Heironeous (Greyhawk Action)

Greyhawk Action!

Lawful Good, Third Generation Oerdian god

Hieroneous is the just knight, lord of the land among the Oerdians. He sees it as both his duty and his right to rule, and he brooks no disrespect. He is an ascended mortal sponsored by Bahamut.

Heironeous (hi-ROE-nee-us) is the Oeridian battlefield champion of all that is right and good. He wages war against evil of all sorts, especially his half-brother and nemesis, Hextor. He is tall, with coppery skin, auburn hair, and amber eyes, and wears fine chain (or more recently plate) mail. At his birth, Heironeous' skin was imbued with a secret solution called meersalm that protects him from all but the most powerful weapons. His symbol is a silver lightning bolt. His allies are other gods who fight evil, and his foes are those who encourage evil or suffering. Known for his great magic battleaxe, he recently has been promoting usage of the longsword in order to appeal to common soldiers as well as paladins and leaders.

The world is a dangerous place that poses a never-ending series of challenges to those who fight for justice and protection of the weak and innocent. One must act honorably at all times, and uphold the virtues of justice and chivalry in word and deed. Danger must be faced with certainty and calm, and glory is the reward for defeating evil, while virtue is the reward for upholding the tenets of Heironeous.

Heironeous' church is very militaristic, championing causes and crusading to eliminate evils. His clerics travel the world, fighting evil as dictated by their church commanders. Older clerics work as judges, strategists, and military instructors.

Alignment: Lawful Good

Weapon: Longsword (Battle Axe)

Pathfinder Domains

Good, Law, Glory, Nobility (Normal or Leadership), War.

Pathfinder Traits

• A Shining Beacon
• Ward Enemy

Pathfinder Obedience

Raise your sword (or battle-axe, for traditionalists). While holding the weapon high mage a zig-zag lightning salute, bow, then stand at vigil, praying. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on Diplomacy and Knowledge (nobility) checks.

Evangelist or Feat

1. Courageous (Sp) remove fear 3/day, bless weapon 2/day, or magic vestment 1/day
2. Demon-Feared Caster (Ex) You are used to fighting the forces of evil. You gain a sacred bonus equal to 1 + 1 for every 4 Hit Dice you possess (maximum +6) on caster level checks to overcome the spell resistance of outsiders with the chaotic or evil subtypes. These bonuses stack against outsiders who are both chaotic and evil (maximum +12) . If you don’t have the ability to cast spells, you instead gain the ability to use protection from chaos/evil as a spell-like ability three times per day.
3. Wrath of Honor (Su) Three times per day, you can call upon Heironeous during the casting of a spell to increase its potency. When you use this ability, you can cast any spell that deals hit point damage and has a casting time of 1 standard action as a full-round action instead. Doing so changes half the damage dealt to divine power, similar to a flame strike spell. For example, a wizard 5/evangelist 9 casts a lightning bolt as a full-round action. The spell deals 10d6 points of damage, half of which is electricity damage and the other half of which is divine energy and not subject to electricity resistance. If you can’t cast spells that deal hit point damage, you instead gain the ability to imbue your weapon with holy power. Three times per day as a free action, you can grant your weapon the holy weapon special ability for 1 minute.

Exalted

1. Glorious Servant (Sp) shield of faith 3/day, align weapon 2/day, or searing light 1/day
2. Righteous Strike (Sp) Once per day, you can channel the effects of holy smite through your weapon. You must declare your use of this ability before you roll your attack. On a hit, the target is affected as if targeted with holy smite.
3. Just Ally (Sp) Once per day as a standard action, you can summon a shield archon (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 31). The shield archon follows your commands perfectly for 1 minute for every Hit Die you possess before vanishing back to its home in Heaven. The shield archon doesn’t follow commands that would violate its alignment, however, and particularly egregious commands could cause it to attack you.

Sentinel

1. Knight of Valor (Sp) bless weapon 3/day, aid 2/day, or magic vestment 1/day
2. Valorous Smite (Su) If you have the smite evil class feature, you gain an extra use of that ability per day. You add the levels of sentinel to your paladin levels when calculating the extra damage dealt by your smite. If you successfully deal damage with your smite, your target must succeed at a Will saving throw (with a DC equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier + 1/2 your Hit Dice) or be stunned for 1 round plus 1 round for every 4 Hit Dice you possess (maximum 6 rounds). Once a target saves against this stunning effect, it is immune to the stunning effect from your holy smite for 24 hours.
   If you don’t have the smite evil class feature, instead you can, as a free action, single out an outsider with the evil subtype or an evil-aligned dragon you plan to vanquish. Against this target, you gain a +2 sacred bonus on attack rolls and a sacred bonus equal to your sentinel level on damage rolls. The bonuses remain until the target is dead or you use this ability again, whichever comes first. If you choose a target that is not one of the listed creature types, the ability is wasted. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus (minimum once per day).
3. Banishing Strike (Sp) Once per day, you can channel the effects of banishment through your weapon, though you don’t need to cast (or even know) the spell. You must declare your use of this ability before you roll your attack. On a hit, the target is affected by a banishment effect. If you openly wear a holy symbol of Heironeous, you gain a +1 bonus on your caster level check to overcome the target’s spell resistance (if any) and the saving throw DC increases by 2.

Paladin Code

The paladins of Heironeous are just and strong, crusaders who live for the joy of righteous battle. Their mission is to right wrongs and protect the faithful. They serve as examples to others, and their code demands they protect the weak and innocent by eliminating sources of oppression, rather than merely the symptoms. They may back down or withdraw from a fight if they are overmatched, but if victory can be acheived through sacrifice, they should fight.

• I will learn the weight of my sword. Without my heart to guide it, it is worthless—my strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. If I lose my sword, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died.
• I will have faith in Honor. I will channel Heironeous' strength through my body. I will shine in Heironeous' host, and I will not tarnish Heironeous' glory through base actions.
• I am the first into honorable battle, and the last to leave it.
• I will never break my word of honor.
• I will surrender when honorably defeated, and in captivity strive to sway my captor to honor.
• I will pay and accept ransom except against the most vile enemies—my honorable might redeem them.
• I will guard the honor of my lord and vassals, both in thought and deed, and I will have faith in them.
• When in doubt, I should force my enemies to surrender. I am responsible for their lives and responsible for leading them to redemption.
• I will never refuse a challenge from an equal. I will give honor to worthy enemies.
• I will be temperate in my actions and moderate in my behavior. I will strive to emulate Heironeous’ perfection.

Action Domains

Air, Life, Light, Order, Spiritual.