Gray guard

Among the ranks of paladins there are some who have seen too much. The archetype of the noble-spirited paladin, resplendent in blessed armor and wielding a holy blade to smite the enemies of goodness, has gotten countless good men and women killed by their enemies' underhanded tactics. Taking a cue from their foes, certain churches have formed semi-secret groups from their most experienced and hard-hearted paladins and clerics, and trained them in the shadowy tactics favored by such worthies as the Church of Shar. These gray guards follow a looser code than the average paladin, and do whatever must be done to protect the innocent and helpless from those who would do them harm.

Background
The vast majority of gray guards were once paladins, though there are a few clerics in the mix for flavor. Only the most realistic and hardened holy warriors join a church's order of gray guards, knowing that evil runs rampant in the world, always has, and will not be expunged merely by good example. They join out of necessity, not out of resentment for the code of conduct; those who chafe at their responsibilities are unfit to be paladins, let alone gray guards.

Religion
Gray guards typically follow deities concerned with justice, such as Torm, Tyr, or Bahamut.

Skills
Gray guards must be proficient at sensing the intent of others, and must have a great deal of religious knowledge. They can easily gain skill at bluffing, mental focus, disguise, forging documents, animal handling, healing, intimidation, local lore, government lore, religious knowledge, riding, and sensing motives.

Outlook
The gray guard has seen the terrible realities of the world: orphaned children starving in gutters while the rich and powerful feast on the other side of a wall, tyrants abusing the law to expand their own power, and the supposedly devout using and abusing those they see as at best, beneath their notice, and at worst, heretics. The worst evil acts outwardly good and righteous, using honeyed words to seduce the unsuspecting masses. The code of a paladin can only go so far, because it forces them to act in the open, placing them at a disadvantage that can get them killed, and an inflexible code often not only allows evil to remain, but aids its spread. The gray guard has earned the right and freedom to do whatever it takes to take out the trash, even if it means committing a lesser evil to uphold the greater good.

Though he works toward the same goals as other members of his faith, he may find himself ostracized by his fellows. At best, he flirts with corruption, and at worst, embraces it. Paladins may see him as weak, for he has not (in their view) the courage to fight for justice with honor.

The gray guard is not proud of what he does, but rather sees it as a necessity forced upon him by the realities of the world. The freedom is not a boon but a loss, a tarnish of darkness on a once-pure soul. He resolves to do what is necessary, to do battle as valiantly as the greatest paladin, but as brutally as the most vile blackguard.

Combat
The gray guard prefers to do battle as a paladin on the field of honor, judging an opponent by his actions. But if the only chance or choice he has is to assassinate a high priest of Bane by knifing him in an alley in a "mugging gone bad," he does it without qualms. His tactics must change to fit the fight.

Mercy is also mutable. Ideally, he would take his foes prisoner, bringing the Thayan slaver operating in the slums before a court of justice in Neverwinter. But if there is no choice but to kill him, such as if he is escaping arrest, or has been acquitted on a technicality, he willingly commits the murder, for some foes simply cannot be allowed to live and rise again. A moment's prayer for both his own soul and his victim's, followed by a quick death, end the lives of many of a gray guard's enemies.

Gray Guard Abilities

 * Spellcasting: At each even-numbered level, a gray guard gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had gained a level in a previous divine spellcasting class.


 * Sacrament of Trust: A gray guard takes a vow of allegiance beyond that of a normal paladin.  The vow grants him a greater measure of freedom to act in defense of his cause without fear of retribution should such acts violate the code.  A dishonorable act still temporarily costs you your paladin and gray guard class abilities, but the infraction is considered less severe than it would be for a paladin.
 * Whenever a gray guard seeks to atone for ill deeds willingly committed in the name of the faith, a cleric casting atonement on his behalf does not incur the normal 500 XP cost. However, this only applies to acts intended for the greater good.  A gray guard who started a bar fight would have to atone normally, but a gray guard who murdered an evildoer because he had no other choice would not incur the XP cost.


 * Lay on Hands: Like the paladin ability of the same name, this ability lets the gray guard channel positive energy to heal the living and hurt the undead.  Gray guard levels stack with levels in other classes that grant this ability in order to determine the gray guard's maximum healing potential.


 * Debilitating Touch: A 2nd level gray guard can consume 5 points from his daily healing potential from laying on hands in order to perform a painful touch attack.  This is useful in interrogation as it reduces the subject's ability to lie convincingly or resist magic.  A successful debilitating touch sickens a subject of poor constitution for 30 seconds.


 * Smite Evil: At 3rd level, a gray guard can channel his innate divinity into his sword arm once per day, boosting the damage he deals to an evildoer on a single attack.  Levels of other evil-smiting classes stack with this class to determine the total amount of damage dealt.


 * Justice Blade: A 4th level gray guard has seen enough to know that injustice is not exclusively the province of evildoers.  Instead of smiting an evil opponent, he can choose to smite a chaotic opponent instead.  At 9th level, justice blade expands to enable one to smite foes of any alignment.


 * Devastating Touch: The deity served by the 5th level gray guard shows his approval of his servant's grim work by letting the gray guard channel his lay on hands ability into an offensive attack.  Strong-willed non-evil subjects may be able to shrug off part of the damage dealt, but not all of it.


 * Unbound Justice: At 7th level, the gray guard has gained the trust of his church, and can use unorthodox methods without being restricted by the code of honor.  These techniques are even more effective because they are unexpected, improving their competence at bluffing, disguising, and intimidation.


 * Sacrament of the True Faith: A 10th level gray guard has his order's full confidence, and can act freely (within reason) to uphold the goals and tenets of his faith.  He never needs to atone for violating his code of conduct in pursuit of a just cause, nor does he risk losing his class abilities.
 * Note, however, that this sacrament does not allow wanton slaughter or immoral behavior. The loosening of the code is a privilege, one that can be revoked if the gray guard commits grossly evil or immoral acts.  The deity or leaders of the faith may see fit to expel you from the order, costing you both paladin and gray guard powers permanently.

Ex-Gray Guards
Though a gray guard's code is looser than a paladin's, the code does not grant a gray guard carte blanche to do whatever he pleases. He must respect legitimate authority and act with honor and good intent. He must help the needy, may not use poisons, and must punish those who harm the innocent. The central tenet is this: a gray guard may not break the code without good reason.

As previously stated, the power to access one's innate divinity is a privilege, not a right, and unforgivably evil acts (despoiling a temple of his faith, slaying innocents, etc.) will cost the gray guard his abilities. Also not permitted are actions counter to the tenets of your faith, and habitual violation of the code. If at any time his deity or a jury of your faith's leaders finds you guilty of neglecting your responsibilities and abusing your power, you will be expelled from the order, permanently costing you both gray guard and paladin powers. Not even an atonement spell can restore them once lost.

A fallen gray guard who becomes a blackguard can trade in his gray guard levels for blackguard levels, just as he can trade in his paladin levels.

Quotes
"Does your stout armor give you peace of mind? Does your holy sword help you sleep at night? Mine do not."

- Ambros Brasmere, a gray guard.

"How’re we supposed to see the pally comin' when 'e wears armor blacker than ours?"

- Griv "Goblin Father" Chos, unfortunate cultist guard.