Weird Arcana - Champion (New Arcane Bond)

After Living Shadow and True Name, here’s the third (and until further notice the last) new option for the Wizard’s Arcane Bond. This one was created not only to reinforce an archetypal role of fantasy stories (like the warders from The Wheel of Time) but also a metagame aspect: D&D/Pathfinder is built around teamwork and party interaction and I believe it’s nice to strength this roleplaying aspect with some mechanical options. The result is the Champion.

Arcane Bond (Champion) (Su): You have forged an arcane link between you and an ally, chosen to act as your protector. The champion must be another player character that satisfies the following requirements:

-         - Can’t have a caster level greater than the bonded wizard;

-         - Most of his class levels must be taken from classes without full spellcasting progression. For example: barbarian, cavalier, fighter, gunslinger, monk, ninja, paladin, ranger, rogue and samurai;

-         - A champion with wizard levels can’t chose the same arcane bond option of his bonded wizard.

At 1^st level, if the champion is within 5-feet of its charge he gains the benefits of the Alertness feat. Besides, any melee attack against the bonded wizard provokes an attack of opportunity from the champion.

At 3^rd level, if the champion is within 5-feet, the bonded wizard can cast spells without provoking attacks of opportunity (he doesn’t need to cast on the defensive).

At 5^th level, if the champion is within 5-feet and aware of a ranged attack against the bonded wizard he can choose to become the target of that attack. This can be done once per round. The champion also grants partial cover to the bonded wizard.

At 7^th level, the champion and the bonded wizard share an empathic link and, if on the same plane, always know in which they are in relation to each other.

At 11^th level, the champion gains the share spells and deliver touch spells special abilities (see the familiar rules for a full description of these features).

At 15^th level, if the champion gains spell resistance (see the familiar rules for a full description of this feature) if within 30-feet of the bonded wizard.

If a champion dies, the bonded wizard instantly loses his highest prepared spell slot and, during one entire week, suffer a –2 penalty to his caster level. For scrying purposes a living champion counts as a ‘body part’ of the bonded wizard.

A champion can be dismissed with a full-round action (that provokes attacks of opportunity) and he must be touched by the wizard. A new champion can be elevated through a specialized ritual that costs 300 gp per wizard level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete.