Holy

Holy characters are those who have dedicated themselves to serve the powers of goodness. Regardless of their base class, by adhering to ideals of care, charity, benevolence, and protection of innocence, the deities of goodness grant certain powers to those who prove themselves worthy.    Holy characters must always act in a manner that exemplifies goodness, follow the directives of his religion, and must tithe at least 10% of his earnings toward charitable giving (but never to other player characters). A Holy character may only keep one suit of magical armor (or clothing), one shield, two magical weapons, and a total of five other permanent magical items (charged items such as wands included). The Game Master may assign other stipulations to suit any campaign, cultural, or regional differences. In exchange, the Holy character gains some measure of divine power so that he may defend the weak and battle against the forces of darkness. Some magical items are only usable to full effect in the hands of a holy character.   Any failure to follow the path of goodness will result in the loss of the given powers. Even an inadvertent act of questionable nature must be atoned for at first opportunity, lest the Holy character be stripped of title and ability, becoming an ordinary member of their base-class in all respects (all experience points from the holy quasi-class are forever lost).   A Holy character may heal wounds by calling upon divine powers and laying hands upon the injured individual (or himself). Each application of Lay Hands will restore Hit Points equal to the Holy character's level, up to the individual's normal full Hit Point total. The Holy character may use the power a number of times per day according to his level (see chart) plus his Charisma bonus. For instance, a 3rd level Holy Character with a 15 Charisma (+1 bonus) can Lay Hands twice per day.   A Holy character may channel divine power in order to combat the forces of darkness. This Holy Burst causes damage equal to the Holy character's current level to any creatures of the netherworld or undead, affecting all such creatures within a 10 foot radius. The Holy character may use this apotropaic power a number of times per day according to his level (see chart) plus his Charisma bonus. For instance, a 3rd level Holy Character with a 15 Charisma (+1 bonus) can produce a Holy Burst twice per day. A Holy Cleric may combine this effect with his normal Turn Undead ability, but is otherwise usable only once per round.   Holy characters benefit from Divine Protection, a sort of permanent version of the Protection from Evil spell, which surrounds his body. This protection, which cannot be dispelled, grants a +2 bonus to Armor Class and Saves against attacks by evil beings, but does not offer the secondary effects of the spell. At level 10 the bonus increases to +3, and at level 20 the protection again increases to +4. Although the effect is intended to protect the character from creatures of the netherworld, undead, or extreme cases of malicious beings, the Game Master has final say in what exactly constitutes “evil”. Many creatures, while capable of being quite nasty at times, are not inherently evil, even if they have diametrically opposing views than that of typical character races.