Divine knights are crusaders who use the power of their divine patron to annihilate the faith’s enemies.
The divine knight is an archetype of the cleric class.
Chosen Alignment
At 1st level, a divine knight must select one of the following as his chosen alignment: chaos, evil, good, or law. This choice must be one of the alignments shared by the divine knight and his deity. Divine knights who are neutral with no other alignment components (or whose deity is) can choose any of the above alignments for this purpose. His chosen alignment’s opposite is referred to as his opposed alignment. Good and evil oppose one another, just as law and chaos oppose one another.
Favored Weapon (Ex)
The skill with which a divine knight wields his deity’s favored weapon makes him deadly in its use. When wielding his deity’s favored weapon, the divine knight uses his cleric level as his base attack bonus. This also applies to his CMB and CMD when making or defending against combat maneuvers involving the weapon (such as disarm or sunder).
This ability replaces cantrips and a faith talent gained at 2nd level, but the divine knight gains the detect magic and read magic cantrips. He can cast either of these as 1st-level spells..
Smite (Su)
At 1st level, a divine knight can focus his powers against his chosen foes. As a swift action, the divine knight chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is of his opposed alignment, the divine knight adds his Charisma bonus (if any) to his attack rolls and adds his cleric level to all damage rolls made against the target of his smite. If the target of his smite is an outsider with the subtype corresponding to his opposed alignment, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per cleric level the divine knight possesses. Regardless of the target, smite attacks automatically bypass any DR the target possesses.
In addition, while smite is in effect, the divine knight gains a deflection bonus equal to his Charisma modifier (if any) to his AC against attacks made by the target of the smite. If the smite targets a creature that’s not of the divine knight’s opposed alignment, the smite is wasted with no effect.
The smite effect remains until the target of the smite is dead or the next time the divine knight regains MP from resting 8 hours. The divine knight can use this ability once per day, plus one additional time per day for every three cleric levels beyond 1st (to a maximum of seven times per day at 19th level).
This ability replaces faith.
Divine Weapon Training (Ex)
Starting at 4th level, as a standard action, a divine knight can focus divine energy into his deity’s weapon for 1 minute per cleric level. This grants the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus. For every three cleric levels beyond 4th, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +6 at 19th level. These bonuses stack with any existing bonuses the weapon might have, to a maximum of +5.
The divine knight can enhance his deity’s weapon with any of the following weapon special abilities: brilliant energy, defending, disruption, earthen, flaming, frost, jetstream, keen, roaring and shock or called, cunning, distance, double charged, gaia powered, limning, max charged, overcharged, quad charged, seeking, or triple charged if a power weapon. In addition, if the divine knight is chaotic, he can add anarchic and vicious. If he is evil, he can add abyssal, mighty cleaving and unholy. If he is good, he can add ghost touch, holy and shining. If he is lawful, he can add axiomatic and merciful. If he is neutral (with no other alignment components), he can add spell storing and thundering. Adding any of these special abilities replaces an amount of bonus equal to the special ability’s base cost. Duplicate abilities do not stack. The weapon must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before any other special abilities can be added.
The bonus and properties granted are determined when the ability is activated and cannot be changed until another activation. The divine energy imparts no bonuses if the weapon is held by anyone other than the divine knight but resumes giving bonuses if returned to him. These bonuses apply to only one end of a double weapon.
A divine knight can use this ability once per day at 4th level, and one additional time per day for every four cleric levels beyond 4th, to a total of five times per day at 20th level.
If a weapon infused with divine energy is destroyed, the divine knight loses the use of this ability for thirty days, or until he gains a level, whichever comes first. During this thirty-day period, the divine knight takes a –1 penalty to attack rolls and weapon damage rolls.
This ability replaces blessing of the faithful.
Aura of Smiting (Su)
At 7th level, a divine knight can expend two uses of his smite ability to grant the ability to smite to all allies within 10 feet, using his bonuses. Allies must use this smite ability by the start of the divine knight’s next turn and the bonuses last for 1 minute. Using this ability is a free action.
This ability replaces prayer.
Divine Champion (Su)
At 19th level, a divine knight becomes a conduit for the power of his god. He gains DR 10/his chosen alignment’s opposite. Whenever he uses smite and successfully strikes an outsider of his chosen alignment’s opposite, the outsider is also subject to a greater dispel, using his cleric level as the caster level. In addition, whenever he channels energy, he heals or deals the maximum possible amount.
This ability replaces aspect of the deity.
