Power Classes III - Exorcist

[Messageboard Golem]

Most clerics have some power over the undead, but it is the Exorcist who specialises in their destruction. Often viewed with suspicion because of his tactics and methods, the Exorcist is a scary individual who instantly commands respect from his peers.

 

[Simon Collins]

This is not a playtest review.

Exorcist is the third in Mongoose's Power Classes series, offering a new class which can be taken from 1st level.

Exorcist comprises 16 half-A4-size staplebound pages, cut vertically in the same manner as AEG's Adventure Keep modules. At $2.95, this is a very high price per page (AEG's Adventure Keep modules were $2.49 at the same page count). The inside covers are used for credits and OGL but, unlike AEG's Adventure Keep modules, information from the back cover is reproduced on the first page. Font size is good (though at one point it jumps a font size for half a sentence or so), margins are average (but due to the format are effectively doubled compared to a standard size format) and there are a couple of instances of white space. The three pieces of mono internal art and the colour front cover are fairly average. Due to the nature of the content, the writing style is pretty mechanics-driven - what isn't mechanics-driven is fairly average. Editing, apart from the aforementioned font jump, seems good.

The first half of the book is essentially a new 20-level class, the Exorcist. The layout follows the standard template set by Core Rulebook I. The Exorcist can follow any deity, but tend to be of good alignment. Wisdom is the major influencing ability and they get a d6 Hit Die and 2 skill points per level. They cast divine spells (gaining access to all standard cleric spells), gain domains similarly to a cleric (though one of their domains must come from a set of Exorcist domains listed later in the book), and they gain a third domain later in their progression as well as 'spontaneous' access to a spell from another Exorcist domain. They gain a good number of other class features too, including a progressive ability to sense possession, turn undead from 1st level, an ability to channel turning attempts into magical protections against possession or 'hold' subjects, and turn other creatures apart from undead - elementals, fey, and outsiders - as he progresses. However, they do get a reduced Fort save and spells per day progression.

The second half of the book offers three new domains exclusive to the Exorcist - Guardian, Partisan, and Vigilance. It goes on to discuss the magical protections the exorcist can create by channelling turning attempts. Wards are protective amulets, tokens, or magic circles, whilst benedictions are somatic effects performed by the exorcist to give a mystical protection or exorcism. The remainder of the book offers nine of these wards and benedictions including an icon of banishment (much like a break enchantment spell), prayer of seeking (sort of a cross between scry and locate creature), and prison (keeps a possessor trapped within a body where it can be destroyed by other means).

Conclusion:
The Exorcist seems to me to be a powered-up cleric. The Exorcist can turn elementals, fey and outsiders (as well as undead), has a class ability that can replicate a number of powerful spells from 1st level, and can access three or more domains. Its an incredibly appealing character class, but it still does not seem balanced compared to other core classes despite its slower progressions and d6 hit die.

There are some ideas here that could be used to create a less powerful Exorcist character class or, even better to my mind, an Exorcist prestige class. I don't feel Exorcist reaches its stated aim - "designed to be seamlessly slotted into any fantasy based d20 system game" - but there are plenty of interesting ideas here to plunder. I guess the low price of the product will probably negate the costly price per page.

 

[GameWyrd]

The Exorcist core character class is the third of Mongoose Power Classes and is presented in a booklet of 16 thin pages. It’s about value for money. At $2.95 the booklets aren’t going to break the bank and they’re never going to fall into the same awful mistake category as a $39.95 hardback that you buy but never use. In that sense the series is a safe bet but they also present something of a risk; if the idea behind the new core character class gets off on the wrong foot there’s no space for it to recover. You’ll either like the booklet or you won’t. Or so I thought.

I really wanted to see an exorcist character class that wasn’t based in divine magic and power. There’s no need to associate the divine with the removal of demonic powers in a fantasy game because there’s not the same divine-demonic mythology in most high fantasy games. This exorcist class certainly in this booklet is divine in nature. At one point in the introduction it is said that the exorcist is divinely powered whether he likes it or no. But no, the exorcist wields his powers through a conscious and deliberate use of divine magic. I’m happy with the result anyhow; the exorcist here seems to be a better match for a generic priest than the cleric is. The term "benediction" is loaded with religious connotations and used to label some of the exorcist class powers too. At d6 hit points and without the healing powers bias of the cleric the exorcist is less handy in an out-and-out melee. Instead you’ll turn to the exorcist when you want something unnatural kept away or expelled – exactly how you would want an exorcist class to work.

This Exorcist class is able to repel undead, elementals, outsiders and even fey. Interesting that. In this instance the exorcist class presented here exceeds expectations. It’s pretty hard the exorcist’s ability to effect fey unless you’re willing to simply remove that special ability when it becomes available. The repulsion powers works pretty much as the cleric’s ability to effect undead but the game content is enhanced through a number of ward and benedictions options listed at the back of the booklet. An exorcist can invest a number of "daily turns" in a ward to keep it active. The benedictions are spell-like effects and it’s here you’ll find the trademark "Eviction" used to expel a possessing life force from an occupied body.

There are a couple of new domains too; Guardian, Partisan and Vigilance and although they’re called Exorcist Domains they are just the same as Cleric domains and come complete with granted power and suggested deities too.

I didn’t feel as if the booklet got off to a good start but it certainly does pull back up. There is room in just 16 thin pages to turn the content and that only underscores my belief that rather than being a waste of money the Power Class series is excellent value. They’re excellent value but just don’t have the same feel good factor of a great big hardback.

* This GameWyrd review was first published here.

 

[trancejeremy]

This is the third in a line of mini-books from Mongoose, "Power Classes", each of which introduce a new core class. By mini-book, I mean basically like the various mini-modules from AEG and FFG - an 8 page regular sized book folded in half so it's 16 small or half pages. It's prices at $2.95. This details the Exorcist core class.

Exorcist. When I hear that word, I always think of the intro theme to Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, which was used in the movie The Exorcist. And like the guy in the movie, the Exorcist class is a cleric who deals with getting rid of preternatural things. It's pretty much just like the cleric, only with a d6 instead of d8 for hit points. But in return, the Exorcist gets a lot more special abilities.

Personally, I think the Exorcist is probably best suited as a prestige class, since it's generally special group within a church that does it, and usually not learned from their first day, but after being a priest or cleric for a while. But this isn't bad.

The most interesting thing is "Benedictions". Basically, they're sort of like spells or advanced versions of turning things (as in turning undead), only they use turning undead slots, instead of spell slots (and spell slots, actually).

There's really not a heck of a lot to say about this class, because it essentially just is a slightly different cleric. It's not bad, just not awe-inspiringly good or anything. So this gets an average, though it's probably a bit better than that.

 

[Krug]

I picked this up for cheap at my FLGS. Just to summarise, the Power Classes are core character classes designed by Mongoose Publishing, and come in 16 page mini booklets.

The Exorcist is basically similar to the Cleric, except he uses a d6 instead of a d8, same BAB, slightly lesser spell abilities and better turning abilities. However, they do get an interesting called Wards and Benedictions, that allow the Exorcist to empower tokens or heighten his powers of dismissing creatures. They require the combination of spell points and turning attempts to empower. It's a pity that there's only about 3-4 of each. There's a few decent pieces of B&W art.

I would have liked to see the concept taken further, particularly for Wards and Benedictions. There isn't enough to distinguish them from Clerics, and stuff like sample Orders or Guilds, even a NPC or two, would definitely have boosted this product above the mediocre.

 

[John Cooper]

Power Classes III: Exorcist
By Alejandro Melchor
Mongoose Publishing product number 1103
16 half-sized pages, $2.95

The third booklet in Mongoose's "Power Classes" series, Exorcist provides an all-new character class, in this case a variant on the cleric class devoted to keeping away not only undead, but also elementals, outsiders, and even fey.

The cover is once again by Nathan Webb and Scott Clark. Nathan's still demonstrating some basic human body shape difficulties: this male human exorcist seems to have no neck and a right forearm that bends like rubber. On the other hand, he does a nice "shining power" effect on the hilt of the exorcist's sword.

Nathan also provides the interior artwork, in this case 3 black-and-white pictures. Here he shows some of his strongest pieces to date, starting with a well-drawn male dwarf exorcist on page 3. The only odd thing about him is that he seems Jewish (the first Jewish fantasy dwarf I can recall seeing since...well, ever): his holy symbol (tattooed upon each palm and also engraved on his belt buckle) looks like a Star of David with a dot in the middle of it, and he's wearing a head covering on his otherwise bald pate that looks like a yarmulke. However, there are ghostly images in the background that are nicely done; likewise with the scantily-clad female human on page 10. She may be an exorcist, but is more likely someone being protected by a ward (via the "looks suspiciously-like-Pelor" tattoo on her left arm). In any case, she's very nicely drawn as well. The male exorcist and female "possessee" on page 14 is the weakest piece of the three, but there's nothing inherently bad about it; all in all, I'd have to say that Nathan is showing some definite improvement since Power Classes I: Assassin.

Proofreading (William James) and editing (Matthew Sprange) take a few hits in the booklet: page 5 references the Exorcist Domains on page 7 (they actually appear on page 9; not a big deal, but come on - there are only 16 pages total, couldn't they have checked just a little harder to get it right?). Page 6 has the phrase "A cleric may attempt to turn or rebuke undead..." which should obviously read "An exorcist may attempt to turn or rebuke undead..." - apparently a "copy and paste" error that was plunked down without much thought. On page 11, two lines in the middle of a sentence mysteriously grow a font size for no apparent reason. Finally, on page 13, we get a sentence starting with "The exorcists usually presents this empowered token..." - take your pick, you can have "exorcist" or "present" ending in an "s" but not both. Not the best proofreading job I've ever seen, and in a product this size - effectively, 8 normal-sized pages folded in half - a decent proofreading job could be done in, what: half an hour?

As for the exorcist class itself, this is basically a cleric with a few modifications (only a d6 for Hit Dice, one less spell at each level except for the 0-level orisons) and a bunch of extra abilities. Besides turning undead, the exorcist can also "turn" elementals, outsiders, and fey at higher levels. He can also tell when people are under the effects of domination and similar effects, and eventually scry the creature through its victims. He eventually becomes able to see ethereal and corporeal creatures. At 12th level he gains a third domain, but it has to be one of the three Exorcist Domains presented in the booklet (Guardian, Partisan, and Vigilance). He can use some of his daily turning attempts to create wards and benedictions, two new concepts that allow an exorcist to do something beyond what a cleric could as far as protecting against or banishing enemies that try dominating others - as long as they're undead, fey, elementals, or outsiders. Of course, one vital question is left unanswered: how long does it take to set up a ward? In some cases (like the Barrier Signs ward, which involves "many charms that range from statuettes to strips of paper covered in holy writ," which must be placed in a circle with a 60-foot radius or greater), it looks like this simply couldn't be done in the midst of combat. However, the preparation time is never mentioned in any of the 9 wards and benedictions.

All in all, the exorcist makes for a rather odd 20-level character class. It seems a little odd to me that you could even be a 1st-level exorcist; somehow this seems like it would have made a better prestige class - after all, wouldn't you think that someone going up against demon possessions and the like would have been trained (for several levels at least) as a cleric? By making it a separate class, the likelihood of a cleric/exorcist is pretty slim: why would any mid-level cleric ever choose to multiclass as an exorcist (or vice versa, for that matter)? Let's see, I could finally gain (let's say) 6th-level cleric spells, or I can pass that up and gain some more 0-level and maybe another 1st-level cleric spell as an exorcist. Not a very attractive deal, is it?

There are some interesting ideas here, but also some problems with the overall concept and several mistakes that really can't be easily forgiven in such a brief gaming accessory. All in all, I suppose that evens out to a "3."