Pactbound Crusader(Warlock Archetype)

Not all warlocks draw their power from chaos. Some seek out benevolent forces, celestial beings with powerful, divine sparks, and plead for their aid. These champions become vassals of a celestial power, invested with magical might that suffuses their very soul with limitless potential.

**Alignment:** A Pactbound Crusader must not be of Evil alignment.

### **Class Features:**

**Pact:** A Pactbound Crusader must select the Celestial Pact (below, available only to Pactbound Crusaders).

**Halo:** A Pactbound Crusader, like all warlocks, bears a symbol of his bargain, a physical conduit for his power. In his case, that symbol is a halo. The crusader’s halo is a simple, polished ring of silver or gold, which is large enough to sit comfortably atop the crusader’s head, like a tiara or a crown. As a swift action, the Crusader can awaken his Halo, causing it to shed light like a sunrod and float an inch above his head. While his halo is awakened, he increases the DC of any invocations he manifests by 1, receives a +1 insight bonus to his armor class, and receives a +1 bonus on all saving throws and skill checks. These effects last for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma modifier. The bonuses offered by an awakened halo increase by 1 for every five levels of warlock (to a maximum of +5 at 20th level). A Pactbound Crusader may awaken his Halo in this way 1/day at 1st level, 2/day at 6th level, 3/day at 12th level, and 4/day at 18th level. This replaces and otherwise functions as a Warlock’s Fetish; the Pactbound Crusader may enchant his Halo as a headslot item.

**Invocations:** When choosing his invocations, the Pactbound Crusader may not select invocations with the [Evil] descriptor.

## **Celestial Pact**

In the name of righteousness, some mortals seek out powerful forces of good, hoping to be invested with a fraction of their power to champion the cause of good in the world. These mortals are forever changed, their souls touched with a strange blend of Arcane and Divine magic.

**Alignment:** Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic Good (chosen at 1st level, cannot be changed later).

**Eldritch Blast:** A Pactbound Crusader’s Eldritch Blast is a ray of holy light, a beam of positive energy that can stitch wounds and sear the flesh of the wicked. When targeting a living creature, the Pactbound Crusader can choose to heal or to harm. When used to heal, the Pactbound Crusader rolls d8’s instead of d6’s, and heals the target for the amount rolled on a successful hit. When used to harm, the Pactbound Crusader rolls d3’s instead of d6’s. When used on an undead creature, the Eldritch Blast deals d8’s of damage, and cannot be used to heal. A Pactbound Crusader’s eldritch blast has no effect on constructs or other non-living creatures that aren’t undead.

**Dark Resistance:** A Pactbound Crusader gains DR/Bludgeoning. At 10th level, this becomes DR/ Evil and Bludgeoning. He gains Resistance to Fire.

**Dark Ascensions:** At 20th level, the Pactbound Crusader becomes an Outsider with the subtypes matching his Pact Alignment.

**Initial Invocation:** ***Through Heaven’s Eyes:*** Lesser, 2nd. With the forging of his pact, the Crusader receives the first of his holy invocations, a permanent, passive ability that allows him to sense the presence of his enemies. This is a supernatural effect, which you may resume or suppress as a swift action. While this invocation is active, the crusader’s eyes are covered with a thin, milky sheen, as though he was blinded by cataracts, though it does not actually hamper his vision. While this invocation is active, the Crusader constantly benefits from the one-round effects of Detect Evil in a 20-foot radius around himself (That is, he is instantly aware of the presence or absence of Evil Auras within 20 feet of him, though not their location or strength). He may study an area or object, as normal, to glean more information as appropriate for the spell emulated. In addition, the Crusader may spend a full-round action concentrating to increase the range of this effect by thirty feet, plus an additional five feet per level. He must continue spending fullround actions each round to maintain this increased range, but this allows him to scan much larger areas, even entire buildings, at once.

### **Pact Invocations**

#### **Lesser**

***Celestial Ward:*** Lesser, 3rd. With this invocation, the Crusader’s eldritch blast not only mends flesh, but blesses its recipients with a shield, a holy ward against further harm. Whenever the Crusader’s Eldritch Blast heals hit point damage, he may use this invocation as an immediate action to grant all creatures healed by it a number of temporary hit points equal to half the amount of hit points they regained. He may use this invocation a number of times per day equal to his Charisma modifier +2; however, in the event he targets more than one creature, each creature counts as a single use of this ability. If he has enough uses to affect every target of the blast, then he must do so; if he doesn’t have enough uses remaining, then he affects the closest targets first.

***Heavenly Embrace:*** Lesser, 2nd. With this invocation, you wrap an ally in a protective ward of magical energy, shielding them from harm. An ally within 30 feet of you gains a +1 Sacred bonus to his or her AC for as long as he or she remains within 30 feet of you. This bonus increases by 1 for every five levels of warlock you possess (to a maximum of +5 at level 20). You may only affect one creature with this ability at a time; you may change the recipient of this ability, suppress it completely, or resume it as a Swift action. This is a passive, supernatural ability.

#### **Major**

***Brand of Heaven:*** Major, 5th. With this invocation, you lay your hand upon a target, searing your handprint into their flesh. This requires a melee touch attack which deals 1d6 points of Fire damage. Once a creature has been subjected to this ability, the mark is permanent; it can only be removed through the effect of a Break Enchantment, Wish, or Miracle spell cast by a wizard or cleric with a caster level that is higher than your warlock level when you used this invocation. Alternately, you may remove the mark from a victim with a touch, or by casting it on another target when you are already at your maximum marks. You may have a number of creatures marked at any one time equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1); if you mark additional creatures, the oldest mark fades first. While a creature bears your holy mark, it suffers a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls against you and all creatures of good alignment, as well as a -2 penalty to its armor class and saving throws against the attacks, spell-like, and supernatural abilities of you and good-aligned creatures. In addition, when you place a mark on a creature, you may specify a single behavior, using no more than seven words. Should the creature perform the specified behavior, they must make a Will Save or take 1d6 damage per warlock level you had when you cast the mark. This cannot prevent a creature from defending itself (for example, if you forbid the creature from harming good-aligned creatures, but a good aligned creature attacks your victim first, it will not take damage for defending itself).

#### **Fell**

***Angelic Ascension:*** Fell, 9th. With this invocation, you take on a celestial form, becoming a font of positive energy and a bane to evil creatures. When you use this invocation, you sprout a pair of shimmering wings, gaining a fly speed of 60 ft. (perfect). If you already have a fly speed (such as from the On Dark Wings invocation), your fly speed instead increases by 20 feet, and your maneuverability becomes Perfect. You gain DR 5/- and all allies within 30 feet of you gain DR 2/-; this stacks with any existing DR you or your allies have. You and allies within 30 feet of you gain Fast Healing 5, and any time you or an ally within 30 feet of you is healed for a variable number of hit points, add 1 to the amount healed per die. Attacks against evil creatures within 30 feet of you receive a +2 sacred bonus to the attack and damage rolls; in the case of a critical hit, this increases to a +5 to the critical confirmation roll. Finally, all creatures within 30 feet of you (including yourself) receive a +2 bonus to their Armor Class and Saving throws against the attacks, spell-like and supernatural abilities, and spells of Evil creatures or with the [Evil] descriptor. While you are in this form, you may not use any invocations except for your Celestial Pact invocations; however, you may still use your Eldritch Blast. This invocation lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier; once it ends, you are fatigued for the same number of rounds. You cannot use this invocation while you are fatigued.