Sacred Vindicator (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Some clerics demand more sacrifice of themselves, they want to literally bleed for their beleifs. Gods that appreciate such devotion grant these clerics a special closeness to the divine, a direct link between blood and faith.

Class Information

This is a prestige class archetype.

Prestige Class: sacred vindicator.

Build Class: cleric.

The sacred vindicator is a cleric focused on channeling energy.

Role: The sacred vindicator is a miracle worker and a master of channeling energy. Those whose religious views align well with the vindicator will find a ready ally.

Alignment: While lawful sacred vindicators are somewhat more common, vindicators may be of any alignment. They mostly worship gods of sacrifice, striving, renewal, or conflict. A sacred vindicator's alignment must be within one step of her deity's, along either the law/chaos axis or the good/evil axis.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Features

Sacred vindicators have all class features of the cleric, except as noted.

Class Skills

The vindicator’s class skills are Climb (Str), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A vindicator is proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

Channel Smite

At 1st level, a vindicator gains Channel Smite as a bonus feat.

No Domains

The sacred vindicator lacks domains and domain spell slots.

Vindicator’s Shield (Su)

A 2nd level vindicator can channel energy into his shield as a standard action; when worn, the shield gives the vindicator a sacred bonus (if positive energy) or profane bonus (if negative energy) to his Armor Class equal to the number of dice of the vindicator’s channel energy. This bonus lasts for 24 hours or until the vindicator is struck in combat, whichever comes first. The shield does not provide this bonus to any other wielder, but the vindicator does not need to be holding the shield for it to retain this power.

Stigmata (Su)

A vindicator willingly gives his blood in service to his faith, and is marked by scarified wounds appropriate to his deity. At 4th level, he may stop or start the flow of blood by force of will as a standard action; at 8th level it becomes a move action, and at 12th level it becomes a swift action, and at level 16 a free action. Activating stigmata causes bleed damage equal to one-quarter the vindicator’s class level, and this bleed damage is not halted by curative magic. While the stigmata are bleeding, the vindicator gains a sacred bonus (if he channels positive energy) or profane bonus (if he channels negative energy) equal to one-quarter his class level. Each time he activates his stigmata, the vindicator decides if the bonus applies to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, Armor Class, caster level checks, or saving throws; to change what the bonus applies to, the vindicator must deactivate and reactivate his stigmata.

While his stigmata are bleeding, the vindicator ignores blood drain and bleed damage from any other source and can use the spell-like abilities bleed] or stabilize at will, using the same type of action he uses to control the flow of blood.

Faith Healing (Su)

At 6th level, any cure wounds spells the vindicator casts on himself are automatically empowered as if by the Empower Spell feat, except they do not use higher spell level slots or an increased casting time. If the vindicator targets himself with a cure spell that affects multiple creatures, this ability only applies to himself. At 16th level, these healing spells are Maximized rather than empowered.

Flexible Channel (Su)

At 6th level, when the sacred vindicator channels energy, he can choose to heal undead, harm undead, heal the living, or harm the living, regardless of if he channels positive or negative energy.

Divine Wrath (Sp)

At 8th level, when a vindicator confirms a critical hit, he may sacrifice a prepared 1st-level spell to invoke doom upon the target as an immediate action (using the vindicator’s caster level). The save DC is the same as for channel energy, and increases by +2 if his weapon has a ×3 damage multiplier, or by +4 if it is ×4. The vindicator can also use this ability in response to being critically hit, even if the attack incapacitates or kills the vindicator.

Bloodfire (Su)

At 10th level, while a vindicator’s stigmata are bleeding, his blood runs down his weapons like sacred or profane liquid energy; when he uses Channel Smite, the damage increases by 1d6, and if the target fails its save, it is sickened and takes 1d6 points of bleed damage each round on its turn. The target can attempt a new save every round to end the sickened and bleed effects.

Versatile Channel (Su)

At 12th level, a vindicator’s channel energy can instead affect a 30-foot cone or a 120-foot line.

Divine Judgment (Sp)

At 14th level, when a vindicator’s melee attack reduces a creature to –1 or fewer hit points, he may sacrifice a prepared 2nd-level spell to invoke death knell upon the target as an immediate action (using the vindicator’s caster level). As vindicators mete out divine judgment, this is not an evil act. The save DC is the same as for channel energy, and increases by +2 if his weapon has a ×3 critical multiplier, or by +4 if it is ×4.

Bloodrain (Su)

At 18th level, while his stigmata are bleeding, the vindicator’s harmful channeled energy is accompanied by a burst of sacred or profane liquid energy, increasing the damage by 1d6. Creatures failing their saves against the channeled energy become sickened and take 1d6 points of bleed damage each round. Affected creatures can attempt a new save every round to end the sickened and bleed effects.

Universal Channel (Su)

At 18th level, when the sacred vindicator channels energy, he can choose to heal or harm all types of creatures, regardless of what type of energy he channels. This is in addition to his previous options.

Divine Retribution (Sp)

At 20th level, when a vindicator confirms a critical hit, he may sacrifice a prepared 3rd level spell to invoke bestow curse upon the target as an immediate action (using the vindicator’s caster level). The save DC is the same as for channel energy, and increases by +2 if his weapon has a ×3 critical multiplier, or by +4 if it is ×4. The vindicator can also use this ability in response to being critically hit, even if the attack incapacitates or kills the vindicator.

Ex-Vindicators

A vindicator who changes alignment or grossly violates the code of conduct required by her god loses all spells and class features, except for weapon, armor and shield proficiencies. She cannot thereafter gain levels as a vindicator of that god until she atones for her deeds (see the atonement spell description).

Table: Sacred Vindicator

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Aura, channel energy 1d6, Channel Smite, orisons, spontaneous casting	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Vindicator’s shield	4	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Channel energy 2d6	4	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Stigmata	4	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Channel energy 3d6	4	1	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Faith healing (empower), flexible channel	4	1	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Channel energy 4d6	4	1	1	1	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6	Divine wrath	4	1	1	1	1	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6	Channel energy 5d6	4	1	1	1	1	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7	Bloodfire	4	1	1	1	1	1	—	—	—	—
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+7	Channel energy 6d6	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	—	—	—
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Bloodfire, versatile channel	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	—	—	—
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Channel energy 7d6	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	—	—
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+9	Divine judgment	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	—	—
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+9	Channel energy 8d6	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	—
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Faith healing (maximize)	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	—
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Channel energy 9d6	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Bloodrain, universal channel	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Channel energy 10d6	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Divine retribution	4	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Domains