Mystic Paladin, base class (D&D 3.5)

[Mike Miller]

This is a take at extending the Paladin to a full caster in the spirit of the Mystic Ranger. Inspired by this thread.

Here is my take on the Mystic Paladin.
If not otherwise noted, same as default paladin. Mystic Paladin loses the special mount and has most abilities are delayed a level.

class table

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Mystic Paladin						Spells	per	day
Level	BAB	FORT	REF	WILL	Special	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1st	1	2	0	0	Aura of good	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	2	3	0	0	Detect evil, Smite evil 1/day	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	3	3	1	1	Divine grace, Lay on hands	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4th	4	4	1	1	Aura of courage, Divine health	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5th	5	4	1	1	Turn undead	3	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
6th	6/1	5	2	2	Remove disease 1/week, Smite evil 2/day	3	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
7th	7/2	5	2	2	-	3	3	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-
8th	8/3	6	2	2	-	3	3	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-
9th	9/4	6	3	3	Remove disease 2/week	4	3	3	2	2	1	-	-	-	-
10th	10/5	7	3	3	-	4	4	3	3	2	1	-	-	-	-
11th	11/6/1	7	3	3	Smite evil 3/day	4	4	3	3	2	2	1	-	-	-
12th	12/7/2	8	4	4	Remove disease 3/week	4	4	4	3	3	2	1	-	-	-
13th	13/8/3	8	4	4	-	4	4	4	3	3	2	2	1	-	-
14th	14/9/4	9	4	4	-	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	1	-	-
15th	15/10/5	9	5	5	Remove disease 4/week	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	1	-
16th	16/11/6/1	10	5	5	Smite evil 4/day	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	1	-
17th	17/2/7/2	10	5	5	-	5	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	1
18th	18/13/8/3	11	6	6	Remove disease 5/week	5	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	1
19th	19/14/9/4	11	6	6	-	5	5	5	5	4	4	3	3	2	2
20th	20/15/10/5	12	6	6	-	5	5	5	5	4	4	4	3	3	2

Ideas for spells (I am keeping this to the PHB for now, but SpC would certainly be a welcome addition):

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level 0: create water, cure minor wounds, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, resistance, virtue
level 1: (standard minus the ones moved to other levels)
level 2: (standard minus the ones moved to other levels), cure moderate wounds, lesser restoration
level 3: (standard minus the ones moved to other levels, minus heal mount), cure serious wounds
level 4: (standard minus the ones moved to other levels), cure critical wounds, greater magic weapon
level 5: atonement, break enchantment, dispel chaos, dispel evil, hallow, mark of justice, mass cure light wounds, raise dead, righteous might, true seeing
level 6: banishment, greater dispel magic, forbiddance, heal, heroes' feast, holy sword, mass cure moderate wounds, undeath to death, word of recall
level 7: dictum, greater restoration, holy word, mass cure serious wounds, refuge, regenerate, resurrection
level 8: discern location, holy aura, mass cure critical wounds, shield of law
level 9: implosion, mass heal, miracle, soul bind, storm of vengeance, true resurrection

[Maat Mons]

What are you aiming for, balance wise?

I see 9th-level divine spells and full base attack bonus. Is it supposed to be like a cleric, but losing some versatility to have more out-of-the-box gishing ability? (You know, instead of using divine metamagic (persist) on divine power, or going for full-base-attack-bonus prestige classes.)

Instead of giving a remove disease class feature, why not just add remove disease to the class' spell list?

I don't know that it lay on hands makes a lot of sense for a caster. It's kind of weird to have two completely different healing resources. This was already true of the base paladin. And it's even more glaring with the spells cranked up.

Smite evil combines two design elements I don't like, only working on certain enemies, and having a uses per day limit.

If I were redoing paladin, I'd be tempted to make it a Beguiler/Dread Necromancer style caster.

[Maat Mons]

Oh, and here are some ideas for the spell list:

0-Level

• Cure Minor Wounds: Cures 1 point of damage.
• Detect Poison: Detects poison in one creature or object.
• Light: Object shines like a torch.
• Mending: Makes minor repairs on an object.
• Purify Food and Drink: Purifies 1 cu. ft./level of food or water.
• Resistance: Subject gains +1 on saving throws.
• Virtue: Subject gains 1 temporary hp.

1st-Level

• Bless Water M: Makes holy water.
• Command: One subject obeys selected command for 1 round.
• Comprehend Languages: You understand all spoken and written languages.
• Cure Light Wounds: Cures 1d8 damage +1/level (max +5).
• Deathwatch: Reveals how near death subjects within 30 ft. are.
• Detect Chaos/Evil: Reveals creatures, spells, or objects of selected alignment.
• Detect Undead: Reveals undead within 60 ft.
• Endure Elements: Exist comfortably in hot or cold environments.
• Entropic Shield: Ranged attacks against you have 20% miss chance.
• Hide from Undead: Undead can’t perceive one subject/level.
• Protection from Chaos/Evil: +2 to AC and saves, counter mind control, hedge out elementals and outsiders.
• Remove Fear: Suppresses fear or gives +4 on saves against fear for one subject + one per four levels.
• Sanctuary: Opponents can’t attack you, and you can’t attack.
• Shield of Faith: Aura grants +2 or higher deflection bonus.

2nd-Level

• Align Weapon: Weapon becomes good, evil, lawful, or chaotic.
• Calm Emotions: Calms creatures, negating emotion effects.
• Consecrate M: Fills area with positive energy, making undead weaker.
• Cure Moderate Wounds: Cures 2d8 damage +1/level (max +10).
• Delay Poison: Stops poison from harming subject for 1 hour/level.
• Desecrate M: Fills area with negative energy, making undead stronger.
• Enthrall: Captivates all within 100 ft. + 10 ft./level.
• Make Whole: Repairs an object.
• Remove Paralysis: Frees one or more creatures from paralysis or slow effect.
• Resist Energy: Ignores 10 (or more) points of damage/attack from specified energy type.
• Restoration, Lesser: Dispels magical ability penalty or repairs 1d4 ability damage.
• Shield Other F: You take half of subject’s damage.
• Status: Monitors condition, position of allies.
• Zone of Truth: Subjects within range cannot lie.

3rd-Level

• Animate Dead M: Creates undead skeletons and zombies.
• Continual Flame M: Makes a permanent, heatless torch.
• Cure Serious Wounds: Cures 3d8 damage +1/level (max +15).
• Daylight: 60-ft. radius of bright light.
• Dispel Magic: Cancels spells and magical effects.
• Invisibility Purge: Dispels invisibility within 5 ft./level.
• Magic Circle against Chaos/Evil: As protection spells, but 10-ft. radius and 10 min./level.
• Magic Vestment: Armor or shield gains +1 enhancement per four levels.
• Protection from Energy: Absorb 12 points/level of damage from one kind of energy.
• Remove Blindness/Deafness: Cures normal or magical conditions.
• Remove Curse: Frees object or person from curse.
• Remove Disease: Cures all diseases affecting subject.

4th-Level

• Cure Critical Wounds: Cures 4d8 damage +1/level (max +20).
• Death Ward: Grants immunity to death spells and negative energy effects.
• Dimensional Anchor: Bars extradimensional movement.
• Discern Lies: Reveals deliberate falsehoods.
• Dismissal: Forces a creature to return to native plane.
• Freedom of Movement: Subject moves normally despite impediments.
• Neutralize Poison: Immunizes subject against poison, detoxifies venom in or on subject.
• Repel Vermin: Insects, spiders, and other vermin stay 10 ft. away.
• Restoration M: Restores level and ability score drains.
• Spell Immunity: Subject is immune to one spell per four levels.
• Tongues: Speak any language.

5th-Level

• Atonement F X: Removes burden of misdeeds from subject.
• Break Enchantment: Frees subjects from enchantments, alterations, curses, and petrification.
• Command, Greater: As command, but affects one subject/level.
• Commune X: Deity answers one yes-or-no question/level.
• Cure Light Wounds, Mass: Cures 1d8 damage +1/level for many creatures.
• Dispel Chaos/Evil: +4 bonus against attacks.
• Disrupting Weapon: Melee weapon destroys undead.
• Hallow M: Designates location as holy.
• Mark of Justice: Designates action that will trigger curse on subject.
• Raise Dead M: Restores life to subject who died as long as one day/level ago.
• Spell Resistance: Subject gains SR 12 + level.
• True Seeing M: Lets you see all things as they really are.

6th-Level

• Banishment: Banishes 2 HD/level of extraplanar creatures.
• Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass: Cures 2d8 damage +1/level for many creatures.
• Dispel Magic, Greater: As dispel magic, but up to +20 on check.
• Forbiddance M: Blocks planar travel, damages creatures of different alignment.
• Geas/Quest: As lesser geas, plus it affects any creature.
• Heal: Cures 10 points/level of damage, all diseases and mental conditions.
• Word of Recall: Teleports you back to designated place.

7th-Level

• Cure Serious Wounds, Mass: Cures 3d8 damage +1/level for many creatures.
• Dictum: Kills, paralyzes, slows, or deafens nonlawful subjects.
• Holy Word: Kills, paralyzes, blinds, or deafens nongood subjects.
• Refuge M: Alters item to transport its possessor to you.
• Regenerate: Subject’s severed limbs grow back, cures 4d8 damage +1/level (max +35).
• Repulsion: Creatures can’t approach you.
• Restoration, Greater X: As restoration, plus restores all levels and ability scores.
• Resurrection M: Fully restore dead subject.

8th-Level

• Cure Critical Wounds, Mass: Cures 4d8 damage +1/level for many creatures.
• Dimensional Lock: Teleportation and interplanar travel blocked for one day/level.
• Holy Aura F: +4 to AC, +4 resistance, and SR 25 against evil spells.
• Shield of Law F: +4 to AC, +4 resistance, and SR 25 against chaotic spells.
• Spell Immunity, Greater: As spell immunity, but up to 8th-level spells.

9th-Level

• Heal, Mass: As heal, but with several subjects.
• True Resurrection M: As resurrection, plus remains aren’t needed.

[silentpun]

I personally believe that (with a few exceptions) no class should have 9th-level casting (especially not prepared casting with a decent list) and full BaB. Why would anyone play any other gish or support class when this is an option?

[Alabenson]

Honestly, I'm going to second the concerns that the combination of full BAB and 9th level casting might be a bit much. Granted, the class spell list doesn't look too bad (aside from the 9ths, which should really be cut in half) but it also doesn't look fix the main issues with the Paladin as a class. The Mystic Paladin is still fairly front loaded with few interesting class features beyond level 5 and no capstone. True, it has a smattering of level-appropriate spells, but that doesn't really give it a wealth of interesting things to do inside combat.

[GrayDeath]

Agreed.

A Mystic paladin should cast much better than a regular one, but still be clearly below Clerics/Druids.

How about capping them at 6th level? Still a lot more power and utility, and with a Paladin Chassis (maybe use the PF one) it could be a good "Gishadin" out of the box.

Check my Paladin Redo for examples for more power without making him a full caster.


If you HAVE to make it a full caster, you need to educe the higher level spell number and make him a fixed List caster to avoid it being blatantly "if I ever want to play a Caster Warrior and like LG I choose this class" problems.