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MaN
2005-10-02, 04:20 PM
In my homebrew campaign world I have up to this point simply been letting the players bring in whatever PrC they've wanted to play. Now, however, I want to get into creating PrCs specific to this world.
I am trying to come up with some cleric, paladin, and druid PrCs or PrCs for any of the lay classes that have a religious focus. Be as detailed or as vague as you want, I will greatly appreciate any ideas.

The world was nearly destroyed about 500 years prior by a divine war in which one good god was the only victor/survivor and the only evil god to survive is now bound in Hell. Consequently, the religion of the world is predominantly monotheistic opposed by secret cabals of devil-worshippers.
Humanoid society is on the rebound with several human kingdoms, elven tribes, and dwarven clans in a European-type climate. An OA empire exists far to the west and generally is not in any regular contact except trade. An Al'Qadim based empire exists far to the east with almost no contact even by trade.
The distance between these three regions are vast and dotted with lost civilizations, twisted abonimations left over from the divine war, and various artifacts and relics also from the war.
While there are still witches, druids, and pagans the church holds no real antipathy towards them, seeing them not as evil, but merely as misunderstanding the true nature of the one god. For example, worshippers of pagan deities are seen as giving separate identities to the different aspects of the one god such as fertility, knowledge, love, luck, etc.
The humanoid races all worship this same one god but see him in different ways along somewhat cultural lines. Humans and halflings see god as a generic Judeo/Christian/Muslim supreme regal being. Elves (and druids) see god as an all-infusing positive life energy which connects all living things. Dwarves (who use flintlocks and black powder instead of urgroshes) and gnomes see god as this infinitely strong and forcefull being capable of great creation/destruction just like some mystical powder keg.
Magic in this world is approached more as a science than a mystical art and technology (other than black powder which is almost exclusively used only by dwarves and some humans) is purely medieval.

Thanks in advance.

TO_Incognito
2005-10-02, 06:02 PM
I just read yesterday on here someone saying that (s)he didn't like the Cleric class in 3rd edition as compared to 2nd edition (or was it 1st?) because a Cleric in 2nd (1st?) edition could sort of assimilate the abilities of a class that their deity favors. I.E.: A Cleric of a god of Rogues could be sort of like a Rogue. Based on this principle, I started roughly designing the Divine Focus, a prestige class geared for Clerics (and possibly Druids) who want to be able to assimilate the abilities of classes which their deities favor. A 3rd level Cleric can take this class upon attaining 4th level. Remember that this is just a rough idea of this PrC, and a PrC like this may already exist somewhere.

Requirements:
Base Attack Bonus: +2
Spells: Able to cast 2nd level Divine Spells
Special: The character must be a follower of a deity who is partial towards the general feel of one of the following base classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard, or Monk.

The Divine Focus basic template has pretty pathetic stats:
- d6 hit points at each level
- 2 + int. modifier at each level
- Poor progression in all 3 saves
- Ok BAB
- + 1 level of existing divine spellcasting class at levels 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10
- And also, the character's Divine Focus level counts as 1/2 of a Cleric or Druid level for determining the strength of the Cleric's undead turning ability or the progression of the Druid's animal companion.
- Proficency with all kinds of armor, all simple weapons, and shields (except tower shields)

In addition to this basic template (which is obviously sub-par), the Divine Focus chooses at first level an additional template for the class which he wants to assimilate (the class that his deity favors). I designed templates for the Sorcerer, Fighter, Barbarian, and Rogue.

The Rogue template adds:
- Good progression in reflex saves.
- 6 + int. modifier skill points at each level (instead of 2), and all Rogue skills are considered class skills.
- At 1st level: Sneak Attack + 1d6
- At 3rd level: Trapfinding
- At 4th level: Evasion
- At 5th level: Sneak Attack + 2d6
- At 6th level: Uncanny Dodge
- At 9th level: Sneak Attack + 3d6
- At 10th level: A Rogue special ability

The Fighter template adds:
- d8 hp at each level (instead of d6)
- Good BAB
- Good progression in fortitude save
- All Fighter class skills are considered class skills
- Fighter bonus feats at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th levels

The Barbarian template adds:
- d10 hp (instead of d6)
- Good BAB
- Good progression in fortitude save
- 4 + int modifier (instead of 2) at each level, and all Barbarian class skills are condidered class skills
- At 1st level: Rage 1/day
- At 2nd level: Fast Movement
- At 3rd level: Uncanny Dodge
- At 4th level: Trap Sense +1
- At 5th level: Rage 2/day
- At 7th level: Trap Sense +2
- At 8th level: Damage reduction 1/-
- At 10th level: Rage 3/day

The Sorcerer template adds:
- Good progression in will saves
- At 1st level: Summon familiar
- All Sorcerer class skills are considered class skills.
- Spells just as the Sorcerer, except the Divine Focus can cast 1 less spell of eahc level per day (A level 5 Divine Focus (Sorcerer) could cast 5 0 level spells, 5 1st level spells, and 3 second level spells per day).

I like the idea of this prestige class, though I'm sure it still needs a lot of tweaking to make it balanced. Good luck with your campaign (=.

EDIT: I know that there are many, many prestige classes that combine Clerics and other PHB clases. These classes, however, focus on equally combining the abilities of the two classes and almost always require levels in both classes, and none of them (that I'm aware of) focus on the preferance of the Cleric's deity. This PrC, on the other hand, is based on adding to the Cleric class template, and does not require levels in the class with which you combine with the Cleric, and focuses on the Cleric's deity.

Chaos
2005-10-02, 06:05 PM
Speaking of lost civilizations... a Treasure Hunter or Tomb Raider immediately comes to mind. I´d make it something like a rogue who focuses on searching and trap-finding (and trap-defusing) skills. For added combat abilities, I´d let him pick one or more Favored Enemy creatures at various levels, chosen from a list of creatures/constructs/undead likely to be set up as guardians for treasure.

On second thought, I see you wanted a religious focus... nevermind. (but I guess your player might find the Treasure Hunter interesting nonetheless)

On third thought, with the (probably religious) relics and artifacts, a Divine Retriever with the abovementioned traits might be appropriate.

How about a Paladin PrC that focuses on cleaning out the abominations left over from the war? Again, with one or more Favored Enemies from among these abominations.
A Cleric PrC focused on rooting out devil worshippers? Call it Inquisitor, and give it Detect Evil like the Paladin, and class feats that augment its Sense Motive and Intimidate skills.

There you go - three prestige classes. I hope it helps.

MrNexx
2005-10-02, 06:26 PM
There are several "lay divine" PrCs in the Player's Guide to the Forgotten Realms, including Arcane Devotee (wizards/sorcerers), Divine Champion (warriors), and Divine Seeker (rogues). They're generic enough you could apply them to any campaign.

MaN
2005-10-02, 09:18 PM
ShadowSire--
Wow, that is an excellent idea. Since the world is monotheistic and run by one church, most cleric PrCs will probably be church offices such as Inquisitor. I could use your Divine Focus template and just add features reflecting the nature of the office. That would save me a lot of trouble by taking care of most cleric PrCs.

Chaos--
The lost civilizations I spoke of are more like ancient Incan cities reclaimed by the jungle. The divine war just destroyed nearly all life so there wouldn't have been any effort to hide treasure in trap-filled lairs.
The Divine Retriever idea sounds pretty good tho. Maybe someone with survival, search, knowledge history, knowledge divine war, etc. Possibly some scrying capabilities as well.
Inquisitor was a natural choice as a cleric/rogue PrC but aside from a selection of class skills (gather info, sense motive, etc) any ideas on special abilities?

MrNexx--
Book purchases just aren't going to happen for me to any great degree. With exception to my PHB, all my books are still 3.0 and were purchased the day they hit the stores in 2000 & 2001! A wife, two kids, two cars, and a house have pretty much taken all my money since then!
Just the names of the PrCs have given me some ideas tho, thanks.

the.sundance.kid
2005-10-03, 02:51 AM
At some point in the past of your game world, Philosophical Historical Figure A wrote a text entitled the Codex Gnostica, which took a radically different approach to worship of the One God. The Codex suggested that material reality was itself an illusion fashioned by the One God, who refused to accept that he/she was not the supreme being, and that all of the ills of mortal existence are the result of the One God's selfish and imperfect creation. The gnostics, a small following that accepts the teachings of the Codex and seeks to transcend the flaws of material reality by disbelieving the One God's creation, has existed ever since. While their motives are benevolent, their radical beliefs put them very much at odds with the theistic religions, who often consider them heretics on an order far more dangerous than the average pagan. Indeed, many consider gnosticism a direct attack orchestrated by fiendish powers on the faith of the world. The gnostics deride such criticism, pointing out that they don't believe in demons any more than they believe in the One God, but generally end up putting forth such protestations from atop gallows or burning stakes.

Wizards, sorcerors, and bards make ideal gnostics, having the time to spend on complex contemplations while not generally being of the strongest faith. Clerics and paladins of the One God who discard their faith and embrace the gnostic path are few, but often become the most unshakably skeptic. Monks and non-denominational paladins share the penchant for contemplation and the desire to be unfettered by the material and also find the path of the gnostic to be an easy fit, often with a level of arcane spellcasting mixed in. Druids find the path somewhat bizarre, given that it denies that which they have a direct connection to, and almost never take this prestige class. Rangers, barbarians and rogues are generally too caught up the material here-and-now to even consider denying the very structure of reality.


Knowledge: Religion (8 Ranks)
Knowledge: History (8 Ranks)
Special: The character must have read the Codex Gnostica, a heretical text that questions the authority and benevolence of the One God. A cleric of the One God who takes levels in Gnostic has grossly violated his religion and loses access to his granted cleric domains, though he retains the ability to cast spells and turn undead simply on the basis of his faith in the greater good.
Alignment: Any nonevil.

The contemplative's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) Int, Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skills per level: 2 + Int modifier
Hit dice: d4
Level Attack Bonus Fort Ref Will Special Spells per day
1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Skeptic ---
2 +1 +0 +0 +3 Bonus domain +1 level of existing spellcasting class
3 +1 +1 +1 +3 Disbelief +1 +1 level of existing spellcasting class
4 +2 +1 +1 +4 True Sight 1/day +1 level of existing spellcasting class
5 +2 +1 +1 +4 Disbelief +2 +1 level of existing spellcasting class
6 +3 +2 +2 +5 Bonus domain +1 level of existing spellcasting class
7 +3 +2 +2 +5 Disbelief +3 +1 level of existing spellcasting class
8 +4 +2 +2 +6 True Sight 2/day +1 level of existing spellcasting class
9 +4 +3 +3 +6 Disbelief +4 +1 level of existing spellcasting class
10 +5 +3 +3 +7 Bonus domain +1 level of existing spellcasting class

Class Features:
All of the following are features of the Gnostic class.
Spells per day: When a new gnostic level after the first is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a 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, except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an gnostic, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.
Skeptic (Ex): As the Codex Gnostica teaches that all they previously believed was a lie, gnostics begin to take on a path of extreme criticism, questioning all they encounter. As the gnostic is always on guard for deception, he may add his class level as an insight bonus to Sense Motive checks and Will saves against illusions.
Bonus domain: At second, fourth and tenth level, the gnostic receives a bonus domain of his choice from the following: Good, Healing, Mysticism, Mind, Liberation, Knowledge, Meditation. (Mysticism and Liberation are from Complete Divine; Meditation from the Eberron Campaign Sourcebook; feel free to add/subtract from this list if you come up with other domains of a similar feel.) These follow all the rules for domain spells, though if the character is an arcane spellcaster, he casts his domain spells as arcane spells.
Disbelief (Ex): The gnostic's intensifying disbelief in the divine begins to assert itself as a sort of counter-faith, repelling hostile divine magic that would target the gnostic. This translates into a bonus against all divine spells and against the spells, spell-like abilities and supernatural abilities of non-native outsiders, according to the table above.
True Sight (Sp): At fourth level, a gnostic can use true sight as per the spell, with a caster level equal to his character level, once per day. At eighth level he gains another use per day of this ability.

Ex-Gnostics: A gnostic whose alignment becomes evil retains all class features, though he may no longer progress in the class unless his alignment returns to nonevil. A gnostic who regains faith in the One God or any other religion loses the Disbelief ability and his bonus domains and may no longer progress in the class unless he again gives up his faith, at which point his class abilities fully return.

My table didn't line up.

MisterRaziel
2005-10-03, 04:05 AM
Do Paladins need a PrC?

They've already got Hospitaler and Cavalier (Complete Divine and Complete Warrior, respectively)

But those just modify the Paladin's functionality, rather than increasing its power.

MagFlare
2005-10-03, 05:49 AM
How about a "Green Man/Woman" prestige class, in which a druid gains the ability to wildshape into plant monsters, can Speak with Plants at will, and eventually gains the Plant type permanently? Maybe toss in a boost to grapple checks, the ability to heal quickly when exposed to bright sunlight, and the ability to root to the spot, becoming immune to tripping or bull rushes for some added flavor.

MisterRaziel
2005-10-03, 05:57 AM
The crossbow sniper? Maybe class features that increase the range increment of the crossbow? Allow called shots to the head for extra damage? Disguise checks to blend in with surroundings (a la the ghillie suit)?

You could even add some nature or divine magic to the mix for some extra spice. Maybe call it the "Arcane Sharpshooter" or something - available to clerics of Boccob.

THere are all sorts of longbow PrCs, but none for the crossbow.

How about the Half-Elf diplomat? The PHB says they're natural go-betweens, so why not put their money where their mouth is?

Chaos
2005-10-03, 07:45 AM
*snip*Chaos--
The lost civilizations I spoke of are more like ancient Incan cities reclaimed by the jungle. The divine war just destroyed nearly all life so there wouldn't have been any effort to hide treasure in trap-filled lairs.
The Divine Retriever idea sounds pretty good tho. Maybe someone with survival, search, knowledge history, knowledge divine war, etc. Possibly some scrying capabilities as well.
Inquisitor was a natural choice as a cleric/rogue PrC but aside from a selection of class skills (gather info, sense motive, etc) any ideas on special abilities?
*snip*

Maybe a Detect Fiendish Influence, or Detect Fiendish Magic ability, like the Paladin´s Detect Evil; I´m thinking of a combination of Detect Evil and Detect Magic, which works only on the followers of this devil deity, their divine magic and artifacts.
Then, a Force Truth ability, useable once per day (more often at higher levels) that allows the Inquisitor to force a subject to tell the true answer (as far as he/she knows it) to one specific question. You may want to limit these questions to those pertaining devil worship and the like, to avoid abuses, and/or give subjects a saving throw against it.
Also, better saves against divine magic of devil worshippers, and/or the abilities to see through illusion spells of devil worshippers.
Lastly, an ability I call "fire and brimstone" - which enables the Inquisitor to scare the hell out of anyone who of his faith by threatening eternal damnation and the like (or giving a very graphic account of what hell looks like). Make it usable once per day (more often at higher level) and let it give the Inquisitor a +1 bonus to Intimidate per Inquisitor class level.

MaN
2005-10-03, 09:17 AM
Do Paladins need a PrC?

They've already got Hospitaler and Cavalier (Complete Divine and Complete Warrior, respectively)The church in this world is loosely based on the medieval Catholic church in its hierarchical structure but the Primate does not wield such power as the real world Pope. It is divided into two arms--the Brothers Mendicant (clerics) and the Brothers Militant (paladins). The clerics are purposed more to charitable works and matters of the soul, the latter placing them against spiritual evil (demons, undead, etc). The paladins are charged with protecting the church and its faithful from evil in its more physical manifestations (goblinoids, bandits, evil magical creatures, etc).
Possibilities for paladin PrCs I've been considering have run along the lines of specialized cavalry or infantry tactics, maybe even an aerial elite unit on pegasi. I tried developing a 'Hunter of...' PrC but that came out too rangerish for my taste.
Also, see my previous post about the sorry state of my D&D library: 3.5 PHB, 3.0 DMG, 3.0 MM1, and OA.

MagFlare
Interesting. What kind of motivations would drive this PrC? Any particular goals in mind?

Chaos
'Fire and Brimstone'! Love it! That one's definitely in.

MagFlare
2005-10-03, 11:31 AM
Interesting. What kind of motivations would drive this PrC? Any particular goals in mind?

If you're talking character motivation, I suppose there are a few possibilities: either you've got a druid who, Lorax-like, speaks for the trees and opposes the unchecked spread of civilization, or one who is trying to stick up for a simpler return-to-nature sort of faith whose example is the tree whose strength and flexibility provide an example for these modern et cetera, et cetera.

As far as motivations for taking this prestiege class go, I think it'd be most attractive for druids who're interested in boosting their melee skills.

MagFlare
2005-10-13, 12:56 AM
I've been thinking about your world, MaN, and it's possible I've got a (not fully fleshed out) PrC concept that fits in well with it:

The Reader of Lost Books
Requirements: Able to cast 3rd level divine spells, has six ranks each of Scribe Scroll and Knowledge (religion), is a member of the church

The church tasks many clergy members with the job of sorting through its thousands of scrolls, tomes, and tablets of religious lore. Usually, the only result is a better-organized library. At times, however, the researchers discover a dusty old book containing secrets which could rock the very foundations of the church...

A Reader of Lost Books gains and prepares spells like a cleric. However, as a result of his or her readings, he or she can choose spells from both the wizard/sorceror and cleric spell lists. All spells are still cast as divine spells, so the Reader doesn't have to worry about spell failure.

Starting at level 2 and at every other level thereafter, a Reader of Lost Books learns a Dark Secret. This secret might be anything from a recent ledger revealing misspent church funds to ancient scrolls proving that a beloved saint was really a rotten bastard. Bottom line: these are things the church would like to keep under wraps, and they might be willing to negotiate - "bribe" is such a nasty word - with the Reader to keep such a secret safely hidden away. While the player gets to choose what the secret is, the DM may veto any suggestion and ultimately decides what the church is willing to do to prevent this secret from getting out. Keep in mind that a character who routinely blackmails his own church probably won't be a member for much longer, and may suffer alignment shifts.

Truwar
2006-07-28, 10:09 AM
You can use my Dead-Eye Sniper (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=gaming;action=display;num=1150307610 ) if you would like. If you replaced the word “Heavy Crossbow” with “Flintlock Rifle” it would make for a slick Dwarven PrC.