PRIEST-CRUSADER KIT Strategist Description: Crusaders are warlike priests in general, but Strategists are devoted to the proposition that war is won by those with the best planning, strategy, and tactics, regardless of the apparent odds. Any fool can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with fortune's aid, but only a master strategist can ensure victory that will last. They emphasize that war is a series of battles and that losing a battle does not necessarily indicate that the war is lost. They strive to seek the weaknesses of their opponents while recognizing their own; at the same time, they play to their own strengths while avoiding those of their enemy--only by focusing on one's own strengths and an opponent's vulnerability can triumph be assured. Crusaders always take the long view of things: in times of peace they prepare for war, and in times of war they prepare for peace. They seek out the enemies of their enemies as allies and are prepared to compromise when necessary to ensure final victory, but always with a contingency plan at the ready. Strategists must be of lawful alignment and must have scores of at least 13 in Intelligence and Wisdom, in addition to standard Crusader ability scores. All normal Crusader races can become Strategists save for half-orcs. Weapons & Armor: As a standard Crusader. Special Benefits: Strategists gain the usual spell spheres of a Crusader, but in addition they gain major access to the Divination and Travelers spheres and minor access to the Creation sphere. In addition, any spells cast from the Travelers and War spheres take effect as if the Strategist was double his or her actual level. Strategists also gain a number of other abilities as they advance in level: Battle Planning: Strategists are experts at all facets of warfare and battle planning, gaining a +2 bonus to their Strategy proficiency. In addition, at 3rd level and every three levels thereafter a Strategist can choose to add a +1 bonus to any one of the following proficiencies: Ambush, Artillerist, Engineer- Artillerist, Fortification, Heraldry, Leadership, Monster Lore, Navigation, Signaling, Strategy, Tactics. This bonus can be applied to a single proficiency as many times as the Strategist desires, but obviously it cannot be used to improve a proficiency that the Strategist does not know. Battle Prowess: As a standard Crusader. Campaign Skill: As a standard Crusader. Foresight: Strategists are very insightful in their interactions with others and being able to evaluate situations to their best advantage. Their careful evaluation of situations grants them a +1 bonus to saves vs. illusions for every three levels of experience (rounding up), to a maximum of +5. In addition, Strategists gain a number of innate powers that assist them in gathering information and preparing for battle: Level Ability 1st message 1/day 3rd clairaudience or clairvoyance 1/day 5th divination 1/day 7th consequence 1/week 9th hallucinatory terrain 1/day 11th true seeing 1/day In addition to these benefits, Strategists of 9th level or above can read and cast wizard scroll spells from the school of Divination as if a wizard of equal level. A Strategist automatically recognizes such spells without need of a read magic spell. Special Hindrances: Strategists generally emphasize defense above all else but also recognize the value of imposing heavy armor. As a result, they must always wear the heaviest armor they can afford, selecting heavier non-magical armor in preference to less heavy magical armor; thus, full plate armor is always preferred over other types of armor. Further, although their armor can be battle-worn, most Strategists seek to keep it polished and unmarred, as befits a commander seeking to inspire his or her followers and intimidate his or her enemies. In addition to this concern with appearance, Strategists are much more tightly linked to their Crusader orders than are standard Crusaders. Thus, they must donate at least 20% of their income to their order. Like other Crusaders, they must also obey the commands of higher-level priests of the faith, though they may always attempt to render their strategic advice. Finally, Strategists spend so much time focusing on the study of war that they are not as proficient at spellcasting as other priests (or even other Crusaders). Thus, while they follow the same pattern as standard Crusaders in terms of gaining access to spell spheres outside the 'core' Crusader spheres appropriate to their deity, any spells that they cast from spheres other than Travelers or War take effect as if they were only half their actual level (spells without level-based effects instead have their normal effects halved-- e.g., cure light wounds would heal only 1d4 points of damage). The actual number of spells they may cast per day is unaffected. Required Proficiencies: Endurance, Strategy Preferred Proficiencies: Alertness, Ambush, Armorer, Artillerist, Awareness, Ancient History, Bowyer/Fletcher, Debate, Display Weapon Prowess, Engineer- Artillerist, Etiquette, Fortification, Healing, Heraldry, Leadership, Local History, Navigation, Observation, Reading/Writing, Religion, Riding (Land- based), Siegecraft, Signaling, Tactics, Weaponsmithing Forbidden Proficiencies: Any Psionicist, Rogue, or Wizard proficiencies