Divine Exemplar (Cleric/Paladin)

Somewhere between the clergyman and the crusader lies the divine exemplar. He rarely operates in concert with a church, as the cleric does; neither does he devote himself to holy combat as the paladin does. He foregoes much of both clerical and paladinic lifestyles in order to pursue something closer to his god. He casts spells, but only those granted by his deity's domains. He smites whatever his god frowns upon with the same vigor as a paladin, but he lacks the paladin's combat training. His channeling is weaker than a cleric's, but the good divine exemplar can heal as mercifully as the best paladin and the evil divine exemplar can harm as cruelly as the worst antipaladin, while neutral divine exemplars are gifted by their gods with the power to maintain balance. Divine exemplars are far more closely-linked to their patron deities than clerics or paladins, and it is in this link that they specialize. (Original Concept by Flak)

Primary Class: Cleric.

Secondary Class: Paladin.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The divine exemplar may select three paladin skills to add to his class skills in addition to the normal cleric class skills. The divine exemplar gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 2 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The divine exemplar is proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields). The divine exemplar is also proficient with the favored weapon of their deity.

Code of Conduct: A divine exemplar must adhere to his deity's exact alignment as a strict moral code, and loses all class features except proficiencies if he ever willingly breaks this code. Additional restrictions on the divine exemplar's behavior may be derived from his deity's rules, preferences, etc.

Aura (Su): A divine exemplar's aura is more potent than that of an ordinary cleric. At 1st level, a divine exemplar's aura detects as both aspects of his alignment, and has the same strength as that of a paladin of his level. Thus, a chaotic good divine exemplar has an aura of chaos and an aura of good.

In addition, as the divine exemplar gains levels, his aura provides him with additional effects, according to his alignment. A good or evil aligned divine exemplar gains aura effects that functions as a paladin’s or antipaladin’s aura of the same name, while a neutral divine exemplar may select one of the four magic circle effects listed below, but cannot select a type that wards against an aspect of his alignment. For example, a chaotic neutral divine exemplar cannot select magic circle against chaos. The DC for a magic circle effect is equal to 10 + 1/2 the divine exemplar's level + the divine exemplar's Charisma bonus. This ability otherwise functions as and replaces the cleric's aura ability.

At 6th level, a divine exemplar gains the following initial aura effect according to his alignment.

At 12th level, a divine exemplar adds one of the following effects to his aura.

At 18th level, a divine exemplar adds one of the following effects to his aura.

Diminished Spellcasting: A divine exemplar gains one fewer spell of each level than normal, and does not receive the normal domain spell slot at each spell level. If this reduces the number of spells at a certain level to 0, he may cast spells of that level only if he receives bonus spells of that level from having a high ability score. A divine exemplar uses his Charisma score to determine bonus spells per day and spell DCs, and must have a Charisma score equal to 10 + a spell's level in order to cast it. A divine exemplar receives no 0-level spell slots.

Domains: At 1st level, and again at 5th level and every four levels thereafter, the divine exemplar receives one of his deity's domains. If possible, the first domain he selects must be one of his deity's alignment domains. He gains all the granted powers of his domains as a cleric of his level. However, the divine exemplar does not gain domains spells (see diminished spellcasting), and uses his Charisma bonus to determine the save DCs and uses per day for these abilities. This otherwise functions as and replaces the cleric's domains ability.

Domain Spells Only: A divine exemplar does not receive the normal cleric spell list. Instead his spell list is composed of the spells associated with all his deity's domains, including those the granted powers of which he cannot yet access. He can prepare any combination of domain spells in appropriately-leveled spell slots. This does not affect the cleric's spontaneous casting class feature: divine exemplars of good deities can still channel stored spell energy into healing spells, and divine exemplars of evil deities can still channel stored spell energy into harmful spells, despite these spells not technically being on the divine exemplar's spell list. (Divine exemplars of neutral deities can choose one or the other as normal.) For the purposes of spontaneous casting, the divine exemplar's spells are not considered to be "domain spells."

Righteous Fury (Ex): At 1st level, a divine exemplar uses his divine exemplar level in place of his base attack bonus when smiting and using domain powers which require an attack roll. He also uses his divine exemplar level as his base attack bonus for the purpose of determining the number of attacks he can make in a full attack action while smiting.

Smite (Su): At 1st level, a divine exemplar can smite as a paladin of his level, once per day, and an additional time per day every six levels thereafter, to a maximum of four times per day at 19th level. Divine exemplars of good alignment smite evil, and those of an evil alignment smite good. A lawful neutral divine exemplar smites chaos, while one of chaotic neutral alignment smites law. True neutral divine exemplars can smite chaos, evil, good, and law, but each day must choose which alignment he can smite for that day. This ability replaces channel energy 1d6, 4d6, 7d6, and 10d6.

Lay on Hands/Touch of Corruption/Versatile Channeler (Su): At 2nd level, a divine exemplar that worships a good or evil deity can expend one of his daily channel energy uses to use lay on hands or touch of corruption respectively. When using channel energy in this way, the healing (or damage) dice are calculated as though the divine exemplar were a paladin (or antipaladin) of his level. For example, a 9th level divine exemplar normally channels energy for 3d6 points of healing or damage, but when using lay on hands or touch of corruption this is increased to 5d6). A divine exemplar may use this ability on himself as a swift action. This ability otherwise functions as the paladin or antipaladin ability of the same name.

Alternatively, a divine exemplar who worships neither a good nor evil deity gains Versatile Channeler as a bonus feat. This allows the divine exemplar to channel positive or negative energy, but with an effective cleric level equal to his divine exemplar level –2. At 11th level, the divine exemplar no longer receives a penalty for channeling both types of energy. This ability allows the divine exemplar to qualify for feats and abilities that have "channel positive energy" or "channel negative energy" as a prerequisite, such as the Command Undead feat and the Turn Undead feat.

Mercy/Cruelty (Su): At 4th level, and again at 10th and 16th levels, a divine exemplar selects one mercy or cruelty available to paladins or antipaladins of his level. Good divine exemplars select mercies, and apply all mercies known when using lay on hands, as a paladin would. Evil divine exemplars select cruelties, and apply one cruelty known when using touch of corruption, as an anti-paladin would. Non-good, non-evil divine exemplars may choose freely between mercies and cruelties; they apply all mercies known to one creature healed by their positive channeling, and one cruelty known to one creature harmed by their negative channeling.

Favored (Su): At 5th level, a divine exemplar receives a bonus equal to his Charisma modifier on all his saves. This bonus is a sacred bonus if the divine exemplar worships a good deity, profane if the divine exemplar worships an evil deity, and untyped if the divine exemplar worships a neutral deity. This functions as, and does not stack with, the paladin's divine grace or antipaladin's unholy resilience ability. This ability replaces orisons.

Abundant Channeling (Su): Starting at 8th level, a divine exemplar may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 1/2 his divine exemplar level + his Charisma bonus (instead of 3 + his Charisma bonus).

Improved Righteous Fury (Ex): At 11th level, a divine exemplar uses his divine exemplar level in place of his base attack bonus whenever he makes an attack roll with his deity's favored weapon. He also uses his divine exemplar level as his base attack bonus for the purpose of determining the number of attacks he can make in a full attack action with his deity's favored weapon.

Conductive Weaponry (Su): At 14th level, a divine exemplar treats any magical melee weapon he wields as though it had the conductive special ability. If he has Improved Unarmed Strike, he receives Domain Strike as a bonus feat.

Supreme Righteous Fury (Su): At 20th level, a divine exemplar's base attack bonus is equal to his divine exemplar level so long as he remains in good standing with his deity. This applies to all relevant calculations, including CMB and CMD. Also, whenever the divine exemplar uses smite and successfully strikes an outsider of the alignment(s) he smites, the outsider is also subject to banishment, using his divine exemplar level as the caster level (his weapon and holy symbol automatically count as objects that the subject hates).

In addition, good divine exemplars heal the maximum amount when using channel energy or lay on hands. Evil divine exemplars deal the maximum amount of damage when using channel energy or touch of corruption. Divine exemplars with neither good nor evil alignment components double the save bonus from the favored class ability against good- and evil-aligned spells and spell-like abilities, and add it as an untyped bonus to AC against attacks made with good– or evil–aligned weapons.

Special: Though the divine exemplar is not a paladin, he qualifies for the Unsanctioned Knowledge feat if his Intelligence score is high enough. He adds the received spells as 1st-4th level spells which he can prepare alongside his domain spells. The divine exemplar also counts as having more specific versions of his abilities, such as smite evil, divine grace, or any aura effects he gains via his aura ability, as class features for the purposes of qualifying for feats and prestige classes.

New Domains

Table: Divine Exemplar