The Anarch: A Paladin Alternate Class (Pathfinder OGC)

Not all holy champions are noble paladins or vile antipaladins. Some deities or powers, viewed by some as perhaps insane, grant great power to anointed individuals in order to sow chaos and disorder in their wake. These anointed individuals are called anarchs, whether they are enlightened liberators, disenfranchised rebels, or terrifying agents of destruction. Wherever they go, anarchs seek to dissolve order and structure, whether they are destroying a slave ring or trying to dismantle a government (tyrannical or otherwise) from within. Like paladins, anarchs are bound (although loosely) to the tenants of their patrons and serve as representatives of them in the mortal world.

Like the antipaladin, the anarch is an alternate class. A character cannot have levels in both anarch and paladin or in both anarch and antipaladin. Anarchs have the same base attack bonus, Fortitude save, Reflex save, and Will save progressions as paladins do. They follow the paladin's spells per day progression, as well.

Designer Note: The anarch works best in a game that allows paladins of any good alignment (and not just lawful good), but it can also work without major modifications if limited to a single alignment (such as chaotic neutral).

Alignment: Any chaotic. An anarch's alignment must be within one step of his deity's on the good/evil axis.

Hit Dice: d10.

The anarch has the same class skills (and skill ranks per level) as the paladin, except that she exchanges the Heal skill for the Disguise skill and Knowledge (nobility) for Knowledge (local).

Anarchs have the following class features. Anarchs have the same weapon and armor proficiencies that paladins do.

Aura of Chaos (Ex): The power of an anarch's aura of chaos is equal to her anarch level.

Detect Law (Sp): At will, an anarch can use detect law, as the spell. This ability functions as the paladin's detect evil ability in all respects except that it detects lawful creatures, instead.

Smite Law (Su): This ability functions as the paladin's smite evil ability, except that it targets creatures of lawful alignment instead. The anarch gains a bonus to the damage of her first attack as a paladin smiting an appropriate target does, so long as she targets a lawful outsider, a lawful dragon, or a lawful cleric.

Entropic Wards (Su): This ability, gained at 2nd level, functions like the paladin's divine grace ability.

Caress of Chaos (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, an anarch can subdue the effects of chaos by touch (for herself or for others). Each day she can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 her anarch level plus her Charisma modifier. With one use of this ability, the anarch grants the target a +1 luck bonus on ability checks, attack rolls and saving throws saving throws for one round. This bonus increases by +1 for every six levels of anarch she possesses. Using this ability is a standard action, unless the anarch targets herself, in which case it is a swift action.

Alternatively, an anarch can unleash this anarchic power to deal damage to constructs and objects, dealing 1d6 points of damage for every two levels the anarch possesses. Using hand of chaos in this way requires a successful melee touch attack and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. Constructs do not receive a saving throw against this damage.

Aura of Resolve (Su): The anarch gains this ability at 3rd level, which functions like the paladin ability normally gained at 8th level.

Impulse (Su): At 3rd level, and every three levels thereafter, an anarch can select one impulse. Each impulse adds an effect to the anarch’s caress of chaos ability. Whenever the anarch uses caress of chaos to benefit a creature, the creature also receives the effects of one impulse ability the anarch possesses. This choice is made when the caress is used.

At 3rd level, the anarch can select from the following initial impulses.

• Encourage: The target is no longer shaken.
• Inspire: The target receives a +4 morale bonus on its next ability check. This check must be made within 1 round per level of the anarch.
• Obscure: The target gains a 20% miss chance against all attacks for 1 round per level of the anarch.

At 6th level, the anarch adds the following impulses.

• Blur: The target gains a 20% miss chance against all attacks for 1 round per level of the anarch. The anarch must have the obscure impulse before selecting this impulse.
• Calm: The target becomes calm, as if the anarch had cast calm emotions, for 1 round per level of the anarch.
• Enrage: The target becomes enraged, as if the anarch had cast rage, for 1 round per level of the anarch.

At 9th level, the anarch adds the following impulses.

• Clear: The target is freed from any charm effects currently affecting it.
• Embolden: The target is no longer frightened. The anarch must have the encourage impulse before selecting this impulse.
• Exalt: The anarch’s caress of chaos also acts as remove curse, using the anarch’s level as her caster level.
• Invigorate: The target is invigorated, as if the anarch had cast haste, using her anarch level as the caster level.

At 12th level, the anarch adds the following impulses.

• Displace: The target gains a 50% miss chance against all attacks for 1 round per level of the anarch. The anarch must have the blur impulse before selecting this impulse.
• Enliven: The target is no longer paralyzed.
• Liberate: The target is freed from any compulsion effects currently affecting it. The anarch must have the clear impulse before selecting this impulse.
• Rouse: The target is no longer stunned.

An anarch can apply only one impulse per use of caress of chaos. For example, a 12th-level anarch’s caress of chaos ability grants a +3 luck bonus on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws and might also inspire, calm, embolden, or liberate the target. Once an impulse is chosen, it can’t be changed.

Channel Entropy (Su): When an anarch reaches 4th level, she gains the supernatural ability to channel entropy, in much the same way as a cleric channels energy. Using this ability consumes two uses of the anarch’s caress of chaos ability. Channeling entropy causes a destructive burst of energy that affects all creatures of one type (either construct or living), dealing damage as though the anarch were channeling energy as a cleric of her level. This ability is based on the anarch's Charisma score.

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, an anarch can cast divine spells drawn from the anarch spell list. An anarch prepares and casts her spell as if she were a paladin, using her Charisma score as her key ability and having the same number of spells per day as a paladin.

Entropic Bond (Sp): Upon reaching 5th level, an anarch forms a special bond with her chaotic patron. This ability functions like the antipaladin's fiendish boon ability, except as noted below.

If she chooses a weapon bond, she can enhance her weapon as an antipaladin would, but instead of gaining access to the weapon properties available to anti-paladins, she can add the following weapon properties to her weapon: anarchic, construct bane, dancing, furious, frost, icy burst, keen, speed and thundering. This weapon bond functions as it does for an antipaladin (or a paladin) in all other respects, including how often the anarch can use it and any penalties she suffers should her entropic bonded weapon be destroyed.

If the anarch chooses instead to gain servant, the creature must either have the chaotic subtype or it must be an entropic animal. This servant functions in all other respects as the fiendish servant, including how often she can summon her servant and any penalties she may suffer if it is ever killed or banished.

Aura of Resistance (Su): At 8th level, the anarch's aura of resolve expands its protections to include immunity to compulsion effects for her and a +4 morale bonus to saving throws against such effects for allies within 10 feet of her.

Aura of Rebellion (Su): This ability, gained at 11th level, functions like the paladin's aura of justice ability, except it grants her allies the smite law ability instead.

Aura of Defiance (Su): At 14th level, the anarch gains this ability, which functions as the paladin's aura of faith, except that her weapons (and those of any allies within 10 feet) are treated as chaos-aligned, not good-aligned.

Aura of Mystery (Su): At 17th level, an anarch gains DR 5/law. She also becomes immune to scrying spells and effects. Any allies within 10 feet of her receive a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against such effects, as well.

Entropic Champion (Su): At 20th level, an anarch becomes a conduit for the power of her god. This ability functions like the paladin's holy champion ability, except that her DR increases to 10/law, and her banishment effect triggers from her smite law ability, rather than smite evil. Whenever she uses her channel entropy ability, she deals the maximum amount of damage.

Code of Conduct: An anarch must be of chaotic alignment and loses all class features except proficiencies if she ever willingly and oppressively commits a lawful act. This does not mean that an anarch cannot take actions someone else might qualify as lawful, only that such actions must never blatantly infringe upon the autonomy of another creature. The remainder of the anarch’s code is determined by her deity.

Associates: While she may adventure with chaotic or neutral allies, an anarch avoids working with lawful characters or with anyone who consistently attempts to impose law upon other individuals. Under exceptional circumstances, an anarch can ally with lawful associates, but only to defeat what she believes to be a greater threat to individuality, freedom, or entropy in general. An anarch does not need an atonement spell during such an unusual alliance as long as her goals are met in the end. An anarch may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are of chaotic alignment.

An anarch who ceases to be chaotic, who willfully and oppressively commits a lawful act, or who grossly violates the code of conduct required by her god loses all anarch spells and class features (including the service of the anarch’s entropic servant, but not weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She may not progress any further in levels as an anarch. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations (see the atonement spell), as appropriate.

Anarchs gain access to the following spells.

1st-Level Anarch Spells—color spray, disguise self, divine favor, endure elements, expeditious retreat, guidance, hypnotism, magic weapon, pass without trace, protection from law, read magic, resistance, silent image, unseen servant, ventriloquism.

2nd-Level Anarch Spells—bull’s strength, eagle’s splendor, heroism, hypnotic pattern, invisibility, mirror image, misdirection, remove paralysis, undetectable alignment.

3rd-Level Anarch Spells—confusion, dispel magic, glibness, good hope, greater magic weapon, invisibility sphere, magic circle against law, nondetection, remove curse.

4th-Level Anarch Spells­—break enchantment, dispel law, dimension door, freedom of movement, greater invisibility, hallucinatory terrain, illusory wall, rainbow pattern, shout.

This content is produced under the Open Gaming License. Game mechanics presented in this article ("hub") are designated Open Content.