Vicar [alternate Cleric]
As an alternate cleric class, the vicar cannot multiclass with a cleric.
Like a cleric, a vicar can be regarded as a representative, deputy or agent for a deity. Devoted to all the tenets of the deities that inspire them, vicars are more flexible than clerics or priests; these emissaries of the divine work the will of their deities through the spontaneous application of the magic of their gods.
Role:
Vicars are as capable of upholding the honor of their deities in battle as cleric. Much more than clerics, though, their true strength lies in their capability to draw upon the power of their deities as needed. Even more than cleric, their powers are influenced by their faith. Where a small number of clerics can dedicate themselves to a divine concept worthy of devotion—such as battle, death, justice, or knowledge—free of a deific abstraction a vicar has no such flexibility. All vicars must focus their worship upon a divine source.
Alignment:
A vicar’s alignment must match her deity’s.
Hit Die: d8
Starting Wealth:
4d6 × 10 gp (average 140 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.
Class Skills
The vicar’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are class features of the vicar.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Vicars are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields) and the favored weapon of their deities.
Aura: (EX)
A vicar of a chaotic, evil, good, or lawful deity has a particularly powerful aura corresponding to the deity’s alignment (see detect evil for details).
Spells:
A vicar casts divine spells which are drawn from the cleric spell list. Her alignment, however, may restrict her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs; see Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells. A vicar can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time subject to the following restrictions. To cast a spell, a vicar must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a vicar's spell is 10 + the spell level + the vicar's Wisdom modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a vicar can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. A vicar uses the Table: Vicar to determine her base daily spell allotment of spells. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).
A vicar's daily allotment of spells is the reverse of a cleric's. The first number on the Table: Vicar is the number of different domain spells the vicar can cast without preparation per day. In addition the vicar can cast one non-domain spell per day plus bonus spells based on the vicar's Wisdom score without preparation.
Unlike a cleric, a vicar may not “lose” a spell slot in order to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower (a cure spell is any spell with “cure” in its name).
Orisons:
Vicars can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Vicar under “Spells per day.” These spells are treated like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.
Domains:
A vicar can cast any spell from any of the domains in her deity's portfolio without preparation, however she is limited in the number of such spells per day. A vicar chooses two domains from among those belonging to her deity. These chosen domains grant a number of domain powers, as well as a number of bonus spells, dependent upon the level of the cleric. Unless otherwise noted, activating a domain power is a standard action.
Channel Energy: (SU)
Regardless of alignment, any vicar can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of her faith through her holy (or unholy) symbol. This energy can be used to cause or heal damage, depending on the type of energy channeled and the creatures targeted.
A good vicar channels positive energy and can both deal damage to undead creatures and heal living creatures. An evil vicar channels negative energy and can both deal damage to living creatures and heal undead creatures. A neutral vicar of a neutral deity channels both positive and negative energy.
Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures in a 30-foot radius centered on the vicar. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage. This amount increases at third level and every three vicar levels thereafter (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 6th, and so on) plus one more increase at 20th level for a maximum of 8d6. Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the vicar's level + the vicar's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channel energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A vicar may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A vicar can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect.
A vicar must be able to present her holy symbol to use this ability.
Bonus Languages:
A vicar’s bonus language options include Celestial, Abyssal, and Infernal (the languages of good, chaotic evil, and lawful evil outsiders, respectively). These choices are in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of her race.
Mercy:
At 6th level, and every three levels thereafter, a vicar can select one mercy. Whenever the vicar uses channel energy to heal damage to one target, she can expend two uses of channel energy to add an effect to the vicar's channel energy ability. The target also receives the additional effects from all of the mercies possessed by the vicar. A mercy can remove a condition caused by a curse, disease, or poison without curing the affliction. Such conditions return after 1 hour unless the mercy actually removes the affliction that causes the condition.
At 6th level, the vicar can select from the following initial mercies.
Fatigued: The target is no longer fatigued.
Shaken: The target is no longer shaken.
Sickened: The target is no longer sickened.
At 9th level, a vicar adds the following mercies to the list of those that can be selected.
Dazed: The target is no longer dazed.
Diseased: The vicar's lay on hands ability also acts as remove disease, using the vicar's level as the caster level.
Staggered: The target is no longer staggered, unless the target is at exactly 0 hit points.
At 12th level, a vicar adds the following mercies to the list of those that can be selected.
Cursed: The vicar's lay on hands ability also acts as remove curse, using the vicar's level as the caster level.
Exhausted: The target is no longer exhausted. The vicar must have the fatigue mercy before selecting this mercy.
Frightened: The target is no longer frightened. The vicar must have the shaken mercy before selecting this mercy.
Nauseated: The target is no longer nauseated. The vicar must have the sickened mercy before selecting this mercy.
Poisoned: The vicar's lay on hands ability also acts as neutralize poison, using the vicar's level as the caster level.
At 15th level, a vicar adds the following mercies to the list of those that can be selected.
Blinded: The target is no longer blinded.
Deafened: The target is no longer deafened.
Paralyzed: The target is no longer paralyzed.
Stunned: The target is no longer stunned.
These abilities are not cumulative. For example, a 15th-level vicar's channel energy ability heals 6d6 points of damage and she might also choose to expend a second usage to cure Fatigued or Exhausted conditions or to remove disease or neutralize poison. Once a condition or spell effect is chosen, it can't be changed.
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In all other ways the vicar is identical to the cleric.
The major changes to the cleric table are the points at which the class features activate.
Thus at 6th, 9th, 12th, and 15th levels the vicar gains 1d6 to her channel energy and can select one mercy to add to her channel energy. she also gains 1d6 more at her 18th and 20th levels.
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You know, Im really not sure why the Cleric isnt a spont caster already, but thats a diferent problem. The Vicor seems to be a Cleric+, getting everything a Cleric gets, plus Mercy, AND full Domain Spell access.
Reduced Channel Energy is not a lose at all as Channel already fails to keep up by 3rd level. It also looks like you fixed Channel Energy for Paizo, so it both heals and harms at the same time, which again, a lot better than the base Cleric.
So . . . why ever play a Cleric with this in the game?
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Let me just add I think Paizo really dropped the ball with the Cleric. In my opinion, it was their biggest mistake in the game, and this goes a long way towards correcting that, so Im not at all saying I dislike it. But as far as balance goes, particularly against the Cleric itself, one of the "big four", this is far superior.
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Many balls were dropped, it was like a high school for a while there.
The cleric is one reason I turned back to 3.5.
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Something Id suggest to keep it in line with the Cleric is to only grant a single Domain, both for spells and the weak powers. Note that this also means that the Vicar can take both Extra Channel and Extra Mercy like a Paladin (though a Cleric CAN NOT!!!), so another way this is better than the base Cleric. It even gets, . . . (oh no) . . . Class Features.
And neutral Vicars Channel both types ig energy?
The domain casting is different, but wonky. It seems as though it would be very difficult to get a good compliment of spells. I would use spells known like a sorcerer, and choose one domain to add to it. It really seems better in the long run.