Northlandish
Tokiwa-Dai
Land of Five Cities
Southlandish
Demi-human
Titans |
Cosmic Balance
(Philosophy)
Goals and Purposes
Description:
General Aspect:
The Cosmic Balance is the belief in the
Natural Order of Things. Everything in the Universe has a place and everything balances something else. When
the Natural Order is upset, the priest seeks to tip the scales of balance back to neutral.
Worshippers:
Humans, some demi-humans. Particularly popular
among scholars who seek an environment/occupation where they can pursue their studies without the hassles of day-to-day
living and romantics who have an idealistic worldview. Somewhat popular among retired royalty, nobility, and gentry,
who are tired of court intrigue and politics and just want to settle down in a quiet monastery somewhere.
Holy Items:
Although material possessions are seen as
tools to change the Natural World, not to live in Harmony with it, priests of the Cosmic Balance often carry small,
unworked stones as symbols of strength and resolve.
Holy Days:
First day of each season, celebrating Nature
balancing itself.
Holy Areas:
Any place of contemplative solitude, designed
with a balanced aesthetic.
Restrictions:
Alignment:
Priests: True neutral
Worshippers: Any Neutral, though any extreme amount of good/evil or law/chaos followed is discouraged and seen
as unbalancing.
Racial Requirements:
Human, elf, dwarf, halfling, gnome, a few
other races who may be predisposed to finding Balance.
Ability Requirements:
Wisdom: 14
Constitution: 12
Dexterity: 9
Experience point chart:
Priests of the Cosmic Balance use the druid
table for experience.
Preferred Weapons (in order of preference):
Priest of the Cosmic Balance prefer not to use weapons, as they promote reliance on tools instead of self. All
priests must learn a martial art at first level. A limited number of weapons usable in conjunction with a martial
art are available including: nunchaku, tui-fa, three-piece rod, sai, jitte and kau sin ke. Bladed weapons are
strictly prohibited, martial arts or no.
Armor:
Priest of the Cosmic Balance may not wear
any armor and may not use shields. They may use magical protective devices (like rings or cloaks of protection
and bracers of defense).
Magical Items:
Severe limits are imposed on the use of
magical items, as too much reliance on them weakens the priest's spiritual strength. They can retain only one magical
weapon and four other magical items. They can use magical weapons only if allowed by the order (see above). They
may use any magic items normally usable by priests.
Non-weapon Proficiencies:
Bonus: Chanting
Required: Religion
Preferred: Healing, Herbalism, Survival
Miscellaneous Restrictions:
Due to the strict ethos regarding material
possessions, priests may only possess what they can carry on themselves. They must retain only a small fraction
of any treasure they recover: only enough to cover their needs for food and clothing for the next few days. They
may not own horses (or any animal for that matter), nor may they own land or property of any type. All excess
treasure and magic items must be doled out in accordance with the Cosmic Balance, e.g. wherever the greatest need
lies.
To decrease their attachment to the material world, priests do not have families or use their family name, choosing
instead to be known by their given name. Just as frequently, they are given names during their stead at the monastery
or by their master.
Priests may not hire henchmen or hirelings until after 6th level, at which point they may employ hirelings for
short missions.
Spheres:
Major Spheres: All, Astral, Charm, Divination,
Guardian
Minor Spheres: Elemental, Healing, Protection, Travelers
Granted Powers:
Armor Class improvement:
The priest is trained in avoiding blows
through timing and deception. His natural Armor Class improves by one point at every even level (AC 9 at 2nd, 8
at 4th, 7 at 6th, and so on) to a maximum of AC 2. However, this ability is useless if the priest wears any form
of armor or magical devices that replace armor, like bracers of defense.
Calm/Enrage:
Through an externalization of his internal
energy, the priest can calm those who are hostile or enrage those who are at peace. The range of the power is
3 feet plus 1 foot per level and is the only action the priest can take during the round (although he can speak
and move up to 1/4 maximum distance). Those falling in the range must make a save vs. spell or fall under the
effects of the priests power. Those under the calm effect will not attack anyone while the priest focuses the
power, unless they are attacked. Those under the enrage effect will immediately attack anyone (including the priest
if he is the only one there). Both powers last until the priest stops concentrating, though not longer than 1
round per level. This power can be used once per day.
Analyze Balance:
At 3rd level, Once per day per two levels,
the priest may make use of analyze balance (see Tome of Magic). The spell functions exactly as if it was actually
cast by the priest.
Immunity to natural disease:
At 5th level, the priest is immune to normal
diseases, although magical diseases such as lycanthropy and mummy rot still affect him. This is similar to the
paladin's ability to resist disease.
Pass without trace:
At 5th level, the priest can pass without
trace, as per the spell, at his normal movement rate.
Turning Undead:
Undead are seen as one major unbalancing
force in the Universe. Priests will always try to destroy undead if at all possible.
Ethos:
Sometimes called "the natureless druids",
priests of the Cosmic Balance concern themselves with existing in Harmony with the Natural Order and with rooting
out imbalance in the Universe.
Several of the key principals of the Cosmic Balance include:
The Natural Order: Not to be confused with Nature, the Natural Order is the Way all
things work. It is the natural state of being for all places and entities of the Universe.
The Universe:
Everything in existence including all Prime Material, Inner and Outer planes and all inhabitants of those planes.
Harmony:
The state in which all priests seek to be. An enlightened state of self-perfection where the priest is completely
aware of the Natural Order and recognizes imbalances when they arise.
Balance:
The Way of the Natural Order. Balance are things are they should be by divine ordering of the Cosmos. Priests
seek to restore balance when scales are tipped one way or another. Example of imbalance are undead (no room for
them in the birth-life-death cycle), certain powerful artifacts that Powers create to give their alignment an advantage
or wars and long periods of rule can create an imbalance. Needless destruction of Nature, death before one's time,
needless conflict, one countries famine in the face of their neighbor's wealthy food stores all qualify as unbalanced
situation.
Hierarchical Organization:
No true hierarchy exists in the Church of
the Cosmic Balance. From time to time, travelers may run across wandering priests who maintain the balance or
secluded hermits who live in Harmony with the Natural Order.
One may travel far and wide and never see a shrine dedicated to the Cosmic Balance. These areas would most likely
be starting points for wandering priests. Other locales may have Cosmic Balance pagodas in every village. The
pagodas are usually associated with small to medium sized monasteries which accept a few new monks each year as
more experienced brothers leave the fold.
New priests typically spend several years studying under their master (either the secluded/hermit variety or in
a monastery). While there they study philosophy, comparative religions, natu5ral sciences and martial arts, whatever
the flavor of the area. The school's martial arts are most commonly soft styles or styles focused on attuning
the body to one's surroundings rather than focused on martial prowess. This is not to say the elder priest are
not masters of their chosen art, but stress the teachings of Balance over those of great fighting ability.
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