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View Full Version : [3.5] Redesigned Gray Guard: A Trade-in Class



Shadowbane
2010-02-19, 04:33 PM
Bitter, cynical and sour personalities, Gray Guards have lived long enough to realize that to defeat the monster, they must become the monster.

Starting at 10th level, a paladin can trade in all of his or her paladin levels for gray guard levels.

The Gray Guard:

Hit die: d10

Alignment: Lawful Good

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fortitude|Reflex|Willpower|Special
1|+1|+2|+0|+2|Sacrament of Trust, lay on hands, Smite 1/encounter, Vengeful strike +1d6, turn undead, Aura of Good
2|+2|+3|+0|+3|Divine Grace, debilitating touch
3|+3|+3|+1|+3|Aura of Courage,Divine Health, charging smite, Vengeful strike +2d6, turn chaotic outsider
4|+4|+4|+1|+4|Justice blade (chaos)
5|+5|+4|+1|+4|Smite 2/encounter, Devastating touch, Vengeful strike +3d6
6|+6/+1|+5|+2|+5|Undetectable Alignment
7|+7/+2|+5|+2|+5|Unbound Justice, Burning Light, Vengeful strike +4d6
8|+8/+3|+6|+2|+6|Mettle, improved charging smite,
9|+9/+4|+6|+3|+6|Justice Blade (all), Pierce shadows, Vengeful strike +5d6
10|+10/+5|+7|+3|+7|Smite 3/encounter, Sacrament of the True faith,
11|+11/+6/+1|+7|+3|+7|Zone of truth 3/day, Vengeful strike +6d6
12|+12/+7/+2|+8|+4|+8|death ward 3/day
13|+13/+8/+3|+8|+4|+8|Mark of Justice 1/day, Vengeful strike +7d6
14|+14/+9/+4|+9|+4|+9|Break Enchantment 3/day
15|+15/+10/+5|+9|+5|+9|Smite 4/encounter, Vengeful strike +8d6
16|+16/+11/+6/+1|+10|+5|+10|Mark of Justice 2/day
17|+17/+12/+7/+2|+10|+5|+10|No mercy for the wicked, Vengeful strike +9d6
18|+18/+13/+8/+3|+11|+6|+11|Mark of Justice 3/day, Dispel Evil 3/day
19|+19/+14/+9/+4|+11|+6|+11|Vengeful strike +10d6
20|+20/+15/+10/+5|+12|+6|+12|Smite 5/encounter[/table]

Sacrament of Trust: Upon entering this class, you take a vow of allegiance to your faith beyond that of any ordinary paladin . This vow grants you a measure of freedom to act on your cause’s behalf without fear of retribution should your duties require you to break your code of conduct . Dishonorable acts still cause you to lose gray guard features until you atone, but this infraction is considered much less severe than it would be for a paladin. Thus, whenever you seek to atone for deeds that you willingly commit in the name of your faith but that break your code of conduct, a cleric casting an atonement spell on your behalf does not expend 500 XP as is normally required. This reprieve applies only to acts intended to further the cause of righteousness and the gray guard’s faith . No XP cost applies to a gray guard atoning after beating a confession from a heretic, for example, but the cost would have to be paid for one who started a bar- room brawl.

Detect Evil:At will, a gray guard can use detect evil, as the spell.

Lay on Hands: The Gray guard can heal a number of hit points per day equal to twice his class level times his charisma bonus.

Smite: The gray guard can smite an evil enemy. When he does this, he adds his charisma modifier to his attack roll and twice his class level to damage. He can use this once per encounter at first level and one more time per encounter every five levels.

Vengeful Strike: If an enemy has damaged the gray guard within the last three rounds, the gray guard can make a vengeful strike attack. The attack does normal damage plus 1d6 damage every two levels. The gray guard can make only one vengeful strike a round, but it does stack with his smite ability.

Turn undead: This ability functions as the paladin ability of the same name.

Aura of Good: The power of a gray guard’s aura of good (see the detect good spell) is equal to her paladin level.

Divine Grace: The gray guard adds his charisma modifier (if positive) to all saving throws.

Debilitating Touch: The gray guard can expend hit points from his lay on hands pool to render one enemy sickened for rounds equal to the number of hit points expended.

Aura of Courage: Beginning at 3rd level, a gray guard is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability functions while the gray guard is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead.

Divine Health: At 3rd level, a gray guard gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases.

Charging Smite: The gray guard can charge and use a smite evil attempt at the same time. If he does this, he deals 3 times his level in smiting damage.

Justice Blade (chaos): The gray guard can smite all chaotic beings just as well as he can smite evil beings.

Devastating Touch: The gray guard can one point of damage per one point of lay on hands expended as a touch attack.

Undetectable Alignment: The gray guard is constantly under the effect of an undetectable alignment spell.

Unbound Justice: At 7th level, you can add your charisma modifier on bluff, intimidate or disguise checks.

Burning Light: The gray guard can expend one use of turn undead to set fire to one creature that can see the gray guard. The creature takes 1d6 sacred damage per gray guard level, no save.

Mettle: The gray guard who succeeds on a Fortitude partial or Will partial save takes no effect as if she had immunity.

Improved Charging Smite: When charging and using smite, the gray guard does damage equal to her level times four.

Justice Blade (all): The gray guard can use smite on any creature regardless of alignment.

Pierce shadows: The gray guard can expend one use of turn undead to shed illumination from his weapon. This illumination is 20 feet plus 5 feet per level of the gray guard.

Sacrament of True Faith: At 10th level, you gain your order’s full confidence . You are granted the freedom to act on behalf of your faith as you deem necessary . Thus, you never risk losing your class abilities in the pursuit of a just cause and never need to atone for violating your code of conduct. This trust does not grant you the freedom to act as violently or immorally as you wish, however . Release from your code of conduct depends on your acting as an exemplar of your order’s ideals . If you violate this trust by habitually acting in an immoral or corrupt manner, the leaders or deity of your faith might revoke their blessing and banish you from the ranks of the faithful.

Zone of Truth: This ability functions like the spell of the same name.

Death Ward: This ability functions like the spell of the same name.

Mark of Justice: This ability functions like the spell of the same name.

Break Enchantment: This spell-like ability functions like the spell break enchantment and works 3 times a day.

No Mercy for the Wicked: When the gray guard kills an enemy he has used smite evil on already, the gray guard gains a +5 bonus to attack and damage rolls for the rest of the encounter.

Dispel Evil: This spell-like ability functions as the Dispel Evil 3 times a day.

boomwolf
2010-02-19, 09:02 PM
Well, intresting to say the least.

But my major concern is this: why would anyone take paladin over this? this is so much better in so many ways.

Tone down power level, strip a few of his abilities. (an average of 2 and a little abilities a level. that's a hell lot.)

Shadowbane
2010-02-19, 09:32 PM
Well, core paladin without homebrew really sucks. So this is kind of a way to fix it. I crank out a lot of paladin fixes in my spare time, and this is my favorite, for all the people that love the cynical, knight in sour armor paladin.

You really think it's overpowered?

DueceEsMachine
2010-02-19, 10:02 PM
I like it - of course, I liked the Grey Gaurd when it was a 10 level class as well. I always thought the paladin should be able to trade in levels like he does with the blackgaurd, but that's just me.

I actually agree though - this could be really, really powerful, but I'll need to read over it more carefully to give you specific examples of how. Give me a couple minutes and I'll do just that.

Edit: On a related note, I agree - core paladin is worthless after level 5, but I think (almost) everyone agrees with that...

Lappy9000
2010-02-19, 10:08 PM
You really think it's overpowered?I wouldn't worry about it. The class certainly isn't overpowered (at least that I can see), and the paladin isn't exactly a pinnacle balance point.

You might wanna clean things up a little. Intermittent capitalization and the like just make it look kinda sloppy.

EDIT: Any reason why they get good Reflex saves?

DueceEsMachine
2010-02-19, 10:13 PM
Just a simple grammar correction on this.


Devastating Touch: The gray guard can cause one point of damage per point of lay on hands expended as a touch attack.

Maybe give a Will save for 1/2 damage? just a thought


Burning Light: The gray guard can expend one use of turn undead to set fire to one creature that can see the gray guard. The creature takes 1d6 sacred damage per gray guard level, no save.

Wait - What? Wow. This is a big deal - especially since with night-sticks, or whatever they are that grant extra turn/rebuke undead attempts. I think a save for 1/2 should at least be allowed, because without it, or without an attack roll, that's incredibly powerful. Take a feat to use your Turn/Rebuke as a free action and it gets worse.


Improved Charging Smite: When charging and using smite, the gray guard does damage equal to her level times four.

Wow - another one, but only really bad when used with stacking - lances, powerful charge, ect.


No Mercy for the Wicked: When the gray guard kills an enemy he has used smite evil on already, the gray guard gains a +5 bonus to attack and damage rolls for the rest of the encounter.

Alright, so - say a Grey Guard is facing off against the Legions of the Abyss, and uses this on the first creature - he gets +5 to hit and damage for the rest of the encounter (possibly an extremely long melee?)

Maybe a better way to do it would be, if the grey guard uses a smite attack on a creature and it hits, but fails to kill it, he gains the +5 to hit and damage vs. that creature for the rest of the encounter?

I don't know - I guess those are just my opinions though, I'll be the first to admit that I'm far from perfect when it comes to anything.

Shadowbane
2010-02-19, 10:33 PM
I mixed up reflex and willpower when I was making the table, that's fixed.

And I always forget about nightsticks. I'll make some fixes to Burning Light. No Mercy will be changed as well (but later, I have to go out for dinner right about now) and I'll work on devastating touch. Thank you for the responses, and later today I will fix all the weird capitalization and things.

ArcanistSupreme
2010-02-20, 09:20 PM
So, do you need to get the ten levels of paladin as an entry requirement, or can you just start out as a Gray Guard?

Shadowbane
2010-02-20, 09:35 PM
You need ten levels as an entry requirement, so you really can't start a game in this class. Past tenth level paladin, you can trade in your paladin levels for gray guard levels reflecting character growth or attitude change.