Champion Of The Cause (Paladin/Antipaladin Archetype)
The_Conqueror's_Handbook.jpg
The Conqueror's Handbook
$4.99
A champion of the cause is a chosen of divinity and servant of her deity’s ideals. She is the hammer of justice, the sword of truth, or the wicked axe of carnage in service to the will of her deity. Where they walk, the will of her deity follows, leaving the influence and image of her deity. Receiving boons and assistance from their deity, they can be found in parties of courageous heroes, at the front or armies, or in important positions in cities and governments.

Alignment

A champion of the cause can be any good or evil alignment, as a paladin or antipaladin respectively. This alters alignment.

Proficiencies

A champion of the cause is proficient with simple weapons, as well as light armor and bucklers. if this is this character’s first level in any class, they may select a martial tradition of their choice.

This alters the paladin’s or antipaladin’s normal weapon and armor proficiencies.

Casting

At 1st level, the champion of the cause may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. The champion of the cause is considered a Low-Caster. (Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.)

This replaces the spells class feature.

Spell Pool

A champion of the cause gains a small reservoir of energy she can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to her level + her casting ability modifier (minimum 1). This pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.

Blended Training

A champion of the cause gains a combat or magic talent every time she gains a class level. Champions of the cause use their casting ability modifier as their practitioner modifier.

This replaces aura of faith or aura of sin.

Boon of Purpose (Su)

At 4th level, once per day as a standard action, the champion of the cause can utter short prayers of conviction to her deity for a boon of purpose to overcome an obstacle. At 9th level and every 5 levels thereafter, the champion of the cause may use this ability one additional time per day.

At 4th level, the champion of the cause can manifest her boon of purpose as one of the following options:

  • Wisdom: This boon functions as the Augury (divine) Divination talent, using the champion of the cause’s class level as her caster level.
  • Skill: For the next 10 minutes, the champion of the cause gains a number of ranks in a skill equal to her class level, and treats the skill as a class skill for the duration. She cannot have more ranks in a skill than her total number of Hit Dice.

At 9th level, the champion of the cause adds the following boons to the list of those she can manifest.

  • Luck: This boon functions as the Bless (word) Fate talent, but she may only target herself with it. The champion of the cause may use this boon as an immediate action.
  • Swiftness: The champion of the cause may move up to 30 feet, provoking attacks of opportunity as normal. The champion of the cause may use this boon as an immediate action.

At 14th level, the champion of the cause adds the following boons to the list of those she can manifest.

  • Divinity: The next time the champion of the cause’s hit points would be reduced to 0 or fewer by an attack or effect, she is healed for 1d6 hit points per champion of the cause class level. This healing can prevent her from falling unconscious or dying. This boon lasts for 1 hour or until triggered.
  • Zealotry: For the next 1 minute, the champion of the cause’s weapons are suffused with divine power. If the champion of the cause is good, any weapons she wields gains the holy weapon special ability. If the champion of the cause is evil, any weapons she wields gains the unholy weapon special ability. While benefiting from this boon, whenever the champion of the cause confirms a critical hit, reduces an enemy to 0 or fewer hit points, or succeeds on a saving throw, they may renew this boon’s duration and share its effects with one ally she can see within 30 feet. When this boon ends, all affected creatures lose the benefits.

This ability replaces channel positive energy and aura of justice or channel negative energy and aura of vengeance.

Incarnation Bond

At 5th level, the champion of the cause manifests a unique divine bond with her deity, taking one of two forms. Once the form is chosen, it cannot be changed.

Incarnation Form (Sp)

The first unique bond allows the champion of the cause to manifest features that bring her close to her deity’s image. She gains the Alteration sphere as a bonus sphere and Outsider Body (body) as a bonus talent. The champion of the cause may not gain a drawback which would remove the Blank Transformation, and if she already has a drawback which would remove the Blank Transformation, she must buy off that drawback with the bonus Alteration sphere talent. The champion of the cause uses her class level as her caster level for the purposes of the Alteration sphere when targeting herself with a shapeshift. This stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources. When the champion of the cause first gains this ability, she chooses one trait from the Outsider Body talent to use as her incarnation trait. Once chosen, this cannot be changed. The incarnation trait must be a trait that grants an alignment subtype matching the champion of the cause’s alignment (e.g. Celestial Form or Anarchic Form for a chaotic good champion of the cause) and not one that requires a subtype to apply (e.g. Angel Body or Daemon Body).

As a standard action, the champion of the cause may assume her incarnation form, applying the Blank Transformation to herself, her chosen incarnation trait, and a number of additional traits as though she were casting the shapeshift sphere effect. Her incarnation trait does not count against the maximum number of traits she may normally apply with shapeshift. Unlike the normal shapeshift sphere effect, the champion of the cause’s incarnation form lasts for 10 minutes per class level, or until she chooses to dismiss it as a free action. She does not need to spend a spell point to maintain this effect without concentration, but traits that require an additional spell point must be spent when assuming your incarnation form. If the champion of the cause uses the shapeshift sphere effect on herself (and not through this ability), she may apply her incarnation trait as an additional talent that does not count against the maximum traits she may normally apply.

At level 8, and every 4 levels thereafter, the champion of the cause gains a bonus Alteration sphere talent.

For example, a 5th level champion of the cause that worships a deity of angels chooses the Celestial Form trait from Outsider Body (body) to use as her incarnation trait. When transforming into her incarnation form, she gains the Blank Transformation, applies the darkvision trait from the base sphere, cosmetic appearance trait from Blank Form’s options, and her incarnation trait, Celestial Form, as an additional trait not counting against her maximum.

Incarnation Ally (Sp)

The second unique bond allows the champion of the cause to gain the assistance of a herald of her deity. She gains the Bound Creature casting boon, even if she does not have the Focus Casting drawback, and her bound creature companion does not lose the extraplanar subtype. The champion of the cause uses her class level as her caster level with the Conjuration sphere when determining the statistics and abilities of her bound companion. If the champion of the cause does not have the Focus Casting drawback, she does not suffer a chance of spell failure if her companion is not within medium range, dismissed, or dead. If the champion of the cause already possessed the Bound Creature casting boon prior to gaining this ability, she gains a bonus Conjuration (form) talent for her bound creature and her bound creature regains the extraplanar subtype.

The bound creature the champion of the cause gains from this ability serves as her incarnation ally. Unlike other bound creatures, the incarnation ally may be resummoned without spending a spell point when you rest to regain spell points if they were killed, and may be resummoned by spending a spell point if they are banished.

The champion of the cause gains the Planar Creature (type) talent as a bonus talent, and applies it to her incarnation ally, choosing an alignment group appropriate to her own.

At level 8, and every 4 levels thereafter, the champion of the cause gains a bonus Conjuration sphere talent. If she chooses a (form) talent, it must apply to her incarnation ally. She may not select Extra Companion with the bonus talents granted from this ability.

Note: A champion of the cause who does not worship a traditional alignment-based deity, such as an elemental lord or a deity of nature, may choose a different Alteration talent for their incarnation form or Conjuration (form) talent for their Incarnation Ally, subject to GM discretion. For the incarnation form ability, a champion of the cause who chooses an Alteration talent which grants a (transformation) would choose one trait from that talent to use for their incarnation form. For example, a champion of the cause who worships a dragon deity could choose Dragon Transformation as their bonus Alteration talent instead of Outsider Body, and would choose one of the two traits granted by Dragon Transformation for their incarnation form base talent. For settings where a deity or outsider group does not conform to the normal alignment subtypes (such as a setting with evil angels or good demons), a GM may find it appropriate to change the subtype granted by Outsider Body to better fit their setting.

This ability replaces divine bond or fiendish boon.


Spheres of Power by Drop Dead Studios
Using Spheres of Power
Classes
Armorist Elementalist Eliciter Fey Adept
Hedgewitch Incanter Mageknight Shifter
Soul Weaver Symbiat Thaumaturge Wraith
Prestige Classes
Bokor Forest Lord Magemage Realmwalker
Tempestarii Waking Sleeper
Spheres
Alteration Blood Conjuration Creation
Dark Death Destruction Divination
Enhancement Fallen Fey Fate Illusion
Life Light Mana Mind
Nature Protection Telekinesis Time
War Warp Weather
Other Spheres
Bear Technomancy
Rules
About Advanced Magic Advanced Talents Alternate Racial Traits Casting Traditions
Incantations Magical Items Mythic Spheres Rituals
Spellcrafting Traits Wild Magic Sphere Bestiary
Equipment
Weapons Armor Equipment Special Materials
Alchemical Items Apparatuses (Metamagic) Charms Compounds
Fabled Items Implements Marvelous Items Schematics
Scrolls Spell Engines Spellzones Talent Crystals
Feats
Admixture Anathema Aristeia Champion
Chance Channeling Combat Companion
Counterspell Damnation Drawback Extra
General Item Creation Metamagic Necrosis
Plague Protokinesis Proxy Purring
Racial Ritual Squadron Surreal
Teamwork Theurge Wild Magic
Get Ultimate Spheres of Power Get the Original RulebookU
Get Expanded OptionsU Get Expanded Options 2
Alteration HandbookU Conjuration HandbookU Creation HandbookU Dark HandbookU
Death HandbookU Destruction HandbookU Divination HandbookU Enhancement HandbookU
Fate HandbookU Illusion HandbookU Life HandbookU Light HandbookU
Mind HandbookU Nature HandbookU Protection HandbookU Telekinesis HandbookU
Time HandbookU War HandbookU Warp HandbookU Weather HandbookU
Spheres Apocrypha
Apex Shifter Casting Traditions Casting Traditions 2 Cognition Talents
Cohorts and Companions Dark ApocryphaU Debilitating Talents 2 Destruction ApocryphaU
Light ApocryphaU Nature (Air) PackageU Nature (Earth) ApocryphaU Nature (Fire) ApocryphaU
Nature (M/P/W) ApocryphaU Nature (Spirit) ApocryphaU Protokinesis ApocryphaU Sidhe Court
Other Spheres Products
Archetypes of PowerU Archetypes of Power 2 The Bear Sphere The Blood SphereU
Blood and Portents Compounds of Power The Conqueror's Handbook The Fallen Fey SphereU
Initiate's Handbook Items of PowerU The Jester's Handbook Mythic Spheres of Power
The Technomancy Sphere Treasures of the Spheres Treasures: Weapons and Tools The Wraith ClassU
Wild Magic Woodfaring Adventures Worlds of Power The Youxia's Handbook
Bestiary: Fey and Feyfolk The High Magic Handbook Realmwalker's Handbook Bestiary: Fiends of the Cosmos
Adventures
Wreckage to Deliverance Wreckage to Deliverance Player's Guide

U: Part of Ultimate Spheres of Power and does not need to be bought separately from that book

This website uses cookies. See the Legal & OGL page for important information. Any material NOT covered by the Open Game License Version 1.0a is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.