The Fist of Valor

at least one person (by robbing, successfully bluffing, or otherwise misleading them). Furthermore, a member cannot be of lawful alignment.

Criterion Affiliation Score Modifier

One-Time Character level +1/2 levels

Chaotic alignment

+1 Bluff, Disguise, or Hide 5-9 ranks +1/skill Bluff, Disguise, or Hide 10 or more ranks +2/skill Knowledge (religion) 5 or more ranks +1 Can cast 3rd-level or higher illusion spells +1 Can hide in plain sight +2 Lacks ranks in Bluff, Disguise, or Hide -2

Multiple Use Secretly breaks an unjust law (if character is not chaotic evil) +1 Openly breaks an unjust law (if character is not chaotic evil) +3 Secretly breaks any law (if character is not chaotic good) +1 Openly breaks any law (if character is not chaotic good) +3 Humiliates a law enforcement officer +1 Survives an encounter with an EL 3-4 higher than own character level +1 Survives an encounter with an EL 5 or more higher than own character level +2 Avoids a battle as a result of careful preparation +1 Wins a battle as a result of careful preparation +4 Wins a battle against seemingly insurmountable odds as a result of careful preparation +8 Scores two consecutive critical hits in a single battle +1 Converts a new member +1 Deceives a creature into offering +1/4 creature's CR a desired item Deceives a lawful creature into +(1/4 creature's CR) +2 offering a desired item Successfully steals a valuable item +1/1, 000 gp value Becomes the patron of a musician +1 Is caught breaking the law -8 Is caught in a lie -4 Acts in a lawful manner -4 Associates with known lawful beings (such as paladins or monks) -4

Titles, Benefits, and Duties: To gain a new rank and its associated benefit, a church member must repeat her success at deception, this time against a foe that has a CR within 1 of her character level. Affiliation titles represent some of the church's major categories of deception. The infamous crimson deception, at the top of the list, is an achievement that only a few members have ever pulled off in the history of the church. Such a deception is on par with talking a mature adult dragon out of its hoard.

Affiliation Rank Score Title: Benefits and Duties

0 3 or lower None. 1 4-9 White: Gain a +2 bonus on Bluff checks made to feint in combat. 2 10-17 Blue: Gain a+2 bonus on Perform and Tumble checks. 3 18-24 Gray: Gain a+1 bonus on saves against lawful spells and effects. Black: Caster level +1 when casting illusion spells or spells of the Trickery domain. 5 30 or higher Crimson: Once per day, force one opponent to reroll an attack, check, or save after you know the result of the roll.

ROLEPLAYING APPLICATIONS

Favored Feats: The Fingers of the Laughing Rogue teach that a truly successful combatant is one who fights only when she wants to. Anyone foolish enough to get hit is in the wrong place. Thus, members prefer feats that increase their combat mobility (such as Spring Attack) and enhance their ability to choose their own battlegrounds.

Favored Combat Tactics: Many church members take levels of rogue, so they attempt to set up sneak attack opportunities whenever possible. Clerics try to remain unobtrusive, often staying invisible and summoning monsters to fight for them. Most affiliates also like to use spells that incapacitate their enemies so that allies can do the dirty work of killing. All, however, revel in the chaos of a battle once joined. In such situations, they focus on known lawful enemies first and try to humiliate as well as defeat such targets. A member of Olidammara's church can agree with a member of the Fist of Valor (see below) on at least one topic—defeating Hextorites is good fun.

Favored Adventure Types: A member of this church enjoys any quest designed to take another person down a peg. If the enemy is lawful—especially one in a position of authority—at least one Finger of the Laughing Rogue is likely to lurk in the shadows, hoping to teach him a lesson. High-risk quests might interest church members, as long as the payoff is high as well. After all, the greater the danger, the finer the song that can be written afterward.

Favored Oaths: Common oaths uttered by members of Olidammara's church include "By my fingers!" and "May you be the target of his laughter. "

THE FIST OF VALOR

Valor, courage, and righteousness are more than mere words to you—they form the foundation of your life. A champion of the downtrodden and a stalwart punisher of evil, you honor Heironeous every time you take a stand against wickedness.

The Fist of Valor—Heironeous's church—is an implacable force for holiness in the world. A temple to Heironeous is one of the most magnificent structures in a city. Each temple of the Fist is a self-contained fortress, even within a wellfortified city, and sentries patrol its walls day and night.

The Fist of Valor always attempts to become involved in the politics of any region where it has established temples. The church uses political contacts to gather information about

any evil that taints the local nobility, who view such interest as meddling. However, it also garners favor with those who can fund expeditions and field armies to root out threats to the land. The fact that the Heironeans are always doing good for lawful communities gives their requests great weight in the courts, despite occasional accusations by disgruntled nobles of subversive activities.

As might be expected, the Church of Heironeous governs itself efficiently. Members who transgress against the laws of Heironeous are tried in the Court of Thunder. Local governments encourage the Fist of Valor to dispense its own justice, since taking care of its own problems represents a significant savings in time and gold for the community.

The Fist of Valor is dedicated to eradicating evil everywhere. However, church members also believe in a fair fight. A worshiper of Heironeous doesn't give up tactical advantages in combat but rarely fights from the shadows. He typically announces his presence before a battle begins so that enemies know they are about to experience the deity's wrath. Foes that are not considered irredeemable are given the opportunity to repent and redeem themselves. Those beyond salvation (such as undead, fiends, and occasionally, minions of Hextor), and those that refuse redemption, receive a quick and sure swordstrike.

Typically, any small group engaged to perform a service for the church must include a member of the Fist of Valor. The Heironeans tolerate freelance bounty hunters, but only barely. They trust only their own members to ensure that the laws of the church are followed to the letter.

The church also believes that storms, especially those that include lightning, are harbingers of Heironeous's wrath and portents of great meaning. Regions that frequently experience such storms are considered holy places, and the church often builds small forts at such sites to house the clerics who go there to study the omens. These "storm forts" bristle with lightning rods, both to protect the inhabitants and to draw more strikes so that the clerics can better interpret Heironeous's will.

The church views lightning bolts as the sword of Heironeous touching the earth. Those who die from natural lightning strikes clearly deserve their fate, but those who are struck and live are considered blessed by the deity. Though they are often mentally damaged, such individuals are consulted nonetheless by the clergy of Heironeous, who seek wisdom and guidance in their ravings. But storms are not the only sources of the Invincible One's voice. Members of the Fist of Valor are very superstitious as a group and are constantly on the lookout for signs and portents that show their deity's touch.

Enemies and Allies: Evil in every form is the enemy of Heironeous, but the forces of his dark brother Hextor truly enrage his followers. Thus, the Herald of Hell is a prime target for missions involving members of the Fist of Valor.

Scale: 15 (continental).

Affiliation Score Criteria: The church's doors are open to new members, but to gain affiliation benefits, a character must be good-aligned.