New Characters require a New Class

What I’m picturing inevitably looks like a cleric, complete with turning ability, which to my knowledge is a preserve of the Cleric class.  Most others, like Favored Souls, miss out on it.  But I’m still working around D20 open source, so let me check the classes provided under Shadow Stalkers.

Turning undead works when the undead are the common weapon of a host of evil gods, as it is in Faerune.  In this setting, undead are specialized, localized weapons, in a much larger conflict between agents of Divine Light and Elemental Shadow.  Undead come in to use, but exposure in one front is not going to help you in another, as the tactics are worlds apart.  Zombies or skeletons in the bush of a Niger campaign or in South Africa won’t work the same way on the mean streets of London.  Shadow, however, uses vaguely similar tactics everywhere, enough that Agents of Divine Light, using likewise predictable tactics (burn them all everywhere!) can anticipate and prepare elemental protections from.  It just works a little better, fits the setting of investigation in a Victorian nuthouse better.

All that remains is to find a class that can be sufficiently modified to work with this change, starting with the Shadow Stalkers campaign:

 

The Mesmerist – Psionic, they could create or remove fear in a thinking shadow creature, but there is nothing specifically religious or shadow related about it, nor would it work on simple intelligence or shadow constructs.

The Occultist – Bind and Banish shadow creatures are the star abilities of this show.  The emphasis on intelligence (and Smart Heroes) works against the premise.  Both characters should just accept the existence and power of the shadow as fact, rather than spend precious rounds puzzling them out.  Brilliant for the PCs, it is much less valuable for the purpose.

The Shadow Slayer – This class comes close, complete with abilities to detect shadow beasts, and immunity to many of their tricks.  If this could work for the Rector, I only need to invert the class for the Secretary.  That and add turning for shadows!  Hmm, maybe I don’t want this class, as it is more warrior than cleric…

The Spiritualist – This is the only class specific to Shadow Chasers that actually possesses Turn/Rebuke undead.  Although slightly outside of what I want to do with the class, it is nevertheless priest-like and capable of doing what I want.  Vaguely.  But the Baskerville hounds are shadow, not undead.  I could start by modifying the heck out of this class, but it itself is not ready for the job I need it to do.

The Acolyte – Although from Urban Arcana, it is almost perfect.  Again, I wanted to change Turning from the relatively specialized Turn/Rebuke Undead to Turn/Rebuke Shadow.  I need to change Turn/Rebuke Outsider, but then again, it could still work with Daemons, Devils and Solars.  You can’t rebuke them, ever!  But with that tiny change, the rest of the class works, including demanding a commitment from the PC (or NPC) to a pole of energy.  

Most common Churchs and Faiths provide room, board, and support for good Acolytes, but this is (different from 3.5) not absolute.  The Acolyte should need to pass a Persuasion Check to find room and board at a temple/church/mosque, modified negatively by different faith expression (Muslim Acolytes should find more resistence in a Christian Church and vice-versa), by trying to persuade for room/board for allies (higher costs increase the DC), and for general good standing and conduct (you don’t tithe?  Get lost!) 

As with the Cleric in 3.5, Acolytes should not lose class abilities for simple bad public standing, but should be required to atone for misdeads against their expressed faith.  This could needlessly drag out the game session, so the DM should feel free to create a negotiation between the Acolyte and an agent of their faith; this contrivance allows the PC to argue his/her side of it, with atonement considered the object they are arguing over.  I favour making this quick, because DMs likely have other players to get back to. 

Okay, so I know what class to make them.   Here’s hoping that tomorrow has numbers.