Changeling Creedshifter

Advanced Changeling class — see Classes for the full list.

Prime Requisite:	WIL and CHA
Requirements:	None
Hit Dice:	1d6
Maximum Level:	12

The creedshifter is a studious divine spellcaster able to cast spells from any divine source. They can infiltrate the hierarchy of any church, siphoning divine power from those congregations. Benign creedshifters bring succor to the faithful of whatever lands they inhabit, while more sinister variants may use their powers to “prove” false points of theology to credulous crowds.

Creedshifter Level Progression / Creedshifter Spell Progression

Experience	Title	Level	Hit Dice	1	2	3	4	5	6
0	Counterfeit Catechist	1	1d6	1	-	-	-	-	-
2,000	Affected Acolyte	2	2d6	2	-	-	-	-	-
4,000	Purported Priest	3	3d6	2	1	-	-	-	-
8,000	Concocted Curate	4	4d6	2	2	-	-	-	-
16,00	Vexing Vicar	5	5d6	2	2	1	-	-	-
32,00	Roguish Rector	6	6d6	2	2	2	-	-	-
65,000	Pretended Prelate	7	7d6	3	2	2	1	-	-
130,000	Bogus Bishop	8	8d6	3	3	2	2	-	-
255,000	Plausible Patriarch	9	9d6	3	3	3	2	1	-
380,000	Plausible Patriarch, 10th Level	10	9d6 + 1*	3	3	3	3	2	-
505,000	Plausible Patriarch, 11th Level	11	9d6 + 2*	4	3	3	3	2	1
630,000	Plausible Patriarch, 12th Level	12	9d6 + 3*	4	4	3	3	3	2

Creedshifter Attack Bonus and Saving Throws

Level	Paralysis	Death	Blast	Implement	Spells	Attack Bonus
1-2	13+	10+	16+	13+	15+	+0
3-4	12+	9+	15+	12+	14+	+1
5-6	11+	8+	14+	11+	13+	+2
7-8	10+	7+	13+	10+	12+	+3
9-10	9+	6+	12+	9+	11+	+4
11-12	8+	5+	11+	8+	10+	+5

Combat Characteristics

Creedshifters are able to fake combat skill, albeit not as good as fighters. Though they lack the killer instincts of a trained warrior, their alleged conviction can hold the line as well as any.

Combat Proficiencies: As imitation holy warriors, creedshifters have weapon proficiency with all blunt weapons, including bolas, cestus, clubs, flails, hammers, maces, morning stars, nets, rocks, slings, saps, staffs, staff-slings, and whips. They have armor proficiency with all armor. They have fighting style proficiency with the weapon and shield and two-handed weapon styles, but not with the dual weapon style.

Combat Progression: Creedshifters advance in attack throws and saving throws by two points every four levels. They can cleave after felling a foe a maximum of once per round per every two class levels (rounded down).

Starting Class Powers

Encyclopedic Theology: Creedshifters are trained in the rites and rituals of one religion and are extremely knowledgeable about other religions. They can acquire congregants through proselytizing. They can automatically identify religious symbols, trappings, and holy days of their primary faith, and recognize those of other faiths with a proficiency throw of 3+ on 1d20. (This class power is equivalent to three ranks of Theology proficiency.)

Expanded Repertoire: The creedshifter may have one additional spell per spell level in his repertoire. This does not allow him to cast additional spells per day.

Rebuke Undead: Creedshifters can rebuke undead as clerics of their class level. In order to rebuke undead, they must be equipped with a holy symbol – the specific religion matters little.

Studious Divine Spellcasting: By studying and mimicking traditional divine spellcasters, creedshifters can cast divine spells. Unlike most other divine casters, who receive their spells from prayer, creedshifters receive their spells from study. Creedshifters follow the same rules for learning and casting spells as mages (i.e., they have a base number of spells in their repertoire equal to the number shown on the Creedshifter Spell Progression table plus their INT bonus), except as modified by their expanded repertoire ability. They record their repertoires of spells in spell books and can learn new spells from scribing scrolls, intense observation of the truly faithful, or studying other divine spell books. They select their spells from the divine spell list, rather than the arcane spell list, however, and cannot learn or cast spells found in arcane spell books. See Spells for more information.

Additional Class Powers

Face of the Saints (4^th): Once per day, the changeling creedshifter may alter his shape into that of any other humanoid creature. He can control his new shape’s physical qualities (such as height, weight, gender, hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of its kind. His equipment, if any, remains worn or held where possible, and otherwise melds into the new form. If used in conjunction with a successful Disguise proficiency throw, he can appear as a specific individual. The effect lasts for the remainder of the day. Use of this power is equivalent to casting a guise self spell with a casting time of 1 turn (10 minutes).

Minor Magical Research (5^th): The creedshifter can scribe scrolls and brew potions.

Major Magical Research (9^th): The creedshifter can create permanent magic items, such as weapons, rings, and staffs.

Fortified Church (9^th): By acquiring a fortified church worth at least 15,000gp, the creedshifter can attract followers to his service. Provided the creedshifter has kept to his purported code of behavior, he can build a fortified church at half price due to the assistance of his alleged deity and his order. 5d6 x 10 0th level troops and 1d6 1^st level clerics or other divine spellcasters of his professed religion arrive to serve him within 1d3 months of him acquiring the fortified church. If the creedshifter has already acquired a fortified church, the followers arrive to serve him within 1d3 months of him reaching 9th level. The followers are fanatically brave and completely loyal (loyalty +4 and morale +4). Despite their loyalty, the followers must be paid a fair wage, or they might eventually leave his service. Additional rules for fortified churches are detailed in Campaigns.

Face of the Saints (10^th): Starting at 10^th level, the creedshifter may use his face of the saints one additional time per day.

Supreme Magical Research (11^th): The creedshifter can learn and cast ritual divine spells of great power (7th, 8th, and 9th level), and craft magical constructs such as golems and animated statues. If chaotic, the creedshifter can create necromantic servants and even become undead himself. Rules for magic research can be found in Campaigns.

Code Of Behavior

In order to use spells and rebuke undead, a creedshifter must publicly uphold the strictures of his apparent faith. The player may choose any of the following creeds at the start of play or work with the Judge to devise one of similar scope.

A cleric of Numilvara has the following code:

• The cleric must always display a holy symbol of Numilvara somewhere on his person when in public.

• The cleric must offer prayers to Numilvara at dawn. Offering prayers requires one hour (6 turns).

• The cleric must not use any weapons designed to shed blood, such as swords, axes, and arrows.

• The cleric must obey the just laws of the Sairan Empire and the lawful orders of its rightful authorities.

• The cleric must not use his divine magic for unlawful or chaotic purposes.

A cleric of the Binding Flame has the following code:

• The cleric must always display the holy symbol of this order somewhere on his person when in public.

• The cleric must offer daily prayers while tending an open flame. The flame must not go out for one hour (6 turns) while the prayers are performed.

• The cleric must oppose evil in all its forms, according to the Hierarchy of Evil:

  • Entities of alien evil, such as fiends and monstrosities from other planes of existence.

  • Entities of unnatural evil, such as undead and lycanthropes, that are twisted by malevolent forces.

  • Entities of innate evil, such as medusae, hags, and other monsters

  • Those who choose evil

  • The evil within

• The cleric must heed the voice of the Keeper. The Keeper of the Flame serves as an intermediary through whom the Binding Flame communicates with the Faithful.

• The cleric must not use his divine magic for unlawful or chaotic purposes.

A cleric of Talavosh has the following code:

• The cleric must always display a holy symbol of Talavosh somewhere on his person when in public.

• The cleric must offer prayers to Talavosh at dusk. Offering prayers requires one hour (6 turns).

• The cleric must not use weapons disallowed by his order.

• The cleric must set a stoic example for all citizens of the Sairan Empire and obey the lawful orders of its rightful authorities.

• The cleric must not use his divine magic for unlawful or chaotic purposes.

If a creedshifter is ever observed violating the strictures of his claimed faith, his subconscious rebels, imposing penalties upon him. These penalties are entirely up to the Judge. The usual penalty is disfavor (see Conditions), but might include penalties to turning throws, a reduction in spells available, or even a loss of all creedshifter powers altogether. To remove the penalties, the creedshifter will have to atone for his violation by, e.g., sacrificing treasure, undertaking quests, or even receiving an atonement spell from a powerful caster of his order (Judge’s discretion).

A creedshifter who is unable or unwilling to atone for his violation may instead transition to an entirely new deity through time and study, learning the code of a new order and adjusting his identity to match. The time and practice necessary is left to the Judge’s discretion, depending on circumstances.

Racial Traits

Alien Appearance: When in their natural form, changelings have a bland appearance, faded and lacking detail. They appear to have a gray and gauzy additional layer of skin all over their bodies. Their skin tone is pale, their hair thin and most commonly a shade of silvery white, though sometimes a pink, green or blue. This alien appearance is disconcerting to most viewers, causing a -2 penalty on all reaction rolls while in this form. What’s more, knowledge of shape-changers in their midst can make a populace uneasy, unfriendly, or even violent (at the Judge’s discretion). As such, most changelings endeavor to conceal their true nature.

Change Shape: Changelings have the ability to alter their forms to look like any humanoid. Treat this as an alter self spell except that it takes 1 full turn to effect the changes. Changelings may use this ability up to once per hour, and the caster level is equal to the character’s level.

Mastery of Imitation: All changelings spend their early lives learning how to project false faces and voices, granting them the benefits of both the mimicry and disguise proficiencies.

Slippery Mind: Changeling are adept at wriggling free of mental effects, granting them a +3 bonus to saving throws against enchantments and illusions.

Social Intuition: A changeling intuitively grasps the finer points of navigating social situations, receiving a +1 bonus on all reaction rolls when attempting to parley with intelligent characters.

Class Proficiencies

Proficiency Progression: At 1^st level, creedshifters select one class proficiency from their class proficiency list and one general proficiency from the general proficiency list. They select an additional class proficiency at 4^th, 8^th, and 12^th level. They select an additional general proficiency at 5^th, 9^th, and 13^th level.

Creedshifter Proficiency List: Acrobatics, Alertness, Arcane Dabbling, Battle Magic, Beast Friendship, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (disarm, force back, incapacitate, knock down, overrun, sunder), Command, Contemplation, Contortionism, Divine Blessing, Divine Health, Dungeonbashing Expertise, Eavesdropping, Elementalism, Experimenting, Familiar, Fighting Style Specialization, Illusion Resistance, Laying on Hands, Loremastery, Magical Engineering, Magical Music, Martial Training, Mystic Aura, Passing Without Trace, Prestidigitation, Quiet Magic, Reliquarianism, Righteous Rebuke, Sensing Good, Sensing Evil, Sensing Humanity, Sensing Inhumanity, Sensing Power, Soothsaying, Swashbuckling, Unarmed Fighting, Unflappable Casting, Vermin Husbandry, Vermin Friendship, Wakefulness

Creedshifter Templates

3d6 Roll	Template	Proficiencies	Starting Equipment
3 – 4	Hermit	Laying on Hands Naturalism	Gnarled quarterstaff, tattered prayer book with salving rest and word of command, broken holy symbol (fang of Talavosh), itchy wool tunic and pants, sandals, small sack, waterskin, 1 week’s iron rations, 9sp (enc. 3 st)
5 – 6	Prophet	Prophecy Performance (storytelling)	Grey wool tunic and pants, embossed belt, low sandals, staff, sling, pouch with 30 sling stones, prayer book with allure and kindle flame, holy symbol (Binding Flame medallion), backpack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, tinderbox, 3 wax candles, 3gp (enc. 4 st)
7 – 8	Mendicant	Beast Friendship Animal Husbandry	Green cassock, green traveler’s cloak, low sandals, staff, prayer book with locate animal or plant and magic fang, holy symbol (scepter of Numilvara), hide armor, small sack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, trained hunting dog, 6gp (enc. 4 st)
9 – 10	Proselytizer	Divine Health Diplomacy	Purple priest’s cassock, embossed belt, high boots, mace, prayer book with allure and discern inhumanity, holy symbol (Fang of Talavosh), ring mail armor, wooden shield, small sack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, 25sp for alms (enc. 6 1/6 st)
11 – 12	Priest	Divine Blessing Theology 2	Purple priest’s cassock, embossed belt, high boots, mace, prayer book with counterspell and discern humanity, holy symbol (scepter of Numilvara), banded plate armor, wooden shield, small sack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, 25sp for alms (enc. 8 1/6 st)
13 – 14	Undead Slayer	Righteous Rebuke Healing	Blue priest’s cassock, leather belt, low boots, warhammer, prayer book with cure light injury and illumination, holy symbol, chain mail armor, steel shield, backpack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, hand mirror, 6 stakes and mallet, 1 lb garlic, 1 lb wolfsbane, 1 lb comfrey, 3gp (enc. 8 stone)
15 – 16	Exorcist	Sensing Evil Intimidation	Blue priest’s cassock, leather belt, high boots, warhammer, prayer book with destroy dead and holy circle and , holy symbol (golden Fang of Talavosh), banded plate armor, steel shield, backpack, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, tinderbox, 6 torches, manacles, 1 flask holy water, 50’ rope, 12gp (enc. 10 4/6 stone)
17 – 18	Templar	Martial Training (swords/daggers) Riding	Purple armiger’s tunic and pants, embossed belt, low boots, leather riding gloves, sword, dagger, prayer book with angelic choir and call of the wolf, holy symbol (scepter of Numilvara), chain mail armor, steel shield, 1 week’s iron rations, waterskin, medium riding horse, riding saddle and tack, saddlebag, 4gp (enc. 7 2/6 stone with rations on horse)

Prime Requisite:	CHA
Requirements:	None
Hit Dice:	1d6
Maximum Level:	13

Spells

Studious divine caster: choose the repertoire from the whole divine spell list. See Magic and Spellcasting for how repertoires work.