and the summon lasts for 1 round per level rather than 1 day per level. With such a short duration you have to pull the gem out of your pocket in the middle of battle (material focus component) leaving it vulnerable to disarm, sunder, and dispelling. Seems fair to me.

Dominate monster demands your oponent fails a save. At lv 16, if you can make your oponent fail a save against a spell, they're already dead (and you do have a lot of save-or-die spells on that list). And again do notice that dominate monster allows a new saving throw every time you order it to do something against their nature, so 1/day per level can suddenly be reduced to a couple of rounds, whereas pimped soul binding allows you to tell them to murder their family and friends and spill out all their secrets and they can't do anything about it.

Leaving the gem out of your pocket would be significant if you couldn't just put in back right away with a move action.

Now, like I said, the spell list is probably too powerful anyway, as Dominate Monster and stuff like that probably have no business on an already powerful melee class, but it'd always be good to hear more thoughts on that.

Well if you want its focus to be a melee class, indeed you should remove the ranged save-or-die/become-my-puppet.

[bkdubs123]

Dominate monster demands your oponent fails a save.

So does Soul Bind.

Leaving the gem out of your pocket would be significant if you couldn't just put in back right away with a move action.

Which you can do only on your next turn. Move action to retrieve the gem from your pocket, standard action to summon the bound soul from it. Next turn, stow the gem in your pocket as a move action, do something else, etc.

Well if you want its focus to be a melee class, indeed you should remove the ranged save-or-die/become-my-puppet.

As it's a Paladin I think it should always have a presence in melee. The spells are meant to provide it with meaningful options other than "I hit it with my sword again." I'll take a second look at the spell list and try to pair it down a bit. I'll probably also lower the spells per day back down to the normal Paladin progression.

[oslecamo]

Dominate monster demands your oponent fails a save.

So does Soul Bind.

Hmm, missed that one.

Which you can do only on your next turn. Move action to retrieve the gem from your pocket, standard action to summon the bound soul from it. Next turn, stow the gem in your pocket as a move action, do something else, etc.

Fit the jewel into the pommel of a dagger of some other weapon. You can now retrieve it as a free action as long as you have +1 Bab or more.

As it's a Paladin I think it should always have a presence in melee. The spells are meant to provide it with meaningful options other than "I hit it with my sword again." I'll take a second look at the spell list and try to pair it down a bit. I'll probably also lower the spells per day back down to the normal Paladin progression.

But he already has plenty of other stuff on his spell list. Heals, inflicts, dispels, damage nukes, debuffs like dimensional anchor and ray of exhaustion. Save-or-die aren't really necessary in there.

[jojolagger]

Within the area, the forces of darkness¹ must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 Paladin level + Charisma modifier) each round to avoid catching fire as though directly hit with an indefinitely long-burning Alchemist's Fire (the save for which to put out is equal to the save made to avoid catching fire).

You are aware the if the enemy gets the cold subtype, carries brown mold, get's very mild fire resistance (5), and  a bit of fast healing, They become a very nasty Brown mold Generator that will never run out. Within a few weeks, the entire world will be covered in brown mold, and creatures with immunity to cold will rule the earth, but that won't matter because the mold will choke out the view of the sun, and then it will choke out the sun itself.

[bkdubs123]

Within the area, the forces of darkness¹ must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 Paladin level + Charisma modifier) each round to avoid catching fire as though directly hit with an indefinitely long-burning Alchemist's Fire (the save for which to put out is equal to the save made to avoid catching fire).

You are aware the if the enemy gets the cold subtype, carries brown mold, get's very mild fire resistance (5), and  a bit of fast healing, They become a very nasty Brown mold Generator that will never run out. Within a few weeks, the entire world will be covered in brown mold, and creatures with immunity to cold will rule the earth, but that won't matter because the mold will choke out the view of the sun, and then it will choke out the sun itself.

Wow. Never heard of brown mold...

You realize that strong winds or a trivial amount of water put the fire out, right? The same effect could be created by someone that catches themselves on fire if they also have the cold subtype, fire resistance, some fast healing and carry some brown mold given that there are no rules for D&D fires simply going out on their own.

[jojolagger]

Wow. Never heard of brown mold...

DMG page 76

You realize that strong winds or a trivial amount of water put the fire out, right? The same effect could be created by someone that catches themselves on fire if they also have the cold subtype, fire resistance, some fast healing and carry some brown mold given that there are no rules for D&D fires simply going out on their own.

True, but this ability could do it by accident.
Barbarian takes the Frozen Berserker Feat, And opens his box of brown mold before raging as a standard battle plan. Assuming the Barb get's him by this, fails the save at some point, and don't bother wasting actions to put it out until after combat, realizes the fire burning him grows the mold, and drinks a CL 3 potion of Resist fire instead of putting it out right away. assuming a 5 round combat, and that he has 1 cu ft. of mold at the start, the mold grows to 2^305 (6.51851512 × 10^91) cubic ft. which is 5.2148121 × 10^89 full 5 foot squares.