Phalanx Warrior of Yelmalio

[John Biles]

Phalanx Warrior of Yelmalio

This is based on the Paladin class, but with some changes.

Required: You must be a devotee of Yelmalio, the heroic son of Yelm.  Theoretically, you must be human, but you could be something else with an appropriate one unique thing.  (A troll Yelmalion would be the greatest thing.)
Play Style:   You get in close and stab people in the face, or you shoot them with your sacred bow, then stab them in the face.  Also, you set them on fire.

Ability Scores:   Strength is your most important ability score, powering your attacks.  Charisma is useful for some feats and to spread the word of Yelmalio.  Constitution is always useful for any character but especially for you because you will find life easier the more you can take hits.   Phalanx Warriors of Yelmalio gain a +2 class bonus to Charisma or Strength, as long as it isn't the same ability you increased with your +2 racial bonus.
Backgrounds:   You might be a young idealist, full of the fire of Yelmalio, driven to go out and defeat the darkness in his name.  "You might be a former Elmal worshipper, who realized Elmal and Yelmalio were one and then were filled with his power.  You might be a defender for hire, who sells his spear and bow for good causes.  You might be a Yelmalio preacher, who goes around, telling Elmal worshippers to convert to Yelmalio.   You could be a Defender of Pavis, who sees it as the future of Prax and something worth saving.  You might be an angry former hermit, who tried to live a monastic lifestyle for Yelmalio but chaos/darkness/Praxians/angry Elmali/bandits/etc burned it down and now you seek revenge.  
Gods:   You serve Yelmalio, heroic son of Yelm.  You could also use this class for a warrior of Yelorna, his unicorn-riding sister.  
Runes:  You must have the Truth and Fire runes (technically, Yelmalio has the Light rune, but reworking the rune system to accomodate this would be too hard); your third rune can be whatever you want.  

Level Advancement:  I can't do the chart worth squat, so use the Paladin level advancement.  

Phalanx Warrior of Yelmalio Stats
Initiative, AC, PD, MD, Hit Points, Recovery Dice, Icon Points, and Feats are level dependent.

• Ability Bonus +2 Strength or Charisma (different from racial bonus)
• Initiative Dex mod + Level
• Armor Class (heavy armor) 16 + middle mod of Con/Dex/Wis + Level
• Armor Class (heavy armor + Shield) 17 + middle mod of Con/Dex/Wis + Level
• Physical Defense 11 + middle mod of Str/Con/Dex + Level
• Mental Defense 11 + middle mod of Int/Wis/Cha + Level
• Hit Points (8 + Con mod) x Level modifier (see level progression chart)
• Recoveries (probably) 8
• Recovery Dice (1d10 x Level) + Con mod
• Backgrounds 8 points, max 5 in any one background
• Runes Truth, Light (Fire), a personal rune of your choice
• Talents 3 (see level progression chart)
• Feats 1 per Level

Gear

You begin with a spear, a bow, armor, a shield, a backpack, a bedroll, and a holy text of Yelmalio (or Yelorna).   

Armor and Weapons as Paladin

Class Features

• Light Rune:  As a free action, you can choose to glow in a thirty foot radius like a lantern.  You can turn it off as a free action as well.  You cannot do both in the same round, however.  
• Smite Evil:  As a paladin.  

Talents 

Bastion, Cleric Training, Divine Domain, Fearless, Implacable, Lay on Hands, Paladin's Challenge:  As a standard paladin

Armor Geas (Based on the Humakti Talent)
Yelmalio  has told you to leave armor off one part of your body. You pick which body part. While wearing armor, your AC is 1 lower than normal. Yelmalio honors your sacrifice with a return blessing, but you are not supposed to get comfortable with the geas. At the beginning of each day, roll a d6 to find out what blessing Humakt has for you until the end of that day (your next full heal-up). (If you let the Trickster roll for you, on your head be it.)
1. Yelmalio rewards heroism: You gain a +1 attack bonus with spears and bows today but also take a –1 penalty to PD.
2. A good day for someone to die: You gain a +1 attack bonus with spears and bows today.
3. Armored Assault: You gain a +2 attack bonus with bows and swords, but lose access to all other talents while using a shield.
4. Death is a sword: Your critical hits while using a spear or bow deal triple damage instead of double damage.
5. Today you are the slayer: Your melee attacks with spears deal an extra WEAPON damage die when you hit.
6. Be blessed, be swift: Your ranged attacks with bows deal an extra WEAPON damage die when you hit.
7. Today you will not fall: You gain a +1 attack bonus with spears and increase your recovery dice by one size (for example, d8s become d10s).
8. There is no weakness:  You gain a +1 attack bonus with bows and increase your recovery dice by one size (for example, d8s become d10s).
9. Death is certain: All your attacks with a spear or bow inflict your level + your strength bonus in ongoing fire damage (save ends), even if you miss.
10+. You are Death: Choose your geas from the list above.

• Adventurer Feat: Roll a d8 for your geas instead of a d6.
• Champion Feat: Roll a d10 for your geas instead of a d8.
• Epic Feat: After rolling, you can add 1 to your geas roll, if you wish.

 

Darkness Hunter

Understandably, many Yelmalio worshipers hate Zorak Zoran and lots generalize it to a hatred of trolls and the creatures of the Darkness Rune in general.  You have learned how to limn your weapons with holy light to smite such horrors.  Conveniently, it really helps with smiting just about anything.  You gain the power Darkness Hunter.

Darkness Hunter

• Close-Quarters Spell
• Daily
• Quick Action to Cast:
• Effect:  For the rest of the battle, your weapons inflict 5* your level ongoing fire damage (save ends) on a successful hit.  
• Champion Feat:  This power gains a 16+ refresh.  

Fire Soul

Yelmalio's fire burns inside you and wards off hostile flame.  You have Resist 12+ to Fire.  

• Adventurer Feat:  Resist 12+ to Cold
• Champion Feat:  Resist 16+ to Fire
• Epic Feat:  Resist 16+ to Cold

Heroic Defender (Altered Path of Universal Righteous Endeavor)

Your nearby allies gain a +1 bonus to saves

• Adventurer Feat:  All allies within far away gain the bonus
• Champion Feat:   As a free action, you can give an ally a bonus to a save equal to your Charisma bonus +1.  This uses one charge of your Smite Evil.  
• Epic Feat:  When you Smite Evil, an ally within far away can make an immediate save against an on-going condition with the usual +1 bonus.  .  

Smiter of Foes (Way of Evil Bastards Altered)
When one of your Smite Evil attacks drops a non-mook enemy to 0 hp, that use of Smite Evil is not expended. 

• Adventurer Feat: Once per day, you can save against all on-going conditions when you use this power.  
• Champion Feat: When one of your Smite Evil attacks drops three or more mooks, it is not expended.
• Epic Feat:  Once per day, when you use this power, you can spend a recovery.  

Unicorn Companion (Yelorna only)

This consumes *two* Talent slots.  Treat it like the Ranger Animal Companion ability.

Unicorn
Acts: Before Phalanx Warrior
Advantage: The unicorn gains a +1 attack bonus when it moves before its attack during the same turn.

Edited May 14, 2020 by John Biles