Cleric
Clerics are those who have devoted themselves to the service of a deity, pantheon or other belief system. Most Clerics spend their time in mundane forms of service such as preaching and ministering in a temple; but there are those who are called to go abroad from the temple and serve their deity in a more direct way, smiting undead monsters and aiding in the battle against evil and chaos. Player character Clerics are assumed to be among the latter group.
Clerics fight about as well as Thieves, but not as well as Fighters. They are hardier than Thieves, at least at lower levels, as they are accustomed to physical labor that the Thief would deftly avoid. Clerics can cast spells of divine nature starting at 2nd level, and they have the power to Turn the Undead, that is, to drive away undead monsters by means of faith alone.
Turning the Undead
Clerics can Turn the undead, that is, drive away undead monsters by means of faith alone. The Cleric brandishes their holy symbol and calls upon the power of their divine patron. The player rolls 1d20 plus their wisdom or charisma modifier and tells the GM the result. Note that the player should always roll, even if the GM knows the character can't succeed (or can't fail), as telling the player whether or not to roll may reveal too much.
| CLERIC LEVEL | ATTACK BONUS |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | +1 |
| 3-4 | +2 |
| 5-6 | +3 |
| 7-8 | +4 |
| 9-11 | +5 |
| 12-14 | +6 |
| 15-17 | +7 |
| 18-20 | +8 |
SUPPLEMENTS
Clerical Orisons A spellcaster learns a number of 0 level spells equal to 1d4 plus his or her relevant ability bonus while in training and can learn additional orisons any time a trainer is available. A spell caster may cast a number of 0 level spells per day equal to his or her level plus ability bonus (Wisdom for Clerics and related classes). Since these spells take such a short amount of time to cast (due to their abbreviated verbal and somatic components), a character may cast one and take another action in the round at the same time. 0 level spells do not have to be prepared in advance, unlike more powerful magics. Orisons typically have a range of 10 feet and a duration of instantaneous. Divine Channeling Items Divine Channeling Items are a different sort of item that allows a cleric to convert the prayer energy of currently memorized spells into another predetermined spell. For example, a Rosary of Light Channeling would convert any other currently memorized first level spell into a Light spell cast as if the caster actually had that spell memorized instead. Such an items may appear as a circlet, rod, ring, staff, or other appropriate form, often dictated by the effect. This only applies to "true" Clerics, and not to any subclasses or quasi-class thereof which may appear in other supplements, unless otherwise noted. Additionally, there are enhanced Divine Channeling Items that can augment or modify spell effects. Each case or exception is discussed below. In any case, the Game Master should design each item directly considering the spell effects carefully.- Divine Channeling Items are usually associated with a particular Deity, Power, or Pantheon and may not be usable by non-believers or non-worshippers. Even Clerics of one faith may not be able to utilize another faith’s items. This may vary according to the Game Master’s campaign and his or her ideas on how the divine powers interact with their followers.
- A cleric can only utilize a Divine Channeling Item that produces a spell that can be potentially cast by the user (as in it appears on his or her spell list). The character need not actually know the spell in question personally, but must be capable of casting the spell otherwise. This caveat occurs when additional supplement classes are used in the Game Master’s campaign. When the specific spell exists at differing spell levels for different classes, the spell is channeled according to the caster’s own spell list.
- Spells spent to power a Divine Channeling Item must be of the appropriate level or higher, but no benefit is gained by using a higher level spell slot.
- Spells requiring additional materials may not require the necessary materials on hand for the spell to be produced.
- Multi-Function items should follow a theme or otherwise be logical in their design. A circlet or monocle item that channels various Detect Spells would be appropriate.
- Enhancing items are possible. The most obvious would be increasing the effective caster level of the channeled spell. Such enhancements should be very carefully considered.
Clerical Spells
The number of spells of each level which a Cleric may cast per day is shown on the appropriate table in the Characters section. Each morning spellcasters prepare spells to replace those they have used. Spells prepared but not used persist from day to day; only those actually cast must be replaced. A spellcaster may choose to dismiss a prepared spell (without casting it) in order to prepare a different spell of that level. Spellcasters must have at least one hand free, and be able to speak, in order to cast spells; thus, binding and gagging a spellcaster is an effective means of preventing them from casting spells. In combat, casting a spell usually takes the same time as making an attack. If a spellcaster is attacked (even if not hit) or must make a saving throw (whether successful or not) on the Initiative number on which they are casting a spell, the spell is spoiled and lost. As a specific exception, two spell casters releasing their spells at each other on the same Initiative number will both succeed in their casting; one caster may disrupt another with a spell only if they have a better Initiative, and choose to delay casting the spell until right before the other caster. Clerics receive their spells through faith and prayer. Each day, generally in the morning, a Cleric must pray for at least three turns in order to prepare spells. Of course, the Cleric may be expected to pray more than this in order to remain in their deity's good graces. Because they gain their spells through prayer, a Cleric may prepare any spell of any level they are able to cast. In some cases the Cleric's deity may limit the availability of certain spells; for instance, a deity devoted to healing may refuse to grant reversed healing spells.- Unconquered Sol First Level Clerical Spells
- Unconquered Sol Second Level Clerical Spells
- Unconquered Sol Third Level Clerical Spells
- Unconquered Sol Fourth Level Clerical Spells
- Unconquered Sol Fifth Level Clerical Spells
- Unconquered Sol Sixth Level Clerical Spells
- Thrumdor First Level Clerical Spells
- Thrumdor Second Level Clerical Spells
- Thrumdor Third Level Clerical Spells
- Thrumdor Fourth Level Clerical Spells
- Thrumdor Fifth Level Clerical Spells
- Thrumdor Sixth Level Clerical Spells
Career
Qualifications
The Prime Requisite for Clerics is Wisdom; a character must have a Wisdom score of 9 or higher to become a Cleric. They may wear any armor plus shield and may only use blunt weapons (specifically including warhammer, mace, maul, club, quarterstaff, and sling).
The prohibition against edged weapons is a matter of faith for Clerics. Therefore, if a Cleric uses a prohibited weapon, he or she immediately loses access to his or her spells as well as the power to Turn the Undead. A higher-level NPC Cleric of the same faith must assign some quest to the miscreant which must be completed in order for the fallen Cleric to atone and regain his or her powers. If unrepentant, the character is changed permanently from a Cleric to a Fighter. Refigure the character's level, applying the current XP total to the Fighter table to determine this. Hit points and attack bonus remain the same; change the attack bonus only after a new level is gained as a Fighter, and roll Fighter hit dice as normal when levels are gained.
Career Progression
Advancement
When a cleric reaches Name level (9th), he is called a patriarch (if male) or matriarch (if female). At this point in his adventuring career, he has several options available to him.
The cleric must decide whether to build a clerical stronghold approved by his clerical order. Depending on how the DM has set up his campaign, the cleric might have built himself a home, even a lavish castle, long before. However, that was his personal home, regardless of how big it is or what he has done with it. Here, we're talking about a stronghold sanctioned by the cleric's order, one which will be built and maintained to further the goals of the order.
Land-Owning Clerics
A cleric who decides to build a stronghold with the sanction of his clerical order is called a "land-owning cleric." (Note: This is merely a convenient term. A land-owning cleric can go adventuring with his footloose friends; he is not tied to his land.) There are advantages and disadvantages to setting up a clerical stronghold.
Advantages: The character can progress up through the ranks of his clerical order. The character may receive financial aid from his order toward the building of the stronghold. The character may be able to increase his lands and build strong settlements there, which could result in him becoming a very wealthy character indeed.
Disadvantages: The character will be the chief clerical authority (for his clerical order) for the lands around his stronghold. This means that he has clerical responsibilities to all the people living on and around his lands—responsibilities which may interfere with his desire to travel with his old adventuring friends, or which may confront him with difficult problems.
Traveling Clerics
A cleric who decides not to build a stronghold sanctioned by his order is referred to as a "traveling cleric," even if he is not always on the road traveling. There are also advantages and disadvantages to being a traveling cleric.
Advantages: The cleric does not have to tie himself down to any one place or group of people; except when acting on official requests from his order, he may go where he pleases.
Disadvantages: The cleric may not rise to or above the rank of a land-owning cleric and may not achieve much political influence within his order. (He doesn't stop earning experience points, experience levels, or personal power; he just cannot climb any higher in the clerical order's hierarchy.) The cleric still has responsibilities to his clerical order, naturally; as before, he may be required at any time to uphold the beliefs and accomplish the goals of his order.
Becoming a Land Owner
If the 9th level cleric decides to build a stronghold, he must report to a superior of some type, either an official of his order or a ruler of the nation where he wishes to settle, to ask for land. This ruler should willingly grant the land, unless the cleric has had problems with him in the past; if so, the ruler may require some service of the cleric (such as a quest) before he grants the land. (The DM must decide whether the cleric's order has the power to make such grants, according to the civilization of his campaign world.)
If the cleric has never been punished for misbehavior, either by his order or by the powers that grant him his spells, his order can (at the DM's discretion) help him with the cost of building the stronghold. Such help usually involves the order paying for up to any amount the DM feels to be reasonable (the standard is 50% of the stronghold's construction). The player should design the stronghold the way he wishes to see it built. The DM will calculate how much it would cost to build, determine to his own satisfaction how much of the design is good and necessary planning (and how much is extravagant over expenditure), and decide what proportion of the cost the clerical order will assume.
Regardless of how much the clerical order pays, the stronghold is technically the cleric's property. The cleric can't deny access to the property and its facilities to members of his order—normally, he shouldn't ever wish to do so—but it's his land, and he can't just be assigned to some other stronghold against his will.
A number (typically 1d6) of lower-level clerics will come to the stronghold once it is built, to assist and serve the cleric in operating the stronghold's clerical functions. Naturally, he'll get fewer or no assistant clerics if he has a reputation for abusing or endangering his retainers. These clerics have arrived with the intention of helping to operate the stronghold, not to travel with the cleric on his adventures. The DM should create each of these clerics as an individual, with his own name, personality, background, goals, and abilities.
If the cleric manages his land well and serves his order equally well, he will probably rise in power in the bureaucracy of his clerical order. In addition, he may be awarded more land; more normal men will settle the area around the cleric's stronghold, and the cleric will receive more tax income from the settlements.
Choosing to Travel
A cleric who decides to travel may follow one of two routes: in civilized lands, or in wilderness. A cleric who travels within the boundaries of the civilized world usually looks for ways to help those of the same alignment (whatever that may be). The cleric may travel alone, with retainers, or with other clerics.
A cleric who travels to the wilderness usually searches for enemies of the clerical order, to convert or destroy. This cleric normally travels with other characters as an adventuring party (though the others may all be NPCs).
"I kick ass for the Lord!"
CLERIC CHARTS
