Revival of the d20 Black Company Zealot class


Homebrew and House Rules


The Zealot

My two favorite classes introduced in the d20 Black Company roleplay were the Noble and the Zealot. I will be working on modernizing the Noble later (with something similar to bardic performance instead of daily uses of buffs), but I figured the Zealot would be funner and more interesting to bring up to pathfinder standards.

The original zealot gained Toughness as a bonus feat on every even level. I reduced the number of Toughness bonus feats because Pathfinder's Toughness is a lot stronger than the old Toughness.

I also filled in a lot of empty levels with cool class features that I felt were appropriate, such as disrupting a heretic's spellcasting. Tell me what you guys think?

Silver Crusade

Before I give comments on this, can you put up a table of updates by levels and such? It's kind of hard to take in as a whole with just the text like that.


N. Jolly wrote:
Before I give comments on this, can you put up a table of updates by levels and such? It's kind of hard to take in as a whole with just the text like that.

I can try. I am kinda new to Google Docs so I don't know how to do that stuff.


Okay, a table has been added. Now I see a few levels that feel barren. Any suggestions? Perhaps move something from a crowed level down to 4th or 5th level?

Reject the Faithless +1 at 4th level maybe? Silence the unfaithful moved to 5th level?

Small details that may get lost in the Frenzy text: ending the Frenzy both fatigues and sickens the Zealot.


Well, I ended up putting a "Reject the Faithless" +1 at 4th level. I don't think I want to move Silence the Unfaithful to 5th level. What do you think I can add at 5th level guys?

Shadow Lodge

Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The Zealot should only benefit from toughness once.


Why? I wanna hear some feedback.

The Zealot:
1. has the lowest AC of all martials.
2. does not get extra constitution from being a barbarian.

Perhaps it should get Toughness at levels 1, 2, 10, and 18? I used those Toughnesses to basically replace rage powers at those levels, since otherwise the class will be more barren on class features than any other.


I think it's pretty cool. A pile of hit points that berserks is pretty awesome and hilarious.


Thank you. Do you think it needs any changes? I ended up filling in the blank level 5 and level 13 with a Bonus Combat Feat.


I think irregular bonus combat feats are lazy. Instead have a unique class feature at those levels.

-Something skill related
-unique offensive feature (ex solo tactics, quarry, hide in plain sight)
-unique defensive abilty (ex: that Paladin save thing, immunity to fear, increased saves while raging, Stalwart)


Adam B. 135 wrote:

Why? I wanna hear some feedback.

The Zealot:
1. has the lowest AC of all martials.
2. does not get extra constitution from being a barbarian.

Perhaps it should get Toughness at levels 1, 2, 10, and 18? I used those Toughnesses to basically replace rage powers at those levels, since otherwise the class will be more barren on class features than any other.

Is acquiring toughness more than once even rules legal? I think you might need a line or two adding in the exception just to satisfy rules as written.

I just worry that this class is too tough. I mean: without any constitution bonus, this class is looking at about 120 hit points at level 10 and 275 at 20. It seems pretty easy to crack 300 hit points here. Maybe scale that back.

Also: I think the Frenzy ability scales really weirdly. At level 1, it is almost like frenzy gives the sohei flurry of blows for a few rounds a day, but the effects are even better. I think that power level is more or less okay, maybe? It is really good, but limited in usage in a day (and also only worthwhile in a full attack). At higher levels though, it still only grants one extra attack (which is still the main benefit) so that ability kind of stagnates and the focus and function of it changes a lot.

I would reel in the toughness feats to just two or three, take out the awkward bonus feats, and instead maybe add a little more scaling on the strike down the infidel attack bonus (ike have it start at one and then step up by 1 at levels 8, 13, and 18 maybe). I would also have the frenzy ability grant extra attacks at -5 and -10 eventually (and maybe -15 as part of the capstone).

If that ends up being too powerful, then I would limit these special full attacks to only adding x1 strength modifier no matter what and make the attack more explicitly like flurry of blows (which is to say all the attacks are made at -2 like a twf full attack). I think this has the somewhat desirable side effect of making sword and shield builds be pretty good right out of the box.


You are right. Toughness can only be taken once. I guess I was remembering 3.5 with that one. I will add a clause addressing that.

I think I might reduce the number of Toughness even more, its just that as I said earlier, this guy has the lowest AC of all martial classes, and thus needs the beafiness to "tank". He has less AC than a barbarian(no access to natural armor from beast totem + DR), and is meant to try and fill a similar roll to him. I made it so that the Toughness feats would give him a hit point bonus equal to a barbarian at level 20 with the Raging Vitality feat (100 extra HP).

Though good idea on the Frenzy ability. I will give him a -5 BaB attack with Greater Frenzy and a -10 BaB attack on the capstone.

As for Insain Dragoon's issue with a unique defensive ability, along with everyone's issue with the multiple toughnesses, what if I traded 2 toughness feats with this guy getting half his level to DR?


How about just barbarian progression DR and maybe some kind of monk style spell resistance during frenzy?

Is there a precedent for DR that high?


Yeah, the Invulnerable Rager Barbarian has it in exchange for normal DR scaling and losing all the Uncanny Dodge stuff.

Also Spell resistance I feel will go against the theme. Bigger saves is an Extraordinary ability, but SR would be a Supernatural Ability for sure.


Well, I think it could conceivably be extraordinary if only because all kinds of wacky stuff can be extraordinary.

Regardless: I take your point. I think half level in DR might be appropriate.


I removed the Toughness at 6th and 14th level, and replaced it with that DR, starting at 6th level. I am not sure what to do with the combat feats. I myself really like them because they give the Zealot some options in a class with no options. It would let them have a little more variance between each build.

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