52
The Diamond Throne
Mage Priest
Requirements
There are powers in the multiverse beyond the ken of most mortals. Of course, religion recognizes this fact, and the faithful pay homage to certain gods and beings of great power. A few take that idea a step farther, into the realm of mysticism, where they call upon the powers of gods to fuel their own magical abilities. These rare individuals make pacts and deals with various planar powers, swearing oaths that would make lesser folk shudder. Mage priests are not friendly celebrants who counsel congregations on moral issues and instruct the young on the ways and myths of the gods. These are individuals who revere gods and powers because doing so gains them greater might. They invoke the names of high-placed spirits and mystical entities while performing long-forgotten rites. Mage priests place great value in the truenames of powerful otherplanar beings, poring over ancient tomes for clues to the secrets of such power. They go on quests—or get others to undertake them—to recover ancient relics and exotic ingredients needed for bizarre rituals. Magisters, runethanes, and witches become mage priests. More rarely, greenbonds and mage blades learn the craft. Individuals of almost every race become mage priests, particularly humans, verrik, and mojh. Mage priests often gather in groups to perform ceremonies together. Just as often, however, a mage priest becomes a hermit, living only for magic and conversing only with eldritch spirits. As students of lost lore, they collect books in vast libraries and covet ancient artifacts. They seek places of power and sites where one can more easily contact gods and spirits. Some mage priests entreat demons and other terrible spirits, gods, and creatures. However, others restrict their dealings to angels and gods of light and life. Most simply do not care—they make pacts with either or both. Mage priests are more common in Fallanor and the Far South than in the Lands of the Diamond Throne. However, a few certainly can be found in every major city and even in remote areas, manning isolated shrines and hidden temples where they commune with higher planes in incense-choked sanctums. Hit Die: d6
To qualify to become a mage priest, a character must fulfill all the following criteria. Knowledge (Ceremony): 2 ranks Knowledge (Cosmology): 8 ranks Knowledge (Magic): 5 ranks Knowledge (Religion): 2 ranks Feats: Priest Special: Must be able to cast spells
Class Skills The mage priest’s class skills (and the key ability for each) are: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha). For more information on these skills, see Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed, Chapter Four. Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier
Class Features Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Mage priests are proficient in the use of no weapons or armor. Spells: When a mage priest gains his first level, and at every level after that, he gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in the spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, receive any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, class abilities, and so on). This essentially means that the character adds the new mage priest level to the level of his previous spellcasting class, then determines spell slots and spells readied accordingly. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a mage priest, he must decide which class receives the mage priest level. If a spellcasting character takes a level in a spellcasting prestige class, the levels stack for the purpose of determining caster level. Thus, a 10th-level magister who takes a level of mage priest has a caster level of 11th.
THE MAGE PRIEST Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Base Attack Fortitude Bonus Save +0 +0 +1 +0 +1 +1 +2 +1 +2 +1 +3 +2 +3 +2 +4 +2 +4 +3 +5 +3
Reflex Save +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3
Will Save +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7
Special Minor pact Name of power Eldritch spirits Lesser pact Name of power Ceremony Greater pact Name of power Eldritch spiritsight Bond with entity
Spells Per Day +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class +1 level of existing class
