Lyan
Description
The will to uphold law and the power to defeat chaos – these are the weapons of the lyan.
Few have the dedication that it takes to walk the lyan's path, but those few are rewarded with the power to protect and to smite. In a land of undisciplined elves, rampaging orcs, and demonic fiends, the lyan is a final hope that cannot be extinguished.
Adventures: Lyans take their adventures seriously and have a penchant for referring to them as quests. Even a mundane mission is, in the heart of the lyan, a personal test – an opportunity to demonstrate bravery, to develop martial skills, to learn tactics, and to find ways to do good. Still, the lyan really comes into her own when leading a mighty campaign against chaos, not when merely looting ruins.
Characteristics: Divine power protects the lyan and gives her special powers. It wards off harm, protects her from disease, lets her heal herself, and guards her heart against fear. Finally, the lyan can use this power to destroy chaos. Even the least experienced lyan can detect chaos, and more experienced lyans can smite chaotic foes. In addition, this power draws a mighty steed to the lyan and imbues that mount with strength, intelligence, and magical protection.
Alignment: Lyans must be lawful neutral, and they lose their divine powers if they deviate from that alignment. Additionally, lyans swear to follow a code of conduct that is in line with strict lawfulness.
Religion: Lyans need not devote themselves to a single deity – devotion to righteousness is enough. Those lyans devoted to a god are scrupulous in observing religious duties and are welcome in every associated temple.
Background: No one ever chooses to be a lyan. Becoming a lyan is answering a call, accepting one's destiny. No one, no matter how diligent, can become a lyan through practice. The nature is either within one or not, and it is not possible to gain the lyan's nature by any act of will. It is possible, however, to fail to recognize one's own potential, or to deny one's destiny. Occasionally, one who is called to be a lyan denies that call and pursues some other life instead.
Most lyans answer the call and begin training as adolescents. Typically, they become squires or assistants to experienced lyans, train for years, and finally set off on their own to further the causes of law. Other lyans, however, find their calling only later in life, after having pursued some other career. All lyans, regardless of background, recognize in each other an eternal bond that transcends culture, race, and even religion. Any two lyans, even from opposite sides of the world, consider themselves comrades.
Races: Humans, with their ambitious souls, make great lyans. Half-elves, who often have human ambition, may also find themselves called into service as lyans. Members of the other races rarely hear the call to become lyans.
Other Classes: Even though lyans are in some ways set apart from others, they eagerly team up with those whose skills and capabilities complement their own.
They work well with lawful clerics, and they appreciate working with those who are brave, honest, and committed to keeping order. While they cannot abide chaotic acts by their companions, they are otherwise willing to work with a variety of people quite different from themselves. Charismatic, trustworthy, and well respected, the lyan makes a fine leader for a team.
Role: The lyan's chief role in most groups is as a melee combatant, but she contributes other useful support as well. She makes a good secondary healer, and her high Charisma opens up fine leadership opportunities.
Game Rule Information
Lyans have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma enhances a lyan's self-protective capabilities, and ability to deal with undead. Strength is important for a lyan because of its role in combat. A Wisdom score of 14 or higher is required to get access to the most powerful lyan spells, and a score of 11 or higher is required to cast any lyan spells at all.
Alignment: Lawful neutral.
Hit Die: d10.
Class Skills: The lyan's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (Nobility And Royalty) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Sense Motive (Wis).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the lyan.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Lyans are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).
Aura of Law (Ex): The power of a lyan's aura of law (see the Detect Law spell) is equal to her lyan level, just like the aura of a cleric of a lawful deity.
Detect Chaos (Sp): At will, a lyan can use Detect Chaos, as the spell.
Smite Chaos (Su): Once per day, a lyan may attempt to smite chaos with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per lyan level. For example, a 13th-level lyan armed with a longsword would deal 1d8+13 points of damage, plus any additional bonuses for high Strength or magical affects that would normally apply. If the lyan accidentally smites a creature that is not chaotic, the smite has no effect, but the ability is still used up for that day.
At 5th level, and at every five levels thereafter, the lyan may smite chaos one additional time per day, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.
Divine Grace (Su): At 2nd level, a lyan gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws.
Touch Of Destiny (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, a lyan with a Charisma score of 12 or higher can heal wounds (her own or those of others) by touch. Each day she can heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to her lyan level × her Charisma bonus.
For example, a 7th-level lyan with a 16 Charisma (+3 bonus) can heal 21 points of damage per day. A lyan may choose to divide her healing among multiple recipients, and she doesn't have to use it all at once. Using lay on hands is a standard action.
Alternatively, a lyan can use any or all of this holy power to deal damage to creatures (living or undead). Using touch of destiny in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. The lyan decides how many of her daily allotment of points to use as damage after successfully touching a creature.
Aura of Clarity (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a lyan projects a magical aura that is similar to a True Seeing spell. Any magical effect that is penetrated by True Seeing operating within 10 feet of a lyan is also penetrated by this aura, allowing the lyan to see the object plainly. Any other observers may also see the object plainly, depending on the nature of the magic – for example, an Invisible object within 10 feet of the lyan is visible to all observers, but a Darkness spell is only effectively negated in the area within 10 feet of the lyan (and still operating beyond that). This ability functions while the lyan is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead.
Divine Health (Ex): At 3rd level, a lyan gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases (such as mummy rot and lycanthropy).
Turn or Rebuke Undead (Su): When a lyan reaches 4th level, she gains the supernatural ability to either turn or rebuke undead. She must choose which of the two she wishes to gain (turn or rebuke), and cannot change once the choice is made. She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. She turns or rebukes undead as a cleric of three levels lower would.
Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a lyan gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells (the same type of spells available to the cleric, druid, and ranger), which are drawn from the lyan spell list. A lyan must choose and prepare her spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a lyan must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level (Wis 11 for 1st-level spells, Wis 12 for 2nd-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a lyan's spell is 10 + the spell level + the lyan's Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a lyan can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the accompanying table. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score. When the spells per day table indicates that the lyan gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level (for instance, 1st-level spells for a 4th-level lyan), she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Wisdom score for that spell level The lyan does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.
A lyan prepares and casts spells the way a cleric does, though she cannot lose a prepared spell to spontaneously cast a cure spell in its place. A lyan may prepare and cast any spell on the lyan spell list, 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 lyan has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is one-half her lyan level.
Special Mount (Sp): Upon reaching 5th level, a lyan gains the service of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed to serve her in her crusade against evil. This mount is usually a heavy warhorse (for a Medium lyan) or a warpony (for a Small lyan).
Once per day, as a full-round action, a lyan may magically call her mount from the celestial realms in which it resides. The mount immediately appears adjacent to the lyan and remains for 2 hours per lyan level; it may be dismissed at any time as a free action.
The mount is the same creature each time it is summoned, though the lyan may release a particular mount from service (if it has grown too old to join her crusade, for instance). Each time the mount is called, it appears in full health, regardless of any damage it may have taken previously. The mount also appears wearing or carrying any gear it had when it was last dismissed, including barding, saddle, saddlebags, and the like. Calling a mount is a Conjuration (Calling) effect equal to a spell level 1/3 the lyan level.
Should the lyan's mount die, it immediately disappears, leaving behind any equipment it was carrying. The lyan may not summon another mount for thirty days or until she gains a lyan level, whichever comes first, even if the mount is somehow returned from the dead. During this thirty-day period, the lyan takes a –1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.
Immune to Poison (Sp): At 6th level, a lyan's Divine Health ability extends to make her immune to all forms of poison.
Code of Conduct: A lyan must be of lawful neutral alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits a chaotic act.
Additionally, a lyan's code requires that she respect legitimate authority, act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth), help those in need (as long as they are themselves law-abiding), and punish those who disrupt law and order.
Associates: While she may adventure with characters of any lawful or neutral alignment, a lyan will never knowingly associate with chaotic characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A lyan may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful neutral.
Ex-Lyans
A lyan who ceases to be lawful neutral, who willfully commits a chaotic act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all lyan spells and abilities (including the service of the lyan's mount, but not weapon, armour, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any farther in levels as a lyan. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations, as appropriate.
Like a member of any other class, a lyan may be a multiclass character, but multiclass lyans face a special restriction. A lyan who gains a level in any class other than lyan may never again raise her lyan level, though she retains all her lyan abilities.
The path of the lyan requires a constant heart. If a character adopts this class, she must pursue it to the exclusion of all other careers. Once she has turned off the path, she may never return.
Level Progression
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Spells Per Day
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Starting Packages
Race: Human.
Armor: Scale mail (+4 AC, armor check penalty –4, speed 20 ft., 30 lb.).
Heavy wooden shield (+2 AC, armor check penalty –2, 10 lb.).
Weapons: Longsword (1d8, crit 19–20/×2, 4 lb., one-handed, slashing).
Shortbow (1d6, crit ×3, range inc. 60 ft., 2 lb., piercing).
Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 3 + Int modifier.
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Feat: Weapon Focus (longsword).
Bonus Feat: Improved Initiative.
Gear: Backpack with waterskin, one day's trail rations, bedroll, sack, flint and steel. Hooded lantern, three pints of oil. Quiver with 20 arrows. Wooden holy symbol.
Gold: 6d4 gp.
