General Prestige Class : Planar Champion
Warrior of a hundred worlds. Mercenary captain of the Blood Wars. Sword of celestial vengeance. The planar champion moves between the planes, always driven to battle. She may be driven by a quest for justice or a thirst for blood, but she is feared throughout the known universes for her prowess.
All planar champions were renowned for their martial prowess before they entered the prestige class, so those classes skilled with weapons gravitate to this class. They specialize in fighting the natives of particular planes, learning as much as they can about their foes in order to defeat them.
Nonplayer character (NPC) planar champions are battling, recovering from a battle, or preparing for the next one. They often travel from plane to plane on missions that further their larger crusade.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Planar Champion, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Knowledge (the planes) 4 ranks
- Feats: Weapon Specialization,
- Base Attack Bonus: +6.
- Special: The planar champion must have visited at least two planes other than her native plane before taking this prestige class. The champion does not need to have been the instigator of these travels,
Class Skills
The planar champion's class skills are Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Search, Speak language, Spot, Survival, Swim, and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are features of the planar champion prestige class.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Planar champion are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with shields.
Favored Plane: The planar champion has studied the natives of a particular plane extensively. She gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival lore checks when using these skill against a native of that plane. Likewise, the planar champion gets the same bonus on weapon damage rolls against creatures native to the favored plane. The planar champion only gets the damage bonus with ranged weapons if the target is within 30 feet. The damage bonus does not apply to creatures immune to critical bits. The champion chooses only one favored plane, and even identical creatures from other planes are not affected. For example if a planar champion chooses the Nine Hells as her favored plane, she would gain the bonus against devils native to that plane, but not devils from the adjacent plane of Acheron. The planar champion's studies help in non-combat settings as well. The planar champion gets a +1 bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks when interacting with natives of the favored plane. Survival (direction) checks get a +1 bonus when performed on the favored plane. The planar champion gains a second favored plane when reaching 5th level and a third favored plane when reaching 10th level. When gaining a new favored plane, the bonuses for previous favored planes increase by +1. For example, a 5th-level planar champion could choose Acheron as a new favored plane, earning a +1 bonus against its natives, and her bonus against natives of the Nine Hells would increase to +2. The planar champion may not choose her native plane as a favored plane.
The bonuses from this ability stack with the ranger's favored enemy ability. A ranger/planar champion with a favored enemy of devils and a favored plane of Nine Hells adds both bonuses together when fighting a devil native to the Nine Hells.
See Invisibility (Su): Upon reaching 2nd level, a planar champion has the ability to see invisibility at will, as per the spell cast by a 5th-level sorcerer. This ability allows her to see (but not affect) ethereal creatures.
Attack Ethereal (Su): A planar champion of 3rd level or higher can transform her weapon into a material force effect at will, enabling her to attack creatures on the Ethereal Plane. The planar champion begins and ends this ability as a free action, but must use it on a melee weapon she has Weapon Specialization in. If the planar champion is wielding a magic weapon, this ability also eliminates the 50% miss chance when attacking an incorporeal foe.
Planar Survival (Ex): At 4th level, a planar champion becomes attuned to the nature of the planes she visits and personally immune to their natural planar effects. Any effect that would be negated by the avoid planar effects spell is negated by the planar survival ability as well.
The planar champion is immune to the "normal" fires of the Elemental Plane of Fire, but fire-based attack forms and unusually fiery areas there still affect her. Because this extraordinary ability is the result of attuning herself to a particular plane, the planar champion remains vulnerable to the same sort of damage in other planes where that attack form is not part of the natural order. Fires on other planes, including the Material Plane, affect her normally.
Ethereal Jaunt (Sp): A planar champion of 6th level or higher may step onto the Ethereal Plane three times per day This functions as the ethereal jaunt spell cast by a 13th-level sorcerer.
Rip Portal (Sp): Once per day, a planar champion of 7th level or higher can rip a portal through the Astral Plane to another plane of existence. By tearing a hole in the fabric of the plane she's on, the champion may open a portal onto the Astral Plane or any plane that the Astral Plane touches that the champion has visited before. As per the plane shift spell, the planar champion has no control over the precise destination on whatever plane she rips a portal to. The portal appears as a ragged hole in space adjacent to the planar champion and lasts for 1d4+1 rounds before healing over.
Sunder Portal (Sp): Once per day, a planar champion of 8th level or higher has the ability to seal a dimensional gate or portal by severing the connection to the destination. She may do with a successful level check (DC 5 + the caster level of the gate or portal). The gate spell is destroyed as if dispelled, while portals are suppressed for 1d6 days.
Damage Reduction (Su): At 9th level, a planar champion gains damage reduction 20/+1. This means that the character ignores (instantly regenerates) the first 20 points of damage from any attack unless the damage is dealt by a weapon with a +1 or higher enhancement bonus, by a spell, or by a form of energy (fire, cold, and so on). This ability does not stack with other damage reduction abilities.
| Planar Champion | Hit Die: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Favored plane |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | See invisibility |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Attack ethereal |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Planar survival |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Favored plane |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Ethereal jaunt |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Rip portal |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Sunder portal |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Damage reduction 20/+1 |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Favored plane |
Source: Expanded Psionics Handbook