Feral Champion (Paladin/Druid)

In the defense of nature, it is at times necessary to take the fight for survival directly to those who would ravage the wildlands and the sacred places of those who venerate it. In the wild, judgment is sharp and there is no room for sentiment–only clear, efficient prejudice, loyalty to one's set or the purity of hunger and blood. Feral champions live by nature's creed, kill or be killed, eat or go hungry, find or be left wanting. Able to strike down destroyers of the wild and surround themselves with natural power, the feral champion’s ultimate expression of discipline and attunement is expressed by the famed wild aspect they can achieve. Elemental in essence, fearless as stone, and inexorable as the tide, all who defile the natural world must beware the feral champion. (Original Concept by Oceanshieldwolf)

Primary Class: Paladin.

Secondary Class: Druid.

Alignment: Any neutral.

Hit Dice: d10.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The feral champion selects three druid skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal paladin class skills. The feral champion gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 2 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The feral champion is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. The feral champion is proficient with all types of armor (heavy, light, and medium), but is prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, she may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. A feral champion may also wear wooden armor (even wooden full plate) that has been altered by the ironwood spell so that it functions as though it were steel. See the ironwood spell description. A feral champion is proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones.

Spellcasting: The feral champion casts divine spells drawn from the paladin spell list, and adds the following druid spells to her list at the indicated levels: 1st level–feather step*, longstrider, magic fang; 2nd level–barkskin, bear’s endurance, wilderness soldiers†; 3rd level–badger’s ferocity, magic fang (greater), spike growth; 4th level–aspect of the stag*, command plants, thorny body*. A feral champion otherwise learns, prepares, and casts spells as a paladin equal to her feral champion level. A feral champion receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score.

Code of Conduct: A feral champion must adhere to her own alignment as a strict moral code, but otherwise serves to protect the natural world from harm as she deems fit. She loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly breaks this code.

Aura of Nature (Ex): A feral champion has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to her devotion to and protection of the natural world. The power of a feral champion’s aura of nature (see detect animals and plants) is equal to her feral champion level. This ability replaces aura of good.

Detect Abomination (Sp): At will, a feral champion can, as a move action, concentrate on a creature within 60 feet and determine if it is an aberration, outsider, or undead, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds as if using the detect animal or plant spell. While focusing on one creature, the feral champion does not detect abomination in any creature within range. This ability replaces detect evil.

Smite Abomination (Su): This is exactly like the paladin’s smite evil ability, except that the feral champion can only smite aberrations, outsiders, and undead, or creatures she personally witnesses defiling the natural world. If the target of smite abomination is an aberration, outsider, or undead with an alignment that is directly opposed by the feral champion’s own alignment, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the feral champion possesses. Regardless of the target, smite abomination attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess. The feral champion can smite abomination 1/day at 1st level and an additional time per day at 4th, 10th, 13th, and 19th level.

Feral Resistance (Su): At 2nd level, a feral champion gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against poison and the spell-like and supernatural abilities of fey. This bonus also applies to spells and effects that target plants, such as blight, entangle, spike growth, and warp wood. This bonus increases to +4 at 4th level, and +6 at 6th level. At 8th level, a feral champion becomes completely immune to poison and to spell-like and supernatural abilities of the fey. This ability replaces divine health and aura of resolve.

Woodland Stride (Ex): At 2nd level, a feral champion gains the druid’s woodland stride ability. This ability replaces mercy.

Nature’s Grace (Su): At 3rd level, a feral champion gains a +2 bonus to all saving throws. This ability replaces divine grace.

Relentless Bravery (Su): At 3rd level, a feral champion becomes immune to fear (magical or otherwise). This ability replaces aura of courage.

Aspect of the Wild (Su): Starting at 4th level, a feral champion can, transform into a larger, more ferocious version of himself for a number of rounds per day equal to 1/2 his feral champion level + his Charisma modifier. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. While this ability is in effect, the feral champion grows in size by 1 size category (Small to Medium, Medium to Large, etc.), gains a +4 size bonus to his Strength and Constitution score, but receives a –4 penalty to his Intelligence score. These ability score adjustments supersede all other adjustments due to size change. He also gains low-light vision, the scent ability, and a +2 competence bonus to all Perception and Survival checks. 

At 10th level, a feral champion's competence bonus to all Perception and Survival checks increase to +4. Using aspect of the wild is a standard action and when the ability is expired, the feral champion becomes fatigued for 1 round for each round he used his aspect of the wild. This ability replaces channel positive energy.

Champion’s Bond (Sp): At 5th level, a feral champion forms a close bond with an animal companion. Once per day, as a full-round action, a feral champion may magically call her animal companion to her side. This ability is the equivalent of a spell of a level equal to one-third the feral champion’s level. The companion immediately appears adjacent to the feral champion. A feral champion can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every 4 levels thereafter, for a total of four times per day at 17th level.

At 11th level, the companion gains the dire creature template and becomes a magical beast for the purposes of determining which spells affect it.

Unlike other animal companions, a feral champion’s bonded animal has an Intelligence of at least 6. This companion otherwise functions as a druid's animal companion, using the feral champion's level as her effective druid level. This ability replaces divine bond.

Wild Armor (Sp): Beginning at 6th level, a feral champion can toughen her skin into a form of natural armor for a number of rounds per day equal to 1/2 his feral champion level + his Charisma modifier, as a swift action. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. While wild armor is in effect, the feral champion gains a +1 enhancement bonus to her natural armor. This natural armor bonus increases by +1 at 9th level and every three levels thereafter to a maximum of +5 at 18th level. This enhancement bonus does not stack with other natural armor bonuses, such as those granted by an amulet of natural armor, or spells like barkskin. This ability replaces lay on hands, smite evil 3/day, and smite evil 6/day.

Vigilant Aura (Su): At 11th level, a feral champion can expend two uses of her smite nature’s foe ability to grant the ability to smite nature’s foe to all allies within 10 feet, using her bonuses. Allies must use this smite nature’s foe ability by the start of the feral champion's next turn and the bonuses last for 1 minute. Using this ability is a free action. Evil creatures gain no benefit from this ability. This ability otherwise functions as and replaces aura of justice.

Wild Aura (Su): At 14th level, a feral champion's weapons are treated as chaotic-, good-, and lawful-aligned for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Any attack made against an enemy within 10 feet of her is treated as chaotic-, good-, and lawful-aligned for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. This ability functions only while the feral champion is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead. This ability otherwise functions as and replaces aura of faith.

Feral Resilience (Su): At 17th level, a feral champion gains DR 5/cold iron and immunity to compulsion spells and spell-like abilities. Each ally within 10 feet of her gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against compulsion effects. This ability functions only while the feral champion is conscious, not if she is unconscious or dead. This ability otherwise functions as and replaces aura of righteousness.

Nature’s Champion (Su): At 20th level, a feral champion becomes a conduit for the power of nature itself. Her DR increases to 10/cold iron. Whenever she uses smite nature’s foe and successfully strikes an outsider that is defiling the land, the outsider is also subject to a banishment, using her feral champion level as the caster level (her weapon automatically count as objects that the subject hates). After the banishment effect and the damage from the attack is resolved, the smite immediately ends. This ability replaces holy champion.

Table: Feral Champion