Holy Liberator – Alternate Paladin Class

Through a select, worthy few shines the power of the divine. Some of those holy warriors place themselves forcefully before those who would oppress or dominate others. These are the holy liberators, holy liberators of those who need them the most. The holy liberator is a variant class of the paladin; much as the Antipaladin/Blackguard is a variant dedicated to evil, the liberator is chaotic good in alignment, dedicated to personal freedom and liberty as the ultimate good. The tenet of “as much as you harm none, do as you will” is the maxim of a holy liberator

Holy Liberators in the Realms: Chaotic powers of good may sponsor holy liberators to their causes, and may make up the military arm of their faith the same as many goodly powers employ paladins for this purpose. Selune and Sune are two powers that sponsor both — with the liberators acting as the evangelistic arm of the church in places where tyranny reins over the common folk. Faiths including those of Tymora and Lliira also sponsor liberators to their cause.

Role: holy liberators serve as beacons for their allies within the chaos of battle. While deadly opponents of evil, they can also empower goodly souls to aid in their crusades. Their magic and martial skills also make them well suited to defending others and blessing the fallen with the strength to continue fighting.

Archetypes and Feats: Many of the archetypes and feats available to the Paladin will also be available to the Holy Liberator, as an alternate class to the Paladin. If there is any question as to whether something can apply to your character, discuss it with DMs.

Alignment: Chaotic good.

Hit Die: d10.

Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 gp (average 175 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills

The holy liberator’s class skills are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the holy liberator.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

holy liberators are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).

Detect Coercion (Sp)

At will, a holy liberator can use detect charm, as the spell. She also gains a bonus to Sense Motive equal to half of her holy liberator level to sense if someone is under any sort of magical or mundane compulsion in their words or actions.

Smite (Su)

Once per day, a holy liberator can, as a swift action, choose one target within sight. If this target is evil or lawful (but not good), the holy liberator adds her Cha bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and her holy liberator level to all damage rolls made against the target. If the target is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an evil-aligned undead creature, the bonus to damage increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite automatically bypasses any DR the target might possess.

In addition, while smite is in effect, the holy liberator gains a deflection bonus equal to her Charisma modifier (if any) to her AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If the holy liberator targets a creature that is not evil or lawful, the smite is wasted with no effect.

The smite effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the holy liberator rests and regains her uses of this ability. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, the holy liberator may smite one additional time per day, as indicated on Table: holy liberator, to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level.

Divine Grace (Su)

At 2nd level, a holy liberator gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws.

Liberating Touch (Su)

At 2nd level, a holy liberator can alternately heal wounds (her own or those of others) or help others cast off their bonds with a touch. Each day she can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 her holy liberator level plus her Charisma modifier.

With one use of this ability, a holy liberator (or the creature touched) heals 1d6 hit points of damage for every two holy liberator levels she possesses.

Alternately, with one use of this ability, a holy liberator (or the creature touched) immediately may roll a new saving throw against a spell or spell-like ability of the enchantment (charm) or enchantment (compulsion) subschools that it previously failed a saving throw vs. and which it is still under the effects of. In addition, targets receive a sacred bonus equal to the Holy Liberator’s number of healing dice on such saving throws as well as on CMB checks to escape a grapple. These bonuses last for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 her holy liberator level (minimum 1), although the saving throw reroll only applies when the creature is touched.

Using either of the above abilities is a standard action, unless the holy liberator targets herself, in which case it is a swift action. Despite the name of this ability, a holy liberator only needs one free hand to use this ability. Any feat, effect or ability that modifies a paladin’s Lay Hands ability also modifies this ability.

Divine Tenacity (Ex)

At 3rd level, a holy liberator can use mental resiliency to avoid certain effects. Once per day, she may reroll a failed Will saving throw. Every six levels thereafter she may use this benefit an additional time per day to a total of three times at 15th level. A helpless liberator does not gain the benefit of this ability.

Channel Energy (Su)

When a holy liberator reaches 4th level, she gains the supernatural ability to channel energy like a cleric except she uses the freedom variant channeling described below. Using this ability consumes two uses of her lay on hands ability. A holy liberator uses her level as her effective cleric level when channeling energy. This is a Charisma-based ability.

Variant channeling has the same area of effect, uses per day, and other rules relating to channeling energy. Feats and abilities that modify or present alternative uses for channeled energy (such as Turn Undead) work normally with these variant channeling abilities. However, the liberator can only use this ability to heal, not to damage undead.

When the holy liberator uses this ability, affected creatures gain only half the normal amount of healing but also gain a sacred bonus on Escape Artist checks, CMB checks made to escape a grapple, and saving throws to resist the entangled, paralyzed, or slowed conditions equal to the number of dice of healing until the end of their next turn. If one of the affected creatures is already under the one of these affects, they may, as an immediate action, make another saving throw, Escape Artist check, or compare their CMB with the added bonus in attempt to escape the effect.

Spell Casting

Beginning at 4th level, a holy liberator gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells which are drawn from the paladin spell list with the following changes:

• Remove the following spells from the paladin’s spell list: death ward, discern lies, dispel chaos, magic circle against chaos, protection from chaos, and any other spell with the [Law] descriptor.
• Add the following to the holy liberator’s spell list: 1st—protection from law,  2nd—glibness, 3rd—magic circle against law, 4th—dispel law, freedom of movement, and if there is an opposing spell of any of the above removed spells with the [Chaos] descriptor, these are added to the holy liberator’s spell list at the commensurate level.

A holy liberator must choose and prepare her spells in advance. To prepare or cast a spell, a holy liberator must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a holy liberator’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the holy liberator’s Charisma modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a holy liberator can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: holy liberator. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells). When Table: holy liberator indicates that the holy liberator gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Charisma score for that spell level.

A holy liberator must spend 1 hour each day in quiet prayer and meditation to regain her daily allotment of spells. A holy liberator may prepare and cast any spell on the paladin spell list (see changed spell list below), provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

Through 3rd level, a holy liberator has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her holy liberator level – 3.

Divine Bond (Sp)

Upon reaching 5th level, a holy liberator forms a divine bond with her god. This bond can take one of two forms. Once the form is chosen, it cannot be changed.

At 6th level, a holy liberator gains the ability to cast freedom of movement as a spell-like ability, using her paladin level as her caster level. Every three levels thereafter she can cast it one additional time per day.

Aura of Resolve (Su)

At 8th level, a holy liberator is immune to charm spells and spell-like abilities. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against charm effects. This ability functions only while the holy liberator is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Aura of Freedom (Su)

At 11th level, a holy liberator can expend two uses of her smite ability to target herself and all of her allies within 10 feet of her when she uses her freedom of movement class feature. Allies only enjoy the benefit of this ability while they remain within 10 feet of the holy liberator, but the effect is mobile, centered on the paladin. Activating this ability is a free action. Lawful and evil creatures gain no benefit from this ability.

Aura of Faith (Su)

At 14th level, a holy liberator’s weapons are treated as chaotic-aligned for the purposes of overcoming DR. Any attack made against an enemy within 10 feet of her is treated as chaotic-aligned for the purposes of overcoming DR. This ability functions only while the holy liberator is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Aura of Righteousness (Su)

At 17th level, a holy liberator gains DR 5/law and immunity to compulsion spells and spell-like abilities. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against compulsion effects. This ability functions only while the holy liberator is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead.

Champion of Freedom (Su)

At 20th level, a holy liberator becomes a true force for liberation. She is permanently under the effects of the freedom spell.

Whenever she successfully smites a creature which is the source of a compulsion effect affecting another creature, that creature is also subject to a geas spell permanently barring them from casting or using any spells or effects of the enchantment school or which have the (compulsion) descriptor, using her holy liberator level as the caster level. In addition, whenever she channels positive energy or uses lay on hands to heal a creature, all creatures healed when she channels positive energy or uses lay on hands are also targeted by freedom (as the spell).

Code of Conduct

Holy liberators always seek to uphold the tenets of liberty and goodness wherever they travel. They resist tyranny and oppression, lead others in fighting unjust rulership, and ignore laws which limit the free and fair choices of intelligent beings. A holy liberator adheres to the philosophy of “That which is knowingly consented to by all involved, is just.” Most leaders, good or otherwise, consider holy liberators anarchists to be sought out and either kept away from others by way of imprisonment, or in more evil societies, simply destroyed as soon as they are discovered. In most organized societies holy liberators must operate quietly as to not arouse the attention of the most powerful around them.

A holy liberator who fails to uphold these tenets, or who causes, by actions or inaction, sentient creatures to lose their liberty or freedom, or who willfully commits evil acts, loses access to all supernatural and spell-like class features, as well as the spell casting ability. Further, she may not gain further levels as a Holy Liberator. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she properly atones for her violations as determined by the GM.