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Sat Apr 28, 2012 12:34 pm
Master Arminas's Templar: An Inquisitor/Monk hybrid
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Over on the Paizo forums, we are having a pretty good debate about the monk, its role, and how it seems to have fallen by the wayside and wound up near the bottom of the class pack. During that discussion, someone pointed out the Inquisitor and they lamented about how this class was what Paizo should have done for the monk in Pathfinder. Now, I wasn't all that familiar with the Inquisitor, so I took a look and was pretty impressed. And that got me to thinking about how the two would appear as a hybrid.
In many respects, it is a throw back to 2nd edition and the 'monks' that were a subset of Priests. Like those old 2nd ed Monks, the Templar can cast spells (but not the highest spells!) and cannot turn undead. They also cannot wear medium or heavy armor or use shields. They are not as fast as normal monks and do not get everything that a 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder monk does--but the synergy of the two classes was astounding!
The end result, the one posted here, is a very capable class that relies upon divine spells to augment their physical abilities. The can serve as a scout, an infiltrator, a secondary combatent, a healer, and an offensive/battlefield controling spell-caster. They can't do everything as well as a more specialized character, but their versatility and jack-of-all-trades design lets them always contribute something. In many ways, they are the divine bard.
Anyway, I hope that you will enjoy my little exercise in design and, as always, any comments, suggestions, advice, or critiques are welcome.
For those not familiar with Pathfinder's Inquisitor class you can find it here: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/inquisitor
Master Arminas
Templar
There are those individuals who fanatical devotion to the precepts of a particular God or Goddess frighten even the clergy of those Deities. These zealots are the Templars. Devoting their entire lift to the cause of their chosen religious order, Templars are driven, ordered individuals. Orders of templars exist to carry out the will of the church. Acting as agents of their faith, templars are dispatched to deal with heretics, infidels, and those whom the church would see either captured or eliminated. Problem solvers and trouble shooters extraordinaire, templars rely on their own wits and faith to see them through dangerous situations. Unerringly lawful, these agents perform their tasks in a cold and methodical manner that causes many clerics and priests to question the wisdom of supporting such orders. Unswerving in their faith, the Templars care not for what the clergy thinks—they carry out the will of their Deity, as they see it.
Templars devoted to evil lords (such as Asmodeus) are feared throughout the land. Neutral templars as well garner much trepidation, especially if they inquire about a local. Even those Templars who serve Gods and Goddesses of the Light are avoided by most common folk if they can do so without appearing rude. The fanatical devotion and unflinching zealotry of these fanatics unnerves even the most stout-hearted.
In addition to their role as roving problem solvers, Templars can be found serving as Temple Guards for all lawful religions. In this role, their lack of heavy armor and obvious weapons grants them an advantage against blasphemers who would assault their chosen faith.
Role: Templars blend martial skill, acrobatics, and divine spell-casting into a seamless whole. While they may lack access to the most powerful divine magics, their mundane skills and physical abilities provides the class with an ability to engage in combat on their terms. Retaining the judgments first seen amongst the Inquisitors, Templars differ from them in being not so much monster-hunters par excellence, but a diverse and versatile class that can help fill all of the roles in an adventuring party: combat, skills, spells, and healing.
Alignment: Any lawful
Hit Die: d8
BAB: Medium
Saves: All good
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Nature) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str)
Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A templar is proficient with all simple weapons and with all monk weapons. A templar is proficient with light armor, but not with medium armor or heavy armor, or any type of shield.
Shielded Aura (Ex): A templar has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to her deity’s alignment. Regardless of her deity’s alignment, a templar radiates Law. The power of a templar’s aura is equal to her templar level. A templar can suppress her aura for one minute each day for each of her templar class levels. While suppressed, a templar’s alignment components cannot be detected, regardless of her class and character level. This duration does not need to be consecutive. Suppressing her aura is a swift action, but dropping the alignment shield and restoring her aura to its normal potency is a free action. The templar cannot shield her aura if she is unconscious.
Domain: A templar may choose one cleric or inquisitor domain granted by her deity. She gains all granted powers of the domain, using her templar level as her effective cleric level for this purpose only. She can select an alignment domain only if her alignment matches that domain. A templar does not gain the bonus spells listed for the domain, nor does she gain bonus spell slots. If the templar gains cleric levels, one of her two domain selections as a cleric must match her selection as a templar. Levels of templar and cleric stack for the purpose of determining domain powers and abilities, but not for bonus spells.
Improved Unarmed Strike: A templar receives Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A templar’s attacks may be with fist, elbows, arms, feet, knees, legs, and head. When using unarmed strikes, a templar may apply her full Strength bonus regardless of whether or not the unarmed strike is made with her primary hand or her off-hand.
Usually, a templar’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A templar’s unarmed strike is treated as both a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.
A templar’s unarmed strike is considered to be one weapon for purpose of spells or effects that enhance weapons, regardless of which part of her body the templar uses to attack with. If the templar possesses the Two-Weapon Fighting feats, she may use her unarmed strike with all of the attacks granted through the use of that feat (and the Improved or Greater versions) if she so chooses. If the templar possesses the feat Two Weapon Defense, she may apply the shield bonus to her armor class even if she is fighting only with unarmed strikes and is not wielding a manufactured weapon.
A templar also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would. At 1st level, a templar deals 1d6 points of damage. This increases to 1d8 at 5th level, to 1d10 at 9th level, to 2d6 at 13th level, and to 2d8 at 17th level. These values are for Medium templars. A Small templar deals less damage than the amount given here with her unarmed strikes, while a Large templar deals more damage (see Monk class for details).
Beginning at 4th level, a templar’s unarmed strikes are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of affecting incorporeal creatures and bypassing damage reduction. The number of defenses that a templar’s unarmed strikes can bypass increases as the templar gains levels. At 8th level, the templar’s unarmed strikes are treated as lawful weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. At 12th level, they are treated as cold iron and silver weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. At 16th level, they are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction and the templar can ignore all hardness of less than 20. At 20th level, the templar’s unarmed strikes bypass all alignment-based damage reduction.
Intuitive Defense: When wearing no armor, light armor, and carrying no more than a light load, the templar adds a +1 insight bonus to her AC and CMD. This bonus increases by 1 for every four templar levels gained thereafter, to a maximum bonus of +5 at 17th level. This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when the templar is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she is wearing medium or heavy armor, when she uses or otherwise equips a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.
Judgment (Su): A templar can pronounce judgment upon her foes as a swift action once per day. Starting when the judgment is made, the templar receives a bonus or special ability based on the type of judgment selected. At 4th level, and every four levels gained thereafter, the templar can use this ability one additional time per day (to a maximum of 6 times per day at 20th level). Once activated, the selected judgment lasts until the combat ends, at which point all of the bonuses or special abilities granted immediately end. The templar must participate in combat to gain these bonuses or special abilities. If she is frightened, panicked, paralyzed, stunned, unconscious, or otherwise prevented from participating in the combat, the ability does not end, but the bonuses are suspended until she can participate in the combat again.
When the templar uses this ability, she must select one of the following types of judgment to make. As a swift action on her turn, she can change this judgment to another type of her choice. If the templar is good, the bonuses granted below are sacred. If the templar is evil, the bonuses granted below are instead profane. Neutral templars must select, at 1st level, whether her bonuses will be sacred or profane. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.
Unless otherwise stated, each of the following judgments can only be selected once, even after the templar gains her Second Judgment ability or Third Judgment ability (see below).
Celerity: The templar moves with a speed and precision that few mortals can obtain. Divine insight allows her to gain an additional attack at her highest attack bonus when she makes a full-attack. This additional attack does not stack with those granted by spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities such as haste, or with those granted by a weapon with the speed property. When the templar gains her Second Judgment ability (see below) she may select this judgment twice if she so chooses, gaining two additional attacks at her highest attack bonus. The templar may not select this judgment a third time; even if she has gained use of her Third Judgment ability (see below).
Destruction: The templar is filled with divine wrath, gaining a +1 sacred or profane bonus on all weapon damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 17th level.
Justice: The templar is driven to seek justice and is granted a +1 sacred or profane bonus on all attack rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 17th level.
Protection: The templar is surrounded by a protective divine aura, granting her a +1 sacred or profane bonus to Armor Class. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 17th level.
Purity: The templar is protected from the vile taint of her foes, and receives a +1 sacred or profane bonus on all saving throws. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, to +3 at 9th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 17th level.
Resiliency: Her faith in the divine firm, the templar’s patron protects her from physical harm. She gains DR 2/-. The DR granted by this judgment increases to 4/- at 5th level, to 6/- at 9th level, to 8/- at 13th level, and to 10/- at 17th level.
Resistance: The templar is shielded by a flickering aura that grants her with 2 points per templar level of energy resistance against one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) of the templar’s choice when the judgment is declared.
Spells: A templar casts divine spells drawn from the templar spell list (see below). She can cast any spell she knows at any time without preparing it ahead of time, assuming she has not yet used up her allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.
To learn or cast a spell, a templar must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a templar’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the templar’s Wisdom modifier.
A templar can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level each day. Her base daily spell allotment is equal to that of the Inquisitor class. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score.
A templar’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A templar begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the templar’s choice. At each new templar level, she gains one or more new spells as indicated in the Inquisitor class description. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells an inquisitor knows is not affected by her Wisdom score. The numbers given on the Inquisitor table are fixed.)
Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third templar level thereafter (8th, 11th, and so on), a templar can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the templar ‘loses’ the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level Templar spell she can cast. The templar may swap out only a single spell at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level.
Orisons: Templars learn a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, as noted in the Inquisitor class description under ‘Spells Known’. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again. Orisons cast using higher level spell slots, such as those due to metamagic feats, are expended normally.
Cunning Initiative (Ex): At 2nd level, a templar adds her Wisdom modifier on initiative checks, in addition to her Dexterity modifier.
Fast Movement (Ex): At 2nd level, a templar’s land speed increases by +10 feet. This benefit applies only when she is wearing no armor or light armor, if she is not wielding or otherwise has equipped a shield, and if she is carrying no more than a light load. This bonus stacks with any other bonuses to the templar’s land speed.
Bonus Feat: Starting at 3rd level, and every three levels gained as a templar thereafter, a templar receives a bonus feat. She may select any of the following feats: Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Grapple, and Stunning Fist. At 6th level, she adds the following feats to the list of those she may select: Improved Bull Rush, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, and Mobility. At 9th level, she adds the following feats to the list of those she may select: Improved Critical, Snatch Arrows, and Spring Attack.
A templar may select any of the listed feats even if she does not meet the prerequisites. If a selected feat contains special rules that apply to Monks, those rules also apply to a Templar.
Bane (Su): At 5th level, a templar can imbue one of her weapons (including unarmed strikes) with the bane special weapon property. She must select one creature type when she uses this ability (and a subtype if the creature type selected is humanoid or outsider). Once selected, the type can be changed as a swift action. This ability only functions while the templar wields the weapon. If dropped or taken, the weapon loses all benefits of this ability. The templar may use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to her templar level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Evasion (Ex): At 5th level, a templar can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the templar is wearing no armor or light armor, if she is not wielding or otherwise has equipped a shield, and if she is carrying no more than a light load. A helpless templar does not gain the benefit of the evasion ability.
Maneuver Training (Ex): At 7th level or higher Templar uses her templar class level in place of her BAB when calculating her CMB. She continues to apply her BAB from other classes as normal.
Second Judgment (Ex): At 8th level, whenever a templar uses her judgment ability, she can select two different judgments instead of one. This only consumes one use of her judgment ability. As a swift action, she can change one of the two judgments currently in effect to another judgment.
Conniving Aura (Su): At 10th level, a templar may instead of suppressing her aura (see Shielded Aura, above, for details) instead alter her aura to reflect an intensity and alignment of her choice. For example, a LN templar can suppress her aura to remove it completely, or she make her aura appear either weaker or stronger (to a maximum strength of overwhelming) and radiate law/chaos or good/evil, or even both if she so chooses.
Stalwart (Ex): At 11th level, a templar can use mental and physical resiliency to avoid certain attacks. If she makes a Fortitude or Will saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, she instead avoids the effect entirely. This ability can only be used if the templar is wearing no armor or light armor, if she is not wielding or otherwise has equipped a shield, and if she is carrying no more than a light load. A helpless templar does not gain the benefit of the stalwart ability.
Greater Bane (Su): At 12th level, whenever a templar uses her bane ability, the amount of bonus damage dealt by the weapon against creatures of the selected type increases to 4d6.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 14th level, a templar’s evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. Improved evasion can be used only if the templar is wearing no armor or light armor, if she is not wielding or otherwise has equipped a shield, and if she is carrying no more than a light load. A helpless templar does not gain the benefit of the improved evasion ability.
Third Judgment (Ex): At 16th level, whenever a templar uses her judgment ability, she selects three judgments, instead of just two. This only consumes one use of her judgment ability. As a swift action, she can change one of the three judgments currently in effect to another judgment.
Empty Body: At 17th level, a templar may, as a standard action, become ethereal, as per the spell etherealness. This ability lasts for one minute and the templar may use this ability twice per day. At 18th, 19th, and 20th level, the templar gains one additional daily use of this ability.
Divine Sight (Sp): At 18th level, a templar may, as a swift action, use true sight, as per the spell, for a total duration in rounds each day equal to her templar class level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
True Judgment (Su): At 20th level, a templar can call true judgment down upon a foe in combat. Whenever a templar uses her judgment ability, the templar can invoke true judgment on a foe as a swift action. Once declared, the templar can make a single melee (or ranged attack, if the foe is within 30 feet) against the target. If the attack hits, it deals damage normally and the target must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + ½ the templar’s level + the templar’s Wisdom modifier. Regardless of whether or not the save is made, the target creature is immune to the templar’s true judgment ability for 24 hours. Once this ability has been used, it cannot be used again for 1d4 rounds.
Templar Spell List
Zero-level Spells: Acid splash, bleed, create water, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, guidance, light, read magic, resistance, stabilize, virtue
1st-level spells: Alarm, bane, bless, bless water, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, curse water, detect alignment, detect undead, disguise self, divine favor, doom, expeditious retreat, feather fall, hide from undead, inflict light wounds, jump, magic weapon, protection from alignment, remove fear, sanctuary, shield of faith, true strike
2nd-level spells: aid, align weapon, clam emotions, consecrate, cure moderate wounds, darkness, death knell, delay poison, desecrate, detect thoughts, enthrall, find traps, hold person, inflict moderate wounds, invisibility, knock, resist energy, lesser restoration, see invisibility, shield other, silence, spider climb, spiritual weapon, tongues, undetectable alignment, whispering wind, zone of truth
3rd-level spells: arcane sight, continual flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, dimensional anchor, dispel magic, glyph of warding, halt undead, heroism, inflict serious wounds, invisibility purge, keen edge, locate object, magic circle vs. alignment, magic vestment, greater magic weapon, nondetection, obscure object, prayer, protection from energy, remove curse, remove disease, searing light, speak with dead, water walk
4th-level spells: chaos hammer, cure critical wounds, death ward, detect scrying, dimension door, discern lies, dismissal, divination, divine power, fear, freedom of movement, lesser geas, hold monster, holy smite, inflict critical wounds, greater invisibility, neutralize poison, order's wrath, restoration, sending, spell immunity, stoneskin, unholy blight
5th-level spells: atonement, banishment, break enchantment, greater command, commune, mass cure light wounds, dispel alignment, disrupting weapon, flame strike, geas/quest, hallow, mass inflict light wounds, mark of justice, righteous might, spell resistance, telepathic bond, true seeing, unhallow
6th-level spells: air walk, blade barrier, blasphemy, circle of death, mass cure moderate wounds, dictum, greater dispel magic, find the path, forbiddance, greater glyph of warding, harm, heal, heroes’ feast, holy word, mass inflict moderate wounds, legend lore, repulsion, undeath to death, word of chaos
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