Clerical Errors
It’s a bit of an open secret here that we don’t provide as much love for clerics as we might be able to. A lot of that has to do with the fact that we’re necromancers (after all, undead get along with the average PC cleric about as well as oil and dry leaves get along with fire). More of it has to do with the fact that I, at least, have always felt that the cleric class didn’t really do a good job of mechanically representing its flavor (to see the answer I came up with, check out A Necromancer’s Grimoire: The Book of Faith). But at the end of the day, I think the major reason is frankly that no one really likes the cleric class, and that no one ever wants to play one, but they do, because the group needs a healer.
In any case, at the risk of destroying my carefully-accumulated necromancer cred, I can’t help but feel like maybe we should do a bit more for the men of the cloth (and, in the average D&D game, of the full-plate and mace, too). So today’s spells are all made with these holy folks in mind. Enjoy.
Bless, Greater
This more powerful version of the bless spell is generally reserved for truly dire circumstances. Each target gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls, and a morale bonus on AC and saving throws equal to 1/3 your caster level (rounded down, maximum +6) for the spell’s duration.
Bless Water, Greater
This spell imparts a great deal of holy energy into the transmuted water, granting it magical properties greatly in excess of normal holy water. Regardless of the amount of water in the flask, only 1 pint of it is transmuted, which is enough for a single dose. The transmuted water can be used in any of the following ways.
- If used to anoint the brow of a non-evil character, the water acts as a protection from evil spell.
If consumed by a neutral character, the water acts as a cure light wounds spell.
If consumed by a good character, the water acts as bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, or cure moderate wounds. The choice is made by the recipient at the time it is imbibed, but is not a conscious choice, and does not require that the character know what he is drinking or even be awake.
If brought into contact with an evil character (whether by being thrown as a splash weapon, or otherwise), the water deals 1d4 points of damage.
If brought into contact with an evil undead creature, an outsider with the evil subtype, or an evil dragon (whether by being thrown as a splash weapon, or otherwise), the water deals 4d6 points of damage.
If consumed by an evil creature, that creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC equal to greater bless water’s DC) or be sickened for 1 minute.
If consumed by an evil undead creature, an outsider with the evil subtype, or an evil dragon, that creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC equal to greater bless water’s DC) or be nauseated for 1d4 rounds, and sickened for 1 minute thereafter.
All of the spell effects listed above use the caster level and ability score information for greater bless water’s caster. The water retains the above properties for 24 hours, after which it becomes normal holy water.
Call Proxy
By casting this spell, you request your deity to send you a powerful outsider (of 15 HD or less) who aids you on the deity’s behalf. If you serve no particular deity, the spell is a general plea answered by a creature sharing your philosophical alignment. If you know an individual creature’s name, you may request that individual by speaking the name during the spell (though you might get a different creature anyway).
The creature is completely free-willed and acts as it chooses, although generally such creatures can be counted on to aid the caster in combat, provided that he is fighting creatures that are also foes of his deity (and/or the called creature). Depending on the nature of the creature, and that of the task you require of it, you may need to convince it (whether through diplomacy, bribes, threats, or other means) to do anything, and in some rare cases—especially if you are not in your deity’s favor—the called creature may attack you, instead of helping. At the end of the spell’s duration, the called creature is returned whence it came, even if it would rather stay and help (although nothing prevents the creature from returning by other means, if it is able).
Focus Energy
With this spell, you channel positive energy, but do so in a more focused and beneficial way than that of the channel energy class feature. When you cast this spell, you must expend one daily use of your channel energy class feature, or it has no effect. The spell also has no effect if you channel negative energy with your channel energy class feature, instead of positive energy.
The target recovers hit points as though he had been affected by your channel energy class feature. Additionally, he gains a +4 enhancement bonus to his Strength and Constitution scores for 1 round/level.