Einherjar
This is my favorite class so far, which probably means it’ll require some heavy edits. Hopefully not, though.
Einherjar are warriors who trade their mortality piece by piece for elemental powers and the ability to return from death.
In exchange for his permission to follow this path, Odin requires that Einherjar tie themselves to Valhalla, either returning to it in their final death, or being destroyed to prevent their use in Ragnarök by the Jötuns. As a result, Einherjar who do not die in battle cannot be resurrected, as their souls are broken and scattered.
Requirements: BAB+5, Endurance, Diehard, Knowledge (religion) 1 rank
Additionally, a prospective Einherjar must die and be revived in a special ceremony performed by an Odinic priest. During the ceremony, he must draw strength from either the eternal glaciers of Niflheim or the raging inferno of Muspelheim.
Afterward, his eyes take on a new color, as appropriate to his choice (red for Muspelheim, blue for Niflheim).
Class Features: Full BAB, D10 hit die, 2+Int mod skills per level, high will + fort, low ref
Class Skills: Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (religion), Ride, Swim
- Death or Glory, Mark of Death 1/day
- Blood for Blood
- Bonus Feat
- Numb to Pain 5, Mark of Death 2/day
- +1 kenning use/day, Elemental Kenning
- Immunity to Fear
- Withered Toughness
- Vindicating Strike
- Numb to Pain 10, Mark of Death 3/day
- Death and Glory
Death or Glory: When the Einherjar is injured, his power more easily shines through. When he is at 1/2 his maximum HP or less, he gains a +2 luck bonus on melee attack and damage rolls. If his HP is 1/4 maximum or less, these bonuses increase to +4.
Mark of Death: An Einherjar can spread the doom of battle to his enemies, drawing them subtly toward Valhalla. When he strikes a foe with a melee attack, whether or not it deals damage, he may Mark that enemy as an immediate action. Marked enemies take a -2 luck penalty to AC and all saving throws until the mark fades at the end of combat. The effect of the Mark of Death does not stack with itself.
Blood for Blood: Einherjar train to sacrifice their physical health for additional power. When declaring a melee attack, an Einherjar may announce his use of this ability. If the Einherjar sacrifices 5 HP, the attack deals an additional 2d6 points of damage. This damage is not multiplied on a critical hit.
Bonus Feat: The Einherjar may choose a bonus feat from the Fighter’s list. He must meet any requirements before selecting it.
Numb to Pain: Starting at 4th level, an Einherjar is able to shrug off bruises and other non-debilitating injuries. He ignores the first 5 points of subdual damage from every attack; at 9th level, he instead ignores the first 10 points.
+1 Kenning/day: At 5th level, the Einherjar adds an additional use per day to the normal total granted by his Wyrd score.
Elemental Kenning: The Einherjar’s connection to the outer realms deepens. If he bonded to Muspelheim during his initiation, he gains the character kenning Flametongue, and if he bonded to Niflheim he instead gains the Iceheart kenning.
Flametongue: When called on, this kenning deals 5 points of damage to the user. For the duration of the combat, the user’s melee attacks are engulfed in flames, dealing an additional 1d6 points of fire damage per hit.
Iceheart: When this kenning is called, the user gains DR 5/-, but takes a -4 penalty to dexterity. Both effects last until the end of the combat in which this is invoked.
Immunity to Fear: covers both magical and nonmagical [fear] effects.
Withered Toughness: At this point in his development, the Einherjar’s body shrivels and toughens, taking on a dehydrated, mummified appearance. His eye sockets deepen, and his eyes start to glow fiercely from the shadows. This furthering of his connection to death gives him a 25% chance to ignore critical hits and sneak attacks.
Vindicating Strike: On his turn, an Einherjar may declare his intent to make a Vindicating Strike. If he does, then he forgoes his AC defense against the next melee attack made against him. If that attack deals damage to him, he may riposte against that enemy with an attack of his own. If his riposte hits, it counts automatically as a critical hit. If the triggering attack for Vindicating Strike was made with a reach weapon, the Einherjar is teleported to the nearest adjacent point to that enemy before he makes his attack. If that space is not clear, the Vindicating Strike fails, and he must forgo his riposte.
Death and Glory: Once per month, when a master Einherjar dies in battle, he is resurrected one round later at 1/4 his max HP. This revival is spiritually draining, costing him 500XP each time.
