SRD:Petitioner

Some spirits demonstrate their devotion to their deity by traveling to the deity’s home plane. Those that survive the journey across the planes become servants of their deity. While a few may remain disembodied spirits, most become petitioners through the divine will of their patron deity.

In general, petitioners appear in the form that they had when they died, though they may be remade by deities to fit the nature of their particular afterlife. In general, petitioners who become divine servants are creatures that originally had at least 1 Intelligence and 1 Wisdom.

The following creature types may become petitioners depending on the deity: aberrations, animals, dragons, fey, giants, humanoids, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, and plants, oozes, and vermin with sufficient ability scores. Constructs and undead are not usually made into petitioners, though the spirits of their original forms may be. Elementals and outsiders tend to meld with their native planes, and as such do not become petitioners. Their spirits may still be called back from the dead, however.

The template presented below is for NPCs, not player characters. If dead characters who are petitioners are later restored to life (once again becoming player characters), they forget any of their experiences as petitioners.

Creating a Petitioner

“Petitioner” is a template that may be added to any creature as determined by the nature of the campaign (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature’s type changes to outsider, and the creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Hit Dice

Change to 2d8. Retain bonus hit points.

AC

Natural Armor Class, Dexterity, and size bonuses or penalties apply. Armor bonuses are not applicable.

Attacks

Base attack bonus is reduced to +2, subject to modifications for size and Strength.

Special Attacks

A petitioner loses all supernatural and spell-like attacks, but retains normal and exceptional attacks.

Special Qualities

A petitioner loses all supernatural and spell-like abilities, but retains exceptional abilities. In addition, it gains the following qualities.

Mental Immunity

All petitioners are immune to mind-affecting effects.

Other Immunities

Depending on its nature, the petitioner is immune to two of the following effects: acid, cold, electricity, fire, poison, petrifaction, or polymorphing. These immunities are applied similarly to all petitioners of a particular plane or deity.

Resistances

Depending on the nature of the petitioner’s plane, the petitioner gains resistance 20 against two of the following effects: acid, cold, electricity, or fire.

Planar Commitment

Petitioners cannot leave the plane they inhabit. They are teleported one hundred miles in a random direction if an attempt is made to force them to leave.

Additional Special Qualities

Particular planes may provide additional benefits for petitioners of those planes. Typical additional special qualities may include any one of the following.

• Damage reduction 5/silver and spell resistance 5.

• Continuous magic circle against evil.

• Fast healing 1.

• Damage reduction 10/magic.

• Spell resistance 10.

• Additional 2d8 Hit Dice.

• Remove all immunities and resistances except immunity to mind-affecting effects. Add acid, cold, electricity, fire, and poison resistance 5.

Such modifications are the result of the nature of the plane or the powerful beings within it.

Saves

Base saving throw bonuses are +3.

Abilities

Same as the base creature. Some cosmologies or deities may set a maximum of 18 for petitioner ability scores. Abilities higher than that are reduced to the maximum.

Skills

Petitioners have no skills. Previous skills are lost.

Feats

Petitioners have no feats. Previous feats are lost.

Climate/Terrain

Any land and underground (within the same plane).

Organization

Same as the base creature.

Challenge Rating

1.

Treasure

None.

Alignment

Same as the native plane.

Advancement

None.

Exceptional Petitioners

The deities may choose particular servants for specific tasks that may retain the knowledge of their previous selves. These exceptional petitioners retain the feats and skills they had in life, but are otherwise limited as for the petitioners of their plane.

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