Cleric

Clerics are those who have devoted themselves to the service of a deity, pantheon or other belief system. Most Clerics spend their time in mundane forms of service such as preaching and ministering in a temple; but there are those who are called to go abroad from the temple and serve their deity in a more direct way, smiting undead monsters and aiding in the battle against evil and chaos. Player character Clerics are assumed to be among the latter group.   Clerics fight about as well as Thieves, but not as well as Fighters. They are hardier than Thieves, at least at lower levels, as they are accustomed to physical labor that the Thief would deftly avoid. Clerics can cast spells of divine nature starting at 2nd level, and they have the power to Turn the Undead, that is, to drive away undead monsters by means of faith alone.
 
CLERIC LEVELATTACK BONUS
1-2 +1
3-4 +2
5-6 +3
7-8 +4
9-11 +5
12-14 +6
15-17 +7
18-20 +8
Turning the Undead   Clerics can Turn the undead, that is, drive away undead monsters by means of faith alone. The Cleric brandishes their holy symbol and calls upon the power of their divine patron. The player rolls 1d20 plus their wisdom or charisma modifier and tells the GM the result. Note that the player should always roll, even if the GM knows the character can't succeed (or can't fail), as telling the player whether or not to roll may reveal too much.  

SUPPLEMENTS

  Clerical Orisons   A spellcaster learns a number of 0 level spells equal to 1d4 plus his or her relevant ability bonus while in training and can learn additional orisons any time a trainer is available. A spell caster may cast a number of 0 level spells per day equal to his or her level plus ability bonus (Wisdom for Clerics and related classes). Since these spells take such a short amount of time to cast (due to their abbreviated verbal and somatic components), a character may cast one and take another action in the round at the same time. 0 level spells do not have to be prepared in advance, unlike more powerful magics. Orisons typically have a range of 10 feet and a duration of instantaneous.     Bonus Spells
  Clerics gain bonus spells for high Wisdom. This allows the character to prepare more spells of certain levels than usual. Characters may not prepare spells above the level they can cast, so even though a character with an 18 Wisdom gets a second level spell as a bonus spell, he or she can't prepare second level spells until reaching third level. Use the following table.  
WISDOMBONUS PREPARED SPELLS
9-11 No Bonus Spells
12 No Bonus Spells
13-15 1 x 1st Level Spells
16-17 2 x 1st Level Spells
18 2 x 1st, 1 x 2nd Level Spells
  Divine Channeling Items   Divine Channeling Items are a different sort of item that allows a cleric to convert the prayer energy of currently memorized spells into another predetermined spell. For example, a Rosary of Light Channeling would convert any other currently memorized first level spell into a Light spell cast as if the caster actually had that spell memorized instead. Such an items may appear as a circlet, rod, ring, staff, or other appropriate form, often dictated by the effect. This only applies to "true" Clerics, and not to any subclasses or quasi-class thereof which may appear in other supplements, unless otherwise noted.   Additionally, there are enhanced Divine Channeling Items that can augment or modify spell effects. Each case or exception is discussed below. In any case, the Game Master should design each item directly considering the spell effects carefully.  
  • Divine Channeling Items are usually associated with a particular Deity, Power, or Pantheon and may not be usable by non-believers or non-worshippers. Even Clerics of one faith may not be able to utilize another faith’s items. This may vary according to the Game Master’s campaign and his or her ideas on how the divine powers interact with their followers.
  • A cleric can only utilize a Divine Channeling Item that produces a spell that can be potentially cast by the user (as in it appears on his or her spell list). The character need not actually know the spell in question personally, but must be capable of casting the spell otherwise. This caveat occurs when additional supplement classes are used in the Game Master’s campaign. When the specific spell exists at differing spell levels for different classes, the spell is channeled according to the caster’s own spell list.
  • Spells spent to power a Divine Channeling Item must be of the appropriate level or higher, but no benefit is gained by using a higher level spell slot.
  • Spells requiring additional materials may not require the necessary materials on hand for the spell to be produced.
  • Multi-Function items should follow a theme or otherwise be logical in their design. A circlet or monocle item that channels various Detect Spells would be appropriate.
  • Enhancing items are possible. The most obvious would be increasing the effective caster level of the channeled spell. Such enhancements should be very carefully considered.

Clerical Spells

  Acquisition of Spells and Magical Research   The number of spells of each level which a Cleric may cast per day is shown on the appropriate table in the Characters section. Each morning spellcasters prepare spells to replace those they have used. Spells prepared but not used persist from day to day; only those actually cast must be replaced. A spellcaster may choose to dismiss a prepared spell (without casting it) in order to prepare a different spell of that level. Spellcasters must have at least one hand free, and be able to speak, in order to cast spells; thus, binding and gagging a spellcaster is an effective means of preventing them from casting spells. In combat, casting a spell usually takes the same time as making an attack. If a spellcaster is attacked (even if not hit) or must make a saving throw (whether successful or not) on the Initiative number on which they are casting a spell, the spell is spoiled and lost. As a specific exception, two spell casters releasing their spells at each other on the same Initiative number will both succeed in their casting; one caster may disrupt another with a spell only if they have a better Initiative, and choose to delay casting the spell until right before the other caster. Clerics receive their spells through faith and prayer. Each day, generally in the morning, a Cleric must pray for at least three turns in order to prepare spells. Of course, the Cleric may be expected to pray more than this in order to remain in their deity's good graces. Because they gain their spells through prayer, a Cleric may prepare any spell of any level they are able to cast. In some cases the Cleric's deity may limit the availability of certain spells; for instance, a deity devoted to healing may refuse to grant reversed healing spells.  

Career

Qualifications

The Prime Requisite for Clerics is Wisdom; a character must have a Wisdom score of 9 or higher to become a Cleric. They may wear any armor plus shield and may only use blunt weapons (specifically including warhammer, mace, maul, club, quarterstaff, and sling).   The prohibition against edged weapons is a matter of faith for Clerics. Therefore, if a Cleric uses a prohibited weapon, he or she immediately loses access to his or her spells as well as the power to Turn the Undead. A higher-level NPC Cleric of the same faith must assign some quest to the miscreant which must be completed in order for the fallen Cleric to atone and regain his or her powers. If unrepentant, the character is changed permanently from a Cleric to a Fighter. Refigure the character's level, applying the current XP total to the Fighter table to determine this. Hit points and attack bonus remain the same; change the attack bonus only after a new level is gained as a Fighter, and roll Fighter hit dice as normal when levels are gained.
 
"I kick ass for the Lord!"

CLERIC CHARTS