ACOLYTE

Requirements

To qualify to become an Acolyte, a character must fulfill the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +2.

Skills: Knowledge (theology and philosophy) 6 ranks, Listen 6 ranks, Sense Motive 6 ranks.

Allegiance: At the time that the character receives her first level in the Acolyte advanced class, she must decide if her faith leans toward the positive energy or negative energy of the universe. This choice adds either the good (positive) or evil (negative) allegiance to the character, and determines how the Acolyte uses certain aspects of her faith.

Holy Symbol: When the character declares her allegiance, she must designate one of her personal possessions as a symbol of her dedication to her allegiance. This possession can be either an actual religious object or some other item of personal significance. This object is referred to as the Acolyte's holy symbol. It is typically of Tiny or Diminutive size, so that it can be easily held and manipulated in one hand, and its weight is negligible, so that it does not affect the Acolyte's carrying capacity.

An Acolyte needs her holy symbol in order to cast certain divine spells. It is also necessary for the Acolyte to be able to turn or rebuke undead (see below).

Class Information

The following information pertains to the Acolyte advanced class.

Hit Die

The Acolyte gains 1d8 hit points per level. The character's Constitution modifier applies.

Action Points

The Acolyte gains a number of action points equal to 6 + one-half her character level, rounded down, every time she attains a new level in this class.

Class Skills

The Acolyte's class skills are as follows.

Concentration (Con), Craft (structural, visual arts, writing) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (behavioral sciences, earth and life sciences, theology and philosophy) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language (none), Sense Motive, Speak Language (none), Spellcraft (Int), Treat Injury (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 5 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following features pertain to the Acolyte advanced class.

Divine Skills

An Acolyte has access to the following divine skills. These skills are considered class skills for the Acolyte, and she can use her skill points to buy ranks in them, just like other skills in the game.

Concentration (Con): The normal Concentration skill expands to include divine applications, as defined below.

Check: You must make a Concentration check whenever you may potentially be distracted while engaged in an activity, including casting a spell or concentrating on an active spell, that requires your full attention.

If the check succeeds, you may continue with the action as normal. If the check fails, the action automatically fails and is wasted. If you were in the process of casting a spell, the spell is lost. If you were concentrating on an active spell, the spell ends.

The table in the Concentration skill description summarizes the various types of distractions. In situations where the distraction occurs while you are casting a spell, you add the level of the spell to the DC.

Try Again?: You can try again, but doing so doesn't cancel the effects of a previous failure. If you lost a spell, the spell is lost.

Special: By making a check (DC 15 + spell level), you can use Concentration to cast a spell defensively, thus avoiding attacks of opportunity. If the check succeeds, you can attempt the casting without incurring any attacks of opportunity.

Spellcraft (Int): Trained only. Use this skill to identify spells as they are cast or spells already in place.

Check: You can identify spells and magic effects.

Additionally, certain spells allow you to gain information about magic provided that you make a Spellcraft check as detailed in the spell description.

Try Again?: See above.

Time: Unless otherwise indicated, Spellcraft is a move action.

Divine Spells

The Acolyte's key characteristic is the ability to cast divine spells. (See Chapter Ten: FX Abilities for a list and descriptions of divine spells.)

The Acolyte is limited to a certain number of spells of each spell level per day, according to her Acolyte class level. In addition, the Acolyte receives bonus spells based on her Wisdom score. Determine the Acolyte's total number of spells per day by consulting the two tables below.

The Acolyte meditates or prays for her spells, receiving them through her own strength of faith or as divine inspiration. The Acolyte must spend 1 hour each day in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain her daily allotment of spells. Time spent resting has no effect on the Acolyte's spell preparation. To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, an Acolyte must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level.

An Acolyte can prepare a lower-level spell in place of a higher-level one if she desires.

An Acolyte may prepare and cast any spell on the divine spell list, provided she can cast spells of that level.

The Difficulty Class of a saving throw to resist the effects of an Acolyte's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the Acolyte's Wisdom modifier.

Turn or Rebuke Undead

Starting at 2nd level, an Acolyte gains the supernatural ability to affect undead creatures, such as zombies, skeletons, ghosts, and vampires. The Acolyte's allegiance (good or evil) determines the effect she can have on these unholy abominations. A character of the good allegiance can turn undead, driving them away or perhaps destroying them. One of the evil allegiance can use negative energy to rebuke undead, causing the creatures to cower in her presence. (In the text that follows, up to the section on Effect and Duration of Turning, "turning" refers to turning or rebuking, whichever is appropriate for a particular Acolyte.)

How Turning Works: An Acolyte can turn undead (or other types of creatures at higher level) as an attack action. Doing so does not provoke an attack of opportunity. An Acolyte must present her holy symbol to make a turning attempt, holding it in one hand in such a way that it is visible to the creatures she wants to affect.

Times per Day: An Acolyte may attempt to turn a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier.

Range: The Acolyte turns the closest turnable creature first. She can't turn creatures that are more than 60 feet away or that have total cover.

Turning Check: First, roll a turning check to determine how powerful a creature you can turn. This is a Charisma check (1d20 + Charisma modifier). The table below shows the Hit Dice of the most powerful creature you can affect, relative to your Acolyte level. With a given turning attempt, you can't turn any creature whose Hit Dice exceeds the result of your turning check.

Turning Damage: If your turning check result is high enough to let you turn at least some of the undead (or other appropriate) creatures within 60 feet, roll 2d6 and add your Acolyte level and your Charisma modifier to the result to determine turning damage. That's how many total Hit Dice of undead (or other) creatures you can turn on this attempt.

You may skip over already turned creatures that are still within range so that you don't waste your turning capacity on them.

Effect and Duration of Turning: Turned creatures flee from the Acolyte by the best and fastest means available to them. A turned creature flees for 10 rounds (1 minute). If it can't flee, it cowers (can take no actions, -2 penalty to Defense).

If the Acolyte moves to within 10 feet of a cowering turned creature, it overcomes the turning and can act normally. (The Acolyte can be standing within 10 feet of the creature without breaking the turning effect; she just can't approach any closer to the creature.) The Acolyte can attack a turned and cowering creature with ranged attacks from more than 10 feet away, and others can attack in any fashion, without breaking the turning effect.

Destroying Undead: If the Acolyte has twice as many Acolyte levels (or more) as the undead has Hit Dice, she destroys any creature that she would normally turn.

Evil Acolytes and Undead: An Acolyte with the evil allegiance channels negative energy to rebuke (awe) or command (control) undead, instead of turning or destroying them. An evil Acolyte makes the equivalent of a turning check. Creatures that would be turned are rebuked instead, and those that would be destroyed are commanded.

Rebuked: A rebuked creature cowers as if in awe (can take no actions, -2 penalty to Defense) for 10 rounds.

Commanded: A commanded creature falls under the mental control of the Acolyte. The Acolyte can give mental orders to a commanded creature as an attack action. The Acolyte can command any number of creatures whose total Hit Dice don't exceed her Acolyte level. She may voluntarily relinquish command in order to establish command on different creatures.

Dispel Turning: An evil Acolyte may dispel the turning effect of a good Acolyte. To do so, the evil Acolyte makes a turning check as if attempting to rebuke. If the turning check result is equal to or greater than the turning check result that the good Acolyte scored when turning them, then the creatures are no longer turned. The evil Acolyte rolls turning damage to see how many Hit Dice worth of creatures she can affect in this way.

Bolster Undead: An evil Acolyte may bolster creatures against turning effects in advance. She makes a turning check as if attempting to rebuke them, but the Hit Dice result becomes the creatures' effective Hit Dice as far as turning is concerned (provided the result is higher than the creatures' normal Hit Dice). This bolstering lasts for 10 rounds.

Bonus Feats

At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Acolyte gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list, and the Acolyte must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.

Animal Affinity, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armor Proficiency (light), Attentive, Combat Expertise, Educated, Frightful Presence, Iron Will, Medical Expert, Studious, Trustworthy.

Spontaneous Casting

An Acolyte of 4th level or higher can channel stored energy into spells she has not prepared ahead of time. The Acolyte "loses" a prepared spell to cast another spell of the same level or lower.

An Acolyte with a good allegiance can spontaneously cast cure spells (spells with "cure" in their name). An Acolyte with an evil allegiance can spontaneously convert prepared spells into inflict spells (spells with "inflict" in their name).

Combat Casting

At 5th level, the Acolyte becomes adept at casting spells during combat. She gets a +4 bonus on Concentration checks made to cast a spell while on the defensive.

Turn or Rebuke Magical Beast

At 7th level, the Acolyte gains the supernatural ability to affect magical beasts. This ability works just like turning undead, except the creature type is magical beast. Magical beasts, unlike undead creatures, can't be destroyed or commanded. All other rules pertaining to turning apply. The number of times per day the Acolyte can make a turning attempt (3 + Cha modifier) does not increase.

Turn or Rebuke Outsider

At 8th level, the Acolyte gains the supernatural ability to affect outsiders. This ability works just like turning undead and magical beasts, except the creature type is outsider. Outsiders, unlike undead creatures, can't be destroyed or commanded. All other rules pertaining to turning apply. The number of times per day the Acolyte can make a turning attempt (3 + Cha modifier) does not increase.

Maximize Spell

At 10th level, an Acolyte learns to cast some of her spells to maximum effect. All variable, numeric effects of a maximized spell automatically achieve their maximum values. A maximized spell deals the most possible points of damage, affects the maximum number of targets, and so forth, as appropriate. Saving throws and opposed checks are not affected. Spells without random variables are not affected.

When a maximized spell is prepared, it is treated as a spell of three levels higher than the spell's actual level.