Faerûnian Prestige Class : Hammer of Moradin
Within the halls of Citadel Adbar in the icy North, an elite order of warrior-priests stands ready to defend the dwarven people against the onslaught of fell giants, dark elves, and goblinoids. Called the hammers of Moradin, they serve as Citadel Adbar's rallying point against the incursion of dark creatures that haunt the North. The regular army, known as the Iron Guard, defends the city capably, but the hammers actively strike out against the monsters farther afield, bringing the righteous fury of the Soul Forger to their enemies' very doorsteps.
Fighter/clerics and paladins make up the bulk of the members of this prestige class, though cleric/monks are not unheard of. While rangers and cleric/rogues are quite capable of qualifying for the hammer of Moradin prestige class, most gravitate instead to the Deepscouts, another branch of Citadel Adbar's army. Members of other classes very rarely become hammers of Moradin.
Paladins of Moradin can freely multiclass as hammers of Moradin.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Hammer of Moradin, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Dwarf
- Skills: Craft (weaponsmithing) 10 ranks.
- Feats: Iron Will, Weapon Focus (warhammer).
- Base Attack Bonus: +7
- Spells: Able to cast 2nd-level divine spells
- Patron Deity: Moradin
- Special: The candidate must be a member of the hammers of Moradin.
- Region: The Spine of the World
Class Skills
The hammer of Moradin's class skills are Concentration, Craft, Heal, Knowledge (Silver Marches local), Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Profession, and SpellCraft.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the hammer of Moradin prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hammers of Moradin are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with 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.
Aura of Courage (Su): Beginning at 1st level, the hammer of Moradin gains an aura of courage that functions like the paladin ability of the same name.
Hammer Throw (Ex): A hammer of Moradin may use his warhammer as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 20 feet. He takes no additional penalties for using the weapon in this fashion.
Goblinkiller (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, the hammer of Moradin may imbue any warhammer with the goblinoid bane property as a move action. This ability may be used once per day, and the effect lasts a number of rounds equal to the hammer of Moradin's Charisma modifier.
Hammer Return (Su): When the hammer of Moradin reaches 2nd level, any warhammer he throws gains the returning special ability. A returning warhammer flies through the air back to the hammer of Moradin, returning just before his next turn, so that it is ready to use again in that turn. Catching the warhammer when it comes back is a free action. If the hammer of Moradin can't catch it, or if he has moved since throwing it, the warhammer drops to the ground in the square from which it was thrown.
Damage Reduction (Ex): At 3rd level, the hammer of Moradin gains damage reduction 2/-. His damage reduction increases to 4/- at 6th level, and to 6/- at 9th level.
Powerful Grip (Ex): At 3rd level, the hammer of Moradin gains a bonus equal to one-half his Strength bonus (rounded down) on damage rolls when wielding a warhammer in melee. Thus, his bonus on damage rolls with this weapon equals 1-1/2 times his Strength bonus when he wields it in one hand and twice his Strength bonus when he wields it in two hands.
Far Shot (Ex): At 4th level, the hammer of Moradin gains the benefit of the Far Shot feat when throwing his warhammer. This benefit increases the range increment for his thrown hammer to 30 feet.
Quake (Su): By striking his warhammer violently against the ground (a standard action), a 4th-level or higher hammer of Moradin creates a shock wave that violently shakes the earth in front of him. Each creature touching the ground in a 60-foot cone from the point of impact must make a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + hammer of Moradin level + hammer of Moradin's Str modifier) or be knocked prone.
Drowbasher (Su): When a 5th-level or higher hammer of Moradin uses the goblinkiller ability to imbue his warhammer with the goblinoid bane property, it also gains the drow bane property. This ability does not confer any additional uses per day of the goblinkiller ability and it does not extend the duration of the effect, it merely makes each use more versatile.
Power Strike (Su): At 5th level, the hammer of Moradin can strike his foe so hard that his blow leaves the opponent dazed. To use this ability, the hammer of Moradin makes a normal attack roll. (The player must declare that he is using this power before making the attack roll; thus, a miss ruins the attempt.) The attack deals normal damage if successful. In addition, any foe damaged by this attack must make a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + hammer of Moradin level + hammer of Moradin's Str modifier) or be dazed for 1 round. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be dazed. This ability is usable twice per day at 5th level and four times per day at 10th level.
Chaos Crusher (Su): At 7th level, the hammer of Moradin may imbue any warhammer with the axiomatic special ability as a move action. This ability may be used once per day, and the effect lasts a number of rounds equal to the hammer of Moradin's Charisma modifier.
Stalwart (Su): Hammers of Moradin are renowned for their ability to stand strong in the face of a hail of arrows, or wade into a throng of shrieking goblins and emerge untouched. At 7th level, the hammer of Moradin may add his base Will save modifier to his AC once per day as a free action. This benefit lasts for 1 round per hammer of Moradin level.
Giantslayer (Su): When an 8th-level or higher hammer of Moradin uses his goblinkiller ability, his warhammer gains the giant bane property in addition to the goblinoid bane and drow bane properties. This ability does not confer any additional uses per day of the goblinkiller ability and it does not extend the duration of the effect; it merely makes each use more versatile.
Thunder Strike (Ex): When the hammer of Moradin reaches 8th level, his blows are so mighty that armor not only offers little protection from them, but it also acts as a conduit for the force of the blow, causing his opponent even more pain. When wielding his warhammer, the hammer of Moradin gains a bonus on melee damage rolls equal to his foe's armor bonus (not including shield bonus or enhancement bonus). Thus, a hammer of Moradin striking a creature wearing a breastplate gains a +5 bonus on his damage roll.
Power Throw (Su): At 9th level, the hammer of Moradin can hurl his warhammer with such force that it plows on past creatures struck by it. When throwing his hammer, the hammer of Moradin makes a single ranged attack roll and checks the result against the AC of all creatures in a 60-foot straight line from his position. He then rolls damage against each creature that the weapon hits.
Bones of the Earth (Sp): When the hammer of Moradin reaches 10th level, he gains a powerful blessing from Moradin himself. This benefit functions like the shadow walk spell (caster level equals hammer of Moradin's divine caster level), except that rather than traveling along the edge of the Shadow Plane, the character travels along the edge of the Elemental Plane of Earth. Both the origin and destination points must be within 5 feet of solid, natural stone. This ability is usable once per day.
| Hammer of Moradin | Hit Die: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Aura of courage, hammer throw |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Goblinkiller, hammer return |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Damage reduction 2/-, powerful grip |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Far shot, quake |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Drowbasher, power strike 2/day |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Damage reduction 4/- |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Chaos crusher, stalwart |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Giantslayer, thunder strike |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Damage reduction 6/-, power throw |
| 10th | +10 | +4 | +3 | +7 | Bones of the earth, power strike 4/day |
Ex-Hammers Of Moradin
A hammer of Moradin who violates his alignment or betrays either Citadel Adbar or the Hammers of Moradin as a whole loses all spell-like and supernatural abilities gained from this prestige class. He regains his abilities and advancement potential if he atones for his actions (see the atonement spell description).
Epic Hammer of Moradin
The epic hammer of Moradin is a mighty champion of the dwarf race - the very image of his deity on the battlefield.
An epic hammer of Moradin has a dual focus: He should improve his spellcasting ability on a regular basis while also augmenting his sheer combat prowess. The Chosen Weapon Specialization feat makes use of his religious devotion, while a whole array of combat feats from Epic Weapon Focus to Overwhelming Critical can increase his effectiveness in battle. Divine Spell Penetration, Epic Devotion, and Improved Alignment-Based Casting highlight his role as a champion of law and good. Armor Skin, Damage Reduction, Epic Endurance, and Epic Toughness suit the dwarven idiom as well. Strength, Wisdom, and Constitution are all important to the epic hammer of Moradin, and not necessarily in that order. Better attacks, better spells, better hit points - he needs them all, so he should try to increase these three abilities nearly evenly.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Spells: The hammer of Moradin doesn't cast spells.
Bonus Feats: The epic hammer of Moradin gains a bonus feat, selected from the list below, for every two levels higher than 10th. He must meet any prerequisites for a feat in order to select it.
Epic Hammer of Moradin Bonus Feat List: Armor Skin, Bonus Domain, Chosen Weapon Specialization, Damage Reduction, Devastating Critical, Divine Spell Penetration, Enhance Spell, Epic Devotion, Epic Endurance, Epic Leadership, Epic Prowess, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic spellcasting, Epic Toughness, Epic Weapon Focus, Ignore Material Components, Improved Alignment-Based Casting, Improved Aura of Courage, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Spell Capacity, Improved Whirlwind Attack, Legendary Commander, Overwhelming Critical, Penetrate Damage Reduction, Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, Spontaneous Domain Access, Superior Initiative, Widen Aura of Courage.
| Epic Hammer Of Moradin | Hit Die: d10 |
|---|---|
| CL | Special |
| 11th | - |
| 12th | Bonus feat |
| 13th | - |
| 14th | Bonus feat |
| 15th | - |
| 16th | Bonus feat |
| 17th | - |
| 18th | Bonus feat |
| 19th | - |
| 20th | Bonus feat |
Source: Player's Guide to Faerûn