User:Spazalicious Chaos/The World of Varanost (3.5e Campaign Setting)/Classes

Classes

The world of Varanost is one of sharp divide, and not for the wuss of heart. As a result, below is a sampling of what it takes to be heroic in this world.

Barbarian

No level restriction

Barbarians are the elite shock forces and defenders of the savage Pagan armies, specially trained berserkers who leap into the front lines and slay everything on the battlefield or die trying. In the Pagan lands Barbarians outnumber Fighters and Warriors by a 3 to 1 margin in their standing armies, as these other classes are often given the task of hunting for the village while the Barbarians are tearing the head off of some dangerous predator. Indeed, Kingdom historians have well documented accounts of Barbarian tossing their fellows over their shoulder to murder the civilized folk on battlefields, for Barbarians are the Pagan ideal of war incarnate. These warriors fight out of a love for their chieftains, lords and Druids, and will stop at nothing to see a threat ended.

Bard

Must be taken at 1rst level, otherwise restricted class; may not take levels in Cleric or Paladin.

Bards are the sacred lore keepers of Pagan communities, on the same level as Druids as far as a villages respect and deference is concerned. Even more so, Bards are the elite diplomats of the Pagans, trained in both Pagan and Kingdoms customs and etiquette as well as the universal medium of music. As a result, Bards are viewed positively by all but the most canny of Kingdoms nobility, who recognize Bards as the magical, physical, and political threat they are.

Varanost Bard Changes:

• Path: The Bard gains one Domain from a patron deity, as per the Cleric ability, gaining the bonus spell and special ability thereof.
• Bardic Resistance: At 2nd level the Bard gains a +4 bonus on all saves against the effects of another Bards Bardic Music ability, as well as any sonic or language dependant effect.
• Universal Medium: At 2nd level and every four levels thereafter the bard may choose one Perform skill he has ranks in. At any time he may opt to use his ranks in that Perform skill to replace the ranks he has in two related skills, as per below:

• Act (Bluff, Disguise)
• Comedy (Bluff, Intimidate)
• Dance (Jump, Tumble)
• Keyboard (Diplomacy, Intimidate)
• Oratory (Diplomacy, Gather Information)
• Percussion (Handle Animal, Intimidate)
• Sing (Bluff, Sense Motive)
• String (Bluff, Gather Information)
• Wind (Diplomacy, Handle Animal)

• Jack of All Trades: At 10th level the Bard may make any skill check untrained.

Cleric

No level restriction; may not take levels in Bard or Druid.

The revelation of the existence of brought with it a new breed of divine servants, chief among them the Cleric, Varanosts newest breed of priest. Clerics have converted the entire Niwar Empire to their faith in a little over 300 years, and God still uses his Clerics to keep a strangle hold on the faith of the Kingdoms today. Because of this grand theological invasion, Pagans of any stripes and Cleric do not mix without exploding into an orgy of dogmatic violence, at best. However, the Clerics in their native Kingdoms are highly revered, just one step below Nobles and their ilk on the political food chain.

Varanost Cleric Changes:

• Servant of God: The cleric gains two Domains, as per usual, but can cast the spell of both Domains, as opposed to just choosing one spell. In addition, at 10th level the Cleric gains a third Domain, gaining all the benefits thereof. However, Cleric must worship God, and prayer to any other deity will immediately remove all spells, rebuke/turn undead abilities, and Domain powers until the Cleric atones.

Druid

Must be taken at first level, otherwise restricted class; may not take levels in Cleric or Paladin.

The first priests of Varanost, Druids are the keepers of the Pagan faiths, performing rituals and sacrifices for their Pagan gods and acting as mediators between mortal and immortal. Highly revered in Pagan lands as spiritual figures and wise men and women, Druids are conversely hated and feared in the Kingdoms. The arrival of God and his servants has made this fear and hatred mutual, as many Druids have lived long enough to see their attempts at peaceful coexistence get torn asunder by the hatred of Gods Clerics and Paladins.

Varanost Druid Changes:

• Path: Druids do not gain an animal companion, and in its place choose a single Domain granted by their patron deity, as per the Cleric ability, gaining the bonus spell and special ability thereof.
• Weapon Proficiency: Depending on the pantheon the Druids represents, their beginning weapon proficiencies are expanded as per below:

• Somathan: Long Bow, Short Bow, Short Sword
• Valturivi: Light Mace, Heavy Mace, Khopesh
• Doramik: Longsword, Great Sword, War Hammer
• Kingdoms Peasant Gods: Longsword, Light Mace, Heavy Mace (These gods have been severely crippled in power, thus a Druid can attain no higher than 5th level while serving them.)

Fighter

No level restrictions

"Fighter" is the lazy term for a wide variety of elite warriors, from military specialty assault forces to academy trained duelists to school of hard knocks mercenary companies. Indeed, fighters are indigenous to all lands and societies in one form or another, with their only unifying characteristic being above-average weapons and armor training.

Varanost Fighter Changes:

• Expanded Skills: Fighters add Diplomacy, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering, Local, and Nobility and Royalty), and Sense Motive to their class skills. In addition, they gain skill ranks at the rate of 4+Int, multiplied by 4 at first level.
• Bravery: At 2nd level Fighters gain a bonus on Will saves against fear effects equal to half their Fighter level.
• Armor Training: At 3rd level the Fighter can reduce the armor check penalty and improve the maximum dexterity allotment of any armor he wears by 1, so long as he has at least 1 hour to customize it. In addition, he move at his normal speed when wearing medium armor. Every four levels after 3rd, the fighter reduces the armor check penalty and increases the maximum dexterity allotment by another 1. This ability can never reduce the penalty past 0.
• Weapon Training: At 5th level a Fighter choose one of the weapon categories below:

Weapon Group - Axes Weapon Group - Basic Weapons Weapon Group - Bows Weapon Group - Claw Weapons Weapon Group - Crossbows Weapon Group - Druid Weapons

Weapon Group - Exotic Double Weapons Weapon Group - Exotic Weapons Weapon Group - Flails and Chains Weapon Group - Heavy Blades Weapon Group - Light Blades Weapon Group - Maces and Clubs

Weapon Group - Monk Weapons Weapon Group - Picks and Hammers Weapon Group - Polearms Weapon Group - Slings and Thrown Weapons Weapon Group - Spears and Lances

The Fighter gains a +1 to attack rolls and damage when using a weapon from his chosen category. This bonus increases by 1 every Four levels after 5th.

Monk

Must be taken at first level, otherwise restricted class

Monks are the specially trained sacred guardians of holy sites, where weapons are (usually) not permitted. Thus, the Monk is trained in special unarmed combat techniques to better defend her home and faith without violating holy mandate. Out of all the priest classes, only the Monk was capable of bridging the gap between God and Pagan worship, thus Monks are found in all of Varanosts holy sites. The Monk profession holds a dark side, however. Out of all the priest classes, only the Monk is allowed to hide her religious affiliation. Thus, Monks are the spies and scouts, and are often sent away from their temples in quiet times to watch the other faiths, if not the nobility itself.

Noble

Taken from Green Ronin Publishing "Master Class" series, The Noble's Handbook. If you are unable to access this material, here are some suggestions: A or B.

No level restrictions; restricted class barring entry into a noble house or similar circumstances as determined by the GM

The ruling class of Varanost has a very distinct and effective system: only the most cunning survive. Thus, when a noble has children, some are sent off to lead the armies, some are sent to a wizards school, and those that lack any talent become Aristocrats, but only the truly gifted are trained to become Nobles. And Nobles dominate the political arenas with iron grips, both in the Kingdoms, where Nobles are refined persons apart from the rest of the world, and in the Pagan lands, where Nobles are in the world with their people fighting to survive alongside them.

Paladin

Must be taken at first level, otherwise a restricted class; may not take levels in Bard or Druid

The "hand picked soldiers of God", Paladins are sacred warriors and justices sent to the front lines of crusades and other religious endeavors. Rarely is the Paladins mission one of mercy, but nonetheless they adhere to a strict moral code, as it was passed to the First Paladin by God, that a Paladin may avoid slaying the innocent he is supposed to protect.

Ranger

No level restrictions

"Ranger" is what one calls himself if he makes a living by hunting down and destroying dangerous monsters. Professional hunters that either wander the world or protect a specific location, Rangers can be divided into two categories: bounty hunters and mark hunters. Bounty hunters are those that specialize in humanoid targets called "bounties", from escaped criminals to giants to neighboring clans of goblins. Mark hunter specialize in dangerous monsters known as "marks", from rampaging dragons to escaped pet aberrations to local woodland beasts. Less talked about are the rare, nearly mythical "soul catchers", Rangers who specialize in hunting demons, angels, elemental, fey and similar other-worldly beings.

Rogue

No level restrictions

"Rogue" is yet another lazy term the denizens of Varanost use to describe any and all those who specialize in illegal activity, from covert military operations to thievery and brigandry to upper class espionage and assassination. All that unifies the concept of Rogue is the air of deception and tint of villainy that seems to pervade the entire profession.

Sorcerer

Must be taken at first level, otherwise restricted class

Also called witches, Sorcerers are a vile form of magician that gain their powers not from training or devotion to a divine power, but from blood polluted by some otherly thing. The plane-touched and half-blooded population of beings produces a high number of Sorcerers, anywhere from 15 to 30% of their species having the gift. However, nearly all "pure-blooded' races fear and hate Sorcerers, even to making the possession of sorcery a crime punishable by crucifixion in the Kingdoms and wicker-man in Pagan communities.

Varanost Sorcerer Changes:

• Bloodline: Sorcerers do not gain a Familiar. In it's place they have the abilities of a minor bloodline, as per the rules in the link provided. It may be chosen randomly or picked with GM permission. Once chosen the bloodline can not be changed.

Wizard

No level restrictions

The Wizard profession is one of prestige, for it is Wizards who have undergone intense training to master the art of magic for themselves, rather than relying on some higher power to shape magic for them. The training is rigorous, intense, and requires great mental agility. It is said that even a bright commoner could not master the art of wizardry past being able to use some minor magics. Thus Wizard are not only magically potent, but often intellectually powerful as well, resulting in the classic Varanost standard of the loyal court Wizard every sensible Noble employs.

Varanost Wizard Changes:

• Specialist Wizards: The Familiar is the trademark of a Universalist, a Wizard who chose the route of "Jack of all trades, master of none" in magic. Otherwise, Wizard who specialize gain the following abilities in the place of a familiar and bonus spells:

• Abjurer: Resistance to Energy, Spontaneous Dispelling
• Conjurer: Rapid Summoning, Spontaneous Summoning
• Diviner: Enhanced Awareness, Prescience
• Enchanter: Cohort, Extended Enchantment
• Evoker: Energy Affinity, Overcome Resistance
• Illusionist: Chains of Disbelief, Illusion Mastery
• Necromancer: Skeletal Minion, Enhanced Undead
• Transmuter: Enhance Attribute, Transmutable Memory

NPC Classes (AKA Redshirts Anonymous)

Below is brief review of the "no one cares" classes:

• Adept: It is highly recommended that the Adept be deleted entirely, but should you feel some connection and need for there to be noobs of the arcane, Adepts represent those who have failed to gain levels in any spell casting class from sheer lack of talent or skill.
• Aristocrat: These represent those who have no talent, but were born into nobility. Thus, they have been given training in the finer arts, but spend their lives hoping to be married off to a real Noble.
• Commoner: They are the normal. They live and they die, no reason why.
• Expert: In contrast to every other NPC class in existence, Experts represent people who had talent, and loads of it. However, they did absolutely nothing with it. Despite having every natural ability to be one of the real classes above, they acted like regular Commoners for some reason and did what everyone expected a sensible person to do. Sadness...
• Warrior: These guys recieved standard military training. Thus, they have gotten down everything a soldier needs to know, from ambush/counter ambush training to yeoman archery training. But they are not elites, and not willing to wage war over anything other than what their commander tells them to. In short: GMs need to stop treating them like mindless zombie war drones and start treating them like professional soldiers!

Prestige Classes

With a wide variety of cultures, capabilities, and fringe groups, nearly any prestige class can find a home in Varanost, provided the following points are considered:

1. There are no psionics, invocations, martial maneuvers, soulmelds, or any other bullshit "magic that is not really magic because _" in Varanost. Forget it. If you want a spell, take some use magic device and buy a wand or some levels in spell casting. It is not that hard.
2. Prestige classes represent the unsual abilities of a small group of people, no bigger than a mid-sized noble house or guild, a military elite unit, or an isolated hamlet. If all the people who have taken levels in any one prestige class in Varanost can populate a village when added togather, you have just entered Stupidville (population 1/4 of the world).
3. Finally, remeber the prestige class is exactly that: Prestigious. People who have levels in a prestige class are the idols and grand masters of their respective communities. A Scarlet Corsair is lengend among pirates and coastal communities alike, an Eldritch Knight spread fear and awe in both magical and military circles, Ravagers are world renowned war criminals retired soldiers tell their children about to get them to stay the hell out of the woods at night. In short, prestiges classes make legends.