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The Demented One
2007-06-14, 11:15 PM
Angelic Martyr

The forces of evil are almost impossible to destroy. Even if a valiant and pious warrior slays a score of demons with his steel, it is almost futile. The spiritual essence of the slain fiends is inevitably drawn back into their native plane, and recast into new fiends–he has merely slowed the forces of Hell for a time, not killed them. There are a few weapons and spells of sufficient potency to permanently destroy fiendish outsiders, but they are few and far between. However, there is another way to keep a slain fiend from reincarnating. A paladin of true honor and unwavering piety can trap the spiritual essence of a fiend within his own soul, using his inner goodness to keep the fiend at bay. When an Angelic Martyr meets his final rest, his soul is taken to the Upper Planes for its final reward - and the fiend bound within him is forever destroyed by the pure planar energies of the heavens. The path of these Angelic Martyrs is a difficult one, and more than one has fallen to the temptations whispered to him by the evil within. However, those of the greatest will and goodness can bind the power of the demon, and turn it to the ends of good.

d10 HD

Requirements
To qualify to become an Angelic Martyr, you must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Lawful Good
BAB: +6
Feats: Iron Will
Spells: Must be capable of casting 1st-level divine spells.
Special: Smite Evil class feature
Special: Must kill either a demon or a devil with a CR greater than or equal to your character level in single combat. Immediately afterwards, you must bind the slain fiend’s spiritual essence to yourself by performing a four-hour long ritual, in which you must use 500 gp worth of incense, talismans, and holy water to bind the fiend.

The Angelic Martyr’s class skills are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Knowledge (The Planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis).

Skill Points per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack[br]Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells

1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|No Stranger to Sin, Smite Evil|


2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|Baleful Smite|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Hellish Magic|


4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Fiendish Aspect I|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Binding Summons|


6th|
+6|
+5|
+2|
+5|Blood for Blood|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

7th|
+7|
+5|
+2|
+5|Fiendish Aspect II|


8th|
+8|
+6|
+2|
+6|Divine Howl|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

9th|
+9|
+6|
+3|
+6|Smite the Spirit|


10th|
+10|
+7|
+3|
+7|Fiendish Aspect III|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features
All the following are class features of the Angelic Martyr prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
You gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Spellcasting
Whenever you gain an even Angelic Martyr, you gain new spells per day and spells known as if you had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class you belonged to before you added the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained.

No Stranger to Sin (Su)
By binding a fiend to your very soul, you introduce the taint of evil within yourself. However, in strengthening your soul to contain your inner evil, you also strengthen it against the forces of outer evil. At 1st level, you gain a sacred bonus on saves against the spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities of evil outsiders equal to half your class level, rounded up. In addition, you gain spell resistance equal to 12 plus your class level against the spells and spell-like abilities of evil outsiders. Finally, you cannot be possessed by evil outsiders.

Smite Evil (Su)
Angelic Martyr levels stack with any Paladin levels you have for determining how many times per day you may smite evil and the extra damage dealt when smiting evil.

Baleful Smite (Su)
At 2nd level, your spiritual fortitude allows you to crush fiends in combat, just as you crush the spirit of the fiend within you. Whenever you smite an evil outsider, you deal an additional 1d6 damage. At every subsequent even level, the damage dealt increases by an additional 1d6.

Hellish Magic (Ex)
At 3rd level, you learn to twist the mystic power of the demon bound within you to use its own evil magic for the cause of good. You add the following spells to your Paladin class spell list. Exactly which spells you add depend on the type of fiend bound to you. Although some of the spells you learn have the evil descriptor, the use of them is not, for you, an inherently evil act, nor does it violate your Paladin’s code–only if you use those spells to an evil purpose is it a sinful act.

Demon Spells

1st: Cause fear, doom

2nd: Darkness, scare

3rd: Contagion, fear

4th: Nightmare, poison


Devil Spells

1st: Command, disguise self

2nd: Death knell, invisibility

3rd: Major image, suggestion

4th: Greater invisibility, order’s wrath


Fiendish Aspect I
At 4th level, your power of the fiend trapped within you allows you to tap its strength, taking on fiendish aspects to better serve the cause of good. The exact benefit you gain depends on the kind of fiend bound to you:

Demon (Ex): You take on a more beastial, demonic form, which belies your inner nobility. You gain a bite attack which deals 1d6 damage if you are of Medium size, 1d4 if you are of Small size, and 1d8 if you are of Large size, and two claw attacks which each deal 1d4 damage, adjusted similarly for size. In addition, your skin hardens, increasing your natural armor bonus by 1.

Devil (Su and Sp): Your face is wracked into a sneering, devilish countenance, despite the pure heart behind it. You gain some of the manipulative prowess of a devil. You gain telepathy out to 100 ft., and may use detect thoughts as a spell-like ability once per day, with caster level equal to his class level and a DC equal to 10 + his class level + his Charisma modifier. He may use this ability two times per day at 7th level, and three times per day at 10th level. Finally, he gains a circumstance bonus on Bluff and Intimidate checks equal to his class level.

Binding Summons (Sp)
At 5th level, you can bend the power of the fiend sealed within you to summon its foul brethren, and command them to act for the cause of good. Once per day, you may summon a fiend or fiends as a full-round action. They appear immediately, acting on your initiative, and serve you for a number of rounds equal to your class level. Although the summoned fiends are evil in alignment, they are forced to serve your will. However, they will seize on any opportunity or loophole in your commands to commit mischief and evil, striking back at you in any way they can. The exact kind of fiends you can summon depends on the kind of fiend bound within you. If you are bound to a demon, then you may summon either 1d4+1 dretches or 1 babau. If you are bound to a devil, then you may summon either 1d4+1 lemures or 1 bearded devil.

Blood for Blood (Sp)
At 6th level, you can draw on the spiritual essence of the fiend within to heal yourself. Once per day, when you are brought to -1 hp or less, then you are restored to health, as either the heal spell or the regenerate spell, your choice, with caster level equal to your class level. If you would have been brought to -10 hp before you are healed, then the healing does prevent you from dieing.

Fiendish Aspect II
At 7th level, your body is warped further into a fiendish form, echoing the trapped fiend within you.

Demon (Ex): Your body becomes even more demonic, your human appearance fading away, though your inner humanity remains unblemished. Your skin becomes covered in leathery scales, increasing your natural armor bonus by two to +3. In addition, you gain resistance 5 to two energy types of your choice, or resistance 10 to one energy type of your choice.

Devil (Su): You grow devilish horns, and grow almost unhumanly thin. In addition, as a free action, you may radiate a 20 ft.-radius aura of fear. All creatures caught in the aura must make a Will save, DC 10 + your class level + your Charisma modifier, or be panicked for a number of rounds equal to your class level. Once a creature successfully saves against your fear aura, it is immune to that ability’s effects for 24 hours. Once you use this ability, you must wait 5 rounds before you can use it again.

Divine Howl (Sp)
At 8th level, you can unleash a wave of divine energy through a fiendish howl. This functions as the holy word spell, with caster level equal to your character level. In addition, evil outsiders caught in the area of this spell take 1d6 sonic damage per class level. If a fiend is killed by this ability, then its spiritual essence is also absorbed into the Angelic Martyr's soul. This has no in-game effects, but does prevent that fiend from reincarnating on its native plane. You may use this ability once per day.

Smite the Spirit (Su)
At 9th level, you gain the ability to drain the spiritual essence of fiends you smite. Once per day, when you smite an evil outsider, you may choose to smite its spirit. If you do, and the attack is successful, then that outsider gains 1d4 negative levels. In addition, each subsequent round for a number of rounds equal to your class level, it must make a Fortitude save, DC 10 + your class level + your Charisma modifier, or gain another negative level. Once it successfully saves, it no longer has to save against further negative levels. For every negative level the outsider gains, you are healed 5 hp, gaining any excess hp as temporary hp that last one hour. The negative levels bestowed last only one hour, and there is no chance of them becoming permanent. If a fiend is killed by this ability, then its spiritual essence is also absorbed into the Angelic Martyr's soul. This has no in-game effects, but does prevent that fiend from reincarnating on its native plane.

Fiendish Aspect III
At 10th level, your transformation is complete. The fiend within you has shriveled to a mere spark of evil energy...but your body has become a twisted abomination, a fiendish husk for an angelic spirit.

Demon (Ex): You take on a truly demonic form, distinguished from the Abyssal fiends only by the spark of humanity in your face. Your scales toughen further, increasing your natural armor bonus by two to +5. You gain resistance 5 to two additional energy types, or resistance 10 to one additional energy type. Finally, you sprout leathery, demonic wings, granting you a fly speed of 60 ft. with good maneuverability.

Devil (Sp): Your body becomes an almost perfect mirror of infernal devilkind, with only your human eyes betraying your true appearance. You gain the devils’ powers of teleportation and planar travel. You may use either greater teleport or plane shift once per day as a spell-like ability, with caster level equal to your class level. However, you may only transport yourself with these abilities. In addition, as a swift action, you may become ethereal for 1 round. Once you have used this ability, you must wait 5 rounds before you can use it again.

The Demented One
2007-06-14, 11:16 PM
Fallen Angelic Martyrs

Angelic Martyrs must be constantly vigilant against evil, insuring that they do not succumb to its temptations. But despite all their training and force of will, they can fall just as easily–if not more easily–than a Paladin. Any act that would cause a Paladin to fall also causes him to fall as an Angelic Martyr. A fallen Angelic Martyr loses all of his class features, and cannot take any more Angelic Martyr levels. Atonement cannot restore an Angelic Martyr to grace.

In addition, the fiendish essence bound within an Angelic Martyr is freed when he falls. Sometimes, the fiend will return to its home plane to be reincarnate, but most of the time, it chooses to possess the ex-Martyr. It drains the Martyr’s own spiritual energy to reform its body, and possesses him, using the rules in the Fiendish Codex I. The ex-Martyr has no save against this possession.

An evil ex-Martyr–or, more likely, a possessed ex-Martyr–can exchange Angelic Martyr levels for Blackguard levels, similar to the way a fallen Paladin can. In addition, depending on the number of levels he exchanges, he may regain some Angelic Martyr abilities. If he exchanges at least three levels, then he regains the hellish magic ability, adding the spells to his Blackguard spell list. If he exchanges at least four levels, then he regains the fiendish aspect I ability. If he exchanges at least five levels, he regains the binding summons ability. If he exchanges at least seven levels, then he regains the fiendish aspect II ability, and if he exchanges ten levels, then he regains the fiendish aspect III ability.

TheOOB
2007-06-15, 01:35 AM
Wow, concept wise this class is amazing. I'm still going over the class for game balance (I don't see anything to powerful, if anything the class is a little weak), but the class has a really cool concept.

One thing though, why is it restricted to paladins, why couldn't any good divine caster hold a demon(or devils) soul within their own.

SurlySeraph
2007-06-15, 01:38 AM
Hmmm... shades of Diablo II.

Fizban
2007-06-15, 02:25 AM
While I like the class, it doesn't fulfill it's own fluff. Just as killing scores of demons with steel only slows the flood, so will binding a single demon to your soul remove but a drop from the ocean. I'd put in some way to bind additional fiends to hold them. For example, "Whenever the Angelic Martyr delivers the final blow to a fiend with a smite, the fiend's soul is bound to his. This provides no extra effects except permanently removing a fiend from the multiverse, and deepening the cost should he fall and release the fiends within."

I'd then specify that if an Angelic Martyr goes to his final rest without falling, the fiendish souls are sent to his diety and instantly absorbed into the fabric of the good planes. This way the fiends he absorbs are removed permanently.

Krimm_Blackleaf
2007-06-15, 03:45 AM
I love the class, and as usual, it makes me want to give you a hug because I love you for it. But I do agree with the above post, and it likely wouldn't be too powerful to just tack on top of everything else because it's mostly fluff(except maybe making a fiend incapable of being brought back with True Resurrection).
Oh yeah. *Hug*

The Demented One
2007-06-15, 07:50 AM
Okay, I could see something like that working.

mauslin
2007-06-15, 03:06 PM
Two questions

If the Angelic Martyr falls due to being too chaotic instead of being too evil, does this also free the fiend? IMO it doesn't make sense if the fiend is freed because you became neutral good.

Also, what if the fiend you trap is something beautiful like a succubus? Do you still become ugly?

Matthew
2007-06-16, 11:19 PM
Cool idea. The only worrying aspect for me is the reaction of others to a Paladin doing this. I could see a very cool adventure arc where some Lawful Good type antagonist seeks to kill the Paladin or persuade him to commit suicide to remove the risk of him falling. Especially workable if he's a Paladin X/Samurai Y...

Morrsleib
2007-06-17, 06:20 AM
That's just cool. i will for sure use that one in my upcoming campaign
Just brilliant