The one characterized by their unending pursuit of change for their causes. For some that may be a religion, for others a belief in a political group, and others oaths and moral codes.
Any time this class mentions Devine power, a Cause, or something of that nature they can be used interchangeably.
To take a level into the Crusader you must have a wisdom and charisma score of 13 or higher.
Upon taking your first level into the Crusader class you gain the following,
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: All simple weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from History, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion, Arcana, Athletics, and Religion
At each level taken into the crusader you gain
Hit Dice: 1d8 per crusader level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per level after 1st
If you are taking the first level into crusader from level 0 you also gain the following equipment choices.
(a) a mace or (b) a war hammer (if proficient)
(a) scale mail, (b) leather armor, or (c) chain mail (if proficient)
(a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon
(a) a priest's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
A shield and a symbol of your cause
At the 1st level, you can use spells as a conduit for your cause and code.
Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list until our spell list is complete. You learn additional cleric cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Cleric table.
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your spells, but you may at the first level permanently change wisdom to charisma for all future class features. The power of your spells comes from your devotion to your deity. You use your Wisdom whenever a cleric spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a cleric spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Ritual Casting: You can cast a cleric spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.
Spell Points: This class uses the spell point system and is a full caster for reference.
Spellcasting Focus: You can use a physical symbol, wand, staff, or rod as a spellcasting focus.
At the 2nd level, you may take an oath or cause to crusade for with great fervor. They grant you favors at level 2, 6, 7, 16, and 20.
Follow a divine parent of the storms and become a Thunder Child.
Spend your time putting foes under your boot as a Conqueror.
Bare the shield and a true Hero.
Have yourself United under a human cause.
Be walking night as a Twilight with talents of treachery.
At the 3rd level, choose between one of the following greater powers that suits your cause and gain 2 charges of it per long rest, resetting at long rest.
Sacred Weapon: As an action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with positive energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to Attack rolls made with that weapon (with a minimum bonus of +1). The weapon also emits bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light 20 feet beyond that. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the Duration. You can end this Effect on Your Turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall Unconscious, this Effect ends.
Turn the Unholy. As an action, you present your holy Symbol and speak a prayer censuring Fiends and Undead, using your Channel Divinity. Each fiend or Undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage. A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take Reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to Escape from an Effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.
Champion Challenge. As a bonus action, you issue a challenge that compels other creatures to do battle with you. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature can’t willingly move more than 30 feet away from you. This effect ends on the creature if you are incapacitated or die or if the creature is more than 30 feet away from you.
Destructive Wrath. you can use your Channel Divinity to wield the power of the storm with unchecked ferocity. When you roll lightning or thunder damage, you can use your Channel Divinity to deal maximum damage, instead of rolling.
Thunder Leap: As an action, you can choose to jump up to your movement speed in any direction. When you do this, you can choose to have lightning explode around you when you land, forcing all creatures in a 5 foot radius to make a Dexterity saving throw. On failure, they take damage equal to 2d6 + your Charisma modifier and are knocked back 10 feet or half as much on a success.
Conquering Presence: You can use your Channel Divinity to exude a terrifying presence. As an action, you force each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. The frightened creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Guided Strike: You can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy. When you make an attack roll, you can use your Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses.
Radiant Defense: Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to cloak your allies in radiant armor. As an action, you channel blessed energy into an ally that you can see within 30 feet of you. The first time that ally is hit by an attack within the next minute, the attacker takes radiant damage equal to 2d10 + your cleric level.
Champion Challenge: As a bonus action, you issue a challenge that compels other creatures to do battle with you. Each creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature can't willingly move more than 30 feet away from you. This effect ends on the creature if you are incapacitated or die or if the creature is more than 30 feet away from you.
Turn the Tide: As a bonus action, you can bolster injured creatures with your Channel Divinity. Each creature of your choice that can hear you within 30 feet of you regains hit points equal to 1d6 + your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) if it has no more than half of its hit points.
At the 5th level, choose two of the following features. At 15th level, you may choose another divine feature.
Smite: When landing a melee attack or landing an attack with your focus, you may expend a spell slot and increase its damage by 1d6 per the level of spell (become 1d8 at level 17).
Lay on Hands: Your blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of Healing power that replenishes when you take a Long Rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of Hit Points equal to your crusader levels x 4 (becomes 6 per level at 17th level). As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of Hit Points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool. Alternatively, you can expend 5 Hit Points from your pool of Healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. You can cure multiple Diseases and neutralize multiple Poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending Hit Points separately for each one. This feature has no Effect on Undead and Constructs.
Extra Charge of Channel Greater Power.
Purity: you are always under the Effects of a Protection from evil and good spell.
Auras. There are areas that follow you around as you move each with their own radius. At the 17th level all auras gain +5 range to their radius.
At the 9th level, when taking the action to attack you may attack once more.
At the 13th level, you can call on your deity or greater focus to intervene on your behalf when your need is great.
Imploring your deity's or domain's aid requires you to use your action. Describe the assistance you seek, and roll percentile dice. If you roll a number equal to or lower than your cleric level, your deity intervenes. The DM chooses the nature of the intervention; the effect of any cleric spell or cleric domain spell would be appropriate. If your deity intervenes, you can't use this feature again for 7 days. Otherwise, you can use it again after you finish a long rest.
At 19th level, your call for intervention succeeds automatically, no roll required.
A crusader tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous is fallible. Sometimes the right path proves too demanding, sometimes a situation calls for the lesser of two evils, and sometimes the heat of emotion causes one to transgress his or her oath. A crusader who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a Cleric who shares his or her faith or from another of the same order. One might spend an all- night vigil in prayer as a sign of penitence, or undertake a fast or similar act of self-Âdenial. After a rite of confession and forgiveness, there crusader may regain any powers lost. If a Crusader willfully violates his or her oath and shows no sign of repentance, the consequences can be more serious. At the GM’s discretion, an impenitent is forced to take one of the following three paths based on what was done.
One who does not leave all that they were but will not do well by the tenants they used to follow so dearly.
Upon losing what you used to be a part of your hit dice becomes d10 instead of a d8 and you may reroll all of your current hit dice if you so chose.
All subclass features are retained but the core features of the crusader are replaced.
At 3rd level and on, Your ability to channel greater power and use divine feats is replaced with the ability to use a blasphemous treasury 6 times a day. Using blasphemous treasury allows one of the following spells to be cast. These spells all only use somatic components. It requires hands to be placed flat together is all.
The Lights of Debla: As a reaction, summon a pillar of light in a 10 ft. radius around you. Dealing 1d10 per your level to any targets within and subjecting them to constitution saving throw. On failure, they take full damage and are blinded. On a success, they are not blinded and half incoming damage.
Zarabranda: As an action, channel the first blasphemer's shield preventing you from being harmed by AoE effects and and projectiles for 24 seconds.
Zambian, A Resplendent Crown: As an action, conjure a bright golden crown above you. When harming creatures for the next 1 minute you may roll a d100 and gain silver equal to the result.
Tiento, Thorned Hairs: As a bonus action, summon a mane of needles that will prevent the next instance of damage and instead deal it to the one who targeted you.
Solea, Excommunicato: Over 2 actions, one must concentrate and after will land a critical hit on their next attack. If the 2 actions are interrupted or concentration is broken somehow, then the spell fails.
Cante Au Jondo: As a bonus action, enchant your next attack to replicate itself across sound. When striking, all creatures that can hear the attack will also take the damage.
At the 13th level, instead of gaining the ability to summon power down, you gain 2 blasphemous relics from an alternative plane. Chose from the following:
Incorrupt Hand: You gain a tremor sense of double your current sight.
Blood Perpetuated in Sand: You can, as a reaction, create a 20 ft. platform of blood and take 1d6 true damage.
Nail Uprooted from Corpse: Instead of taking negative effects from rough terrain. You gain double movement in the terrain.
Shroud Dreamt In Sin: You can read the memories of the dead and the blasphemers.
Silvered Lung: You gain immunity to poison damage, diseases, and being charmed.
Three Gnarled Tongues: You gain the ability to use mage hand and gain advantage on climbing.
One who has left all that they were behind.
Your divine emptiness makes your body frail but your might to be something feared. Your hit dice becomes a 1d6 and you must reroll all hit dice. In addition, any time there is an instance of damage you may add double your casting modifier to the damage total.
You lose all previous divine features and channeling abilities, including your subclass / oath.
Starting at 7th level you, as well any fiends and undead within 10 feet of you, gain a bonus to melee weapon damage rolls equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1). A creature can benefit from this feature from only one paladin at a time.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
At 15th level, you gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.
At 20th level, you can, as an action, surround yourself with an aura of gloom that lasts for 1 minute. The aura reduces any bright light in a 30-foot radius around you to dim light. Whenever an enemy that is frightened by you starts its turn in the aura, it takes 4d10 psychic damage. Additionally, you and any creatures of your choosing in the aura are draped in deeper shadow. Creatures that rely on sight have disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures draped in this shadow.
While the aura lasts, you can use a bonus action on your turn to cause the shadows in the aura to attack one creature. Make a melee spell attack against the target. If the attack hits, the target takes necrotic damage equal to 5d10 + your Charisma modifier.
After activating the aura, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
For one who wishes to come back to their gods and glory. Retaining the sentiment of their tenants.
You lose your other divine feats but retain all other prior traits.
Starting at 7th level, you can shield others from harm at the cost of your own health. When a creature within 10 feet of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to magically take that damage, instead of that creature taking it. This feature doesn't transfer any other effects that might accompany the damage, and this damage can't be reduced in any way.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.
Starting at 15th level, a holy presence mends your wounds in battle. You regain hit points equal to 1d6 + half your paladin level if you end your turn in combat with fewer than half of your hit points remaining and you aren't incapacitated.
So this class was spawned of the "I wanna use a cleric but I don't want to follow a god" so I have made my best first draft at bringing in elements of various classes and characters from games we all know to make this. I hopefully have retained a similar but not identical class that rather than just following a god is fighting for a cause or higher purpose. This can be flavored as a god's cause or as any other thing your mind might desire. As always feel free to reach out on discord with any thoughts.