PRIEST-CLERIC KIT

Orthodox Priest

Description:  Orthodox Priests represent the faithful clerics that maintain the 
temples, monasteries, and convents of established religions  These men and women 
provide a sense of continuity and permanence to the lives of believers around 
them.  It is they who make the calls for prayers, they who deliver the sermons, 
and they who perform the daily tasks required of their deity.  They are 
missionaries in the service of their deity, as other Clerics are, but they also 
devote a good deal of attention to the needs and goals of the organized church 
hierarchy and ensuring that proper religious doctrine is being followed and that 
the deity's will is being done.

Orthodox Priests must be lawful or neutral in alignment.  This is not to say 
that churches of chaotic deities do not have any form of organized worship, but 
rather that their church organization is much looser and overall is less 
structured than that represented by lawful and neutral religions that have 
Orthodox Priests.  Other than this alignment restriction, Orthodox Priests share 
the same racial and ability requirements as typical Clerics, modified of course 
by their specific religious faith.

Weapons & Armor:  As per the deity in question.

Special Benefits:  An Orthodox Priest shares the benefits of standard Cleric, 
but his or her Church Affiliation is much closer and deeper due to his or her 
involvement in the theocratic hierarchy.  Assuming a temple of the appropriate 
faith is available, an Orthodox Priest can request and expect to receive the 
following aid:  

 - Safe haven, food, and lodging within the temple for the priest and as many 
   companions as he or she has levels.  In exchange, the priest is expected to 
   help the other clergy present with miscellaneous temple tasks for as long as 
   he or she is lodging in the temple.

 - A loan from the church of up to twice the priest's level times 100 g.p.  This 
   loan must be repaid within 30 days or all other special benefits are lost 
   until it is repaid.  Loans may be made as often as desired, so long as the 
   priest has no outstanding debt.

 - Assistance with church-related tasks from other priests of the faith who are 
   3 or more levels below the level of the Orthodox Priests; obedience is not 
   usually a problem, as failure to obey or help a higher-level Orthodox Priest 
   could result in church sanctions.

 - The services of a unit of temple guardsmen for a number of days up to his or 
   her level, as long as the mission somehow advances the cause of the faith.  
   The Orthodox Priest can request 1d4 0-level fighters, one 1st level Templar 
   Fighter, or one 1st level Crusader (any kit) for every level.  This can be 
   done only once at each level of experience.

 - The services of a priestly assistant of one-half his or her own level 
   (maximum of 4th level).  This assistant will also be an Orthodox Priest, and 
   his or her services can be retained for one week per level of the requesting 
   priest.  This can be done only once at each level of experience.

Special Hindrances:  Because they are more involved with the inner workings and 
leadership of the church, Orthodox Priests are expected to be ready to support 
its work with their time, effort, money, and willingness to serve as they are 
asked by the church.  In this vein, Orthodox Priests are expected to tithe at 
least 10 percent of their income directly to the church.  This does not include 
other largesse, such as gifts to the poor or other civic projects--this goes 
directly to the church thierocracy.  Over and above their tithing, Orthodox 
Priests are encouraged not to hoard personal wealth but to turn over excess 
funds to the church.  In addition to the above, after buying initial equipment 
an Orthodox Priest must return all but 3 g.p. to the church, although he or she 
can make a loan to purchase equipment that he or she would otherwise not have 
been able to afford.

Finally, Orthodox Priests operate within fairly structured hierarchies, and all 
such priests, whether PCs or NPCs, are expected to follow the direction of 
Orthodox Priests of their faith that are at least three levels higher than their 
own level.  If such directions are not carried out and there is not very good 
reason for doing so, the Orthodox Priest will be stripped of his or her position 
and benefits and will be treated as a standard Cleric by others of his or her 
faith until atonement (q.v.) is made.

Required Proficiencies:  Bureaucracy, Ceremony/Ritual, Religion
Preferred Proficiencies:  Ancient History, Chanting, Debate, Endurance, 
Etiquette, Healing, Heraldry, Language (any), Local History, Reading/Writing, 
Singing, Spellcraft