HellHound
ENnies winner and NOT Scrappy Doo
The Penitent
He came from the desert, a haggard man with an almost visible nimbus of faith about him. He told those who would listen that he was once a great priest of the god of sun, but that he had betrayed his oaths and had been abandoned from his deity's glory. He had left the city where he was heirophant and traveled into the desert with only his robes and holy symbol to protect him and guide his way back to grace. Long after food and water had run out he wandered still. His deity embraced him in the heat and light of the sun, drew the impurities from his body, mind and spirit, and then returned him to the desert pure again, and just outside the village.
Penitents are divine spellcasters who have lost their way and have fallen from the grace of their deity. For most, the loss of divine or profane favor is enough to push them back to the path of their faith. But for those of enough power to be worth the notice of a deity's scorn are not so easily taken back into the fold.
Only through self-denial and punishments of self and faith can the penitent return to the grace of their lord. They have been known to go to extreme measures of self-flagellation, denial, starvation, and beyond.
Most penitents are fallen clerics, with a few paladins among them and the rare lawful druid. All have seen the folly of their mistakes, and have worked themselves nearly to death to find forgiveness. Some never truly have found their way back into the grace of their deity, but their own faith as well as the hardships they have undergone has forged them into a nearly divine or profane being, able to channel divine magic regardless. Wisdom and Constitution are important along the path to becoming a penitent, and most of the classes abilities are based on these stats also.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To qualify to become a penitent (Pnt) a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any lawful, within one step of deity's alignment.
Knowledge (Religion): 10 ranks
Feats: Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron Will
Spellcasting: Able to cast at least level 3 divine spells.
Special: Must have fallen from grace and then made an atonement that involved significant self-sacrifice.
Class Skills
The penitent's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Scry (Int, exclusive skill), Search (Int), Wilderness Lore (Wis).
Skill Points per level: 2 + Int modifier
Penitent Level Advancement:
Base Attack Bonus: As sorcerer / wizard
Fort Save: Strong
Ref Save: Weak
Will Save: Strong
1 Fasting, Turning / Rebuking +1 Spellcaster Level
2 +1 Spellcaster Level
3 Elemental Resistance: 3, Additional Turning
4 Additional Domain +1 Spellcaster Level
5 Damage Resistance 1/- +1 Spellcaster Level
6 Elemental Resistance: 5 +1 Spellcaster Level
7 Additional Turning
8 +1 Spellcaster Level
9 Elemental Resistance: 7 +1 Spellcaster Level
10 Damage Resistance 2/-, Additional Domain +1 Spellcaster Level
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the penitent prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The penitent is proficient in all simple weapons but receives no additional training with armor. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor or equipment carried.
Spellcasting: At the indicated levels, the Penitent gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in the divine spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (metamagic or item creation feats, hit points beyond those he receives from the prestige class, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a penitent, he must decide to which class he adds the caster level.
Fasting (Ex): The penitent's life of self denial allows him to survive for long times without food or water. A penitent can go without water for one additional day per class level before feeling the effects of thirst, and 2 additional days per class level before feeling the effects of starvation.
Turning / Rebuking (Su): A good penitent (or a neutral penitent who worships a good deity) has the supernatural ability to turn undead. Evil penitent (and neutral penitents who worship evil deities) can rebuke such creatures. Neutral penitents of neutral deities can do one or the other (player's choice), depending on whether the penitent is more proficient at wielding positive or negative energy. Once the player makes this choice, it cannot be reversed. If the character did not previously have the ability to turn or rebuke undead, he can now turn or rebuke undead a number of times per day equal to three plus his Charisma modifier, with an effective level equal to his class level. Characters that already had the ability to turn or rebuke undead gain the ability to turn or rebuke undead two additional times per day, and now adds his class level in this class to his effective level for turning and rebuking undead.
As a feat, a penitent may take Extra Turning. This feat allows the penitent to turn undead four more times per day than normal. A penitent can take this feat multiple times, gaining four extra daily turning attempts each time.
Elemental Resistance (Ex): The penitent's self-abuse and exposure to the elements provides him with extraordinary protection against the hardships of nature. At level 3, the penitent gains elemental resistance of 3 against cold and heat. This increases to 5 at level 6 and then to 7 at level 9.
Additional Turning (Su): At levels 3 and 7, the penitent gains the ability to turn or rebuke undead an additional two times per day.
Additional Domain (Ex): At levels 4 and 10, the penitent is gifted with an additional clerical domain. This domain is treated in all ways as a normal clerical domain. If the character did not previously have access to a clerical domain, he gains access at this point. For non-clerics, this grants the domain ability and access to the domain spells as if they were regular spells on that character's spell list. This domain must be either one of the character's deity's alignment domains or a domain directly associated with the type of penance the penitent suffered to return to the fold. For example, a penitent who spent a hundred days and nights in the desert could probably select the Sun or Fire domains.
Damage Resistance (Ex): The penitent's gruelling existence increases his pain threshold, and his ability to ignore damage. At level 5, this grants the penitent Damage Resistance of 1/- which increases to 2/- at level 10. This Damage Resistance stacks with Damage Resistance from other sources.
All content of this post remains the exclusive property of M Jason Parent and Ambient Inc, from the forthcoming book Librum ex Veritas: Domains of Divinity
EDIT: Stripped a piece of code that wasn't working
He came from the desert, a haggard man with an almost visible nimbus of faith about him. He told those who would listen that he was once a great priest of the god of sun, but that he had betrayed his oaths and had been abandoned from his deity's glory. He had left the city where he was heirophant and traveled into the desert with only his robes and holy symbol to protect him and guide his way back to grace. Long after food and water had run out he wandered still. His deity embraced him in the heat and light of the sun, drew the impurities from his body, mind and spirit, and then returned him to the desert pure again, and just outside the village.
Penitents are divine spellcasters who have lost their way and have fallen from the grace of their deity. For most, the loss of divine or profane favor is enough to push them back to the path of their faith. But for those of enough power to be worth the notice of a deity's scorn are not so easily taken back into the fold.
Only through self-denial and punishments of self and faith can the penitent return to the grace of their lord. They have been known to go to extreme measures of self-flagellation, denial, starvation, and beyond.
Most penitents are fallen clerics, with a few paladins among them and the rare lawful druid. All have seen the folly of their mistakes, and have worked themselves nearly to death to find forgiveness. Some never truly have found their way back into the grace of their deity, but their own faith as well as the hardships they have undergone has forged them into a nearly divine or profane being, able to channel divine magic regardless. Wisdom and Constitution are important along the path to becoming a penitent, and most of the classes abilities are based on these stats also.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To qualify to become a penitent (Pnt) a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any lawful, within one step of deity's alignment.
Knowledge (Religion): 10 ranks
Feats: Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron Will
Spellcasting: Able to cast at least level 3 divine spells.
Special: Must have fallen from grace and then made an atonement that involved significant self-sacrifice.
Class Skills
The penitent's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Scry (Int, exclusive skill), Search (Int), Wilderness Lore (Wis).
Skill Points per level: 2 + Int modifier
Penitent Level Advancement:
Base Attack Bonus: As sorcerer / wizard
Fort Save: Strong
Ref Save: Weak
Will Save: Strong
1 Fasting, Turning / Rebuking +1 Spellcaster Level
2 +1 Spellcaster Level
3 Elemental Resistance: 3, Additional Turning
4 Additional Domain +1 Spellcaster Level
5 Damage Resistance 1/- +1 Spellcaster Level
6 Elemental Resistance: 5 +1 Spellcaster Level
7 Additional Turning
8 +1 Spellcaster Level
9 Elemental Resistance: 7 +1 Spellcaster Level
10 Damage Resistance 2/-, Additional Domain +1 Spellcaster Level
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the penitent prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The penitent is proficient in all simple weapons but receives no additional training with armor. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Pick Pocket and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor or equipment carried.
Spellcasting: At the indicated levels, the Penitent gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in the divine spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (metamagic or item creation feats, hit points beyond those he receives from the prestige class, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a penitent, he must decide to which class he adds the caster level.
Fasting (Ex): The penitent's life of self denial allows him to survive for long times without food or water. A penitent can go without water for one additional day per class level before feeling the effects of thirst, and 2 additional days per class level before feeling the effects of starvation.
Turning / Rebuking (Su): A good penitent (or a neutral penitent who worships a good deity) has the supernatural ability to turn undead. Evil penitent (and neutral penitents who worship evil deities) can rebuke such creatures. Neutral penitents of neutral deities can do one or the other (player's choice), depending on whether the penitent is more proficient at wielding positive or negative energy. Once the player makes this choice, it cannot be reversed. If the character did not previously have the ability to turn or rebuke undead, he can now turn or rebuke undead a number of times per day equal to three plus his Charisma modifier, with an effective level equal to his class level. Characters that already had the ability to turn or rebuke undead gain the ability to turn or rebuke undead two additional times per day, and now adds his class level in this class to his effective level for turning and rebuking undead.
As a feat, a penitent may take Extra Turning. This feat allows the penitent to turn undead four more times per day than normal. A penitent can take this feat multiple times, gaining four extra daily turning attempts each time.
Elemental Resistance (Ex): The penitent's self-abuse and exposure to the elements provides him with extraordinary protection against the hardships of nature. At level 3, the penitent gains elemental resistance of 3 against cold and heat. This increases to 5 at level 6 and then to 7 at level 9.
Additional Turning (Su): At levels 3 and 7, the penitent gains the ability to turn or rebuke undead an additional two times per day.
Additional Domain (Ex): At levels 4 and 10, the penitent is gifted with an additional clerical domain. This domain is treated in all ways as a normal clerical domain. If the character did not previously have access to a clerical domain, he gains access at this point. For non-clerics, this grants the domain ability and access to the domain spells as if they were regular spells on that character's spell list. This domain must be either one of the character's deity's alignment domains or a domain directly associated with the type of penance the penitent suffered to return to the fold. For example, a penitent who spent a hundred days and nights in the desert could probably select the Sun or Fire domains.
Damage Resistance (Ex): The penitent's gruelling existence increases his pain threshold, and his ability to ignore damage. At level 5, this grants the penitent Damage Resistance of 1/- which increases to 2/- at level 10. This Damage Resistance stacks with Damage Resistance from other sources.
All content of this post remains the exclusive property of M Jason Parent and Ambient Inc, from the forthcoming book Librum ex Veritas: Domains of Divinity
EDIT: Stripped a piece of code that wasn't working
Last edited:
