THE CLERIC

PRIME ATTRIBUTE: Wisdom
HIT DICE: d8
ALIGNMENT: Any
WEAPONS: Special, club, crowbill hammer, dagger, light or heavy flail, light hammer, light or heavy mace, morningstar, quarterstaff, war hammer
ARMOR: Any
ABILITIES: Spells, turn undead

TABLE: THE CLERIC

	 Level   HD  BtH  EPP
	 -----------------------
	 1     d8  +0    0
	 2     d8  +1   2,251
	 3     d8  +1   5,001
	 4     d8  +2   9,001
	 5     d8  +2  18,001
	 6     d8  +3  35,001
	 7     d8  +3  70,001
	 8     d8  +4  140,001
	 9     d8  +4  300,001
	10     d8  +5  425,001
	11     3HP +5  650,001
	12    +3HP +6  900,001
	13    +3HP +1 +250,000 (per level)

Clerics are those who have devoted themselves to the service of a deity, pantheon or other belief system. Most Clerics spend their time in mundane forms of service such as preaching and ministering in a temple. But there are those who are called to go abroad from the temple and serve their deity in a more direct way, smiting undead monsters and aiding in the battle against evil and chaos. Player character Clerics are assumed to be among the latter group. Some examples of Gods are provided from the Egyptian, Greek, and Norse pantheons.

Clerics fight about as well as Rogues, but not as well as Fighters. They are hardier than Rogues at lower levels. Clerics can cast spells of divine nature starting at 2nd level, and they have the power to Turn the Undead, that is, to drive away undead monsters by means of faith alone (see Turning Undead for details).

The Prime Requisite of Clerics is Wisdom; a character must have a Wisdom of 9 to become a Cleric. They may wear any armor, but may only use blunt weapons including slings.

ABILITIES

TABLE: CLERIC SPELLS PER DAY

Level 0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9
----------------------------------
   1  3  1  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
   2  4  2  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
   3  4  2  1  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
   4  4  3  2  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
   5  4  3  2  1  -  -  -  -  -  -
   6  5  3  3  2  -  -  -  -  -  -
   7  5  4  3  2  1  -  -  -  -  -
   8  5  4  3  3  2  -  -  -  -  -
   9  5  4  4  3  2  1  -  -  -  -
  10  5  4  4  3  3  2  -  -  -  -
  11  6  5  4  4  3  2  1  -  -  -
  12  6  5  4  4  3  3  2  -  -  -
  13  6  5  5  4  4  3  2  1  -  -
  14  6  5  5  4  4  3  3  2  -  -
  15  6  5  5  5  4  4  3  2  1  -
  16  6  6  5  5  4  4  3  3  2  -
  17  6  6  5  5  5  4  4  3  2  1
  18  6  6  6  5  5  4  4  3  3  2
  19  6  6  6  5  5  5  4  4  3  2
  20  6  6  6  6  5  5  4  4  3  3

SPELLS: A cleric casts divine spells. The spells available are listed on the cleric spell list. A cleric is limited to a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. The Cleric Spells Per Day Table shows the number of spells per day a character of the class may cast. Clerics prepare spells each day through prayer to their deity or deities, followed by contemplation and study.

BONUS SPELLS: High wisdom indicates a greater divine connection. Clerics with a high wisdom gain bonus spells. If they have a wisdom of 13-15, they receive an extra 1st level spell. If the wisdom score is 16 or 17, they receive an extra 2nd level spell and if 18 or 19, an extra 3rd level spell. Bonus spells can only be acquired if the cleric is at a high enough level to cast them. Bonus spells are cumulative.

DEITY & DOMAIN SPELLS: A cleric's deity influences his alignment, what magic he can perform, his values, and how others see him. A cleric chooses two domains from among those belonging to his deity. A cleric can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if his alignment matches that domain.

If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, he still selects two domains to represent his spiritual inclinations and abilities. The restriction on alignment domains still applies.

Each domain gives the cleric access to a domain spell at each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up, as well as a granted power. The cleric gets the granted powers of both the domains selected.

With access to two domain spells at a given spell level, a cleric prepares one or the other each day in his domain spell slot. If a domain spell is not on the cleric spell list, a cleric can prepare it only in his domain spell slot.

SPONTANEOUS CASTING: A good cleric (or a neutral cleric of a good deity) can channel stored spell energy into healing spells that the cleric did not prepare ahead of time. The cleric can "lose" any prepared spell that is not a domain spell in order to cast any cure spell of the same spell level or lower (a cure spell is any spell with "cure" in its name).

An evil cleric (or a neutral cleric of an evil deity), can't convert prepared spells to cure spells but can convert them to inflict spells (an inflict spell is one with "inflict" in its name).

A cleric who is neither good nor evil and whose deity is neither good nor evil can convert spells to either cure spells or inflict spells (player's choice). Once the player makes this choice, it cannot be reversed. This choice also determines whether the cleric turns or commands undead (see below).

TURN UNDEAD (Wisdom): A cleric has the ability to turn, or even destroy, undead monsters. To turn undead, a cleric must declare the attempt as an attack and then make a successful wisdom attribute check. The character must display a holy symbol toward the undead and utter a prayer, chant or other invocation of the character’s deity. Turn undead is considered a special attack and takes one round. Turn undead has a maximum range of 60 feet.

Turning undead consists of channelling divine power. The ability to channel divine power is measured by the cleric’s own willpower. Accordingly, charisma, not wisdom, affects the number of undead creatures that are turned with a successful turn undead check. In most cases, the number of undead turned will be 1d12 plus the cleric’s charisma modifier. When a cleric is five or more levels higher than the undead being turned, the undead are instead destroyed.

Evil clerics may, instead of turning undead, control them. An evil cleric must be at least five levels higher than the hit dice of the undead sought to be controlled. Evil clerics can also turn good clerics.

Turn undead is covered in greater detail in Turning Undead.

WEAPON SELECTION: The cleric is only allowed to use certain weapons. One weapon must be identical to the major weapon in use by the deity which they worship. If no single deity is worshipped and a pantheon is instead worshipped, weapon selection is limited to the pantheon’s major deities or the deity most closely associated with the activities the cleric intends to undertake.

See also:

• Cleric Domains

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