CLERIC (Base Class) ------------------- Clerics belong to a hierarchical order which worships or venerates a deity, pantheon, philosophy, transcendent concept, technology, or cause. Because of their clerical training and devotion, those clerics who worship a divine being will be able to attune themselves to the deity and channel its cosmic power as spells or spell-like abilities. The exact powers and casting methodologies will differ from group to group (and possibly even from cleric to cleric). For instance, a cleric of the Spider Queen might be able to cast Web and Spiderclimb, a cleric of Hephaestus would know metalsmithing and the secret of constructing Javelins of Lightning, and a cleric of Ares might wear bronze armor, wield a war spear and be able to Cause Fear and Confusion in their enemies, etc. Clerics whose patron deity is affiliated with death or who belong to a "cult of death" may be able to CONTROL undead(or even be able to create them). In addition, all clerics will have specialized training according to the purposes of their respective orders. For example, The Clerics of Bonz, an order dedicated to healing and medicine, will have their clerics trained as physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries, able to use high-tech medical devices, along with studies of magical healing spells and potions. * HIT POINTS: D6 per level. Add CON Bonus at 1st level only. 2pts/level after 9th level. * Saving Throw Bonuses depend upon the type of Cleric. * Armor and weaponry depend on who/what the clerical order venerates. An order worshipping Thor might wear chainmail and carry a warhammer and round shield, while an order dedicated to healing and benevolence might wear no armor and train in only empty-hand or quarterstaff/crook techniques. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Base Chance By Level Table -------------------------- * Read Languages: Chance to decipher coded maps, read obscure, forgotten or dead languages and understand inscriptions of clerical magic written by clerics of different religions and orders. * Identify Clerical Potions/Clerical Items/Command Words without research. level 1 = 1(D6) level 9 = 1-3 level 17 = 1-5 level 5 = 1-2 level 13 = 1-4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Languages: Clerics begin knowing Common + 4 other languages. Can learn an additional 2 for each point of INT above 10 instead of the usual 1 per point. * Clerics can use any clerical scrolls or magical items which pertain to their area of interest. They will have an intuitive understanding of the item because it pertains to their sphere of devotion, even if it was created by a magic-user or other type of spellcaster (or technologist). * Clerics may attempt to turn undead (see Undead Turning Table). Clerics spend much time in ancient ruins, temples, tombs, and the like, seeking esoteric knowledge and artifacts. Because of this, it has become necessary to learn the various means of dealing with the undead which often inhabit these places. Clerics will carry on them small items containing images, runes, or symbols they have collected which are repellent/frightening/ awe-inspiring to the creature(s) they are trying to turn. They will know "words of power", special prayers for supernatural aid, secret rituals, and binding oaths from the Lower Realms. Clerics connected with a super- natural being may even be able to act as a conduit to channel some of its power against the forces of un-life. * Clerics know all of the teachings, stories, rituals, and ceremonies of their order at first level. * Clerics know cartography and can create professional maps. * Clerics can Enchant Charms as a Magic-User does. * Clerics have the knowledge to distill and craft special inks and craft complex scribing tools for their professional needs. * Clerics can create illuminated manuscripts, write calligraphy, make detailed sketches and drawings, and copy handwriting. They can also copy magical texts, spellbooks, and scrolls, though unless they can READ MAGIC, they will not know what they are copying. Also, copies of magical scrolls will not be able to be cast from as the Cleric cannot charge the runes with magical energies(though a magic-user could if the special inks necessary for holding the charges were used in the creation of the copy). Spells will take 1 Turn per spell level to copy. * Clerics can create Clerical Scrolls beginning at second level. Clerical scrolls require special inks to be used. After the ink is distilled, it will take 1 day of meditation and writing per level of the spell(s) to be scribed. So a scroll of 3 2nd level spells would require a total of 6 days to complete. Distilling each of the special inks will take 1 day per spell level and each batch creates enough ink for D3+2 spells of the same type. So, for example, for a scroll of 3rd level spells, it would require 3 days to distill the ink for it. Of course, a scroll may contain spells of a few different levels, which would require different types of inks to be dis- tilled. These inks will only work for creating a castable magical scroll. They cannot be used to transcribe spells and formulas into the Cleric's spellbook. * Clerics can research new spells pertaining to their sphere of devotion, at 2nd level. The time and cost will vary depending on the nature of the research. The spells researched may only be of a level that is castable by the Cleric. Research may involve academic study, meditation, or both, and should take at least 1 week per spell level of uninterrupted focus. If the Cleric is forced to do anything besides eating, resting, and basic self-maintenance during this time, the research process must begin all over again. A D6 is rolled at the end of the research/meditation period. On a roll of 2-6, a new spell has been successfully created. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * At 8th level, the Cleric gains the ability to sense invisible, out-of- phase, astral, or ethereal creatures nearby. * At 9th level, a Cleric is considered a "HIGH CLERIST" and may construct their own 'temple' and create a new chapter of the order they belong to. Construction costs will be 1/2 of normal as work and materials will be donated by followers of the order. The site of the new temple will be guarded by loyal men-at-arms while it is under construction. 2D6 followers will come to the new temple, once built, for clerical training. * At 9th level, Clerics can create magical(or technological if their order specializes in such) items that pertain to their order's sphere of devotion. Creation times, materials, and research will vary depending on the nature and power of the item. They can also create clerical potions. See Magic-User potion creation. * At 10th level, True Seeing(as spell) may be used once per day. * At 14th level Clerics can SEE invisible/out-of-phase/astral/ethereal creatures nearby and even peer into other realms/planes of existence. * At 17th level, Clerics may create a powerful magical artifact relating to their sphere. The creation of the artifact may require quests, tests, and research, and may take many months or even years to complete. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Clerics learn higher level spells according to the table below: XP level 2 = 1st level spells XP level 4 = 2nd level spells XP level 6 = 3rd level spells XP level 8 = 4th level spells XP level 10 = 5th level spells XP level 13 = 6th level spells XP level 16 = 7th level spells Clerical spells may be chosen from the Magic-User, Druid, and Cleric spell lists or created by the DM or player depending on the cleric's sphere of study/worship. At 2nd level, Clerics know all first-level spells of their order and will immed- iately gain access to all of the spells of each next higher spell level that are known to their order upon attaining the required XP necessary to cast them. The spells are given to the Cleric by their order, through meditation and inspiration, and/or from their supernatural patron. :POSSIBLE: Clerics of 2nd level have PER bonus + 2 spell points. They receive 2 more spell points per XP level up through XP level 9, then 1 point per XP level thereafter. A clerical spell costs 1 point per spell level to cast - so a 3rd level spell would cost 3 points to cast - and they can cast whatever spells they know each day up to the number of spell points they have. A cleric of 12th level with a 17(+2 bonus) in PER would have 21 spell points for their use each day, for example.