Core Class Advancement

Some prestige classes will throughout leveling up give the 'Core Class Advancement' feature. This feature allows a character to continue gaining parts of their primary class despite taking levels in a prestige class. Essentially, they count as a higher level character in that class for the purpose of their core class feature only, as specified in the Core Class Features table. The Core Class Advancement feature in each prestige class description specifies how your prestige class levels affect the level of your core class feature.

For example, if you are a sorcerer 5/Divine Avenger 1 and you take a second level in the divine avenger prestige class, you gain the Core Class Advancement feature. As Spellcasting is one of your core class features as a sorcerer, you are now considered a 6th level sorcerer for the purpose of determining what spells you know, how many sorcery points you have and the number of spell slots you have to cast those spells. However, you don’t gain any additional hit points from your sorcerer class, you don't gain a feature from your Sorcerous Origin, and you are not considered a 6th level wizard for any other purpose except spellcasting.

If you have multiple classes when you take a prestige class, you choose which of your classes is used as its core class. Once you choose a class to serve as your core class, you cannot change it from being so. The Core Class Advancement table below shows which class features are advanced by Core Power Advancement.

Hit Dice

Whenever you gain a level in a prestige class, you increase your hit points by rolling, or taking the average amount, for the die listed in its hit die feature, as well as gaining a hit die of that size.

Prerequisites

Prestige classes usually require you to have specific skill sets or be of a certain degree of training. To enter a prestige class, you must meet the prerequisites listed on the class. You must meet all the prerequisites before you take a level in the class, you cannot take a level in a prestige class to gain eligibility for that class.

Prerequisites

To be able to become an divine avenger, a character must meet the following requirements:

• Charisma or Wisdom 13. Divine avengers need to have a strong connection to their divine benefactor.
• Dexterity 13. Divine avengers need to be quick and agile to hit their quarries weakpoints.
• Character Level 5th. Only powerful souls are granted the rank of a divine avenger by their divine benefactor.
• Spellcasting or Pact Magic Feature. To become a divine avenger you must be able to cast spells using spell slots.
• Proficiency in the Religion and Stealth skill. Divine avengers need an understanding of faith and need to be stealthy.
• Complete a special task. You must dedicate yourself to a divine benefactor, who bestows upon you a quest to find and recover a reliquary. This reliquary might be a long lost weapon, a book of rituals or a valuable holy symbol. To gain more levels in this class, you need to kill enemies of your divine benefactor.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per divine avenger level
• Hit Points per Level: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per divine avenger level

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light Armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, martial ranged weapons, rapiers, scimitars, shortswords, whips

Divine Agent

When you become a 1st level divine avenger, you gain the duty to hunt down the enemies of your divine benefactor. When you become a divine avenger, determine with your DM what the enemies of your deity might be. They could be creature types (such as fiends and undead), specific types of humanoids, or even members of specific organizations. These enemies are considered your divine quarries. If your deity has many enemies, then only their most important ones might be considered your divine quarries, at the DM’s discretion.

Also, when your core class lets you learn or prepare a spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose the new spell from the paladin spell list or the spell list of your core class. You must otherwise obey all the restrictions for selecting the spell, and it becomes a sorcerer spell for you.

Additionally, you gain expertise with two skills, one is determined by your speciality and the other one is one of your choice, which means your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make with it. You must have proficiency in both skills and they both must be one that isn't already benefiting from a feature, such as Expertise, that doubles your proficiency bonus. Choose one of the following three specialities.

Shadow Stalker. You gain expertise with the Stealth skill and one other skill of your choice in which you have proficiency.

Faithful Hunter. You gain expertise with the Survival skill and one other skill of your choice in which you have proficiency.

Church Inquisitor. You gain expertise with the Insight skill and one other skill of your choice in which you have proficiency.

Judgement

Beginning at 1st level, you know how to blast your foes with divine energy. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack. The damage type is determined by your divine benefactor, at the DM's discretion. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.

You can also expend one spell slot to increase the damage dealt to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage increases to 2d6 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 6d6.

When you expend a spellslot in this way, the damage increases by 1d6 if the target is one of your divine quarries, to a maximum of 7d6.

Divine Sense

The presence of your divine quarries registers on your senses like a noxious odor. Starting at 1st level, you can use a bonus action on your turn to open your awareness to detect your quarries. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any divine quarries within 60 feet of you that is not shielded from divination magic. You know the creature type of any being whose presence you sense, but not its specific identity. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.

Once you use this feature you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again, unless you expend a spell slot of 1st-level or higher to use this feature again.

Core Class Advancement

At 2nd level, you further progress within your original class.

Choose a class you have levels in to be your core class for the divine avenger class. When you gain this feature and again at 5th level, you can add 1 level to your core class level for the purpose of your core class feature, as specified in the Core Class Features table in the Prestige Class chapter.

Refer to the Prestige Class chapter for the general rules on Core Class Advancement.

Fighting Style

Also at 2nd level, you adopt a particularly zealous style of fighting to hunt down your divine quarries. Choose one fighting style from the list available to the paladin. If you already have a style, the one you choose must be different. When you choose the Blessed Warrior fighting style, you use the spellcasting ability of your core class instead of Charisma for it.

Speciality Spells

At 3rd level, your divine benefactor grants you additional spells determined by the speciality you chose at 1st level. Each speciality has a list of associated spells detailed below. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the table. Once you gain access to a speciality spell, you know it or have it always prepared. Speciality spells don't count against the number of spells you know or you can prepare each day.

If you gain a speciality spell that doesn't appear on your core class spell list, the spell is nonetheless a spell of your core class for you.

Speciality Spells

Channel Vengeance

Also when you reach 3rd level as a divine avenger, you gain the ability to channel vengeance directly from your deity, using that energy to fuel magical effects. You start with two of the following options or you can choose from the Channel Divinity Options available through your divine benefactors domains:

Emissary of Vengeance. You can use your Channel Divinity to augment your presence with divine power. As a bonus action, you grant yourself a +5 bonus to Charisma (Intimidation) checks for the next 10 minutes.

Divine Fervor. When you are reduced to 0 Hit Points but not killed outright, you can invoke this Channel Vengeance and drop to 1 hit point instead.

Faithful Cunning. As a bonus action, you invoke the cunning of your divine benefactor. For 1 minute, you can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Divine Wrath. When you hit a creature with a melee attack and use your Judgement, you can invoke your Channel Vengeance to increase the damage die to a d8 instead of a d6. If the target is one of your divine quarries, you deal an additional d8 damage to them, to a maximum of 7d8.

Harness Divine Power. As a bonus action, you utter a prayer, and regain one expended spell slot, the level of which can be no higher than half your proficiency bonus (rounded up).