Vindicator (Apath)
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Many faiths have within their membership an order of the church militant, be they holy knights or dark warriors, who put their lives and immortal souls on the line for their faith. They are paragons of battle, eschewing sermons for steel. These men and women are living conduits of divine power, down to their very blood, which they happily shed in a moment if it brings greater glory to their deity or judgment upon heretics, infidels, and enemies of the faith.
Class Information
This is a prestige archetype. The vindicator is a holy warrior that channels energy to harm enemies.
Prestige Class: Holy Vindicator from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player's Guide, turned into a full base class.
Role: The vindicator has substantial combat skills and his power to channel harm is prodigious. Those whose religious views align well with the vindicator will find a ready ally. Allies whose alignment conflict with the vindicator's may find themselves blasted by his devotion.
Alignment: Vindicators may be of any alignment. Vindicators must have an identical alignment to that of their patron, and mostly worship gods of pain, sacrifice, striving, renewal, or conflict.
Hit Die: d12.
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
Class Features
These are all the class features of the vindicator.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A vindicator is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and all armor and shields (except tower shields). A vindicator with a patron is proficient with his patron's favored weapon.
Aura (Ex)
Like a cleric, a vindicator of a chaotic, evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity's alignment (see detect evil for details).
Channel Harm (Su)
Regardless of alignment, any vindicator can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of her faith through her weapon. A good vindicator (or a neutral vindicator who worships a good deity) channels positive energy and can deal damage to undead creatures. An evil vindicator (or a neutral vindicator who worships an evil deity) channels negative energy and can deal damage to living creatures. A neutral vindicator of a neutral deity (or one who is not devoted to a particular deity) must choose whether she channels positive or negative energy. Once this choice is made, it cannot be reversed. Objects and non-living creatures like constructs are not affected.
Channel harm causes a burst that affects all creatures of the relevant type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the vindicator. The amount of damage dealt is equal to 1d6 points plus 1d6 points for every two vindicator levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). Creatures that take damage from channel harm receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the vindicator's level + the vindicator's Charisma modifier. A vindicator may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A vindicator never deals damage to herself with this ability.
Channel Harm is a variant of the cleric's channel energy ability, and can be used with feats and abilities that work with channel energy used to inflict harm.
Channel Smite
At 1st level, a vindicator gains Channel Smite as a bonus feat.
Flexible Channel (Su)
At 2nd level, when the vindicator channels energy, he can choose to channel positive energy to harm undead or negative energy to harm the living. He cannot harm both undead and living creatures at the same time, nor can he harm constructs or objects.
Spells
Beginning at 4th level, a vindicator gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells drawn from his domains (see below). Through 3rd level, a vindicator has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his vindicator level – 3.
To learn or cast a spell, a vindicator must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a vindicator’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the vindicator’s Charisma modifier (see FAQ at right).
Like other spellcasters, a vindicator can cast only a certain number of spells per day of each spell level. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Vindicator. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).
Unlike other divine spellcasters, a vindicator’s selection of spells is limited. A vindicator knows only the spells gained from his domains class feature (see below).
Unlike a paladin, a vindicator need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.
Domains
A vindicator is the strong right hand of his deity, and this relationship colors what magic he can perform. A vindicator knows up to five of the domains belonging to his deity. The domains are selected from those available to clerics. If the GM allows a vindicator not devoted to a particular deity, he selects five domains to represent his spiritual inclinations and abilities (subject to GM approval). A vindicator can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if his alignment matches that domain. If the vindicator's patron offers the healing domain, the vindicator can choose either the community or protection domain instead.
The vindicator gain spells but not domain powers from their domains. Collect all the domain spells of level one to four the vindicator gains from all his domains; this is his spell list. This is the only benefit a vindicator gains from domains.
In addition, all vindicators know the following spells:
- Cure light wounds, doom.
- Cure moderate wounds, death knell
- Cure severe wounds, curse
- Cure critical wounds, terrible remorse.
Stigmata (Su)
A vindicator willingly gives his blood in service to his faith, and is marked by scarified wounds appropriate to his faith and personal history. At 4th level, his stigmata start to bleed whenever he takes cutting or piercing damage. He can also stop or start the flow of blood by force of will as a standard action; at 8th level this becomes a move action, and at 12th level it becomes a swift action, and at level 16 a free action. Bleeding stigmata causes bleed damage equal to one-quarter the vindicator’s class level, and this bleed cannot be halted. 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 the stigmata activates, 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. This applies even to spells cast from magic items. If the vindicator targets himself with a cure spell that affects multiple creatures, this ability only applies to himself.
Vindicator’s Shield (Su)
A 6th level vindicator can channel energy into his shield as a swift action; this consumes one daily use of channel harm. This gives the vindicator a sacred bonus (if positive energy) or profane bonus (if negative energy) to his shield bonus equal to the number of dice of the vindicator’s channel harm. This bonus lasts until the beginning of the vindicator's next round. The shield does not provide this bonus to any other wielder.
Doom The Infidel (Ex)
At 8th level, when a vindicator suffers a critical hit, he may cast doom upon the attacker as an free action that does not trigger an attack of opportunity, even if the attack incapacitates or kills the vindicator. The save DC is the same as for channel harm. The vindicator can also use this ability when he verifies a critical hit, then the save DC increases by +2 if his weapon has a ×3 damage multiplier, or by +4 if it is ×4.
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 harm can instead affect a 30-foot cone or a 120-foot line.
Divine Judgment (Ex)
At 11th level, when a vindicator’s melee attack reduces a creature to –1 or fewer hit points, he may cast death knell upon the target as a free action. As vindicators mete out divine judgment, this is not an evil act. The save DC is the same as for channel harm.
Curse The Infidel (Ex)
At 14th level, when a vindicator suffers a critical hit, he may cast bestow curse upon the attacker as an free action that does not trigger an attack of opportunity, even if the attack incapacitates or kills the vindicator. The save DC is the same as for channel harm. The vindicator can also use this ability when he verifies a critical hit, then the save DC increases by +2 if his weapon has a ×3 damage multiplier, or by +4 if it is ×4.
Divine Vengeance (Sp)
At 17th level, when a vindicator suffers a critical hit, he may vast any one of the following spells he knows as a free action: chaos hammer, holy smite, order's wrath, terrible remorse or unholy blight upon the attacker as an free action that does not trigger an attack of opportunity, even if the attack incapacitates or kills the vindicator. If the chosen spell is an area attacks it targets an intersection of squares in the target's space and expands normally. The save DC is the same as for channel harm. The vindicator can also use this ability when he verifies a critical hit, then the save DC increases by +2 if his weapon has a ×3 damage 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.
Table: Vindicator
| Class Level |
Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special | Spells per Day | |||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Aura, channel harm 1d6, Channel Smite | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Flexible channel | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Channel harm 2d6 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Domains, stigmata 1 (standard) | 0 | — | — | — |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Channel harm 3d6 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Faith healing (empower), vindicator’s shield | 1 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Channel harm 4d6 | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Doom the infidel, stigmata 2 (move) | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Channel harm 5d6 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Bloodfire | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Channel harm 6d6, divine judgment, | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Stigmata 3 (swift), versatile channel | 2 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Channel harm 7d6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +9 | Curse the infidel | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +9 | Channel harm 8d6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Stigmata 4 (free) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Channel harm 9d6, Divine vengeance | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Bloodrain | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Channel harm 10d6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +12 | Stigmata 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Ex-Vindicators
A vindicator who changes alignment or violates the code of conduct required by his patron loses all spells and class features, except for weapon, armor and shield proficiencies. He cannot thereafter gain levels as a vindicator of that god until he atones for his deeds (see the atonement spell description).
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