PRIEST-CLERIC KIT

Scholar

Description:  A priest of this kit is generally more interested in research and 
experimentation than adventuring, and so will usually be encountered as NPCs.  
Those Scholars who do take up the adventuring lifestyle, however, do so out of a 
thirst for knowledge and to learn about how their faith fits into the religious 
structure of the world.  They are first and foremost experts in their own 
religion's most obscure tenets, but they also seek to learn about the theology 
and ritual of other faiths whenever possible in the course of their research 
into anything and everything they encounter in their travels.  As a general 
rule, Scholars tend to be sedentary and travel only when they must, keeping 
mostly to urban areas (for better access to libraries, sages, and other research 
facilities), but they can occasionally be found living alone in the wilderness.  
Scholars serve the missionary function of the church by ensuring the spread of 
information and the ethos of the church to the intellectual community at large, 
entering the views and teachings of the church into debate and discourse among 
learned folk all over the world and spreading the word of their deity through 
the application of logic, reason, and good teaching.

Scholars can be of any alignment and of any race except half-ogres.  A priest 
wishing to become a Scholar must have Intelligence and Wisdom scores of at least 
14.

Weapons & Armor:  As usual for their deity.

Special Benefits:  Scholars gain the usual spheres of spell access and granted 
powers appropriate for their chosen deity, and in addition they have an array of 
other intellectual abilities:

Community of Learners:  Scholars often maintain extensive correspondence with 
scholars throughout the world.  The Scholar's scholarly bearing and reputation 
is impressive to others who are authors, journalists, teachers, scholars, 
researchers, or simply intellectuals, gaining a +3 reaction bonus with people of 
this type.  They are also able to use their connections to receive a 10% 
discount on costs related to magical research or study (including materials and 
reference books), sage consultations, spell components, and the like, though 
this requires a successful Charisma check with a -1 bonus per three levels of 
the Scholar (rounding up).  A similar Charisma check can usually get the Scholar  
free food and lodging at any center of learning.  Food and lodging for 
characters travelling with the Scholar can usually also be arranged, either free 
or for a nominal fee.

Linguistics:  Because they must frequently correspond with learned folk from 
other cultures and must peruse dusty tomes filled with dead languages, Scholars 
apply themselves assiduously to the study of languages.  When learning ancient 
or modern languages, a Scholar need spend only half the usual number of 
proficiency slots.  In addition, they the equivalent of the Rogue's Read 
Languages ability with a base score of 20 percent, plus 5 percent per level 
after 1st.

Scholarship:  A Scholar gains a +1 bonus on all Intelligence checks and a +1 
bonus on all Wisdom checks whenever such a check is called for, including using 
non-weapon proficiencies depending on these two ability scores.  In addition, 
Scholars study constantly, and this allows them to gain additional non-weapon 
proficiency slots every two levels of experience, and it takes them only half 
the normal amount of time to pick up a new proficiency.  Their efficient study 
also allows them to reduce the cost of magical research (spell or magical item) 
by 10%.

Scholars also are able to focus and concentrate their study in great detail on 
specific topics.  As a result, if a library is available to study in the Scholar 
can gain a +1d4 bonus to any non-weapon proficiency check for every day spent 
studying, up to a maximum of +5.  The Scholar must choose a specific proficiency 
to study, and the bonus (which can only be used once) must be used within 1 day 
per level of the Scholar.

Teaching:  A Scholar can also temporarily impart any non-weapon proficiency he 
or she knows upon another character with one day of instruction.  Once this 
instruction has been completed, the Scholar should make a proficiency check and 
the student must attempt an Intelligence check.  If both fail, the attempt fails 
and the Scholar cannot teach that proficiency to that character until he or she 
advances a level, at which point another attempt can be made.  If one of the two 
rolls fails, another day of instruction can be spent and the process repeated.  
If both rolls succeed, the student learns the proficiency and can use it 
normally.  The base proficiency target score is either the Scholar's own score 
or the score that would apply based on the student's own ability score, 
whichever is lower, and it is usable at this level for one day per level of the 
Scholar, after which the target score will decrease by 1 every day until it 
reaches 0, at which point effective memory of the teaching fades and the 
temporary proficiency is lost.  

A student can retain one temporary proficiency for every five points of 
Intelligence (rounding up).  A Scholar can maintain a number of students equal 
to the 'Maximum Henchmen' number allowed for his or her Charisma score, plus one 
additional student per level of experience.

Special Hindrances:  Those who are not part of a Scholar's Community of Learners 
tend to consider the Scholar pompous, verbose, pedantic, and rather irritating, 
resulting in a -2 reaction penalty with respect to any such creature who has to 
listen to the Scholar speak for more than one round.  In addition, if the 
Scholar converses with any similar scholarly NPC there is a 10% chance that the 
Scholar will inadvertently impugn some pet opinion of the NPC, resulting in a 
new reaction roll with a -6 penalty.

As a general rule, Scholars are too busy pondering weighty intellectual and 
philosophical questions to want to be bothered with managing the day to day 
affairs of others.  As a result, they never attract henchmen, though they may 
hire assistants if they wish.  Similarly, they will never attract a cadre of 
followers, nor do Scholars ever care to build castles or fortifications of any 
sort (though a Scholar might prevail upon a friendly Cleric to set aside room 
for an extensive library in a temple fortress he or she might be constructing).  
Scholars delve deeply into history and theology but really have little to do 
with the day-to-day operations of the church, forgoing the Ceremony, Inspire, 
and Church Affiliation abilities of a typical Cleric.

In addition, the Scholar's focus on study leaves him or her rather untrained in 
combat, resulting in a -1 penalty to hit, and a Scholar gains only a single 
weapon proficiency at 1st level.  Further, he or she gains new weapon 
proficiencies at half the normal rate (i.e., every eight levels, rather than 
every four).  Further, the Scholar's sedentary lifestyle results in a habitual 
lack of physical conditioning and endurance, and this applies a -2 penalty to 
any Strength or Constitution ability checks, including non-weapon proficiencies 
based on these abilities.  Scholars are also very uncomfortable in heavy armor, 
suffering double the normal Dexterity check penalties from wearing heavy armor 
and also suffering a penalty to all attack rolls equal to the normal Dexterity 
check penalty for the armor type being worn.

In addition to the above, all but one non-weapon proficiency slot at 1st level 
must be spent on the Preferred Proficiencies below.

Bonus Proficiencies:  Reading/Writing, Religion
Required Proficiencies:  Debate, Teaching
Preferred Proficiencies:  Alchemy, Ancient History, Artistic Ability, Astronomy, 
Bookbinding, Bureaucracy, Ecology, Cartography, Celestology, Demonology, 
Etiquette, Heraldry, Herbalism, Language (Ancient), Language (Modern), Law, 
Local History, Medicine, Monster Lore, Musical Instrument, Necrology, 
Papermaking, Planology, Poetry, Research, Rune Lore, Scribe, Singing, 
Spellcraft, Supernumerate