 Envoy of Balance
Source Champions of Balance pg. 30
Standing beyond good and evil, outside law and chaos, an envoy of balance serves as the countering force against any extremism that seeks to elevate one alignment above all others. While their motives seem almost inexplicable to onlookers, envoys of balance see themselves as guardians of the cosmic scales and arbiters of universal balance.RequirementsTo qualify to for this prestige class, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Alignment: Neutral.
Feats: Augment Summoning, Improved Counterspell, or Versatile ChannelerUM.
Skills: Knowledge (planes) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks.
Spells: Able to cast 3rd-level spells.
Special: If the character gains spells from a deity, this deity’s alignment must be neutral and it must be able to grant followers the ability to channel both positive and negative energy.Class SkillsThe Envoy of Balance's class skills are Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Hit Die: d6.Class Features| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spells Per Day | | 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +1 | Incisive spells +1 | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 2nd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Endowment | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +2 | Contravening armament | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +2 | Endowment | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 5th | +2 | +2 | +2 | +3 | Ethical paradox | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +3 | Endowment | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +4 | Retributive symmetry | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 8th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +4 | Endowment | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +5 | Incisive spells +2 | +1 level of spellcasting class | | 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +5 | Scales of morality | +1 level of spellcasting class |
The following are class features of the envoy of balance prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An envoy of balance gains no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.
Spells per Day: When an envoy of balance gains a level, she gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to before adding the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefits a character of that class would have gained, except for additional spells per day, spells known (if a spontaneous spellcaster), and an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character has more than one spellcasting class, she must decide to which class she adds the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.
Incisive Spells (Su): An envoy of balance gains a +1 bonus on caster level checks to overcome the spell resistance of creatures with an alignment subtype. This bonus increases to +2 at 9th level.
Endowment (Su): At 2nd level and again at 4th, 6th, and 8th level, an envoy of balance gains one of the following endowments.
Aligned Annulment: As a standard action, the envoy of balance can expend a spell with an alignment descriptor to automatically (without requiring a caster level check) dispel a spell with the opposite descriptor. The spell she expends must be of the same level or higher than the spell being dispelled. An envoy of balance must have the aligned counter endowment to choose this endowment.
Aligned Counter: The envoy of balance can counterspell a spell with an alignment descriptor using a spell with the opposite alignment descriptor. The spell used to counterspell must be higher level than the spell being countered, unless the envoy of balance has the Improved Counterspell feat, in which case it can be the same level or higher. An envoy of balance with the Improved Counterspell feat can use the aligned counter ability as an immediate action instead of a readied action, but must expend an appropriate spell at least 2 levels higher than the spell to be countered.
Planar Parity: Protection from chaos/evil/good/law and similar effects no longer prevent bodily contact from creatures summoned by the envoy of balance. Neutral creatures summoned by the envoy of balance also gain the counterpoised simple creature template (see the inside back cover).
Spiritual Equilibrium: The envoy of balance’s class levels count as cleric levels for determining the effects of her channel energy ability. If she has the spontaneous casting class feature, she is no longer restricted by the choice made at 1st level to convert prepared spells into cure or inflict spells. Each time the envoy of balance converts a spell, she can choose to convert it into a cure spell or an inflict spell. Additionally, when using the Versatile Channeler feat, her effective cleric level is no longer reduced by 2—instead, she uses her full effective cleric level. An envoy of balance must have the Versatile Channeler feat to choose this endowment.
Twinned Channeling: When channeling energy, the envoy of balance can simultaneously release waves of positive and negative energy. She chooses a category of creatures (either living or undead), and this conjoined energy both heals and harms the affected creatures. Roll the amounts of damage healed and dealt separately. Treat the envoy of balance’s effective cleric level as 2 lower than normal for the amounts of damage and the DC to halve damage taken. The envoy of balance can choose whether to include herself in either or both the healing and harming effects. If she has an ability that allows her to exclude targets from her channeled energy, such as the Selective Channel feat, she can choose to exclude different targets from the healing effect than from the harming effect. An envoy of balance must possess the spiritual equilibrium endowment to choose this endowment.
Utterly Inscrutable: The envoy of balance gains the benefits of a mind blank spell whose caster level is equal to her character level. She can suppress this ability as a swift action and resume it as an immediate action. An envoy of balance must be 8th level to choose this endowment.
Contravening Armament (Su): At 3rd level, an envoy of balance’s natural and manufactured weapons bypass alignment-based damage reduction. As a standard action, she can touch an ally to transfer this ability to him for 1 minute, during which time the envoy of balance can’t benefit from the ability. The envoy of balance can transfer this ability a number of times per day equal to 1/2 her class level.
Ethical Paradox (Su): At 5th level, an envoy of balance remains unaffected by effects from spells and magical abilities based on her alignment or faith. She doesn’t trigger glyphs, symbols, magical traps, or magical sensors set to activate based on a creature’s alignment or religion. She counts as the most favorable alignment or faith for the purposes of any harmful effects these alignment- or faithbased spells or abilities may have, but doesn’t gain benefits these effects might grant those of a particular alignment or faith unless she is actually of that alignment or faith.
Retributive Symmetry (Su): At 7th level, once per day as an immediate action, an envoy of balance can cause a spell targeting her to affect both herself and the spell’s caster at full effect, as if both creatures had spell turning cast on them and then rolled the appropriate result on that spell’s table.
Scales of Mortality (Su): At 10th level, once per day as a standard action, an envoy of balance can make a melee touch attack, delivering a killing touch against a living creature. If the attack hits and the target is not neutral, the target is subject to a power word kill spell. If the attack misses or the target is neutral, this ability is wasted. If the target dies, its bodily remains (but not its equipment) turn to dust, as disintegrate. If this ability kills the target, the envoy of balance becomes aware of that creature’s alignment and may then touch the remains of another dead creature with fewer Hit Dice than or Hit Dice equal to the slain creature’s and with an alignment opposite to the slain creature’s on the good-evil axis, the lawful-chaotic axis, or both. This revives the second dead creature as if via true resurrection. The envoy of balance can delay using this reviving touch for up to 1 hour after successfully using the killing touch, but after that time the reviving power dissipates. The envoy doesn’t need to provide the material component for true resurrection; the caster level for both the power word kill and the true resurrection effects is equal to her character level.
Ex-Envoys of Balance: An envoy of balance who ceases to be neutral loses all class features until she regains her alignment via atonement.
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