I'm starting a game soon and one of the player normally plays an arcane spellcaster(usually wizard), but has decided to take a dip into the divine. He's particularly fond of the Abjurant Champion prestige class and its Martial Arcanist feature. He asked if a divine equivalent exists, and as established by my question yesterday, one doesn't. So I reflavored Abjurant Champion into the below homebrew class.
The general flavor of this new class is meant to be a divine templar-esque kind of fighter, A protector of the weak/shield of the innocent type. It is intended to be a prestige class for Fighter/Cleric or Fighter/Paladin builds, combining all the martial prowess of a Fighter with a Clerics or Paladin's religious pious nature. Basically a super-paladin without the alignment straitjacket.
Is this homebrewed prestige class balanced? Is there a better school to tie it to for divine casters?
Stalwart Protector
The divine champion focuses his divine abilities both to augment his personal defense and to hinder enemy spellcasters. Perfectly suited for martial stalwarts who dabble in magic, this class offers characters the ability to improve their combat skills in ways neither soldiers nor spellcasters can. Requirements
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Feats: Combat Casting
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast 1st-level divine spells, and have access to the protection domain.
Special: Must be proficient with at least one martial weapon.
Hit die: d10
Skill points: 2 + Int
Class Features
Spellcasting: At each level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming an stalwart protector, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Abjurant Armor (Su): Any time you cast an abjuration spell that grants you a bonus to AC the type changes to an armor bonus and you can increase the value of the bonus by your stalwart protector class level. Stalwart Protectors rely on Shield of Faith, Protection from X and similar spells instead of actual armor.
Extended Abjuration (Su): You depend on your abjuration spells to protect you in combat. Double the duration of abjuration spells you cast, as if you had applied the Extend Spell feat to them (but without any change in level or casting time).
Swift Abjuration (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you can cast abjuration spells as a swift action, as if you had applied the Quicken Spell feat to them (but without any change in level). The maximum level of spell you can quicken in this way is equal to 1/2 your class level (rounded up).
Divine Boost (Su): Beginning at 4th level, you gain the ability to burn Turn/rebuke uses to empower your martial abilities. As a swift action, you can spend one or more of your Turn/ Rebuke uses to grant yourself one of the following insight bonuses for 1 round.
- Bonus on attack rolls equal to the number of uses spent.
- Bonus on weapon damage rolls equal to twice the number of uses spent.
- Bonus to AC equal to the number of uses spent.
- Bonus on saving throws equal to the number of uses spent.
- Resistance to acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic equal to 5 × the number of uses spent.
Divine Fury (Ex): At 5th level, you master the art of combining your militant and divine training. From this point on, your caster level in a chosen Divine spellcasting class is equal to your base attack bonus (unless it would otherwise be higher). For example, a 7th-level fighter/1st-level cleric/5th-level stalwart protector has a base attack bonus of +12 (and thus a caster level of 12th). You can apply this benefit to only one divine class to which you have added spellcasting levels by your advancement as an stalwart protector.