Hospitaler

Hospitalers are a fighting force of necessity, sworn to poverty, obedience, and the defense of those in their care.

#### Requirements

**Base Attack Bonus:** +5

**Alignment:** Any nonchaotic

**Skills:** Handle Animal 2 ranks , Ride 2 ranks

**Feats:** Mounted Combat , Ride-By Attack

**Spells:** Able to cast 1st-level divine spells.

#### Class Features

**Weapon and Armor Proficiency:** Hospitalers gain proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with shields.

**Lay on Hands (Su):** A hospitaler with a Charisma score of 12 or higher can heal wounds by touch. Each day she can heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to her hospitaler level times her Charisma modifier. A hospitaler 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.

If the hospitaler has this ability from another class, her levels in those classes stack to determine the total number of hit points of damage she can heal each day.

**Spells per Day/Spells Known:** A hospitaler continues advancing in divine spellcasting ability as well as learning the skills of the hospitalers. Thus, when a new hospitaler level is gained (except for 1st, 5th, and 9th levels), the character gains new divine spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had gained a level in the a divine spellcasting class to which she belonged before adding the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, greater damage with the smite evil ability, and so on). If the character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a hospitaler, the player must decide to which class to add each hospitaler level for the purposes of determining spells per day and spells known.

**Bonus Feat:** At the indicated levels, a hospitaler may take a bonus feat. These feats are drawn from the feats designated as fighter bonus feats (in the Player's Handbook and elsewhere).

**Remove Disease (Sp):** Beginning at 3rd level, a hospitaler can use remove disease as a spell-like ability once per week. At 7th level and higher, she can use this ability twice per week.

**Code of Conduct:** Hospitalers take an oath of poverty, obedience, and defense of those in their care. This does not mean that hospitalers live mean, penny-pinching lives. They share their wealth among themselves and give any excess to their order. Obedience is not related to character or social rank, but rather to position assigned within the order, and often changes with the situation. Regardless of their relative ranks, all hospitalers defer to the head of a facility while on the grounds. Hospitalers must be willing to lay down their lives to protect the pilgrims or hospitaler facilities under their care, but should not do so recklessly.

**Multiclass Note:** A paladin who becomes a hospitaler may continue advancing as a paladin.

#### EX-HOSPITALERS

A hospitaler who becomes chaotic, who willfully commits a chaotic act, or who grossly violates the hospitaler code of conduct loses all class features and spells and may not progress in levels as a hospitaler. She regains her abilities if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell description, page 201 of the Player's Handbook).

A hospitaler faces a special restriction in multiclassing. A hospitaler who gains a level in a class other than hospitaler or paladin may never again increase her hospitaler level, though she retains all her hospitaler abilities. The path of the hospitaler, like that of the paladin, requires a constant heart. Once you have turned off the path, you may never return.