Radiant Servant: Overpowered?

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I saw this Prestige Class called the Radiant Servant of Pelor in my recently new bought D&D Book Complete Divine (a must-have for Divine Character-lovers like me). Just when I was creating my own Prestige Class, those guys turn up with the Radiant Servant. Just what I wanted!

I read some opinions on the internet about wether this Prestige Class is overpowered or not. But I could not find anything about it on the BoM, where the ones truly blessed with intellect and insight gather to debate on such matters.
Questions: Is the RSoP overpowered and if so, how would you deal with it?

Prerequisites:

• 5 ranks Heal
• 9 ranks Knowledge (Religion)
• Base Save Bonus: Will +5
• Sun Domain
• Feats: Extra Turning
• Alignment: Neutral Good
• Deity: Pelor (though any Deity with Sun domain would be good, like Lathander or Horus-Re in Faerun)

Gains:

Spell per day: Advance in former chosen Divine Spells Castin class, but no other special abilities (like improvement of controlling/rebuking undead etc)
First level

• Radiance: Spells with the 'light' conscription have their illumination range (?) doubled and are casted on +1 Caster level conserning whether or not they can encounter darkness spells.
• Turn Undead: Add your RS-levels to your character when determining Turning Levels. (Cleric 6/RS 3 would have as much Turning Levels as a cleric 9.)
• Extra Greater Turning: Greater Turning (sun domain ability) up to a total times per day equal to 3 +Charisma Mod.

Second Level

• Divine Health: A 2nd level RS is immune to all diseases, including supernatural and magic disease like mummy rot etc.

3rd Level

• Empowered Healing Thingy Something: Not quite sure how it works. Spells from the Healing Domain are treated as if you have the Empower Spell Feat without using a higher level spellslot. This is changed into Maximise Spell at level 6 and changed in both Maximise and Empower at lvl 10. Read below for my questions.

5th level

• Extra Domain: Choose an other domain of your Deity's or the Glory or Purification Domain.

8th level.

• Positive Energy Burst: Spend 2 Turning Attempts for dealing 1d6 damage per RS-level to every undead within a 100ft radius from you. Undeads are allowed a reflex save for half damage.

For some reason, RSs are also proficient with Martial Weapons, but their HD is d6 iso the clerics d8. BAB like Rogue and IIRC 2 skillpoints per level. Btw, you and your partymembers within a 10ft radius also get a +2 on will saves at level 3 or 4.

I'm not quite sure about their Healing abilities:
IIRC, the description says that you can cast spells from the Healing Domain as if Empowered, Maximized or even both, but didn't say you needed the Healing Domain to get that ability (unlike as with Sun Domain, which is a prerequisite) or if you have to use a Domain Spell slot to have your healing spell Maxed/Empowered.

Your opinions and knowledge please...

[ June 13, 2004, 16:22: Message edited by: Master of Nuhn ]

 

The Cleric is powerful to begin with, but the prerequisites look stringent. What are the caster level advancement, and the base attack bonus and saving throw progressions?

 

BAB = the middle way. Same as rogue, bard,...

Healing does seem really powerful. I'd imagine a sun PrCs would have more undead-related powers rather than the most powerful healing i've ever seen. At least anti-undead powers dominant and not the other way around. At least i think the healing powers are more powerful than the ones dealing with undead.

If it were me, i'd limit the healing to healing domain and domain spells at least. Maximised and empowered

 

Heh, I think that with that kind of healing, you'd get a situation much like this. You might end up, especially with the feat Reach Spell from Faith and Pantheons, healing more or equal amounts of damage to what the monsters can dish out. That there's a serious balance issue. Until the DM wizens up of course and sends leveldraining, paralyzing and stunning monsters your way who disable the tanks and live up to the ancient rule of "Take out their mages and clerics first"

Other than that, I had a whole nice reply typed out, but once more, the internet ate it. Argh. Aside from the healing, the PRC seems fine, though a bit focussed on Undead fighting. The martial proficiency puzzles me, as this PRC seems to me of a more defensive class, which even gets a smaller dice for hp.

 

About this healing stuff:
If you cast a domain spell from the Healing Domain, you can empower/max/max-empower it.

I wanted to make a Radiant Servant of Lathander, but he doesn't have the Healing domain.
Bit of a bummer for the Forgotten Realms clerics: Non of the FRdeities has both the Sun and Healing domain. And if so, I wouldn't spend a domain spell on healing anyway when I could get more interesting spells. And I would never choose the Healing domain if I could get others like Strength and Sun...

 

I dunno, for that kind of healing, I'd pick the healing domain definetely Free empowered and maximized healing? Hell yeah!

 

For one domain spell per spell level at a Prestige class level 8? I'd rather pick Heal instead with the possibilty to have more diversity when casting spells, an other domain ability AND Spotaneous Healing.