Faerûnian Prestige Class : Divine Champion
Divine champions are mighty warriors who dedicate themselves to their deity's cause, defending holy ground, destroying enemies of the church, and slaying mythical beasts and clerics of opposed faiths. For deities that do not count paladins among their followers, divine champions fill the role of the church-sponsored warrior.
Most divine champions come from a combat of military background. Barbarians, fighters, monks, paladins, and rangers are the most common divine champions, but some of the more militant clerics and druids decide to become divine champions. Bards, rogues, sorcerers, and wizards rarely become divine champions unless they are particularly devout and skilled in warfare.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Divine Champion, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Knowledge (religion), 3 ranks.
- Feats: Weapon Focus in the deity's favored weapon.
- Base Attack Bonus: +7.
- Patron: A divine champion must have a patron deity, and it must the deity of which she is a champion.
Class Skills
The divine champion's class skills are Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Jump, Knowledge (religion), Ride, Spot, and Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the divine champion prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Divine champions are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, but not with any armor or shields. Armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble, and double the normal armor check penalty applies to Swim checks.
Lay on Hands (Su): Beginning at 1st level, a divine champion may heal wounds (her own or those of others with the same patron deity) by touch. This ability otherwise functions like the paladin's lay on hands ability. If the divine champion has the lay on hands ability from another source (such as paladin levels), her daily uses of ability from that source are not limited by the strictures of this version. Only the daily uses derived from divine champion levels are restricted to characters with the same patron deity.
Bonus Feat: At 2nd level and again at 4th level, the divine champion may select a bonus feat from the following list: Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Improved Turning, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus. He must meet any prerequisites for a feat in order to select it.
Sacred Defense (Ex): At 2nd level, the divine champion gains a +1 bonus on saving throws against divine spells, as well as the spell-like and supernatural abilities of outsiders. When she reaches 4th level, the bonus increases to +2.
Smite Infidel (Su): Once per day, a divine champion of at least 3rd level may attempt to smite a creature that has a different patron deity with one normal melee attack. Creatures of Intelligence 2 or less do not have patron deities and are not subject to this attack, but creatures of Intelligence 3 or higher who do not choose patron deities are. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to the attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per divine champion level. For example, a 4th-level divine champion armed with a longsword would deal 1d8+4 points of damage, plus any additional bonuses from high strength or magical effects that would normally apply. If a divine champion accidentally smites a creature that is not of an opposing alignment or deity, the smite has no effect but is still used up for that day.
If the divine champion has a smite ability from another source (such as cleric or paladin levels), she may instead use that ability one extra time per day.
Divine Wrath (Su): Once per day, a 5th-level divine champion can channel a portion of her patron deity's power to greatly enhance her own battle prowess. She gains damage reduction 5/- and a +3 bonus on attack rolls, damage, and saving throws for a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1 round). These modifiers are sacred bonuses if the divine champion's patron is of good alignment, or profane bonuses if her deity is of evil alignment. If the patron deity is neutral, the divine champion's alignment determines whether the bonuses are sacred or profane. If both the divine champion and her patron are neutral, the character chooses whether the bonuses are sacred or profane when she first gains the ability.
| Divine Champion | Hit Dice: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | Att Bon | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Lay on hands |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Bonus feat, sacred defense +1 |
| 3rd | +1 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Smite infidel |
| 4th | +2 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Bonus feat, sacred defense +2 |
| 5th | +2 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Divine wrath |
Source: Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Player's Guide to Faerûn