I had some ideas about creatures: I was thinking in some kind of demons, that were half demon half animal. I would venture to say they were animals that demonic spirits perverted and morphed into the terrible creatures they are now. I would call them Fiends; just to get aside form the demon/devil thing.
I'm planning to make these:
Rat Fiend:
Coward and treacherous, this malignant fiend is usually in groups of 3 or 4. They live in caves they dig in the surroundings of the Blith Burrows. To that caves the rat fiends take all kind of garbage they find, from feathers to rings, either found in bony white fingers, or ripped from a living hand. It's rummored that their bite carries a dreadful disease, known as Fiendish madness. Subjects suffering from this illness start having headaches, followed by photophobia, that is, intolerance to sunlight. No more is known about this disease.
Rat fiends are brown to black, with a dense fur. They have large incisors, and red eyes.
Most of them are the size of a large dog, but there are bigger and smaller ones.
Lizard Fiend:
Fast and cunning the Lizard Fiend crawls in the dark caves of the Burrows. During the day, they can be seen basking in the sun, because they have to warm up their blood as their natural relatives do. Many wise adventurers, venture in the barrows in the morning, for most of these creatures are outside basking and unable to move (besides crawling). In battle they can use their tails to sweep their enemies feet. Their scales are hard as a metallic scale armor.
Lizard fiends are greenish, human size creatures, featuring big heads with nasty fangs. They are human shaped with five clawed fingers in their forelegs.
Mri'Thas: "Useless primates... " Sheng Zim: "Your existence brings the world out of balance. The chaos I bring shall revert it; unfortunately, your soul will be destroyed in the process."
-------------------------------------- Tuk Heavy Hands Apeldan: "Trolls are afraid to cats. Good to know" (Yttermayn's "Saga of the Dragon Cult") Cnosos: "I bet there's plenty of wonderful devices in that ship. Let's scavenge them at once!" (Blackrat's "After Earth") Metliz: Sounds like fun! (Arkandus's "The First") Thok: "Thok eats a lot, Thok big. Thok not good at first impressions." (MnL's "Valley of the Dead")
Mri'Thas: "Useless primates... " Sheng Zim: "Your existence brings the world out of balance. The chaos I bring shall revert it; unfortunately, your soul will be destroyed in the process."
-------------------------------------- Tuk Heavy Hands Apeldan: "Trolls are afraid to cats. Good to know" (Yttermayn's "Saga of the Dragon Cult") Cnosos: "I bet there's plenty of wonderful devices in that ship. Let's scavenge them at once!" (Blackrat's "After Earth") Metliz: Sounds like fun! (Arkandus's "The First") Thok: "Thok eats a lot, Thok big. Thok not good at first impressions." (MnL's "Valley of the Dead")
Also, unless the monsters are creatures that are more likely to serve as allies than enemies, I would prefer you left their actual statistics to me. I want encounters with monsters to include the occasional surprise. Do feel free to describe their backgrounds and descriptions however, including what their rumored abilities might be.
I have an idea for a habitat for your "anifiends," however.
The Blight Barrows
Nestled deep within the Moorlands is a haunted set of barrows housing the remains of a civilization long past. It is said that these consorted with foul creatures from dark planes and that even in death there lingers a faint trace of their tainted essence. The things that dwell in this place are not natural. They are cruel mockeries of their counterparts in the natural world, with bitter barbs and pointed protrusions issuing from their bodies in bizarre places. They are also violent and merciless to intruders.
Most travelers would just as soon avoid the Blight Barrows, however their existence has piqued the curiosity of scholars and explorers for ages past for a number of a reasons. First, the nature of the society that constructed them is a mystery, for there is no record, written or spoken, of a people who inhabited the land before the barrows were discovered. Second, the immediate vicinity around the barrows is the only known place in the world to harvest Blight, a fungus with incredible alchemical and magical applications. It is a common misconception that Blight is useful only to destroy living things or pervert nature. Used properly, it can actually be a curative agent as well. Attempts to cultivate Blight outside the Blight Barrows have been universally unsuccessful so far, much to the dismay of scientific minds everywhere. It is unknown whether there is some magical property of the barrows themselves that helps the Blight to grow or if it is some local element the Blight requires.
Okay, my first ever attempt at class design, the Acolyte, a specialty priest for the church of the Lawgiver. Part police officer, part diplomat, part priest. I'll write up some fluff later, but I figured I'd put the crunch up now for review, since I've never tried this before. It's a bit hard to judge power since it's effectively a blend of the (generally accepted) strongest and weakest classes of 3.5 ed.
Acolyte
ACOLYTE
Alignment:
Any lawful.
Hit Die:
d6.
Class Skills:
The acolyte’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are:
Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex)
Skill Points at 1st Level:
(6 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level:
6 + Int modifier.
* Provided the acolyte has a high enough Charisma score to have a bonus spell of this level.
Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the acolyte.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
An acolyte is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the longsword, rapier, and short sword. Acolytes are proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields).
Spells:
An acolyte casts divine spells, which are drawn from the cleric spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, an acolyte must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an acolyte’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the acolyte’s Charisma modifier. An acolyte can’t cast spells of an alignment opposed to his own. Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good, and law descriptors in their spell descriptions.
Like other spellcasters, an acolyte can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the table. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score. When the table indicates that the acolyte gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Charisma score for that spell level.
The acolyte’s selection of spells is extremely limited. An acolyte begins play knowing four 0-level spells of your choice. At most new acolyte levels, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on the table. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells an acolyte knows is not affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on the table are fixed.)
Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third acolyte level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), an acolyte can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the acolyte "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level acolyte spell the acolyte can cast.
An acolyte may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.
As noted above, an acolyte need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.
Aura (Ex):
An acolyte has a particularly powerful lawful aura (see the detect evil spell for details).
Domain:
An acolyte gains access to the spells and domain power of the Law domain. The acolyte automatically knows the spells of the Law domain for those levels for which he can cast acolyte spells. These spells do not count against his number of spells known as shown on the table.
Bonus Feat:
At 2nd level, an acolyte may select either Investigator or Negotiator as a bonus feat.
Axiomatic Strike (Su):
At 5th level, an acolyte is able to channel the power of Law into his attacks. The acolyte’s unarmed attacks, as well as any weapons he wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 10th level, the acolyte's attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of damage against all of chaotic alignment, similar to an axiomatic weapon. This damage bonus does not stack with the damage bonus from weilding an axiomatic weapon. At 15th and 20th levels, this damage bonus increases by +1d6, to 2d6 and 3d6, respectively.
Voice of the Lawgiver: (Sp)
At 17th level, an acoylte is able to speak a single word, calling down the power of Law on his foes. Once per day, as a spell like power, he can cast Dictum (at his acolyte caster level) using his charisma as the casting stat.
Ex-Acolytes:
An acolyte who becomes non-lawful in alignment loses all spells and class features, except for armor and shield proficiencies and proficiency with simple weapons. He cannot thereafter gain levels as an acolyte until he atones (see the atonement spell description).
__________________
SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
Mri'Thas: "Useless primates... " Sheng Zim: "Your existence brings the world out of balance. The chaos I bring shall revert it; unfortunately, your soul will be destroyed in the process."
-------------------------------------- Tuk Heavy Hands Apeldan: "Trolls are afraid to cats. Good to know" (Yttermayn's "Saga of the Dragon Cult") Cnosos: "I bet there's plenty of wonderful devices in that ship. Let's scavenge them at once!" (Blackrat's "After Earth") Metliz: Sounds like fun! (Arkandus's "The First") Thok: "Thok eats a lot, Thok big. Thok not good at first impressions." (MnL's "Valley of the Dead")
Bear in mind what I say below is all constructive criticism. I am only trying to offer some advice on how to make things work better. Let me reiterate that even though I reserve veto power as a DM over any ideas I consider disruptive, I intend to exercise that power with restraint. Please don't interpret anything as a veto or a veto threat.
I do like the idea of the acolyte being a sort of inspired worshiper of the lawgiver, what with Charisma being the primary casting stat and all. The class is very original, and the flavor is excellent. However, it seems exceptionally weak. It has a bard's casting progression, but casts divine spells, which are generally weaker. And while a bard's true saving grace is the powerful bardic music ability, the acolyte has nothing similarly noteworthy to back it up.
I don't think this is worth abandoning though. I think it shows a lot of promise. Here are some ideas. Let's follow in the mold of the bard. Go through the bard class and try to find something "lawful" to replace the bardic music abilities that are more reminiscent of the class. Find a law-aligned spell or two and tweak them a bit to make them more unique. Take something that is normally targeted and turn it into an area effect or an aura that benefits the whole party. Take something that adds a bonus one place and add a secondary bonus elsewhere. Make a typed bonus untyped or change the type. You don't have to make drastic changes to change the flavor of something significantly. A bard's inspire courage, for example, is essentially a dressed up bless spell with a few additional side effects.
The axiomatic strike is good, possibly too good. It might be better to grant the class a smite ability similar to the paladin's smite evil. Be very careful with "always on" abilities.
The skill list seems a bit odd. From what we've said about the Lawgiver so far I wouldn't think of his followers as acrobats. However I think giving him a skill set strong in Charisma and Wisdom-based skills would suit him fine. However perhaps if you elaborate more on the background of the class, I might understand where you are going.
One final word. An acolyte is typically someone who is relatively unskilled in his profession. Perhaps another term such as Speaker, Inspired, or Lawbringer would be more appropriate.
Bear in mind what I say below is all constructive criticism. I am only trying to offer some advice on how to make things work better.
No worries on that count, as I said, merely a first crack. I appreciate any views that come back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by airwalkrr
It has a bard's casting progression, but casts divine spells, which are generally weaker. And while a bard's true saving grace is the powerful bardic music ability, the acolyte has nothing similarly noteworthy to back it up.
Divine spells may be generally weaker than arcane, but I find the bard's spell list dramatically weaker still. I regarded the upgrade to the full clerical list as a quite significant boost, even limited progression as it is. Either way, as far as spell casting goes, I don't think full clerical progression would work with my design philosophy, and I'm hesitant to try and create my own wholly new progression chart in the middle.
I guess I should mention a little of what I was going for here. I find D&D very difficult to play without a dedicated healer, but I find the cleric class a little too boilerplate for my taste. There's very little room for variety in the class. Also, the healing powers of a high level cleric can become too much, in my opinion. But a bard, paladin or ranger would be not enough. So, something in between. Something that could serve as a party's only healer without seriously impeding the group, and allowing a little more room for customization.
Quote:
Originally Posted by airwalkrr
The axiomatic strike is good, possibly too good. It might be better to grant the class a smite ability similar to the paladin's smite evil. Be very careful with "always on" abilities.
Heh, from too weak, to too much. But I think I see what you're aiming at here. This was actually meant to be my sub for bardic music, just a little more self-centered. But it is a little focused, it would probably be better to pull back a bit here, and spread the love elsewhere, as it were. I do tend to prefer always on vs. per day though, so I'll see what springs to mind.
Quote:
Originally Posted by airwalkrr
One final word. An acolyte is typically someone who is relatively unskilled in his profession. Perhaps another term such as Speaker, Inspired, or Lawbringer would be more appropriate.
This is probably the only point I'll actually fight you on. Acolyte CAN mean a neophyte, but I was using it more in the priestly rank sense. Then when I was looking it up just now, I came across the base etymology.
Gk akólouthos follower, attendant, equiv. to a- prefix denoting association + -kolouthos, var. of kéleuthos road, journey
And I decided "follower of the path" was a really GOOD name.
__________________
SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
Far be it from me to prevent etymological obscura from rising out of the mist. So be it. Perhaps we could at least spell it differently to hint at the Greek root. Akolyte or akolite come to mind. If memory serves me correctly the word acolyte is overly Gaelicized. The point being that many people, like me, will probably associate the term with its more common meaning, whereas this might give them pause.
As I ponder your reply an idea struck me. You, like myself and many others seem to bemoan the cleric's role as a heal-bot. It precludes so many interesting spells from being cast to be sure. Supposing that your acolyte class had a host of abilities not unlike bardic music that, instead of inspiring his allies, healed and restored them? It would not be infinite healing since, like the bard, this mechanic would only be usable a number of times per day equal to his level. But it would allow him to use this ability for healing more and his spells for healing less. This could also be somewhat like the dragon shaman from PH2. For example, the counterpart to inspire courage:
Healing Chant (Su): An acolyte with 3 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion) can chant verse that heals the wounds of his allies (including himself) granting them fast healing 1. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the acolyte chant. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the acolyte chant and for 5 rounds thereafter. At 8th level, and every six acolyte levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1 (fast healing 2 at 8th, fast healing 3 at 14th, and fast healing 4 at 20th).
I have given character creation some thought, and this seems to be the best way to do this. Since the theme of this campaign is that the players get to have a hand in building the world, I figured they should get more control over their characters. So you may pick whatever ability scores you like, within reason. Now as to what I consider reasonable, think of a time you've had a pretty good roll of ability scores. It didn't include two 18s, and nothing below a 15, but it was solid. If it had a low number in it like a 6, you didn't mind because the other numbers were fairly high and you weren't playing a class with MAD. If nothing was below a 12, the rest were spread pretty evenly up to 17 or 18. In other words, I'm not talking about that once-in-a-lifetime roll you might have made, but a good one nonetheless. Now that might be different for different people, but that's fine. Pick something you would be happy to play. Me? I might take the following array: 18, 15, 14, 14, 12, 9.
Equipment: Select any combination of coins and equipment up to the maximum allowable for a 1st-level character of your class.
Height/Weight: Select any combination that falls within the normal range for your race.
Sources: You may only use the d20 SRD, including psionics, as well as any rules we work out here. The bestial champion class is available, as is the acolyte, pending final approval. You may only play as the core races found in the Player's Handbook.
Background: This part is entirely up to you. Your background is going to be dependent upon how involved you wish to be with developing the world. If you want your character to come from a halfling burrow, give us a write up about it and what halflings in that community think about adventuring. If you want to be from the city, describe at least a small part of the city where you grew up, including a location or two there. If you just want to join in the campaign, then your character is assumed to be an orphan on the lam. You could even let everyone think you are an orphan on the lam until you come up with something good to place on the edge of the map at a later date. As an added incentive for good background write-ups, I will provide bonus magical equipment pertaining to your character depending on the quality of your write-up.
Other Incentives: As the campaign progresses, I will provide other incentives to those who continue to contribute to the world-building process. While not mandatory, this is a prime attribute of the campaign that I believe will help everyone enjoy and appreciate the world more. There is never a bad time to add a write-up or a bit of background for the campaign.
My ePoL game (while 4e) had certain similarities. Characters can develop the world through flashbacks.
Very cool to see people trying to push the limits!
__________________
Interested in playing 4th edition online? The Living 4th EnWorld Campaign is open! [character creationwikiforum]
I am in an interesting period of my life; I will post in games that I run three times a week (M,W,F); and try to maintain obligations in existing games.
...disquieting...
There was no end to his patience and endurance. He played day and night, his obsession was somewhat disquieting. It was less as if he were playing to dispel gloom or beguile tedium than as if he were giving himself up to the fangs of gaming devils."
Kawabata Yasunari - The Master of Go
I’ve been watching this thread for a while now. A lot of big, well-done ideas! I’ve kinda been scared off by the excellent submissions so far but it would be sad if this were shelved for lack of participation. So, I guess I’ll jump in with both feet.
I like Narovan/West Fork, the Law/Chaos take on religion, the church of the Lawgiver, the Dreamer and the Arm of Luthes; all of it, wonderful ideas. Love the potential of sects/factions within the church. Obviously the predominant sect within a city would be strongly influenced by the flavor of the city itself. Sparks ideas of a high priest in Narovan who is a machiavellian manipulator and also secretly sits on the council of the Midnight guild or alternately, a beleaguered Acolyte striving for justice. [Hmm…an intrigue game in Narovan may be interesting. Which brings up the question: any alignment restrictions for characters?]
I have a pretty large scale idea. The feel of the law/chaos divide and the dream aspects of this world are pretty interesting. I think that a traditional Great Wheel type organization of planes would really detract from these ideas. This is likely a bit broader in scope (yet more restrictive, perhaps) than you were looking for but I’ll throw it out there and see if anyone finds it interesting.
Cosmology
The world in encircled by the sea. Like the land it surrounds, it has laws that it must follow. But sailors say that beyond the sight of land the law breaks down: odd things happen, strange sights are seen, and ships vanish never to be seen near land or port again. Some old salts have even claimed to have seen lost ships sailing through their dreams…
I would suggest three planes: the lands of law (material), the sea of chaos (primordial; much like limbo in the standard cosmology), and dream (transitive). Why have Hell when chaos is hell to those who live by the law? And since everyone holds the seed to chaos within their own mind you have the potential for a lot of scared people. I understand that these ideas are somewhat restrictive and as such may not be acceptable.
Aberdiv
Wide, shallow, and frequently so choked with water grasses as to nearly disappear beneath the sedge, the Dyvvan river and its numerous tributary streams wind their convoluted paths through the Moorlands until finally seeping into the Dyne. The people of the Moorlands are fiercely independent and proud of their ability to eke out a living in a harsh land. Their settlements are widely scattered, crude, and poor by the standards of Dardessis or even West Fork but they are tightly knit and filled with an uncommon spirit. Miles upstream from where the Dyvvan joins the Dyne, the Dyvvan widens into a shallow lake and the most populous of these settlements is found. Aberdiv is built upon an ancient crannog in the center of the lake and though it has expanded on thick wooden piles it is still extremely small compared to settlements outside the Moorlands. Coracles and other small watercraft dot the oaken shore of Aberdiv but an ancient stone causeway sits a few inches beneath the surface of the lake and provides a secret pathway to the shores of the lake.
character ideas
1) Arden of Narovan had mis-timed things horribly and the sun was nearly below the horizon when she began the trip across the city towards her home. Hurrying through the darkening streets, heart pounding a staccato beat, she heard the faint slip of steps behind her. Blinded by fear she stumbled haphazardly, found herself in a closed court, and, as fear turned to panic and something hidden within her mind opened, she vanished. Three years later Arden has returned to the lands of law. [melodrama]And she’s heading home.[/melodrama] Ok, maybe not that last bit. I’m thinking a (slightly revised, perhaps) sorcerer with a dreamwraith-like familiar. Hmm, psion with astral construct might model this better.
2) Karyl loves the Moorlands despite how dangerous they can be. Nothing better than slinking through the tall grass with Haela at his side, hunting, or just plain running. But lately something seems to be missing and Karyl’s mind has turned to traveling outside the Moorlands. Just to see what is out there, to see some of the places that are in Elkin the Old’s stories. Halfling or human bestial champion with a moor cat companion (stats of badger or wolf, maybe).
I’ve got more ideas but I don’t want this to get too long so I’ll leave it at this for now.
Elendra de Narovan: As a little girl Elendra was orphaned with the death of both her parents Gladitors whom were defeated in the bloodfeast in Dardessis Found by conversionist serving Narovans Dawn house she left for Narovan she eventual became Acolyte of the Lawgiver but she still serves at the dawn house from time to time and fancier herself more of a healer then a fighter. Beldan of the Bear: Beldan is from a wandering tribe of warriorsin the Moorlands he likes to kill and he doesn't care who or what it is as long as he can kill something most of his body is covered in woad and his hair is cut short depending on where we being he could be a mercenary or a Gladiator his animal Campanion is a small bear Navara de Minuit: Navara is a memeber of the midnight guild a strange entity speaks archaic tongues in her head or so she believes because of this she has become quite insane.she is quite devoted to the midnight guild and is scornful of anyone who cannot do their jobs right within the guild she would kill any opponents to the guild and recently has had a dream about killing everyone inside the dawn house with her blade of cold steel. The superior within the guild are afraid of her devotion but would rather us her aganist their enemies then have her turn aganist them she has recently finished a contract and is hoping to get a new client soon.
__________________ Human Wizard:"The world is but a manifestation of the dreamings
My revision of the akolite class, incorporating a number of Airwalkrr's suggestions. I've changed the name, trimmed the skill list a bit, weakened axiomatic strike and added a chanting ability with flavors of the bard class. I considered the fast healing angle, but found it not quite the flavor I wanted, not to mention hard to balance.
I figured the goal is to extend HP, and there are three ways to do that. The first is the most obvious, healing. Temporary HP also has the effect, but I find it a hard to use mechanism. The third way is to prevent the damage in the first place. So I gave the akolite some shielding type abilities. Directly reducing damage taken through DR and energy resistance rather than upping avoidance or the like.
Let me know what you think, and I'll get back to writing up my thoughts on the class fluff.
Akolite
AKOLITE
Alignment:
Any lawful.
Hit Die:
d6.
Class Skills:
The akolite’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are:
Appraise (Int), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int) and Spot (wis)
Skill Points at 1st Level:
(6 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level:
6 + Int modifier.
* Provided the akolite has a high enough Charisma score to have a bonus spell of this level.
Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the akolite.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
An akolite is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the longsword, rapier, and short sword. Akolites are proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields).
Spells:
An akolite casts divine spells, which are drawn from the cleric spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, an akolite must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an akolite’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the akolite’s Charisma modifier. An akolite can’t cast spells of an alignment opposed to his own. Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good, and law descriptors in their spell descriptions.
Like other spellcasters, an akolite can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the table. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score. When the table indicates that the akolite gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Charisma score for that spell level.
The akolite’s selection of spells is extremely limited. An akolite begins play knowing four 0-level spells of your choice. At most new akolite levels, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on the table. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells an akolite knows is not affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on the table are fixed.)
Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third akolite level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), an akolite can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the akolite "loses" the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level akolite spell the akolite can cast. An akolite may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.
As noted above, an akolite need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.
Aura (Ex):
An akolite has a particularly powerful lawful aura (see the detect evil spell for details).
Domain:
An akolite gains access to the spells and domain power of the Law domain. The akolite automatically knows the spells of the Law domain for those levels for which he can cast akolite spells. These spells do not count against his number of spells known as shown on the table.
Akolite’s Chant:
Once per day per akolite level, an akolite can utter mystic chants to produce magical effects on those around him (usually including himself, if desired). Each ability requires both a minimum akolite level and a minimum number of ranks in the Knowledge (Religion) skill to qualify; if an akolite does not have the required number of ranks in the skill, he does not gain the akolite’s chant ability until he acquires the needed ranks.
Starting an akolite’s chant effect is a standard action. Some akolite’s chant abilities require concentration, which means the akolite must take a standard action each round to maintain the ability. Even while using an akolite’s chant that doesn’t require concentration, an akolite cannot cast spells, activate magic items by spell completion (such as scrolls), spell trigger (such as wands), or command word. Just as for casting a spell with a verbal component, a deaf akolite has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use akolite’s chant. If he fails, the attempt still counts against his daily limit.
Shield of Law (Su):
An akolite with 3 or more ranks in Knowledge (Religion) can use his chant to provide a mystic shield to his allies (including himself), protecting them from physical harm. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the akolite chant. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the akolite chant and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives damage reduction (1/-). At 10th level, and 19th level, this bonus increases by 1 (2/- at 10th, 3/0 at 19th).
Bonus Feat:
At 2nd level, an akolite may select either Investigator or Negotiator as a bonus feat.
Warding (Su):
An akolite of 3rd level or higher, with 6 or more ranks in Knowledge (Religion) can use his chant to counteract harmful magics used against his allies (including himself), reducing the effects slightly. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the akolite chant. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the akolite chant and for 5 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives Resist All 1. At 12th level, and 20th level, this bonus increases by 1 (Resist All 2 at 10th, Resist All 3 at 19th).
Axiomatic Strike (Su):
At 7th level, an akolite is able to channel the power of Law into his attacks. The akolite’s unarmed attacks, as well as any weapons he wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. At 14th level, the akolite's attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of damage against all of chaotic alignment, similar to an axiomatic weapon. This damage bonus does not stack with the damage bonus from weilding an axiomatic weapon.
[b]Restore Order (Su):[b]
An akolite of 9th level or higher, with 12 or more ranks in Knowledge (Religion) can use his chant to end the lingering effects of spells used against his allies (including himself, if he is able), providing a second chance to shrug off the effect. To be affected, an ally must be touched by the akolite. An affected ally receives a new saving throw against a single ongoing spell effect, of the akolite’s choice. If the save succeeds, the effect is ended. If the save fails, the effect continues without change. Each ally may only be targeted by one Restore Order per day.
Voice of the Lawgiver: (Sp)
At 17th level, an acoylte is able to speak a single word, calling down the power of Law on his foes. Once per day, as a spell like power, he can cast Dictum (at his akolite caster level) using his charisma as the casting stat.
Ex-Akolites:
An akolite who becomes non-lawful in alignment loses all spells and class features, except for armor and shield proficiencies and proficiency with simple weapons. He cannot thereafter gain levels as an akolite until he atones (see the atonement spell description).
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SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
Some thoughts on the church as a whole, with a brief blurb about the akolites themselves at the end.
Church Heirarchy
Worshippers:
Worship of the Lawgiver is nearly universal in this day and age. During the time of the dreamer, and in the troubled years that followed, missionaries from the church traveled far and wide, spreading the word of law as the antithesis of dream. With the danger so obvious and close at hand, the religion spread easily. Now it is odd to find any civilized village without at least a small shrine to the Lawgiver, with larger towns featuring increasingly ornate temples in his honor.
Worshiping habits vary among individuals, but regardless of how often one attends services, most will pay at least lip service to the worship of the Lawgiver. Even if one doesn’t truly believe, it would not to do to be seen as in league with Chaos.
Lay Priests:
Most priests among the villages are simple folk, without a true divine connection. They simply possess great faith, and a desire to serve. Most are commoners. Adepts are rare, as those with such magical potential are often invited to serve the church in higher positions. Rarely one may find a retired cleric, paladin or akolite serving as a community’s priest, settled down to the quiet after a life of serving the Lawgiver in a more direct sense.
Paladins:
There are some orders among the church dedicated to using the Law as a tool to do good in the world, to serve the people. The martially minded among these orders may become paladins, riding forth into the world to do battle with Chaos and any who would do evil.
Some among the church see them as heroes, dedicated and pure above all. Other orders view them with some trepidation as to their ultimate loyalty may be divided. Sometimes to maintain order, severe measures may need to be taken. On which side of the Law will the paladins find themselves? Still others are concerned with more worldly matters. The paladins’ orders often speak of purification of the church, and removal of corrupt influences. How will that affect those at the top who have often made it there by making sure that the Law works for their best interests?
Clerics:
Much like paladins, the clerics’ primary duties consist of traveling out into the world. At the edges of civilization there still lurk hidden bastions of Chaos, other dreamers waiting in shadows to spring their nightmares upon the world once more. The clerics are the sword arm of the church, sent forth to forge order where there is none.
Some say that the clerics are sent furthest from the center of civilization because their powerful magics are a threat to those in power, but few voice such concerns in public.
Akolites:
By far the most common of the Lawgiver’s divinely inspired priests; akolites have made their way into leadership positions throughout the Church. A curious blend of diplomat, priest and police, the akolites have made their home among the cities of the civilized world, where a quick word is better than a sharp blade, and a sharp eye is better than all the armor in the world.
Akolites dedicate their lives in roughly equal parts to the Lawgiver, and to raising their own position in the church. In the upper echelons of power there is a continuous struggle to achieve and maintain leadership over the various orders, branches and organizations.
Due to the powers granted to the akolites, direct confrontation is very rare. Instead, the struggle manifests itself as a game of words. Alliances are rapidly formed and shattered among the quibbling factions of the church, as each vies for supremacy. For all its semblance of order and Law, the church of the Lawgiver is deeply divided.
__________________
SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
Excellent submissions, GlassEye! This is the kind of stuff that really helps the world begin to take on a life of its own. Here are my thoughts on it.
Character Alignment: Any, as long as it doesn't prohibit you from working as a group.
Cosmology: Good ideas. Keep them in mind in case the campaign ever gets to that point. For right now, focus on developing at the regional level. The idea is to expand outward only as needed. We don't want to get overambitious and bite off more than we can chew.
Aberdiv and Environs: Love it! I was wondering when someone was going to add something else to the Moorlands. It fits in perfectly in my opinion.
I like the character ideas as well. Either could fit in. If you want to create a variant to an existing class like you suggest, such as the sorcerer, feel free. I'll treat it as I would a new class.
I still think the akolite is a little on the weak side overall, but this is a huge improvement. I think shield of law's bonus could mirror inspire courage point for point. It would also be good to spell out whether or not it stacks with other damage reduction (I would think not). Your fix for axiomatic strike is perfect. Love it. The warding ability is really weak. Why not let them choose one energy type and protect 5, 10, then 15 rather than all? I just can't see spending a standard action on the ability at higher levels.
It still might need a bit of a boost, but playtesting could help determine that. One strength that the bard doesn't have is that he casts divine spells, meaning he doesn't have an arcane spell failure chance. If you give him medium armor proficiency, he can at least be a little better protected. You don't force him to be the heavy-armor wearing tank though.
The write-up on the church is excellent, hafrogman. You outdid yourself on that one.
Ok, one more thing. What do we call our world and setting? Nominate our campaign setting for a name and we'll vote before I start the wiki. Clarify the name of the campaign setting as opposed to the world within the setting. For instance Athas is in the Dark Sun setting.
Hafrogman, I also agree that your second iteration of the Akolite is much better than the first. You dropped the four skills I would have questioned. Anyway, here's a couple of rough ideas for other chants for your consideration:
--Chant of the Ordered Mind: provides bonus to saves vs. fear and other mind-affecting spells and effects.
--Chant of the Ordered Body: provides bonus to healing spells cast during the chant effect.
A pair of minor sects of the church of the Lawgiver
The Caernite Scholars believe the law is writ upon the very bones of the earth. Evidence would seem to support their claims as several stone artifacts (of the mundane sort) have been found covered with runes and symbols nearly worn away by the passage of time. None of these symbols have been deciphered with any certainty but the Scholars point to a resemblance between the runes and certain symbols found within ancient texts held sacred by the church of the Lawgiver as proof of their theories. Caernite chapterhouses are few and usually found in cities where they can more easily pursue their academic/religious studies. Some more adventurous members travel the countryside in search of undiscovered 'caerns of law'. Recently a stone has been found in the Moorlands rumored to hold the key to translation...
Without darkness one cannot know the light. Without chaos one cannot know the Law. Or so say the Illene Mystics. Banned from the church for their heterodox beliefs concerning the use of chaos as a means to enlightenment in law, Illene Mystics are outcasts shunned by common folk and those wishing to stay within the good graces of the church. The Mystics tattoo scriptures across their face and hands to serve as a warding against the ill effects of their use of chaos.
Airwalkrr, what's your opinion regarding players creating npc's and possible adventure hooks? (If you've already mentioned it, then I missed it and I apologize.)
Re: campaign and world name. I'm typically horrible at that sort of thing (it always comes out sounding corny) but I'll toss out 'Body of Law, Seeds of Chaos' for a campaign name. It's a bit unwieldy, though.
So be it. Perhaps we could at least spell it differently to hint at the Greek root. Akolyte or akolite come to mind. If memory serves me correctly the word acolyte is overly Gaelicized. The point being that many people, like me, will probably associate the term with its more common meaning, whereas this might give them pause.
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