PRIEST-CRUSADER KIT Champion Description: Some expeditions or missions that a Crusader must undertake simply cannot achieve success through the application of massive force or gathered armies. Such missions are so demanding or involve foes so dangerous that they require the attention of a highly trained specialist whose combat skills far exceed even those of a typical Crusader. It is for this purpose that Champions exist, master tacticians whose steely nerves and unshakable resolve place them in the first rank of elite warriors. Champions thrive on action and most are eager to join adventuring parties. Their companions usually find them disciplined, focused, and unyielding in their determination to overcome obstacles and accomplish objectives. They generally socialize little, preferring instead to keep their bodies strong and fit with punishing regimens of exercise and keeping their minds sharp with quiet meditation. They are natural leaders in combat situations, fighting with grim intensity and fearless perseverance. Champions are unique among Crusaders in that they may be of any alignment, serving as divinely blessed paragons of faith of many deities. Champions share the usual racial and ability score restrictions of other Crusaders, but in addition a Champion must be in incredible physical condition and have scores of at least 14 in Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Weapons & Armor: Any type of armor or shield may be worn, but Champions share the same weapon proficiency restrictions as do Clerics of the faith. Note that Champions can only become proficient in one weapon (see Special Hindrances). Special Benefits: A Champion receives the same spheres of spell access that a standard Crusader gains (but see Special Hindrances below). A Champion can also expect full hospitality (food, lodging, and whatever else is needed, within reason under the circumstances) from any temple of his or her faith, gaining a +4 reaction bonus with those of his or her religion. In addition, they have an array of special combat abilities described below: Battle Prowess: As for a standard Crusader. A Champion can also elect to spend weapon proficiency slots on non-weapon proficiencies from their Preferred list. Consecrated Weapon: A Champion has the ability to imbue a special blessing upon a particular weapon, which must be specially consecrated in a temple of his or her deity. This requires one week of ritual and fasting by the Champion, plus one week per magical plus of the item (if any, counting the highest plus if the item has differentiated bonuses), with this time doubled if it has other special powers (e.g., a mace of disruption, vorpal weapon, or frost brand). When fighting with that weapon thereafter, it can never be fumbled, disarmed, or torn from the Champion's grasp so long as he or she is alive and conscious, and his or her skill with it and the nearly radiant divine power that surrounds the item provide the effect of the Display Weapon Prowess proficiency automatically whenever the Champion uses it in combat. A proficiency check must still be made once per encounter, but the Champion need not actually spend time on the weapons display--it takes effect as a normal part of his or her fighting style without any additional effort. In noncombat situations or if a non-consecrated weapon is used, the proficiency operates normally. A Consecrated Weapon can never rust, rot, corrode, or decay, and whenever an item saving throw is called for it is allowed to roll two saving throws and choose which roll to accept. A Consecrated Weapon may be used in lieu of a holy symbol by a Champion (equivalent to an 'exquisite' holy symbol in situations where the type of holy symbol matters). A Consecrated Weapon that is not magical counts as a magical weapon for the purposes of striking creatures that require magical weapons to hit, and a Consecrated Weapon that is magical does not lose its magical bonus on other planes, as its power is sustained by the faith and devotion of the Champion and the power of his or her deity. Finally, a Champion can always sense the direction and approximate distance to his or her Consecrated Weapon and may use this to track a lost or stolen weapon, and he or she will also know immediately if the weapon is destroyed. Divine Fervor: Champions are passionate about their calling to smite the enemies of the faith and to never retreat from confrontations with their foes. They are immune to all forms of fear and gain a +2 bonus to saves vs. all other forms of mind-affecting attacks, with a -2 penalty to Telepathic powers used against them. At 3rd level, Champions gain the ability to focus their divine energies, filling themselves with Divine Fervor and a nearly berserk disdain for their own life or personal safety. This can be done once per day and lasts for the duration of a single battle or for one turn, whichever is less. While consumed with this Divine Fervor, a Champion gains one extra attack per round, increases his or her movement rate by 3, receives a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls and saving throws, and can dodge or deflect missile weapons launched at him or her by making a successful save vs. breath weapon. At 5th level, a Champion's Divine Fervor becomes so intense that a Champion who is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points is not knocked unconscious but instead is filled nearly to bursting with a blaze of divine energy that grants double the benefits listed above, even if he or she has already invoked Divine Fervor that day. A Champion in this state can be wounded normally but does not automatically lose hit points each round, but he or she must remain engaged in physical combat and cannot stop to perform any other actions. If the Champion is reduced below -10 hit points, -1 per level of the Champion (e.g., -15 for a 5th level Champion), he or she dies immediately. If all enemies are slain or escape the field of battle prior to this point, the Champion immediately collapses in exhaustion and must make a system shock roll with a penalty equal to his or her negative hit point total in order to survive. If it succeeds, the Champion can be revived by normal means. Physical Enhancement: The intensive and rigorous training and exercise regimen of Champions, combined with their special divine favor, allows them to improve not only their fighting skills but also their physical capabilities. When a Champion begins his or her career, the character gains percentile rolls for his or her Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores. At each level thereafter, the Champion should roll 2d10 for each score and add that to the percentile score. When a percentile score reaches 100, the Champion has gained a full point in that ability score and the percentile begins to accumulate again. For example, a Champion begins with a 16 Dexterity and rolls 88 for his percentile. Upon attaining 2nd level, he or she rolls 2d10 for Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution and adds this number to each percentile. The roll for Dexterity is 14; added to 88 this makes 102, so the Dexterity score increases from 16/88 to 17/02. A Champion gains benefits for Strength and Constitution scores as a Warrior would, but otherwise percentile scores do not provide any added bonus over the base ability score until a full point has been added. Weapon Mastery: All Champions begin play with Skilled Specialization in any one weapon allowed to Clerics of their faith. As they advance in level, they can spend additional weapon proficiency slots to improve their level of specialization or to gain Shield proficiency and/or specialization, but they cannot specialize in more than one weapon. In addition to their remarkable skill in wielding their chosen weapon, Champions have an innate sense for judging the worth of weapons of that type. Hence, they can always determine the quality, workmanship, and magical bonus(es) of any weapon of their chosen type by simply handling the weapon for one round and testing its heft and balance. Special powers apart from magical bonuses cannot be determined. Special Hindrances: Champions are specialists in individual combat and pay little attention to matters of large-scale wars and battles. They thus do not gain the Campaign Skill of typical Crusaders and never gain followers of any sort. A Champion can retain henchmen or hirelings, but not until he or she reaches at least 5th level. Since Champions must be exemplars of bravery the virtues of the faith, they are expected to be at the forefront of battle against the foes of the church and never to retreat even in the face of overwhelming odds unless commanded to do so by an acknowledged superior (such as a higher- level priest of the faith), to save the life of a member of the faith, or a similar situation. A Champion who retreats from battle for any receives only half normal experience for the encounter. A Champion who retreats in less than an extreme situation (e.g., saving party members or others of the faith) receives no experience points. A Champion must devote him- or herself to achieving perfection in the use of a single weapon at 1st level, forsaking all other weapon proficiencies. From that time forward, the Champion can never become proficient in any other weapon, though they can spend weapon proficiency slots on improving specialization in their chosen weapon or for shield proficiency and specialization or to select additional non-weapon proficiencies from their Preferred list. If a Champion is forced to fight with a weapon other than his or her chosen weapon, he or she will gain no experience points for monsters defeated. This does not apply with respect to opponents defeated with the use of spells or through other means, and noncombat experience is unaffected. In addition to this limitation, a Champion will feel uncomfortable with using a non-consecrated weapon, as it weakens the deep and abiding spiritual bond they feel with their weapon, almost like a brother, sister, or friend who fights with them, rather than for them. Thus, a Champion who must use a non-consecrated weapon of their chosen type rather than their specific personal Consecrated Weapon (e.g., "Firegem, my +1 flame tongue broad sword") loses his or her specialization bonuses of Weapon Mastery; thus, those benefits apply only when fighting with a Consecrated Weapon. Note that a new weapon can be consecrated at any time if the Champion's personal weapon is lost or stolen (or if he or she simply finds a new and better weapon to wield). Thus, a Champion need not 'un-consecrate' his or her previous weapon before consecrating a new one. Because of their emphasis on physical combat, Champions are much weaker magically than other priests, with spellcasting ability as if they were four levels lower than their actual level. Thus, Champions do not gain spellcasting ability until they reach 5th level, at which point they cast spells as a 1st level priest. They are limited in spell spheres as are other Crusaders, and in addition at least one spell from the Combat sphere must be memorized for each level of spells that the Champion can cast. A Champion's focus on combat skills takes time away from other studies, halving the normal number of non-weapon proficiencies gained at 1st level and causing them to gain such proficiency slots only every four levels, rather than every three. Further, they may only take proficiencies from their Required and Preferred lists; all other proficiencies are considered Forbidden. Because of their special role, Champions are more beholden to their churches as a whole and to their orders than are other Crusaders. They must tithe at least 25% of all income directly to their order or church, and they are encouraged to give as much over and above this as is not directly required for the upkeep of themselves and any retainers. In addition, Champions have a 5% per level chance each time they advance a level of being summoned to undertake a special quest or mission on behalf of the church. Like other Crusaders, a Champion must also obey the commands of any higher-level priests (of any type) of their faith. Failure to obey, unless to obey would contravene the Champion's alignment or unless a higher-level priest than the one giving the original order overrules the order, results in the loss of all special abilities except for Battle Prowess and Physical Enhancement benefits already gained until atonement has been completed, which will allow a Champion to regain all normal benefits (though he or she will need to re-consecrate his or her chosen weapon, as it will lose its special blessing in the hands of a faithless or disobedient Champion). Required Proficiencies: Display Weapon Prowess, Endurance Preferred Proficiencies: Alertness, Ancient History, Armor Optimization, Armorer, Awareness, Battle Magic, Blacksmithing, Blind-fighting, Healing, Heraldry, Language (Modern), Law, Local History, Monster Lore, Reading/Writing, Riding (any), Running, Tactics, Weapons Instruction, Weaponsmithing