Tuesday May 04, 2004

The gods are most visible in the churches, it is true, and they prefer to work through the network of organized religion.  After all, if it were not for the hundreds of thousands—or millions—of followers these networks provide, the gods would have very little power outside their home planes at all.  This is why clerics and paladins enjoy such favor from their gods; they act as the conduits of that deity’s will upon the earth.  Yet, when a greater god gains enough of a following that he may enact near limitless power upon the cosmos, he becomes less reliant upon the structure of the church network that worships him.  That deity becomes free to choose a prophet.

The prophet is a spokesman for his deity, a creature outside of the organized structure of the god’s power base who has a direct connexion to the god.  He is not a rebel or even a loose cannon; indeed, he does not even try to be a prophet.  He is chosen precisely because he is not attached.  Those who freely accept this calling are baptized through a specific trial to demonstrate their utter devotion and commitment to the demands of being a prophet.  There are sacrifices that he must make, and regular acts of piety to perform.  He must be of the highest character and commit no violation of the deity’s desires.

A life of this level of devotion yields the deity’s ears and gains the direct words of his god, a privilege most high priests in the churches can only hope to attain once or twice in their lives.  He freely petitions his god with confidence that his requests will be heard…and answered more often than not.  He walks humbly, for none of this is by his design, but he walks boldly, for he is the mouth of his god to the people.  He sees things in black-and-white, distinct differences between good and evil, law and chaos.

Adventures:  By definition, a prophet travels the world over speaking the words of his god after him.  He accompanies adventuring parties for the safety their numbers provide, and he usually looks for a group with a paladin or cleric of his god.  Finding none, he serves them in that capacity.  Commonly, the prophet will espouse his deity’s will upon the party, and among the less devout (and certainly among the atheists or agnostics) he will ruffle a few feathers.  But his direct connexion to a god cannot be underestimated for the protection it provides the group, or for the direction and guidance he receives concerning the actions to be undertaken.

Characteristics:  The prophet always speaks the words of his god.  He may paraphrase, and usually does, but he says nothing that contradicts the will of his patron deity.  The word of his god is higher than anything else that exists, and he will freely give up his own life rather than despise that word.  He can be quite hardheaded because of this, and arrogance is a strong temptation.  But the true prophet is humble because he knows that he can be snuffed out if he fails to funnel the glory to his deity, whether that deity is good or evil. 

Alignment:  The prophet’s alignment must correspond with his deity’s.  Acceptable alignments are LG, CG, LE, or CE, depending on his god.  Because of his black-and-white view on things, the prophet cannot be neutral in anything; he must take a stance.  And he typically takes the extreme position on things.  If lawful, the prophet never lies; he might purposefully leave his words open to interpretation, but he never lies.  If chaotic, he might speak only in riddles and parables, and might wear clothing that makes a statement of his deity’s will more than any lecture could.  If good, he utterly destroys all that is evil, allowing none to stand who are not also good—though this destruction could be through conversion as easily as death.  And if evil, his stance against goodness is just as strong, though perhaps less apt to convert.

A god’s trust to be his voice to mortals is not a privilege of little consequence.  If a prophet ever unknowingly contradicts his god or changes his alignment, there will be a hefty penance to pay, including but not limited to an extreme act of atonement.  If during this atoning the prophet were to perish, his god would consider it just recompense.  If the prophet ever willingly contradicts his god, he will be utterly destroyed on the spot in a blaze of deific fury.

Religion:  Prophets are not normally part of organized religion.  They certainly do not despise it; in fact, all their actions are ultimately attempts to bolster it.  They are simply not a part of it, for they have been called out for a separate and distinct privileged position.  They worship their god with passion, often more fervently than a cleric would.  They freely speak the will of their god to all who will lend an ear, and usually continue to speak even when all ears have fled.  A prophet cannot keep silent about the qualities and desires of his god.  For this he often gets into a lot of trouble.  Organized churches often view him as a freewheeling “rogue cleric,” one who certainly doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  They may dismiss him as a wing nut, but as the prophet grows in power, they may just as easily attempt to silence him.  Especially when the prophet decries the errors of a local church will he bring down local wrath upon himself.  Only a few prophets are able to influence a particular church that he becomes their spokesman, too.

Background:  The one who is devout of heart and mind is chosen to leave behind his life and serve his god as spokesman.  To the prophet, what he once was no longer matters, for speaking the words of his god is life itself.  He is alone in his task, and faces much persecution from those who do not understand him, or openly rebel against the truth he proclaims.

Races:  A prophet can be of any race; he is chosen by his god.  The gods of non-human races are almost certain to choose a prophet from the races they created.

Other Classes:  Most of the other classes view a prophet with mixed skepticism.  Many find it difficult to tolerate his holier-than-thou position on everything, but they cannot fault him for his humility.  His preachiness might be received with a grain of salt, or welcomed, but most consider it a little excessive.  They see him certainly as extreme, unyielding, or hardnosed, but they also stand in awe of his ability to freely associate with a deity.  If it’s not merely an act.  Clerics and paladins early on must make up their mind what to do with him.  They must either agree that he speaks the words of his god and reverently heed those words, or they must denounce (or destroy) him as a false prophet.  A prophet normally will seek out a party with a cleric or paladin of his own god, for joining with a paladin or cleric of another god, even a compatible god, will necessarily force contradicting situations.

The prophet attempts to convert everyone in his party (along with the rest of the world), if they are not followers already.  He will exercise patience with this for some time, but if his efforts are plainly fruitless, he might dismiss them for another group with more cultivated hearts.  He will not tolerate words or actions that directly contradict the will of his patron deity, however, and may develop enemies within his party if these sins are not repented of or rectified.

Abilities:  Like the cleric, wisdom and charisma are the primary abilities of the prophet.  Wisdom fuels the spells granted by his deity, and charisma not only aids his diplomatic relations with others, but also empowers his ability to convert any listeners to the will of his god.

Hit Die:  d6

Restrictions/Requirements:  WIS 14+; must worship a greater deity of polar alignment, and must have alignment of that deity; must openly and regularly sacrifice something of himself to maintain fervor and favor.  The prophet cannot multi-class, for he must be single-minded in every way.

Skill Points/Level:  At first level: (2+INT mod) x4 (+4).  Thereafter: 2+INT mod (+1).

Skills:  Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Profession, and Spellcraft.

Starting Gold:  3d4 x 10.

Armor & Weapon Proficiencies:  The prophet is proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor, medium armor and shields. 

The Prophet’s Table

Direct Access:  The prophet has direct access to his deity without going through the normal channels of organized religion or church affiliation.  This direct access gains him the most freedom in spellcasting, as he is able to cast exactly the right spell for the occasion or as his god would require.  Rather than preparing spells in advance, the prophet uses a spell point system much like a psionicist or “spontaneous spellcaster.”  However, his list of spells is not limited to a small selection.  He has the ability to cast any divine spell (from any approved sourcebook) he deems necessary, provided he has enough points in reserve and the spell does not have a opposing alignment subtype.  A prophet otherwise casts spells as a cleric, including max spell level, range, duration, casting time, etc.  Three (3) zero-level spells may be cast each day for no point cost, but the fourth and following zero-level spells cost one point each.  See the chart for spell point cost per spell level.

The prophet does not automatically gain the ability to turn undead, but may have it if chosen as a feat.  (Treat as taking Extra Turning, but it grants the initial ability instead.)

Sacrifice:  At first level, the prophet must make a special sacrifice of blood to atone for his past sins and to demonstrate his devotion to his calling.  The blood must come from domesticated animals that are either his own or which he purchased with his own money, and they must be perfect in every way.  They may be two Large-sized, four Medium-sized, eight Small-sized, or sixteen Tiny-sized animals of any variety.  He himself must kill these animals, collect the blood in a basin around a stone altar he built himself, then burn the entire animals on the altar.  The blood he must dab on his forehead, his hands, and his feet to symbolize devotion of thoughts, deeds, and travels.  Finally, upon swearing an extreme oath to his deity, he drinks one swallow of the blood to symbolize devotion of words and the heart.  The remaining blood he pours out in a ring around the altar.  When the sacrifice is complete, he destroys it all, and then buries it.  He is now purified to speak and act as the god’s prophet.

At the beginning of each level thereafter, the prophet must sacrifice a single animal of Small size in similar fashion to atone for sins committed since the last sacrifice.  Further, to renew his devotion, the prophet must sacrifice on that altar some of his items or gold worth at least 500 gp per level attained (i.e. 1000 gp @ 2^nd level, 1500 gp @ 3^rd level, etc).  If he is unable to do this, he must sacrifice some of his own blood upon that altar, inflicting upon himself d6 hit points per level attained (i.e. 2d6 @ 2^nd level, 3d6 @ 3^rd level, etc.)  If this blood sacrifice ever reduces him to 0 HP or below, he falls unconscious, but he will not die regardless of how far negative he goes (but he might die from something else).  He cannot regain these HP through magical healing, but regains them fully in the space of 24 hours.

Diviner:  From the beginning, the prophet is granted mastery of the Divination school of clerical spells.  All Divination spells are cast as if they were a level lower than they actually are.  Further, he receives one spell from the Divination school free each day of any desired level that he his normally capable of casting.

Guidance:  Beginning at 5^th level, the prophet has gained enough favor with his god that he begins to receive direct guidance into his affairs.  Once per day, he may take 10 minutes to make special petition of his deity as to the future, asking one question per level concerning the outcome of a given set of actions.  The future under consideration will extend forward one day per level.  The answer given will be as open-ended as the question that prompted it, and will be according to the deity’s alignment.  The DM should give meaningful answers while considering game balance, but as even the most powerful of gods are neither completely omniscient nor omnipotent, the answer given may not turn out exactly as predicted.

Conversion:  At 10^th level, the prophet begins to affect those who hear his words of power.  A number of times each day equal to 3 + the prophet’s CHA modifier, he may stand aright with his holy symbol aloft, boldly and loudly proclaiming the truths of his deity.  The symbol shines with divine power and his words are amplified as any within earshot are brought to reckoning (including allies).  The prophet makes a “conversion check” just as a cleric of his level would make a turning check for turning undead, rolling a d20 and adding his Charisma modifier.  He then rolls 2d6 + his CHA modifier + his level to determine how many total levels/hit die of creatures he may convert.  Each creature affected by his conversion attempt must make a Willpower save against DC 10 + the prophet’s CHA mod + ½ the prophet’s level; failure indicates that he becomes repentant of his past misdeeds and stops those actions that are offensive to the prophet’s god.  The highest level or hit die the prophet may affect is a function of the table clerics use for turning checks.  If the prophet’s level is double or more the affected listeners’ levels, the listeners are so enamored with the prophet’s declarations that they become devout followers of that deity, completely changing their alignment and religious affiliation, if necessary.  This ability is mind-affecting and language-dependent, and the audience must be able to hear and comprehend (must have base intelligence).  Certain creatures (e.g. demons, devils, dragons, elementals, etc.) that are inherently disposed against the prophet’s god receive a bonus to their saving throw equal to their HD and/or class levels.

This ability does not automatically make converts of followers of other deities that are compatible with the prophet’s god, but it would certainly open up the opportunity for them to reconsider their patron deity.

Intervention:  At 15^th level, the prophet may begin to call upon divine assistance in accomplishing his tasks, such is his level of devotion.  Once per week, with just a few words, he may speak the phrase that ushers in the direct intervention of his god.  His deity will likely send an avatar, but if the need be great, he himself might manifest.  Calling upon one’s god in this manner is not without a price, however.  As the prophet cries out, he yields a portion of his soul.  He voluntarily gives up 2,500 XP and must make a Fortitude save DC 20 or fall unconscious for d4 hours.  The prophet cannot lose a level by paying this price; if he has insufficient XP to pay for an intervention, he drops to minimum XP of his current level and will “owe” the remainder as earned.  Within seconds of paying this price, his deity or an avatar appears and immediately intervenes for the greatest benefit of the prophet.

Translation:  The prophet at 20^th level undergoes a physical transformation to become more like the god he devotedly serves as mouthpiece.  He gains several aspects of his patron deity, and his body transfigures into a form that closely mirrors the form of his god, becoming essentially a lesser avatar.

The prophet of a good deity (or evil deity) undergoes the following translation:

1. He takes on a shining, metallic appearance (or a fearsome leathery appearance) and/or any other aspect that specifically matches the form of his patron deity per DM adjudication.

2. He gains the ability to smite evil (or good) once each encounter.  He adds his Charisma bonus to his attack roll and his character level to his damage roll against a foe of that alignment.

3. He gains darkvision to a range of 60 feet.

4. He gains acid, cold, and electricity resistance 20 (or cold and fire resistance 20).

5. He gains damage reduction 10/+3.

6. He gains a base spell resistance 25.

The prophet’s creature type changes to “outsider” and becomes susceptible to certain spells and effects that affect outsiders, but is no longer affected by spells and effects that affect humanoids.  Like other outsiders, if the translated prophet is subjected to being banished, he will be sent to the home plane of his deity, as that plane is now considered his “home” plane.  However, unlike other outsiders, the translated prophet can be brought back from the dead if he is killed (rather than disappearing to his “native” plane).