The light of Heaven, the thunder that rumbles from its weeping clouds, and the fire it hurls towards the earth when angered; these are the foci of the heavenly knight, a sect of mystic knights whose intense devotion to the skies above grants them powers unlike those of any other.
The heavenly knight is an archetype of the Mystic Knight class.
Class Skills:
The heavenly knight loses Knowledge (arcana) (Int) as a class skill and gains Diplomacy (Cha) and Knowledge (religion) (Int) as a class skill.
This changes the mystic knight’s class skills.
Limit Breaks (Su):
At 1st level, alongside the generic limit breaks available to mystic knights (those of the Arcane, Battle, or Stoic modes), the heavenly knight also gains access to the Saint’s Cross limit break.
Saint’s Cross (Su): This limit break lets the heavenly knight exude power that burns away the unclean filth that is her enemy with her blows. For 2 rounds per stack spent as a swift action, the heavenly knight is considered to be attuned to the fire, lightning, and holy elements simultaneously as though they are primary elements, using whichever element is most advantageous. The first successful attack that the heavenly knight makes against a creature who is weak against one of the aforementioned elements each round inflicts double damage, rather than +50%.
This replaces the elemental buster limit break.
Elemental Attunement (Su)
This ability works as normal, except that the heavenly knight can only attune to the fire, lightning, or holy elements.
This modifies elemental attunement.
Channel Energy (Su)
At 1st level, the heavenly knight can channel light energy, as the cleric ability, with a number of uses per day equal to 3 + her Focus modifier. The damage starts at 1d6, increases to 2d6 at 3rd level, and increases by 1d6 every three levels thereafter, up to a maximum of 7d6 at 18th level. The heavenly knight does not need a holy symbol to use this ability.
This replaces elemental grasp.
Swordplay (Su)
The heavenly knight loses access to the following swordplay techniques: Blood Sword, Gorgon Gaze, Gran Fissure, Ice Brand, Icebound Blade, Kazekiri, Liquid Steel, Muramasa, Murasame, Rune Tooth, Sakura, and Yakei. In exchange, she gains access to the following swordplay techniques.
Coral Sword: The rumble and hiss of a thunderbolt striking the ocean echoes as you strike down your foes. Make an attack; if successful, you inflict the damage of the attack, as well as +1d6 lightning damage for every two mystic knight levels. When used against a creature with the (Aquatic) or (Water) subtype, or a weakness to lightning damage, the lightning damage inflicted by this swordplay technique increases to +1d10 for every two mystic knight levels. By spending 1 MP, you can increase the lightning damage by 1d6 for every MP spent.
Laevateinn: Hell itself may well be green with envy at the sheer power of the fire you use to scorch opposition into ash. When using the Flametongue, Serpent Sword, or Venus Blade swordplay techniques, choose one of your opponent’s physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution); for every 15 fire damage you inflict, the target suffers 1 point of ability burn to the chosen ability score. No ability score may suffer more than 3 points of ability burn per use of this swordplay technique. Prerequisites: Flametongue or Serpent Sword or Venus Blade (at least two), Heavenly Knight 12
Lightbringer: With your inner light coursing from your spirit to your weapon, you can mark your foes for all to see and invoke the wrath of everyone upon them. When using the Excalibur, Masamune, or Save the Queen swordplay technique, the target struck is bathed in white light, making them shed light like a torch. This light negates any miss chance from concealment; even invisibility is ruined, as the light makes an outline of their figure, revealing their presence. This light lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Focus modifier. Prerequisite: Excalibur or Masamune or Save the Queen, Heavenly Knight 10
Masamune: It is the cruellest of swords that slaughters without discrimination, spilling the blood of any and all who would dare get in its way. A true master of weapons would do no such thing, able to carefully judge those who they slay and to whom mercy is shown. Make an attack; if successful, you inflict the damage of the attack, as well as +1d6 holy damage for every two mystic knight levels. All damage inflicted by this swordplay technique is converted to nonlethal damage after all calculations have been made, such as critical hits or vulnerabilities; however, against undead or creatures with the (Dark) subtype, it does lethal damage, and the extra damage due to vulnerability is +100% instead of +50%. By spending 1 MP, you can increase the holy damage by 1d6 for every MP spent.
Ragnarok: The end of the world has a light all its own, an uncaring, all-consuming effulgence that overwhelms anything and everything. When using the Excalibur, Masamune, or Save the Queen swordplay technique, you may spend 4 MP to make all of the damage inflicted count as holy or non-elemental, whichever is most advantageous. Prerequisite: Excalibur or Masamune or Save the Queen (at least two), Heavenly Knight 14
Rudra Tulwar: Rather than flood your opponents with uncontrolled electricity, you take a more precise approach, and apply lesser amounts in far weaker areas, resulting in greater damage in the end. Make an attack; if successful, you inflict the damage of the attack, as well as +1d6-1 lightning damage for every two mystic knight levels. If the attack is a confirmed critical hit, then the lightning damage inflicted by this swordplay technique is doubled, but otherwise unaffected by the critical. By spending 1 MP, you can increase the lightning damage by 1d6-1 for every MP spent.
Save the Queen: The good knight adheres to the Davidic principle of noble habitus; the benevolence of the strong shall go towards the protection of the weak, and so it is not without reason shall she bear a sword, wherewith she sheds blood blamelessly, without thereby becoming a woman of blood, and put others to death without incurring the name of guilt or homicide. Make an attack; if successful, you inflict the damage of the attack, as well as +1d6 holy damage for every two mystic knight levels. For a number of rounds equal to your Focus modifier, all attacks made by the target that are not directed towards you provoke an attack of opportunity from you. You are treated as though you have the Combat Reflexes feat for the purposes of these attacks of opportunity, using your Focus modifier in place of your Dexterity modifier to determine the number of attacks of opportunity you can make against the target per round. By spending 1 MP, you can increase the holy damage by 1d6 for every MP spent, or by spending 2 MP, you can make the attacks of opportunity inflict +1d6 holy damage for every 2 MP spent.
Serpent Sword: Slaying enemies with brute force over and over becomes dull, doing little to satiate the imagination of one who would save their enemies for later. Make an attack; if successful, you inflict the damage of the attack, as well as +1d4 fire damage for every two mystic knight levels. The fire lashes itself to the target, tethering them in place and preventing movement for a number of rounds equal to your Focus modifier, and inflicting half of the fire damage dealt per round at the start of the target’s turn; a Strength check (DC 10 + Focus modifier) made as a full-round action can be made by the target to free themselves. By spending 2 MP, you can increase the DC of the Strength check by 1 for every 2 MP spent.
Soulsaber: The flames with which you coat your weapon burn so bright and hot that even those who hide in parallel dimensions cannot escape their heat. When using the Flametongue, Serpent Sword, or Venus Blade swordplay techniques, your weapon is treated as though it has the ghost touch property for the attack, and the DCs of any checks or saving throws the target makes involving it are increased by 2. Prerequisite: Flametongue or Serpent Sword or Venus Blade, Heavenly Knight 10
Tempestblade: Your mastery of the lightning element lets you channel such vast amounts of it into your enemies that their bodies simply cannot contain it all. When using the Coral Sword, Rudra Tulwar, or Thunder Blade swordplay technique, for every damage die that was rolled at maximum, you can spend 1 MP and select a target within 30 feet of the original target of the swordplay technique. The additional target is struck with a bolt of lightning, inflicting the lightning damage dealt by the swordplay technique onto the chosen target. No additional target may be selected more than once. Prerequisite: Coral Sword or Rudra Tulwar or Thunder Blade, Heavenly Knight 10
Vajra: Not content to slay a single enemy at a time, you for a brief moment become one with the lightning of your weapon, and with each blow, you yourself arc towards a new opponent. When using the Coral Sword, Rudra Tulwar, or Thunder Blade swordplay technique, you can opt to spend 5 MP and use the swordplay technique as a full-round action. If the attack is successful, you can choose another target within 30 feet of the original target, and move adjacent to them; this is a teleportation effect, and you must have line of sight to the next target. Once adjacent to the next target, make a melee touch attack; if successful, the target takes the lightning damage inflicted by the swordplay technique, and you can move to another target within 30 feet of the enemy you moved adjacently to. You can continue to do this, so long as your melee touch attacks are successful, targeting up to a number of creatures equal to your Focus modifier, and no creature can be targeted more than once. Prerequisite: Coral Sword or Rudra Tulwar or Thunder Blade, Heavenly Knight 14
Venus Blade: The most powerful of friendships are ones forged in fire, and it is with your own fire that you warm an opponent’s heart, making friends of foes. Make an attack; if successful, you inflict the damage of the attack, as well as +1d6 fire damage for every two mystic knight levels. By spending 1 MP, you can increase the fire damage by 1d6 for every MP spent, or by spending 4 MP, you can convert all of the damage inflicted to nonlethal, and force a Will save (DC 10 + ½ mystic knight level + Focus modifier + 1 for every 2 MP spent beyond 4), with failure indicating that the target’s attitude towards you is changed to friendly for a number of minutes equal to your mystic knight level + the number of MP spent augmenting this swordplay. This is a charm effect, and thus you or your allies threatening or targeting them with hostile abilities returns their attitude to hostile. Prerequisite: Heavenly Knight 8
This modifies swordplay.
Mysticism (Su)
The heavenly knight loses access to the following mysticisms: Arcane Beam, Arcane Blast, Arcane Bolts, Arcane Burst, Arcane Maelstrom, and Arcane Wave. In exchange, she gains access to the following mysticisms:
Angel Down: A heavenly knight with this mysticism can cast cure as a spell-like ability, and is able to augment it as though she has a caster level equal to her class level -3 (minimum 1), counting the MP spent to use this mysticism towards the total MP she can spend on augmentation. MP Cost: 2 MP
Angel Pinions: A heavenly knight with this mysticism can grow a pair of wings at will as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. These wings grant a fly speed of her base land speed +20 feet with average maneuverability, and last for up to 10 minutes per level; when they dissipate, the heavenly knight must wait 1 minute per level before manifesting them again. While the wings are active, the heavenly knight can spend 3 MP as a swift action to grant herself fast healing equal to her Focus modifier for a like number of rounds. Prerequisite: Angel Down, Heavenly Knight 9 MP Cost: 0
Bless: A heavenly with this mysticism can, as a standard action, emit an aura of blue, mana-restoring light. By spending a number of MP up to half of her class level, she restores a number of MP to all allies other than herself within 15 feet equal to half of the MP spent. Prerequisite: Angel Down, Heavenly Knight 6
Caress: A heavenly knight with this mysticism gains use of endowment, as the paladin ability, counting her class level -3 as her paladin level for the purposes of what endowments are available to her, and determining the number of uses per day by her Focus modifier. MP Cost: 1 MP
Divine Protection: A heavenly knight with this mysticism can project a field that brings a powerful calm to the battlefield. All creatures within a 30 ft. radius of the heavenly knight are rendered unable to take any hostile actions towards anyone within the area of effect; a successful Will save (DC 10 + ½ MP spent + Focus modifier) made either at the start of their turn or upon entering the radius lets those affected ignore the effect for 1 round. This effect lasts for 1 minute. MP Cost: 2 (maximum equal to class level)
Sanctity of Body and Mind: A heavenly knight with this mysticism can, as a standard action, cleanse herself of detrimental effects that plague her, and offer herself protection against further assaults. She can cast esuna as a spell-like ability, and augment it with MP as though it was a spell cast at her class level. At 10th level, when using this mysticism, she can also grant herself the effects of a protect or shell spell, treated as though it was cast with a number of MP equal to the MP spent on the esuna effect -5. MP Cost: 1 MP
This modifies mysticism.
Improved Reversal (Su)
At 7th level, a heavenly knight is ever ready to answer any attempts to harm her or her allies. She can now use the reversal ability against an attack, spell, or other ability that would deal elemental damage to an ally within her weapon’s reach, at the cost of 4 MP. When using reversal on a triggering effect that targets her (not any other allies), she may spend 5 MP instead of 2 MP to use this ability without consuming an immediate action; this ability may be used in this way only once per round.
This replaces assault.
Soulfire Channel (Su)
At 12th level, when using the channel energy ability, the heavenly knight can spend 1 MP to make the effect inflict damage matching her current element and an additional +1 damage per die, but can only use it in this manner to cause harm; if a creature would be healed by it, they are simply unaffected.
This replaces improved assault.
Greater Reversal (Su)
At 17th level, the heavenly knight’s penchant for rebuking her foes’ attempts to harm knows no bounds. When making a successful attempt at using the reversal ability, the mystic knight can choose to apply the damage and stunning effects of the ability to either all enemies adjacent to the target, all enemies in a 15 ft. cone, or all enemies in a 30 ft. line, if she wishes.
This replaces greater assault.
