Class(es)/Skill: Crusader/Intimidate Weapons: Falchion, greatclub, longsword, and maul Description: Devoted Spirit maneuvers focus on toughness, endurance, ripostes, and abilities designed to defeat a specific alignment. Those who follow the Devoted Spirit discipline seek to support a cause by defending it, nurturing it, and destroying its enemies. Crusader's Strike Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 1 Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature As part of this strike, you must make a successful melee attack against an enemy whose alignment has at least one component different from yours. This foe must pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way. If the attack hits, you or an ally within 10 feet of you is healed 1d6 + 1 per initiator level (max +5) points. Iron Guard's Glare Devoted Spirit (Stance) Level: Crusader 1 Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance While in this stance, any opponent you threaten takes a -4 penalty on attacks against your allies. This penalty doesn't apply against attacks made by you. Enemies you threaten become aware of the consequences of this stance. Martial Spirit Devoted Spirit (Stance) Level: Crusader 1 Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance While in this stance, you or an ally within 10 feet heals 2 hit points each time you make a successful melee attack. This healing represents the vigor, drive, and toughness you inspire in others. Your connection to the divine causes such inspiration to have a real, tangible effect on your allies' health. Each time you hit an opponent in melee, you can choose a different recipient within range to receive healing. Vanguard Strike Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 1 Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack against an opponent you threaten. If the attack hits, all your allies gain a +4 bonus on attack rolls against that target until the start of your next turn. Foehammer Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 2 Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Your devotion to your cause gives you boundless energy that allows you to smash through supernature defenses. When you land an attack, you hit with such force that DR offers little resistance against you. When you use this maneuver, you make a melee attack against a single foe. The attack automatically overcomes DR and deals +2d6 damage. Shield Block Devoted Spirit (Counter) Level: Crusader 2 Initiation Action: 1 immediate action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Instantaneous As an immediate action, you can grant an AC bonus to an adjacent ally equal to your shield's AC bonus +4. You apply this bonus in response to a single melee or ranged attack that targets your ally. You can initiate this maneuver after an opponent makes his attack roll, but you must do so before you know the attack's outcome. Defensive Rebuke Devoted Spirit (Boost) Level: Crusader 3 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 1 round Defensive rebuke allows you to excel at controlling the battlefield around you. Your enemies must pay heed to the threat you pose. If they ignore you in favor of attacking other targets, you take advantage of their lapses with a punishing counterstrike. Each enemy you strike after you initiate this maneuver becomes vulnerable to your further attacks. If such an opponent attacks anyone other than you in melee for the maneuver's duration, that attack provokes an AoO from you (each seperate attack a target makes provokes an AoO, making this boost especially lethal with Combat Reflexes). Enemies you strike become aware of the consequences of the maneuver. Revitalizing Strike Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 3 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature As part of initiating this strike, you must make a successful melee attack against an enemy whose alignment is at least one component different from yours. This foe must pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way. If your attack hits, you or an ally within 10 feet of you heals 3d6 damage +1 per initiator level (max +10). Thicket of Blades Devoted Spirit (Stance) Level: Crusader 3 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance While in this stance, any opponent you threaten that takes any sort of movement, including a 5-foot step, provokes an AoO from you. Your foes provoke this attack before leaving the area you threaten. Your opponent also cannot use the withdraw action to treat the square they start in as no longer threatened by you. Divine Surge Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 4 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature As part of this maneuver you make a single melee attack that deals +8d8 damage. Entangling Blade Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 4 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Duration: See text As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack against an opponent. The attack deals +2d6 damage and the opponent's speed is reduced by 20 feet until the end of its next turn. This penalty applies to all movement modes. A flying creature with a fly speed of 0 (or less) falls to the ground, taking appropriate falling damage. Daunting Strike Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 5 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Duration: 1 minute Saving Throw: Will negates As part of this maneuver, you make a melee attack against an opponent you threaten. If this attack hits, your foe must make a Will save (DC = damage dealt) or become shaken for 1 minute. Doom Charge Devoted Spirit (Strike) [Evil] Level: Crusader 5 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver, evil alignment Initiation Action: 1 full-round action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Duration: 1 round You must make a charge attack as part of this maneuver. If your target is good-aligned, your attack deals +6d6 damage. In addition if your charge attack hits and the target is good- aligned, you become wreathed in unholy energy. You gain DR 10/-- until the beginning of your next turn. Law Bearer Devoted Spirit (Strike) [Law] Level: Crusader 5 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver, lawful alignment Initiation Action: 1 full-round action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Duration: 1 round You must make a charge attack as part of this maneuver. The attack deals +4d6 damage in addition to the benefits of a charge. If the target is chaos-aligned, you gain a +8 bonus on the attack roll (in addition to the charge's modifiers). In addition, if the charge attack hits against the chaotic opponent, you become wreathed in axiomatic energy, granting you a +5 bonus to AC until the beginning of your next turn. Radiant Charge Devoted Spirit (Strike) [Good] Level: Crusader 5 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver, good alignment Initiation Action: 1 full-round action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Duration: 1 round You must make a charge attack as part of this maneuver. The attack deals +6d6 damage in addition to the benefits of a charge. If the charge attack hits and the target is evil-aligned you become wreathed in holy energy. You gain DR 10/-- until the beginning of your next turn. Tide of Chaos Devoted Spirit (Strike) [Chaos] Level: Crusader 5 Prereqs: One Devoted Spirit maneuver, chaotic alignment Initiation Action: 1 full-round action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Duration: 1 round You must make a charge attack as part of this maneuver. The attack deals +4d6 damage (in addition to the benefits of a charge) and if the target is law-aligned, your attack gains a +8 bonus to hit. In addition if the charge attack hits and the target is law-aligned you become wreathed in anarchic energy. You gain total concealment against all attacks that target you until the beginning of your next turn. Aura of Chaos Devoted Spirit (Stance) [Chaos] Level: Crusader 6 Prereqs: Two Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance While in this stance, your attacks have the potential to be utterly devastating. When rolling damage for a melee attack, you gain a special benefit from any damage die that rolls its maximum amount (such as a result of 6 on a d6). When one or more of your damage dice show a maximum possible result, reroll each such die, adding that result to the original damage total. You can continue to reroll as long as a die shows its maximum possible result, adding each new number to the damage total until each die has shown less than a maximum result. Aura of Perfect Law Devoted Spirit (Stance) [Law] Level: Crusader 6 Prereqs: Two Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance This stance allows you to treat a potential d20 result as an 11. You must decide to use this ability immediately before rolling the die. You can use this ability once per round, but it does not take an action. You simply decide to invoke it before rolling a d20 for any reason. Aura of Triumph Devoted Spirit (Stance) [Good] Level: Crusader 6 Prereqs: Two Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You and one ally within 10 ft. Duration: Stance While in this stance, you and any ally within 10 feet of you both heal 4 hit points with each successful melee attack either of you make against an evil target. Aura of Tyranny Devoted Spirit (Stance) [Chaos] Level: Crusader 6 Prereqs: Two Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance While in this stance, you drain hit points from your allies. At the end of your turn, you can choose to deal 2 damage to each willing ally within 10 feet. For each ally who takes this damage, you heal 1 point of damage. Rallying Strike Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 6 Prereqs: Two Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature As part of initiating this strike, you must make a successful melee attack against an enemy whose alignment is at least one component different from yours. This foe must pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way. If your attack hits, you and all allies within 30 feet of you heal 3d6 damage +1 per initiator level (max +15). Castigating Strike Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 7 Prereqs: Two Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Area: 30-ft. radius burst; see text Duration: 1 minute Saving Throw: Fort partial; see text When you use this strike, make a single melee attack. If you hit your opponent and his alignment has at least one component different from yours, a blast of divine energy originates from your attack's point of impact. The target of this strike takes an extra 8d6 damage and must succeed on a Fort save (DC 17 + your Cha mod) or take a -2 penalty on attack rolls for 1 minute. All of your opponents within the burst's area must also succeed on a Fort save or suffer 5d6 damage and take a -2 penalty on attack rolls for 1 minute. A successful save halves the damage and negates the penalty. Shield Counter Devoted Spirit (Counter) Level: Crusader 7 Prereqs: Two Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 immediate action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature As an immediate action, you can attempt a shield bash against an opponent you threaten. This attack is made with a -2 penalty. If your shield bash hits, your target's next attack automatically misses. You can use this maneuver immediately after an opponent declares an attack, but you must do so before the attack's reuslt has been determined. Divine Surge, Greater Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 8 Prereqs: Two Devoted Spirit maneuver Initiation Action: 1 full-round action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature Duration 1 round; see text As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack that deals +6d8 damage. In addition, before make this attack, you can also decide to take a number of points of Constitution damage equal to your initiator level or lower. For each point of damage yout ake, you gain a +1 bonus on the attack roll and deal an extra +2d8 damage. After using this maneuver, you are considered flat-footed until the beginning of your next turn. Immortal Fortitude Devoted Spirit (Stance) Level: Crusader 8 Prereqs: Three Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 swift action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: Stance Death has little meaning to you in light of the cause you fight for. so long as the mission stands before you uncompleted, or a battle remains in doubt, you fight on. Stories abound of crusaders who, while in the grips of this stance, fought for days on end to hold a mountain pass against orcs, trolls, and other fiends. So long as you remain in this stance, you cannot be killed or incapacitated by effects or attacks that reduce you to 0 or fewer hit points. If you take such damage, you can make a Fort save (DC = your negative hit point total). If you fail this save, you die or fall unconscious (as appropriate). If successful, you are still alive and conscious, with 1 hit point remaining. This stance provides no protection against death effects, nor petrifaction, paralysis, etc. You can still be slain by a coup de grace if a spell or effect renders you helpless. After you attempt three saves to avoid death or unconscioussnes, this stance automatically ends. You can activate it again on your turn as normal. Even the toughest crusader can endure only so much punishment. Strike of Righteous Vitality Devoted Spirit (Strike) Level: Crusader 9 Prereqs: Three Devoted Spirit maneuvers Initiation Action: 1 standard action Range: Melee attack Target: One creature When you make this strike, you or an ally within 10 feet of you gains the benefit of a heal spell cast by a cleric of your character level. To gain the benefit of this maneuver, you must strike an enemy creature whose alignment has at least one component different from yours. This foe must pose a threat to you or your allies in some direct, immediate way.