User:Average/Cleric
Clerics (or priests) heal and add divine support while everyone else is looking out for themselves. They aren't spell-casters, nor fighters. They're better staying out of battle to keep their mana high so that their auric field can exert the maximum influence. They've given their fight over to the gods and now mostly keep watch rather than taint themselves with killing. Now they fight for the balance of good and evil and get to stay light on their feet without the encumberance of heavy armor and weapons, and as they don't cast spells, they can refrain from eating so much. Clerics get significant auto-protection based on the power and trust of their gods, which sweetens up the class from older versions. If you have a ragtag party yearning for eXPerience, you'll probably want a cleric to give you better luck.
Their auric field has two main abilities: divine protection (conferring -DAM from attackers and magical resistances related to their god) and luck ("Bless": offering +HIT bonuses). For this they need PTY and mana. As they gain levels, they churn mana into real power that they can direct for healing or for cursing. In meditation, this power can be used to divine direction on how to proceed.
They don't have to eat as much if they stay without encumberance and aren't multi-classed with a spell-caster.
It should be noted that a cleric's PTY means different things, depending on whether they are loyal to a god. If they are ronin their piety attracts the attention of random gods looking for thier faith. Such cleric PCs without gods are called "altruists". This can be used advantageously (to get equipment, etc.), but of course gaming the gods can backfire.
Has an innate danger sense (originates from the gods and may not work if the campaign setting's god (or something like Strahd) is higher than their own) which lets them know of lurking dangers -- generally items their gods have encountered before and not mastered (hence the causes of the mortals). Given in a 1 out of 10 scale with 1 being "small potatoes" and 10 being "bless your ass, 'cause I can't help you".
Their connection to the divine exerts influence to all the techniques they've learned on all their allies, giving divine protection, extra luck, divine damages -- depending on their god. Through their devotion (PTY), their mana exerts an inter-connected auric field to their ally list (which they pass to their DM) -- a "trust" network. They can only list 6 allies at a time and can only change their list when they reach a new level. They should keep the list private to the DM. This aura has effect regardless of distance (as it works from the astral planes), but diminishes with poor health (low HP%). Percentages should be rounded to nearest 5%, or 1 value on a d20 die. For this reason, they may choose to be less active during battles--to keep their mana high, as it can accumulate and exert more guidance when conditions with the gods involved are favorable. High level clerics also add good luck in addition to divine protection.
Example of list:
- Conan (a fighter far away in Dorgan's Keep) 25%,
- Bidrel (a wizard in the party) 70%,
- Toppy the Dog (your friend from childhood, living at Baldur's Gate) 5%
That totals 100%. From then on, as long as you are happy and your gods are well, you exert that (protective and possibly luck if they share the same god) influence on allies. Technically, that protection and power (determined by your race and gods) would propagate to their allies friends as well via multiplication. So that if Bidrel had a trust of 25% to Gimli the Dwarf, then it amounts to 70% * 25% = 17.5%. In theory, a whole village could be significantly protected by the aura of a strong cleric in town, through this mechanism. Though it would seem that this amounts to something beyond 100%, it works mathematically because most of the individuals are not in battle, so the power of the protection can go to them when it's useful, taking from where it is not. (Curses and oppositely-aligned characters are different -- their XP get converted to a mana calculation powered by their HP).
The protection is relative to the amount of power of their gods, modified by the cleric`s level. amounts to the cleric`s level of +AC protection distributed each round (some of which must protect him or herself), if they have sufficient mana*PTY. Since this all would be complicated to handle in a game, the DM will have to simplify and hope to recover from any mistakes in time. Of course, a cleric may not want to join a fighting party, as it provides less XP to him or her for healing (if they're listed on their ally list). Clerics will have to negotiate what goods they get in exchange for service to their dieties.
A cleric may use all her time-slots towards a protection aura, yielding up to half the normal DAMage for all in the party for that round if with a male diety or have half the likelihood of a HIT with a female one. That means that they cannot attack in any way for that round. If they already started the round and used a time slot for something else you'll have to proportion out how much DAM/HIT is negated (4/6 * 50%, 2/6 * 50%, etc.). Technically that saved HP should go to the relevant god as power: HP or XP increases.
Because of their high-mindedness and piety, they must keep a pure mind. If the DM hears a cleric think aloud about some object or monster, there's a 1/10 chance that it will appear (if available) or show up *inconspicuously* (if non-living), perhaps symbolically, within the next few rounds (whether good or bad). After about three rounds, the chance is about 1/100. The chance is doubled if there is actually a legitimate reason and probability for it to be present at the location.
Rather than guilds, clerics have temples, shrines, or churches. Membership and offerings here, increases the mana available to the cleric beyond their personal accumulation. Each such temple and such has it's own store or shared pool: a hidden account that can be drawn upon. For some gods this is automatic in times of need. Underling-level (acolyte) players get 0%, hero tiers get 5%, paragon get 15%, legendary get 35%, epic get 65%, and diety get 100%. The amount of mana in these "coffers" is dependent on the number of followers, and their devotion. So this gives some incentive for clerics to find devotees to their gods. The amount of mana to heal 1 HP is about 100.
If they wear a holy symbol of their god (visibly), they will generally gain +1-3 PTY and any opponents will get disadvantage rolls if their opponent`s gods are lesser levels than they (DM rolls a second set of dice on any attack hits to the cleric, ideally). Piety increased by 3 if they design a better one than any known symbol available, only +1 if it's a poor match to their diety, and +2 if it's just normal. Non-clerics can get +1 PTY for wearing one, conferring just under the same benefits depending on their service.) That piety goes towards their temple (which stores mana and then goes to their gods), of which they are a representative. XXXPrior versions of cleric "spells" are now simply "prayers" of a kind, giving some healing benefit that the gods have to provide, instead of the healer. They consume one time-slot to consider the spell and will generally expend twice the normal rate of mana for as long as they are used. For example, "speaking to the dead" will consume twice the normal amount of mana + the expenditure of the additional time-slot. "Dispel evil" requires only their intention and consuming the mana needed for as long as they exert this influence (there is no time-limit).XXX
High PTY gives them the divine link for healing, ASM the ability to know where and how, good PER allows them to use more time-slots to heal more hit-points per round, keeping STR gives them more power to direct into those who need it.
There is one little thing clerics can do that others can't do magically: walk on water. They have to have sufficient concentration and can't do anything else for the round. You know, if they're walking around, meditating, and need to keep their sanctity to cross a stream or something.
/*** STUB fix this: (PTY/20)% of mana is transferred effectively. 100 mana @100% effectiveness = 1HP The more they, the greater they can draw on from the gods. If they've converted 20 people, they can get (LVL*PTY/400)
Healers can direct as much of their mana as they want into their target. It takes 100 mana per HP. that means only 6 HP per round, however, their connection to the gods allows more mana flow, depnding on their (WIS)ieTY. If they want more than their time-slots allow, they can use the equation:
This amounts to 100*(LVL*2) Hit-points per round at 100% effectiveness. to determine how much mana they'll use from the gods (that means they can't use more than the followers have given) and accordingly how much healing you can do per round. The recipient of the healing must be inactive to receive the full healing.
It's effectiveness will depend on their level and their knowledge (anatomy, for example) and/or the piety of the recipient. Targets must be alive (HP >= 0) to receive healing from mana. If quick and deep healing is needed and they haven't enough mana, players will have to sacrifice their own HP (which they can regain normally). Their cursing applies contagion. It is unlike healing in that it doesn't relate to mana, but to the gods. Just 10 mana is sufficient to infect the desired target unless the target saves. STUB
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Healers gain XP by the amount of HP they restore to like-aligned characters (fellow adventurers or NPCs). The conversion is about 100 XP per 1 HP. Since your own life force is limited, helping your gods/goddesses get more followers, helps you.
If alignment or emotional state, changes, their auric field could also emanate the opposite traits: hate, bad luck, making opponents also fumble or have bad luck if their alignment is opposed to their gods.
BTW: it will take about a level 50 cleric to restore a decapitated member of your party. Level 35? can restore legs, and level 3? arms. Oh and you'll need some herbal bundles for it to restore properly. ...and about 3 days of rest. 'Nuff said?
Clerics level depending on how many converts they've made to their gods. One convert for level 1 (and 100XP), two more for level 2 (200 XP), three for level 3, and so on. The relationship, then, between XP and LVL is still being worked out. It might be the greater or lessor depending on their luck.
This here ain't your v3 (4, 5) clerics, these here are badass, differentiated tons to be bona fide classy.
Multiclass names:
