Sunscourge Paladin

At 1st level, your smite evil ability is transformed into a Scorching Smite. You can smite a creature of any alignment. The additional damage to your weapon attacks is half fire damage and half sacred damage, rather than the weapon’s normal type; this fire and sacred damage is multiplied on a critical hit and stacks with other fire and sacred damage dealt by the weapon.

You do not gain a deflection bonus to AC against attacks made by the target of your scorching smite. The damage of your scorching smite is doubled when striking Creatures of Darkness.

At 3rd level and again every 3 levels thereafter, you select a radiance from the list below. Once made, this choice may not be changed. Radiance effects may cost points of zeal or rely on having zeal available to function. Some radiance effects add additional effects to your smite evil ability. You may only apply one such radiance per smite, chosen at the time you declare the smite attack.

There are four tiers of radiance, each of which requires a minimum sunscourge paladin level.

Radiances (3rd-Level Sunscourge)

• Crusade Training: You gain either a Combat feat or a Zealous feat as a bonus feat. You must meet the prerequisites for the chosen feat.
• Forged in Fire: You gain resistance 5 to fire and sacred damage.
• Pierce the Shadows: As long as you possess at least one point of zeal, weapons you wield gain the Ghost Touch property in addition to any other properties, even if they are not otherwise magical.
• Shadowbane: As long as you possess at least one point of zeal, weapons and natural attacks you wield are treated as cold iron in addition to their actual materials for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Radiances (6th-Level Sunscourge)

• Flaring Smite [Smite]: You may spend an additional point of zeal to create a flash of light when you smite a creature. This light covers an area within a 30-foot burst and counts as a 3rd-level light spell for the purpose of dispelling [darkness] spells. If your target is weakened or injured by bright light or daylight, the smite attack deals additional sacred damage equal to your Charisma bonus (minimum 1).
• Empower Healing: When using lay on hands, you heal 1 additional point of damage for every 2 points of lay on hands spent, rounded down. When casting a cure spell, your spell heals additional damage equal to its spell level.
• Zealous: Your maximum zeal increases by 2.

Radiances (9th-Level Sunscourge)

• Distant Healing: You may use lay on hands on any ally within 20 feet.
• Devilbane: As long as you possess at least one point of zeal, weapons and natural attacks you wield count as silver iron in addition to their other materials for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction, and you deal additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier when making weapon attacks against evil-aligned outsiders.
• Night’s Long Vigil: As long as you possess at least one point of zeal, you gain a morale bonus to AC equal to your Charisma bonus (minimum 1).
• Purified by Fire: You gain resistance 10 to fire and sacred damage. This stacks with the benefit of Forged in Fire.

Radiances (12th-Level Sunscourge)

• Immediate Healing: You may use lay on hands as an immediate action, allowing you to heal even when it’s not your turn. You may not use this radiance to make attacks with lay on hands.
• Sword of True Light: You may spend a point of zeal to grant a weapon or natural weapon you wield the Brilliant Energy special ability for 1 minute, except that it can only harm creatures of darkness instead of its normal limitations.
• Weaken Dark Essence [Smite]: You may spend a point of zeal when you smite a creature to inflict a -3 penalty to the save DC of all special abilities, esoteric effects, and martial arts techniques used by the target of your smite attack (a successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier) reduces this penalty to -1).

You gain resistance to profane damage equal to twice your Charisma bonus (minimum 2).

This ability replaces Divine Health.

At 4th level, you gain a +1 bonus to your effective paladin level for determining the amount of healing available for your lay on hands ability each day. This can exceed your maximum Hit Dice. You gain an additional +1 bonus to your effective paladin level for the purpose of lay on hands for every four paladin levels you attain beyond 4th.

You can expend a point of zeal to call upon the power of your faith as a standard action. This causes a nimbus of sacred light to emanate from you in a 30-foot radius. All allies in this area (including yourself) receive a +1 morale bonus to AC and on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, and saving throws against fear as long as they remain in the area of light. This power lasts for 1 minute.

At 7th level, your nimbus of light heals you and your allies, curing of them of 1d4 points of ability damage, as per the spell lesser restoration. A creature can only be healed in this way once per day.

At 10th level, your nimbus of light is treated as true daylight for the purposes of affecting creatures with sensitivity to light. In addition, the nimbus grants allies in the area resistance 10 to one type of energy, selected by you when this power is activated.

At 13th level, your nimbus of light grants you and your allies protection from critical hits. There is a 25% chance that critical hits made against you and your allies in the area are instead treated as normal hits. This does not stack with other abilities that grant similar protection (such as fortification).

At 16th level, your nimbus of light deals 2d6 sacred damage to any creature of darkness within its area at the start of your turn.

At 19th level, your nimbus of light increases in size out to a range of 60 feet. In addition, all of its bonuses increase. The morale bonus to AC and on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, and saving throws against fear increases to +2. The amount of ability damage healed increases to 2d4. The energy resistance increases to 20 against one energy type. The protection against critical hits increases to 50%. Finally, the sacred damage dealt to creatures of darkness increases to 3d6.

This ability replaces a paladin’s spellcasting.