Paramandyr
Description
Any belief taken to an extreme becomes dangerous and oppressive. Those who seek to prevent this are known as paramandyr. Few have the dedication that it takes to walk the paramandyr's path, but those few are rewarded with the power to protect and to smite.
The paramandyr must justify every action in the interests of pure neutrality. Any deed of outright good, evil, law, or chaos, performed without a previously determined balancing effect on the world's structure, violates his code of conduct.
A paramandyr seeks to maintain balance, often by manipulating (and, when necessary, destroying) high-powered beings of deep alignment convictions or by aiding weak opponents of those beings. Some paramandyrs strive to create balance by moulding the powerful forces of aligned conviction, using diplomacy and negotiation. Others strive to destroy these forces, believing that those of extreme alignment can never be brought to respect a universal balance.
Adventures: Paramandyrs take their adventures seriously and have a penchant for referring to them as quests. Even a mundane mission is, in the heart of the paramandyr, a personal test – an opportunity to demonstrate bravery, to develop martial skills, to learn tactics, and to find ways to do good. Still, the paramandyr really comes into her own when leading a mighty campaign against an extreme organisation, not when merely looting ruins.
Characteristics: Divine power protects the paramandyr 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 paramandyr can use this power to encourage balance. Even the least experienced paramandyr can detect imbalance, and more experienced paramandyrs can smite foes. In addition, this power draws a mighty steed to the paramandyr and imbues that mount with strength, intelligence, and magical protection.
Alignment: Paramandyrs must be Neutral, and they lose their divine powers if they deviate from that alignment. Additionally, paramandyrs swear to follow a code of conduct that promotes balance.
Religion: Paramandyrs need not devote themselves to a single deity – devotion to righteousness is enough. Those paramandyrs devoted to a god are careful in observing religious duties and are welcome in every associated temple.
Background: No one ever chooses to be a paramandyr. Becoming a paramandyr is answering a call, accepting one's destiny. No one, no matter how diligent, can become a paramandyr through practice. The nature is either within one or not, and it is not possible to gain the paramandyr'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 paramandyr denies that call and pursues some other life instead.
Most paramandyrs answer the call and begin training as adolescents. Typically, they become squires or assistants to experienced paramandyrs, train for years, and finally set off on their own to further the causes of balance. Other paramandyrs, however, find their calling only later in life, after having pursued some other career. All paramandyrs, regardless of background, recognize in each other an eternal bond that transcends culture, race, and even religion. Any two paramandyrs, even from opposite sides of the world, consider themselves comrades.
Races: Humans, with their ambitious souls, make great paramandyrs. Half-elves, who often have human ambition, may also find themselves called into service as paramandyrs. Members of the other races rarely hear the call to become paramandyrs.
Other Classes: Even though paramandyrs 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 neutral clerics and druids, and they appreciate working with those who are brave, honest, and committed to keeping balance. While they cannot abide extreme 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 paramandyr makes a fine leader for a team.
Role: The paramandyr'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
Paramandyrs have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma enhances a paramandyr's self-protective capabilities, and ability to deal with undead. Strength is important for a paramandyr because of its role in combat. A Wisdom score of 14 or higher is required to get access to the most powerful paramandyr spells, and a score of 11 or higher is required to cast any paramandyr spells at all.
Alignment: Neutral.
Hit Die: d10.
Class Skills: The paramandyr's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), 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 paramandyr.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Paramandyrs 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 Balance (Ex): Just as an evil cleric exudes an aura of evil (see the Detect Evil spell), a paramandyr emanates an aura of calm neutrality. The power of a paramandyr's aura of balance is equal to her paramandyr level.
Detect Extreme (Sp): At will, a paramandyr can use detect extreme. This operates in the same way the spell Detect Evil works, but identifies persons and objects that are of one of the four extreme alignments (lawful good, lawful evil, chaotic good, chaotic evil).
Smite Extreme (Su): Once per day, a paramandyr may attempt to smite extreme with one normal melee attack. She adds her Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per paramandyr level. For example, a 13th-level paramandyr 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 paramandyr accidentally smites a creature that is not of one of the four extreme alignments, 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 paramandyr may smite extreme one additional time per day, to a maximum of five times per day at 20th level.
Divine Grace (Su): At 2nd level, a paramandyr gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) on all saving throws.
Touch Of Destiny (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, a paramandyr 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 paramandyr level × her Charisma bonus.
For example, a 7th-level paramandyr with a 16 Charisma (+3 bonus) can heal 21 points of damage per day. A paramandyr 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 paramandyr 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 paramandyr decides how many of her daily allotment of points to use as damage after successfully touching a creature.
Aura of Dissolution (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a paramandyr projects an aura that dampens magic. Any magical effect or spell that enters or is cast within the aura has a 10% chance of being affected as if it were subject to an Antimagic Field spell. This ability functions while the paramandyr is conscious, but not if she is unconscious or dead. Spells and effects cast by the paramandyr are not subject to this aura.
Divine Health (Ex): At 3rd level, a paramandyr gains immunity to all diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases (such as mummy rot and lycanthropy).
Turn or Rebuke Undead (Su): When a paramandyr 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 paramandyr 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 paramandyr spell list. A paramandyr must choose and prepare her spells in advance.
To prepare or cast a spell, a paramandyr 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 paramandyr's spell is 10 + the spell level + the paramandyr's Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a paramandyr 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 paramandyr gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level (for instance, 1st-level spells for a 4th-level paramandyr), she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Wisdom score for that spell level The paramandyr does not have access to any domain spells or granted powers, as a cleric does.
A paramandyr 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 paramandyr may prepare and cast any spell on the paramandyr 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 paramandyr has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is one-half her paramandyr level.
Special Mount (Sp): Upon reaching 5th level, a paramandyr 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 paramandyr) or a warpony (for a Small paramandyr).
Once per day, as a full-round action, a paramandyr may magically call her mount from the celestial realms in which it resides. The mount immediately appears adjacent to the paramandyr and remains for 2 hours per paramandyr 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 paramandyr 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 paramandyr level.
Should the paramandyr's mount die, it immediately disappears, leaving behind any equipment it was carrying. The paramandyr may not summon another mount for thirty days or until she gains a paramandyr level, whichever comes first, even if the mount is somehow returned from the dead. During this thirty-day period, the paramandyr takes a –1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.
Immune to Poison (Sp): At 6th level, a paramandyr's Divine Health ability extends to make her immune to all forms of poison.
Code of Conduct: A paramandyr must be of lawful neutral alignment and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits a chaotic act.
Additionally, a paramandyr'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 paramandyr will never knowingly associate with chaotic characters, nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. A paramandyr may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful neutral.
Ex-Paramandyrs
A paramandyr who ceases to be neutral, who willfully commits an extreme act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct loses all paramandyr spells and abilities (including the service of the paramandyr's mount, but not weapon, armour, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any farther in levels as a paramandyr. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations, as appropriate.
Like a member of any other class, a paramandyr may be a multiclass character, but multiclass paramandyrs face a special restriction. A paramandyr who gains a level in any class other than paramandyr may never again raise her paramandyr level, though she retains all her paramandyr abilities.
The path of the paramandyr 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.
