Gray Guard

[ScottyB]

Gray Guard is currently unavailable to apply for.

[FONT="Times New Roman"][SIZE="5"]Gray Guard At Work[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE="3"][FONT="Times New Roman"]"Your freedom is not a boon but a loss of innocence, a permanent tarnish on a once-pristine soul."[/FONT][/SIZE]

The typical image of a paladin is a proud knight of noble bearing, resplendent in armor bright as sunlight and bearing a sword shining with the purity of his cause. This archetype, upheld by both idealistic knights and their enemies, has killed countless honorable warriors. Taking a cue from the enemies of their faith, many good-aligned religions have established secretive orders of the most dedicated and hardened soldiers. These gray guards are less restrained by their knightly vows, doing what must be done, no matter how unpleasant.

[hide="Who becomes a Gray Guard?"]Only the most realistic and battleworn paladins become gray guards. They know the cruelties of the world cannot be expunged merely by good example and kind words. Though no less virtuous than other paladins, they join the order’s bloodstained ranks out of a sense of necessity. Those who seek membership merely because they resent the yoke of their code of conduct are unfit to be gray guards or paladins.

You have seen the horrible reality of the world: Children dying in the gutter as the rich feast a hedge-wall away; law used to imprison and terrify those it was created to protect; the supposedly devout ignoring and abusing those they deem beneath their interest or contrary to their faith. The most insidious evil wears a cloak of righteousness and seduces with honeyed words. Your faith’s leadership realizes that many paladins’ inflexible interpretation of their code of conduct not only allows such foulness to remain hidden but even aids its spread. As a gray guard, you have earned the freedom to seek out and destroy corruption through any means necessary.

You are not proud of your role, but you accept that one must sometimes embrace a lesser evil to combat greater injustice. Your freedom is not a boon but a loss of innocence, a permanent tarnish on a once-pristine soul. Solidifying your resolve, you face the world of cruel reality, ready to do battle just as valiantly as any paladin but also just as brutally as the monstrosities you oppose.[/hide]

[hide="Becoming a Gray Guard"]As a paladin, you were frustrated by members of that noble order who seemed oblivious to the greater good, righting specific wrongs while ignoring others. You repeatedly came into conflict with your peers, perhaps even violating your code of conduct to satisfy your sense of justice. You were finally approached by leaders of your church or a stern knight in tarnished armor, who asked how much you would sacrifice for your faith and a clean conscience.[/hide]

[hide="Class Requirements"]The Gray Guard must be a Lawful Good Paladin; additionally, they must be approached by a leader of their faith, church or order about becoming a Gray Guard. This means that your paladin-sponsoring god must have an organizational foothold of some sort in the setting, and a cleric of some authority or notability to offer the class to you. This cleric will almost certainly be an NPC; do not forget that their primary class feature (described in the next section) will require them to interact with this cleric frequently.

Download the EFU:A PrC override here to take levels of Gray Guard, if you meet the requirements and have had your application approved. The class appears on the selection list and character sheet as "Cult Elite Knight."[/hide]

[hide="EFU:A Class Features"]Class stats: Paladin HD, BAB, saving throws, skill points, and bonus feats.

Class skills: All Paladin skills and Bluff, Intimidate, Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock.

Divine Spellcasting: Gray Guards gain spell slots as if they had advanced in level for their divine casting class.

Lay on Hands: Takes Gray Guard levels into account. (To Do)

Sacrament of Trust: When the Gray Guard goes against the paladin code for a good and justifiable reason, they may confess to a leader of their faith and atone without XP expenditures or other penalty. This does not make them immune to alignment shifts! When a Gray Guard goes against the code, their alignment will be shifted. The Sacrament of Trust allows them to easily atone for the shift and secure their alignment once again, as long as what they've done does not betray the cleric's confidence in the Gray Guard; they may be cast out of their church or order and be unable to atone for such transgressions.

Level 2: [INDENT]Smite Evil: In the event that the Gray Guard does not have Smite Evil, they gain this ability.

Contagion: As the Blackguard feat.[/INDENT]
Level 3: [INDENT]Greater Smiting I: Gray Guards gain this feat to improve their Smite Evil damage, which would otherwise require advancing in Paladin levels.[/INDENT]
Level 4: [INDENT]Extra Smiting: Smite Evil can be used 3x/day.[/INDENT]
Level 5: [INDENT]Inflict Serious Wounds: As the Blackguard feat.[/INDENT][/hide]