The Cleric
A cleric is a servant of a God, granted with spellcasting powers through is faith. It is up to debate if the cleric’s powers originate in the deity or if their faith is only used as a focus to cast and control the magic energies. Only an extremely small minority of the actual clergymen are indeed Clerics, but in almost all religious communities, they hold all the powers. Clerics are powerful spellcasters, but not nearly as martial as their Battle Priest counter parts. Independently of the actual source of their powers, Clerics are mostly focused on using spells which fit into the domain of their gods. Apart from their magical Gifts, Clerics are trained in rethorics and preaching and can turn a crowd of listeners into a fanatic mob.
There are countless examples of Clerics in fantasy literature and wonderworkers in historical texts, ranging from shamans to bishops.
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The cleric is the civilized counterpart to the supposedly 'wild' druid, or the man of the word in comparison to the man of the sword the Battle priest is; Clerics are primarily divine spellcasters, and in this area they are the best. They are also intellectual characters with a profound education and a vast knowledge and are competent social characters, who do not need magic to convince their followers.
From a roleplaying perspective, clerics are somewhat a challenge, as they require to be played as faithful, convincing characters. It is too easy to reduce this piety to blind fanaticism. A good played cleric should be able to convert every other player character through arguments and roleplaying alone. A badly played cleric -will either completely lack any features of a strong faith or will annoy the other characters and players with his felt moral superiority. This should be avoided, as it can lead to a lot of anger and strive within a gaming group.
Hit Points at 1st level: 12 + Con modifier
Hit points at each additional level: 2 + Con modifier
Class Skills: The cleric’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con+Wis), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Perform (ora-tory), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis) and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (5 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at every additional level: 5 + Int modifier
Spell Points at 1st level: 12 + Wis modifier
Spell points at each additional level: 5 + Wis modifier++
Spell Aquisition points per level: 4 + Wisdom modifier
Spell point regeneration (per hour of meditation): 2d10 +Wis modifier
Table: The Cleric
{table=head]Level|BAB|BDB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|+0
|+0
|+0
|+0
|+2
|Turn Undead, basic energy control, Lore
2nd|+1
|+1
|+0
|+0
|+3
|Sermon, Inspire Courage +1
3rd|+1
|+1
|+1
|+1
|+3
| -
4th|+2
|+2
|+1
|+1
|+4
| -
5th|+2
|+2
|+2
|+2
|+4
|Bonus Feat
6th|+3
|+3
|+2
|+2
|+5
|advanced energy control
7th|+3
|+3
|+2
|+2
|+5
|Inspire Hope and Despair
8th|+4
|+4
|+2
|+2
|+6
|Inspire Courage +2
9th|+4
|+4
|+3
|+3
|+6
|Convert
10th|+5
|+5
|+3
|+3
|+7
|Bonus Feat
11th|+5
|+5
|+3
|+3
|+7
| -
12th|+6/+1
|+6
|+4
|+4
|+8
|complex energy control
13th|+6/+1
|+6
|+4
|+4
|+8
|-
14th|+7/+2
|+7
|+4
|+4
|+9
|Inspire Courage +3
15th|+7/+2
|+7
|+5
|+5
|+9
|Bonus feat
16th|+8/+3
|+8
|+5
|+5
|+10
| -
17th|+8/+3
|+8
|+5
|+5
|+10
| -
18th|+9/+3
|+9
|+6
|+6
|+11
|perfect energy control
19th|+9/+4
|+9
|+6
|+6
|+11
|-
20th|+10/+5
|+10
|+6
|+6
|+11
|Bonus feat, inspire courage +4[/table]
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Clerics are proficient with all simple weapons, with light armor and with shields (except tower shields).
A cleric who chooses the War domain receives the Weapon Focus feat related to his deity’s weapon as a bonus feat. He also receives the appropriate Martial or Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat as a bonus feat, if the weapon falls into that category.
Servant of the Gods: At character creation, the cleric chooses a god he follows. He is a servant of this god’s religion and has the mission to further, strengthen and spread his faith and fight its enemies. A cleric who grossly violates the code of conduct required by his god loses all spells and class features, except for armor and shield and weapon proficiencies. He cannot thereafter gain levels as a cleric of that god until he atones (see the atonement spell description).
Spells: A cleric casts divine spells, which are drawn from the cleric spell list. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a cleric’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the cleric’s Wisdom modifier. A cleric must succeed in a Concentration check to successfully cast a spell (DC = 15 + Spell level).
Like other spellcasters, a cleric can cast only a certain number of spells per day limited on their number of spell points. At first level, a cleric gains 10 + Wisdom Modifier spellpoints, and 4 + Wisdom Modi-fier on each additional level.
Clerics meditate or pray for their spells. Each cleric must choose a time at which he must spend 1 hour each day in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain his spell points. Time spent resting has no effect on whether a cleric can prepare spells. A cleric may prepare and cast any spell on the cleric spell list, provided that he can cast spells of that level, but he must choose which spells to prepare during his daily meditation.
A cleric may know any number of spells and can learn additional spells from holy texts and scripts.
Known Spells: A cleric begins play with a holy book containing all 0-level cleric spells plus four 1st-level spells of your choice and all domain spells he is able to cast. For each point of Wisdom bonus the battle priest has, the holy book holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new level, a Cleric gains a pool of 4 + Wisdom modifier acquisition points for gaining new spells, whereby the cost of every spell is equal to its spell level. (Example: A Cleric with Wisdom 18 reaching a new level would gain 12 points to gather new spells – he could learn 4 level 3 spells, 6 level 2 spells or 12 level 1 spells or a combination of this like 3 level-3 spells, two level-1 spells and two new cantrips.).
Apart from this basic stock of spells and the domain spells, the battle priest has to learn all further spells from other priests of their faith who are willing to train them or learn the spell from one of the holy texts of their faith. Learning a new spell requires that the source is available and takes a number of days equal to the spell’s level. The Cleric automatically learns all domain spells when he becomes able to cast them.
Domain Spells: Each domain gives the cleric access to a domain spell at each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up, as well as a granted power. The cleric gets the granted powers of both the domains se-lected. The cleric can cast the domain spells granted by the chosen domains as if they were one level lower – they cost less spellpoints, can be channelled faster and the DC of the casting check is lower.
Lore (Ex): Thanks to long hours of study, a cloistered cleric has a wide range of stray knowledge. This ability is identical to the bard's bardic knowledge class feature, using the cleric's class level in place of the bard level.
Turn Undead: A Cleric can channel his life magic into a power that can halt, hinder and hurt undead creatures. Turning Undead is a standard action that cost a certain amount spell energy, which can be channeled into the turn attempt. Spells that have been prepared beforehand can be given up to make spell energy for turning attempts available. Since turning is no form of spellcasting, the normal limits of channeling spell energy given by the character’s energy control trait are neglected – he can invest as much spell energy as he wants into the attempt to turn undead.
The costs of the check depend on the Cleric, granting a bonus on the turning check equal to the invested spell points. Every turning attempt costs at least one spell point. A Cleric can attempt to turn as many times as he has spell points left. The effect of the turning attempt is not determined with a d20, but with 2d6 (+ the battle priest’s charisma modifier and the invested spell points). The result of this roll also determines how many hit dice of undeads are turned or destroyed.
Basic energy control: At 1st level, a cleric can channel one spell energy point per turn. The total sum of Energy points the cleric can keep under control is equal to his Wisdom modifier or three, whichever is lower. (A cleric with Wisdom 14 could cast spells with a total amount of 2 Energy points, while a 1st level cleric with Wisdom 18 would still only be able to channel three spell points in total).
Spontaneous Casting: A cleric can channel stored spell energy into domain spells that the cleric did not prepare ahead of time. The cleric can "lose" any prepared spell that is not a domain spell in order to cast any domain spell of the same spell level or lower.
Sermon: A cleric can use his prayers and sermons to produce a morale effect on those around him (usu-ally including himself, if desired). These abilities are based on the rhetorical skills of the cleric and each ability requires both a minimum bard level and a minimum number of ranks in the Perform (oratory) skill to qualify; if a cleric does not have the required number of ranks in the skill, he does not gain the sermon ability until he acquires the needed ranks.
Beginning a sermon effect is a standard action. Sermon abilities require concentration, which means the cleric must take a standard action each round to maintain the ability. Even while using sermons that doesn’t require concentration, a cleric 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 cleric has a 20% chance to fail when attempting to use sermons. If he fails, the at-tempt still counts against his daily limit.
The Cleric’s sermons:
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Inspire Courage (Ex): A cleric of 2nd level with 3 or more ranks in Perform (oratory) can give a rallying speech to inspire courage in his allies (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to hear the cleric. The effect lasts for as long as the ally hears the cleric preaches and for his Charisma Modifier +2 rounds thereafter. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 morale bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 8th , 14th and 20th level, this bonus increases by 1 (+2 at 8th, +3 at 14th and +4 at 20th level). Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability.
Inspire Hope and Dread (Ex): A cleric of 7th level with at least 9 ranks in perform (oratory) can inspire spiritual resilience in his allies or hopelessness in his enemies in a 30 feet radius. The inspire hope abil-ity gives the cleric and all his allies who can hear the sermon a +4 sacred bonus on Will saves, inspiring dread imposes a –4 penalty to all will saves on all enemies.
Delivering any of these oratories requires a full round action to activate and requires concentration each round to continue the effect. The effect lasts as long as the clerics preaches and for his Charisma Modi-fier Rounds thereafter. Inspire Hope and Inspire Dread are mind affecting abilities.
Convert (Ex): A cleric of 9th level with at least 13 ranks in Perform (oratory) may attempt to convert a single enemy. For at least one hour the cleric delivers an impassioned speech on the righteousness of his beliefs to a single enemy who must attempt a Will save (DC= 10+ class level + Cha mod). If the crea-ture succeeds, nothing happens. If the creature fails the saving throw, however, it converts. A converted creature is effectively charmed by the cleric (similar to the charm monster spell). A converted creature shifts its loyalties to the cleric but will do nothing that is contrary to its basic beliefs. When the duration elapses, the creature must attempt a second Will safe (same DC). If it succeeds, it returns to its former affiliations and perspectives. If it fails again, the shift is permanent.
Bonus Feat: At 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th level, a Cleric gets a Divine, Domain or Metamagic Feat as a Bonus Feat.
Advanced Energy Control: At 6th level, a cleric has learned much about the control of the flow of magic energies. From now on, he can channel two spell energy points per turn and therefore increase the casting speed of complex spells, and the maximum of energy he can keep under his control increases to his Wisdom modifier+1 or five points, whichever is lower.
Complex Energy Control: At 12h level, the cleric becomes a true master of the arts of spiritual magic. Now, he can channel up to three spellpoints per turn, and control a maximum of spell energy up to his Wisdom modifier +2 or seven points.
Perfect energy control: At 18th level, a cleric has perfected the arts of magic. Now, he can control the inner flame of magic so effectively that he can channel up to 4 spellpoints per turn. His maximum of spell energy that he can control increases to his Wisdom modifier+3 or 9 nine points.
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