WARRIOR-PALADIN KIT

Athar

Description:  The Athar represent a very strange (some would say dangerously 
insane) breed of Paladins who in essence deny the existence of the powers of the 
planes.  They contend that the deities are liars and charlatans, nothing more 
than unbelievably powerful mortals.  Though it is possible that there might 
somewhere be a true god, or maybe even more than one, such a power would be 
beyond the understanding of mere mortals and would not behave like squabbling, 
feuding children, as most of the so-called powers do.  Priest spells and powers, 
where they exist, are simply the result of unconsciously tapping into this 
greater source of power that is behind anything, and the powers have discovered 
some means to channel tiny fractions of this power.  Foolish mortals believe 
that the powers themselves are the source of all of this power and majesty, and 
why would those deities have any interest in correcting such a mistake.  The 
outer planes are not abodes of supreme beings, they are simply lands shaped by 
the will of the powers, and anyone could do it if they had the expertise and 
power.  All things are or have the potential to be divine; it is simply a matter 
of passing through a nearly endless series of tests and steps to 'advance' 
toward infinity.  The powers are not the end of the line, as even they are 
actually seeking and striving to take that final step and to merge with (or 
perhaps escape from) the multiverse forever.  Every creature thus is able to 
manufacture or control its own fate, and they must be ready to truly work at it 
rather than hoping and praying that some so-called power is going to step down 
and carry them over the rough spots.  In essence, all things in life must be 
earned, and it is possible within each person to do the work to achieve their 
destiny.

All of the above said, Athar do not necessarily go out of their way to 
antagonize the powers directly, since they are very powerful and make dangerous 
enemies.  All an Athar seeks is to part the veil, discover the secret beyond 
everything, to look on the face of the unknowable, and to let everyone else see 
the 'man behind the curtain'.

Requirements:  Athar must be of absolute and unflinching true neutral alignment.  
They must have scores of at least 13 in Intelligence and Wisdom, 9 in Strength 
and Constitution, and 17 in Charisma.  Only humans of all the races have the 
temerity to adopt the defiant philosophy of the Athar.

Weapons & Armor:  Athar can wear any armor and use any type of weapon or shield.

Special Benefits:  Athar have the same ability to specialize in a melee weapon 
as other Paladins do.  In addition, they gain an array of special abilities, 
including most of the usual Paladin powers.

Aura of Holiness:  As a standard Paladin, but an Athar's aura works grants no 
protection against true neutral creatures, the minimal +1 bonus vs. partially 
neutral creatures, and its full bonus against any creature of extreme (i.e., 
non-neutral) alignment.  The dispelling effect of an Athar's Aura of Holiness 
functions vs. magic cast by creatures of extreme alignments and vs. all priest 
magic, regardless of the alignment of the caster.  This dispelling effect can be 
negated by the will of the Athar with respect to wizardly magic, but not vs. 
priest magic.

Call Mount:  As a standard Paladin.

Charismatic Appeal:  As a standard Paladin, save that an Athar can automatically 
achieve a 'Friendly' reaction with any creature whose alignment is at least 
partially neutral.  An Athar cannot, however, use his or her Charismatic Appeal 
upon any priestly character, including Paladins, Rangers, and others who have 
limited priest abilities.

Chosen Foe:  As a standard Paladin, save that an Athar can select any priesthood 
of an extreme alignment (lawful good, lawful evil, chaotic good, or chaotic 
evil) as his or her Chosen Foe.  An Athar gains a +1 bonus to hit and damage 
against all priests and priest-like characters and against outer-planar 
creatures who are directly serving or acting as emissaries of a deity.

Defiance of Divinity:  Athar absolutely reject the authority and influence of 
so-called deities, and this provides them with a considerable measure of 
resistance to priestly magic.  Athar are completely immune to all forms of 
priestly curses, as well as the following spells:  abjure, augury, bless, 
divination, enthrall, exaction, holy word, and quest.  They also receive a 
saving throw vs. any priest spell, even if no save is normally allowed; against 
spells that do allow a save, Athar never suffer saving throw penalties (e.g., 
hold person normally applies a penalty if directed at only 1 or 2 targets, but 
this would not apply vs. an Athar).

Essence of Defiance:  As a standard Paladin's Essence of Virtue.

Sense Alignment:  As a standard Paladin, save that an Athar can detect the 
presence of strong alignment tendencies in any direction.  He or she also has a 
5% chance per level to determine the precise alignment of any creature within 
the area of effect when this power is used.

Universal Knowledge:  Athar believe in self-sufficiency, and as a result they 
study very widely in order that they will be able to undertake a task in an area 
with a reasonable chance of success.  Because of this practice, Athar gain six 
non-weapon proficiency slots in addition to the normal bonus slots allowed for 
his or her Intelligence.  Athar can also learn proficiencies from all groups 
without penalty and without restriction.

Universal Perception:  An Athar's senses are highly attuned to the natural and 
supernatural forces that are at work in the world.  This provides them with 
infravision out to a 60' range and also grants them a +1 bonus to avoid being 
surprised.  Athar also gain a +2 bonus to saves vs. ingested poison, as they are 
more sensitive to the presence of foreign substances in their food and drink.

With their search for the true path of ascension and divinity available to all 
things, Athar come to realize certain 'universal truths', which allows them to 
sense and evaluate patterns and systems with great skill.  Athar are thus able 
to use the following spell-like powers as they advance in level.

Level		Power
1st		comprehend languages
3rd		calculate chances
5th		patternweave
7th		moment
9th		probability control

Each of these powers is usable once per day and functions exactly as the spell 
of the same name, cast at the Athar's level, save that the maximum duration for 
any spell is 24 hours, regardless of the Athar's level.

Special Hindrances:  Athar are passionately dedicated to their anti-deific 
cause, which has earned them the epithet 'The Lost' from most priesthoods.  An 
Athar, of course, cannot receive any sort of Priestly Powers, and he or she also 
loses any ability to perform Faith Healing (after all, how could one do this 
when he or she has no faith in the 'charlatan' deities).  In addition, because 
Athar deny the validity of the powers they cannot receive beneficial effects 
from priests of any sort.  Simply put, deities will not allow their servants to 
use their divinely granted spells or magical devices to assist an individual who 
so strenuously denies their power and authority (note that healing potions will 
work normally on an Athar, as will psionic cell adjustment and similar powers).  
Thus, the resistance to priest magic conferred by an Athar's Aura of Holiness 
really only applies to hostile priest magic, since beneficial priest magic has 
no chance of working on an Athar.  Because of this restriction, it is obviously 
impossible for an Athar to be raised or resurrected from the dead, though he or 
she can be reincarnated by a wizard or brought back to life by a wish or similar 
magic.

Athar follow a balanced path of strict neutrality, utilizing their Charismatic 
Appeal as well as more mundane forms of diplomacy and persuasion to quell 
conflict and stifle extremism.  They also tend not to put themselves forward and 
prefer to build a balanced consensus that incorporates many different 
viewpoints.  Consequently, when part of a group an Athar will not pursue an 
action that has been discussed unless at least one opposing viewpoint has been 
offered and at least one other character (besides the one who initially proposed 
the idea) agrees with the plan.

Athar are seen by some as heartless because of their belief in self-sufficiency 
and that every individual is ultimately responsible for their own ascension into 
the ranks of the divine.  This is borne out by the fact that Athar carry this 
philosophy to the extreme that they will not ever perform or accept charity or 
'free' gifts or services from others.  To an Athar, such an act is in 
contravention to the natural mechanics of the universe and does not serve the 
interests of either party in the long run.  Everything that one gives or 
receives must be earned or paid for in some fashion, and such recompense must be 
provided before payment is accepted.

Athar seek happiness and fulfillment of their destiny, and they believe the best 
way to achieve their goal of universal knowledge (and consequent 'advancement') 
is by learning and experiencing everything possible as they travel throughout 
the world and the planes.  Thus, whenever possible Athar will seek out new 
experiences or recovery of lost lore.  In practice, an Athar will practically 
never refuse an offer that will lead to such experiences or knowledge, even 
something as seemingly trivial as tasting a new type of wine or journeying to 
seek out a rare and beautiful flower and inhale its fragrance.  Only when faced 
with very obvious and deadly peril will an Athar resist such temptations.

Finally, Athar sometimes succumb to fits of deep melancholia as they reflect on 
their existence and the general lack of progress in the grand universal matrix 
by themselves and society in general.  The rampant deception, self-deception, 
and general venality of the world around them is just too much to bear 
sometimes, and at the start of each game day an Athar has a 1 in 20 chance to be 
overcome by frustration and hopelessness at the simple futility of existence of 
themselves and all those around them.  Despite their best efforts, it seems they 
will never learn all they need to in order to pass the tests and advance to the 
next stage of existence.  During a day in which an Athar is overcome by 
melancholy, he or she will simply sit and meditate and try to figure out a new 
way of doing things that might get them 'over the hump'.  They will refuse to do 
anything else unless they can be philosophically convinced by another character 
that it is truly worthwhile or meaningful.  It should be noted that a monster 
eating another party member, for instance, is not sufficient justification for 
an Athar to set aside his or her contemplation.  To an Athar's point of view, 
that character's existence is more or less irrelevant anyway, so their life or 
death is simply a reflection of their own competence or incompetence and not 
really important to the Athar's quest for enlightenment and fulfillment.

Bonus Proficiency:  Debate
Required Proficiencies:  Numeracy, Reading/Writing
Preferred Proficiencies:  Alertness, Bookbinding, Calligraphy, Cartography, 
Diplomacy, Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Ecology, Healing, Herbalism, 
Investigation, Languages (Ancient), Languages (Modern), Medicine, Monster Lore, 
Navigation, Papermaking, Planology, Prophecy, Research, Rune Lore, Teaching, 
Time Sense