Faerûnian Prestige Class : Harper Paragon

Though all the Harpers are more or less devoted to fighting evil - particularly combating evil churches and organizations that try to spread their influence across Faerûn - it does not necessarily follow that the Harpers are good. A Harper paragon, however, is as dedicated to the cause of good as she is to opposing evil. She actively promotes the welfare of other creatures while preventing evil forces from preying on innocents.

Most Harper paragons have training as rangers or Harper agents, and many have also been bards. Clerics and paladins dedicated to Deneir, Tymora, or Lliira also frequently pursue the path of the Harper paragon. Harper paragons are most common among the Harpers working under Lady Cylyria in Berdusk. Only a few can be found in the ranks of the politically manipulative "Moonstars," who operate under the leadership of Khelben Arunsun, or the independent adventurers working out of Shadowdale. Harper paragons rarely experience any conflicts of interest in the Berdusk branch of the organization, but their consciences may be pricked regularly in other branches of the organization.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Harper Paragon, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Class Skills

The Harper paragon's class skills are Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (all), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Survival, Swim, and Tumble.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Harper paragon prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Harper paragons gain no proficiency with any weapon, armor, or shield. 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.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: When a new Harper paragon level is gained, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus metamagic or item creation feats, improved chance of turning or rebuking undead, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. This essentially means that she adds the level of Harper paragon to the level of some other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.

If a character had more than one spellcasting class before she became a Harper paragon, she must decide to which class she adds each level of Harper paragon for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

Aura of Good (Ex): The power of the character's aura of good is equal to her Harper paragon level. If she has the aura of good ability from another class, levels of that class stack with her Harper paragon levels for the purpose of this ability.

Detect Evil (Sp): At will, a Harper paragon can use detect evil as the spell.

Harper Knowledge (Ex): At 1st level, the Harper paragon can access knowledge in the same manner that a bard can. This ability functions like the bardic knowledge ability, except that the bonus for the check equals the character's Harper paragon level + her Int modifier. If the Harper paragon has another such lore ability from another source (such as bard, loremaster, or Harper agent levels), her Harper paragon levels stack with levels of all other classes that grant such an ability for the purpose of Harper knowledge checks.

Favored Enemy (Evil) (Ex): At 2nd level, a harper paragon gains evil creatures of all kinds as a favored enemy, She gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against evil creatures. She also gains a +1 bonus on weapon damage rolls against evil creatures. If the Harper paragon has the favored enemy ability from another class (such as ranger) and a particular evil creature also qualifies as a favored enemy for that class, the bonuses stack.

Celestial Spells (Ex): Upon reaching 3rd level, a harper paragon can cast spells as if she were a celestial. Specifically, she can learn and cast any spell that has a celestial component, as long as she would otherwise qualify to cast the spell. (That is, the spell must appear on her spell list and be of a spell level that she can cast, and the ability score that controls her spellcasting must be high enough to allow her to cast spells of that level. The Harper paragon can also cast spells that have the specific kind of celestial component that matches her alignment - archon if she is lawful good, guardinal if she is neutral good, or eladrin if she is chaotic good.

Exalted Companion (Ex): At 4th level, a Harper paragon gains Exalted Companion as a bonus feat if she does not already have it. If she does not already have an animal companion, she gains - one now, as though she were a druid of a level equal to her Harper paragon level. If she has the ability to summon an animal companion from another class (such as druid or ranger), her Harper paragon levels stack with levels of any classes that grant this benefit for the purpose of determining the kind of exalted companion she qualifies for and its abilities.

Favored Enemy (Ex): At 5th level and again at 10th level, the Harper paragon may select one additional favored enemy from the following list: the Church of Bane, the Cult of the Dragon, the Iron Throne, the malaugryms, the Red Wizards, or the Zhentarim. The Harper paragon gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of its type. Likewise, she gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures. In addition, the bonus against any one favored enemy of her choice (regardless of the class in which she chose it) increases by 2.

Smite Evil (Su): Once per day, a Harper paragon of at least 6th level may attempt to smite an evil creature with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to the attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per Harper paragon level. For example, a 6th-level Harper paragon armed with a longsword would deal 1d8+6 points of damage, plus any additional bonuses from high strength or magical effects that would normally apply. If a Harper paragon accidentally smites a creature that is not evil, the smite has no effect but is still used up for that day.

The Harper paragon can use this ability twice per day at 8th level and three times per day at 10th level.

Harper ParagonHit Die: d10
CLBABFortRefWillSpecialSpells per Day
1st+0+0+2+0Aura of good, detect evil, Harper knowledge+1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd+1+0+3+0Favored enemy (evil)+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd+2+1+3+1Celestial spells+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th+3+1+4+1Exalted Companion+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th+3+1+4+1Favored enemy+1 level of existing spellcasting class
6th+4+2+5+2Smite evil 1/day+1 level of existing spellcasting class
7th+5+2+5+2-+1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th+6+2+6+2Smite evil 2/day+1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th+6+3+6+3-+1 level of existing spellcasting class
10th+7+3+7+3Favored enemy, smite evil 3/day+1 level of existing spellcasting class

Source: Player's Guide to Faerûn

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