Avlis Classes: Core Classes

[Orleron]

Keep in mind that this is written for a pnp sourcebook and not NWN. So if there are differences in the classes, or classes that do not exist in NWN, this is the reason.



Core Classes
Core classes are the basic occupations that adventurers choose. They are chosen during character creation and stay with the character throughout its lifetime. Other classes can be acquired later on, but determining a characters first core class is an important decision when deciding the type of role that will be played. All core classes listed in the Player?s Handbook and Psionics Handbook are appropriate to an Avlis campaign, and more detail is given below.

Barbarian
Unaccustomed to enclosed buildings and cities, barbarians are warriors of the wilds. They can be either roaming nomads, or from civilizations living in remote areas far from other societies with higher technology. Sometimes, they are souls born among more civilized peoples who later come to reject the principles of urban life in favor of a simplistic existence close to nature. Barbarians follow different rules in life that seem exotic when compared to the rigid and complicated statutes of city folk. Often they rely on their wits, courage, and prowess in battle to survive day by day.
Religion: Barbarians worship a whole range of gods. Those who come from nomadic tribes of Romini often worship Mikon, wheras the female-dominated human and elven barbarians of Jechran favor Dre?Ana and Yeraiah. Some tribes have developed their own minor gods that they pay homage to, such as the spirit-gods of Tyedu. Generally, barbarians worship the local or major deities who created their race, or had some impact on the environment in which they live.
Races: Human barbarians come from a multitude of tribes of the Romini, Tyeduan, or Jechrani lines. However, nearly all the other races on Avlis have barbarians as well. Commonly, they are shaahesk, giant-kin, or goblinoid races living far from civilization. A few other small groups of orcs are also known to produce this class, and even halfling and dwarven barbarians have surfaced from time to time in cases of tiny villages that have been cut off from the rest of society.
Game Rule Information: This class is unchanged from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook.

Bard
Travelling musicians and famous performers make up the class of bards. They are the main societal force that spreads news and information, as well as art and poetry. When a bard comes into the local tavern to tell stories, sing songs, and recount famous episodes of history, the local population frequently gathers around to take in the show, thereby gaining knowledge and being entertained at the same time. Wanderers by nature, bards not only live by their talents in the fine arts, but also by their ability to learn just about anything they need in order to get by.
Religion: For most bards, religion is not too important. Life lived on the road among constantly changing situations often gives one very little time to reflect. However, most of the nine major deities still have small followings among bards. One other deity in particular, The Harpinger, is famous, revered, and feared by bards. It is known that The Harpinger rules over musical inspiration, but worshipping this deity also flirts with its other function as the agent of death. Bards seeking to excel in their performance capabilities often pay homage to The Harpinger, and in cases of goodly or neutral bards, this is done quietly and with some trepidation.
Races: Races that have the most appreciation for art and music are the ones most likely to produce bards, but there are also bards from more primitive races whose drumming and dancing skills are able to produce supernatural effects.
Game Rule Information: This class is unchanged from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook.

Cleric
Much of the interplay between the various philosophies and cultures on Avlis is driven by clerics. They are identical to clerics described in the Player?s Handook except on Avlis, clerics do not draw power from philosophies and abstract concepts, but rather from the deities directly. Clerics are the keepers of religion and ethics (or lack thereof) in the world, and are the source of moral and lifecycle support for the common folk in the world.
Religion: All deities on Avlis have clerics that worship them and run their churches, with varying degree of structure and hierarchy. Lawful churches tend to be rigidly organized with strict rules and ranks that their clerics will ascend during their careers. Chaotic churches will either have a very loose organization with an informal or completely absent hierarchy, or they will have no organization at all. Churches with no organization at all are only called ?churches? in the technical sense because their clerics will sometimes have gatherings to discuss major issues, but then disperse once more when the meeting is over. These kinds of organizations rarely produce large buildings or cathedrals for prayer, though shrines are very common. Neutral religions fall somewhere in between. They all have places of worship and they all perform lifecycle duties, but their hierarchies will usually only come into play when important decisions must be made.
Races: All races that worship deities have clerics among them. There are also no strict racial restrictions for most deities on Avlis, but most deities will have a stereotypical race that follows it. Exceptions to this rule are noted in Table 2-1.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook. Alignment is an important consideration for clerics on Avlis. While worshippers? alignments may differ significantly from their deity, clerics? alignment must match that of their deity in all cases except the god Dagath, whose clerics can have any alignment. More information is given in Chapter 4: Deities. Also, see Table 2-1 for a list of deities and their domains.

Table 2-1:
Name Deity Alignment Restrictions Mantle (Area of Control) Deity Status Domains
Aarilax NE NE Murder, Shaahesk & Sahuagin Greater Avlissian Evil, Death, Water, Protection, Trickery
Andrinor CN Any Mortal Magic Intermediate Magic, Knowledge, Air, Water
Angadar LE Any non-chaotic Drangonari Elves, Arcane Knowledge, Deceit & Trickery Intermediate Evil, Magic, Knowledge, Trickery
Aryeh Gidol LN Any Wemic Wemics Demigod Protection, Animal
Balgar N Any Wemic Wemics Lesser Strength, Animal, Travel
Berryn NG NG Spring, & Halflings Lesser Good, Sun, Protection, Healing
Blipdoolpoolp NE Any Sahuagin or Shaahesk Sahuagin & Shaahesk Greater Visitor Destruction, Evil, Water, Death, Trickery
Bobil LN Any Physical Stregnth & Brute Force Demigod Strength, Animal, Earth
Cha'reth CG Any good Healing & Peace Demigod Healing, Protection
Clangeddin NG Any Dwarf or Gnome Dwarves & Blacksmiths Greater Visitor Good, Strength, War, Protection, Earth
Corellon Larethian CG Any good Elves & Battle Greater Visitor Good, Protection, War, Sun, Air
Dagath N Any Death & Rebirth Intermediate Order of Life: Good, Sun, Healing, ProtectionOrder of Death: Death, Evil, Destruction, StrengthOrder of Rebirth: select one from each of Life and Death
Dra?Nar NG Any good Heroes & Orphans Lesser Protection, Good, Strength
Dre?Ana* NG Any good or neutral female Warrior Maidens Lesser Good, Protection, War
Dru'El CG NG & CG Elves & Nature Greater Avlissian Good, Protection, Animal, Plant, Sun
Evrak NE Any evil Suffering, Strife, Famine Demigod Evil, Death
Fegall CN Any chaotic Craftsmen & Gnomes Lesser Knowledge, Protection, Magic, Earth
Forian CN CN Changelings, Chaos Greater Avlissian Destruction, Trickery, Protection, Animal, Magic
Gorethar LG LG Dwarves, Craftsmen, Warriors of Goodness Greater Avlissian Good, War, Protection, Magic, Earth
Gruumsh CE Any evil Orcs Greater Visitor Evil, Strength, War, Death, Destruction
Hurine LN Merchants Trade Lesser Travel, Protection, Knowledge
Ingoren N Any Sailors & The Ocean Intermediate Travel, Protection, Water, Air
Kelvos NE Any Lost Love, Star Crossed Lovers, Envy, Lost Causes, & Lust Demigod Protection, Healing
Maleki CE CE Giant-Kin, Hatred, Slaughter & Disease Greater Avlissian Evil, War, Death, Strength, Protection
Mikon N Any Humans & Balance Greater Avlissian Good, Evil, Protection, War, Healing
Mishekh CG CG Wine Intermediate Plants, Animal, Earth
O?Ma NG Any good Fairy Races & Forests Greater Avlissian Good, Healing, Protection, Plants, Air
Paragus LE Any minotaur Minotaurs Demigod Evil, Protection
Pelar NG Any good Hunting & Rangers Demigod Travel, Animal
Ptah N Any Travel Greater Visitor Travel, Air, Earth, Water, Knowledge
Ra-ghul CN Any chaotic Unorganized Warfare, Frenzied Combat, & Berserkers Demigod Strength, War
Senath LN Any lawful Strategy Lesser Trickery, War, Knowledge
Skern N N or CG Centaurs, Community, Natural Balances Lesser Plants, Animals, Protection
Stephanus LE Any lawful Finese Demigod Air, Water, Knowledge, Evil
The Harpinger CE Any Music, Inspiration, & Messenger of Death Demigod Evil, Death
The?ton LE Any evil Fear & Intimidation Demigod Evil, Trickery
Titania N Any fairy Titanian Fairies Greater Visitor Protection, Plant, Animal, Magic, Fire
Tobin N Any Dracon Dracon Greater Visitor Protection, Good, Evil, Fire, Water
Toran LN LN Dracon & Soldiers Greater Avlissian Protection, War, Strength, Good, Evil
Valok LE Any lawful Orcs, Politics & Intrigue Greater Avlissian Evil, Trickery, Knowledge, Protection, Destruction
Verossa CE Any chaotic Natural Destruction Lesser Destruction, Air, Earth, Fire
Vorin N Any Knowledge & Information Lesser Knowledge, Healing, Magic
Wilsash NE Any evil Moon & Nightmares Lesser Evil, Death, Trickery
Xenon CE Any lycanthrope Lycanthropes Demigod Evil, Animal
Yeraiah N Any female Fertility, Femininity, & Strength Lesser Earth, Healing, Strength


Commoner
This is a generic class encompassing all the average folk of Avlis. They are the laborers: the blacksmiths, the coopers, the farmers, the millers, etc. Though they do not advance in level or get involved in adventures, commoners will take up arms and fight if their livelihood or families are threatened. They exist in every culture, race, and religion and make up the major portion of the population.

Druid
Druids are specialized priests of nature. They act as the guardians, protectors, and worshippers of nature, both in the broad sense and in the local sense. That is, some druids follow the principles of a deity?s views on nature as a whole, concentrating on no area in particular, while other druids will attach themselves to some kind of natural formation, i.e. a grove, river, forest, etc, in the name of a deity.
Religion: All Avlissian druids worship a deity, and specifically, they are concerned with that deity?s principles on nature. Not all gods on Avlis can produce druids, however. In fact, relatively few can. They are: O'Ma, Dru'El, Pelar, Dre'Ana, Titania, Dagath, Skern, Cha'Reth, Verossa, and Yeraiah. (For information about these deities please consult Chapter 4: Deities.) Druidic orders are often not related organizationally to the church of the god that they worship. Commonly, there is one official religious group designated as the Church, and one separate autonomous religious group designated as the Druidic Order. However, sometimes these two groups work together, like in the case of the Church of O'Ma and O'Ma's druidic order. Occasionally, there even is tension between the church and its druidic order because of ritualistic differences and differences in concern.
Races: Though it is possible for any race to have druids, usually the ones who are closest to nature are the most likely to produce them. Elves, humans, and centaurs are some common examples of these races.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook. Note that there are some differences in allowed alignments for this class. Druids on Avlis may be of any alignment, and unlike clerics, their alignment does not have to coincide exactly with the alignment of their deity. It can vary by one step in either direction. So, for example, a druid of the god O?Ma, who is Neutral Good, can be Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, or True Neutral. Druids are granted spells and powers by their deities in the same manner as clerics, and aligment is important for maintaining a deity?s favor. Falling too far away from the allowed alignment for a given deity can result in a loss of granted spells and abilities.

Fighter
Members of this class are the bread and butter core of every figthting force in the land. They are capable of using a large array of different weapons and fighting styles, as well as armor and siege equipment. Fighers are not only the bulk of every army, but also a highly accessible resource for adventuring parties and other small groups.
Religion: Level of devotion to a religion or deity does not affect one?s ability to be a fighter. At times, individuals will take up this class in order to prepare themselves for the trials of being a paladin or other kind of Avlissian holy warrior. They see it as a stepping stone into the exclusive religious organizations that govern these prestigious designations. Or, fighters can be completely devoid of any religious beliefs, preferring to trust their strength and their weapons above all else. Regardless of personal morals and ethics, being a fighter gives access to the same abilities and feats.
Races: All races that possess their own land or have large wandering pockets of populations will train their own fighters. Even members of very disorganized races without any of these things will sometimes take this occupation for their own advancement and gain. There are no restrictions on what races can be fighters.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook.

Monk
Though they do not make up a very large part of the overall population, monks are not uncommon on Avlis, especially in remote areas far from civilization where various orders attach themselves to special points of significance out there. Other more worldly orders also exist which can have monasteries located even within an urban area. Their degree of community involvement will vary based upon their location and philosophy, and it can range from strict non-intervention to full proactive desire for community change.
Religion: All Avlissian monks are members of some form of order. These orders teach various systems of beliefs and attitudes towards the world. Many different kinds of orders exist. Commonly, orders are attached to a deity, particularly the more lawful or neutral deities like Valok, O?Ma, and Toran will be likely to have orders with varying amounts of attachment to the official church of their patron god or goddess. However, some orders do not follow the teachings of any particular deity, but rather they attach themselves to an abstract philosophy that claims to transcend the need for deities and even the planes themselves. Two prime examples of this are the famous Order of The Will and the Order of The Way, who hold opposing ideas on life and existence. There is still a third different kind of monastic order. These orders affix themselves to either a sacred place renown for its natural beauty, like a mountain or a forest, or they recognize some powerful figure of nature or magic, like a dragon or a sphinx, to be their teacher.
Races: Any individual capable of handling the rigorous discipline of monastic life can be a monk. Races that have a lawful philosophy to begin with more often produce monks, but disciplined individuals capable of performing the devotions exist in all races.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook.

Paladin
Paladins are the ancient holy warriors of Gorethar. In their strict devotion and ferver for his righteous path, they are given special abilities to increase their warrior skills for the purpose of goodness and law. No other god is able to grant goodly warriors on Avlis the abilities of a paladin, and all members of this class on the planet worship him and him alone.
Among all the holy warrior classes, paladins are the most ancient, and because of this they are a core class as opposed to a prestige class. Their training methods and initiation rites have been refined to the point where dwarven lads and lassies as young as age ten are inducted and trained according to a rigid program that varies very little even among the other races who partake of it.
Religion: The core of all paladins? existence revolves around Gorethar, who is the lawful good deity of craftsmanship, hard work, goodly warriors, and the dwarven race. Because of this, the dwarves of Galdos control the induction of new paladins into the fold, but many extension organizations exist to train outsiders in the world. No other god on Avlis is powerful enough to create goodly holy warriors and imbue them with the powers of a paladin. Some paladins will acknowledge other gods in a lesser role, but their entire support and reverence goes towards Gorethar without exception.
Races: Because Gorethar is a god of dwarves, most paladins are commonly members of the dwarven races. However, this is by far not the rule. Any lawful good individual who worships Gorethar and accepts his tenets, regardless of race, will be accepted as a paladin. Though the dwarves of Galdos tend to be xenophobic and condescending towards non-dwarven races, the infrastructure of Gorethar?s worship outside of that nation is strong enough such that paladins are able to get into the fold without contact or direct consent from Galdos. Often, there is a local High Paladin who controls a local or regional order of paladins, created among the local worshippers of Gorethar. This official will be in contact with Galdos to inform them of decisions, and to carry out general orders from the High Command. These matters are often church-related, and are separate from matters of government within Galdos itself.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook. Paladins on Avlis, without exception, must worship Gorethar. They cannot follow another deity, regardless of alignment, and once they switch over their loyalty, they lose their powers and become a fighter of the same class level.


Psion
The psions of Avlis are generally well-received in many nations. This is especially true in orcish society where sorcerers and wizards are illegal. The orcs are well aware of the origins of their powers and have accepted them as a good substitute for magic. Consequently, the nations Brekon and Dubunat have become bastions of psionic learning and study for many, and this influence has spread especially to the Kurathene Empire, where they have been called "mindbenders" and found useful as guardians on ships, with far less chance of catching sails on fire!
Religion: Though their numbers are primarily highest in the western parts of the continent, psions have been popping up in other areas too and generally meeting with acceptance. Many psionic orders are either associated with or part of existing monsastic orders. The close association between monks and psions is born of their common penchant for discipline, and their common views towards religion. Whereas monks try to unify mind and body, psions try to transcend the body and become the mind. The two philosophies are compatible for the most part. It is less common, however, for purely psionic orders to be attached to any particular deity, though there is one known to be devoted to the deity Angadar. Usually, psions are associated with more abstract concepts, though they may worship deities on an individual basis.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Psionics Handbook and the Expanded Psionics Handbook.

Pyschic Warrior
Occasionally, individuals will manifest strange powers of the mind. They have no talent for magic or sorcery, but rather an innate ability to concentrate and focus mental energy instead. Unfortunatley, due to life circumstances, or personal philosophy, these people never get the full training of a psion and wind up learning of the warrior ways. Some wrestle with their strange abilities their whole lives, never quite understanding them, but others prosper and meld the ability to use steel and mind effectively together. These are the two most common kinds of psychic warriors.
Religion: Worshipping a deity is not an integral part of being a psychic warrior. Some will have strong religious devotions, especially to lawful or neutral gods and goddesses, and others will have no allegiance to them whatsoever. Unlike psions, psychic warriors generally do not form special organizations of devotion. They may be mercenaries or other things having to do with war and fighting augmented with mental power, but they do not form orders of the kind that psions do.
Races: Psychic warriors are more likely to pop up among races with lawful or neutral temprements, though flukes in chaotic races can arise. Half-orcs are very unlikely to be psychic warriors on Avlis, but full orcs are good candidates.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Psionics Handbook and the Expanded Psionics Handbook.

Ranger
Vast wildlands and wilderness cover much of Negaria and Avlis? other continents. It is in these places that rangers are most at home. Living off the land, and remaining close to nature, rangers are as wild and free as the places they roam. In times of peace, they are content to keep to themselves and be at peace with all around them, but when threats to their beloved environment arise, they are fierce warriors who will stop at nothing to defend their home ranges.
Religion: Eventually, all rangers come to follow a deity, though not all of them start out that way. By the time they are able to cast divine spells, however, they have made their decisions and thrown their lot in with one of the Avlissian gods. Not all gods on Avlis can produce rangers. Only the following may do so: O'Ma, Dru'El, Pelar, Dre'Ana, Titania, Dagath, Skern, Cha'Reth, Verossa, and Yeraiah. Rangers may choose any god that fits their moral alignment. That is, for example, any good ranger may follow Cha?Reth, O?Ma, or Dru?El. Any neutral ranger may follow Skern, Dagath or Yeraiah, and any evil ranger may follow Verossa.
Races: Specifically, races that tend to be close to nature will become rangers most often. Exceptions are possible for individual cases and stories.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook. Rangers on Avlis may not only take a specific race as a hated enemy, but also a specific organization or group, such as the Green Order, or the Equalizers of Mikon.

Rogue
The term ?rogue? is broad, covering an array of professions. On one extreme end, rogues are those that feel the world owes them a living, and they therefore have a right to take what they desire. Characters of this nature can form very elaborate organizations known as guilds to further their abilities to acquire things. The largest of these guilds exist in the Seven Cities, as well as in the city of Mikona, which is home to the infamous Ravens guild. On the other extreme end are those that have fallen upon unique circumstances that may cause them to do what is necessary to survive, either in an oppressed environment or society, or in a depressed financial situation.
Religion: There is no general religion or deity that all rogues follow. Religion is determined on an individual basis as a product of a character?s life experiences. Rogues who are more inclined towards thievery tend towards worshipping the god Angadar, who in addition to his control of arcane knowledge also rules the forces of deceit and trickery on Avlis. This sometimes makes for interesting alliances between those of the thieving sort and those who thirst for arcane power.
Races: Though there are rogues found among all sentient races, those that have a tendancy towards chaos and/or evil more often wind up as rogues as a matter of choice.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook. Plying the trades of burglary, skimming, fencing, and other urban deceptions within the walls of a large city will quickly incur retribution on a lone rogue from whatever guild controls the area. Avlissian thieves? guilds are particularly powerful in these cities, and their influence often extends beyond the walls also.

Sorcerer
Throughout the history of Avlis, strange beings and forces have intermixed with the populace. The ancient Ta?Nari invaders, as well as the native spirits have left legacies that exist in small pockets where this sort of occurance can be quite common. Occasionally, the blood of these beings resurfaces in one of their descendents who manifests their heritage through the powers of sorcery.
Religion: Sorcerers will embrace whatever religions prove worthy in their life experience. Those that gain their powers from a living entity, such as a demonlord or deity, will often worship the entity who is responsible for their gift.
Races: All races have the potential to be gifted with sorcerous powers. The occurrence of these abilities is more a matter of ancestry and heritage than it is a matter of race. Among the orcs, sorcerers are reviled and hated, even hunted down and killed. Due to the role of magic in the demise of the ancient orcish empire at the close of the Great War, orcish nations have outlawed sorcerous and wizardly magic and pledged to put all users to death.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook.

Wizard
Wizards of the mortal races draw their power from an invisible vortex of energy that permeates the entire world, called the Vortex of Mortal Magic. By channeling small amounts of energy from this vortex into their own bodies and shaping it, they are able to cast spells. Though it is difficult to harness control of the entire Vortex of Mortal Magic, the idea has been attempted by several figures in the past. Success in this feat would mean that a single entity would be the ultimate authority on magic for the entirety of Avlis. Generally, it is assumed that the ultimate goal of any ambitious wizard would be gaining control of this prize.
Novice wizards are not considered any threat in that regard, however. At low levels, they are allowed to practice magic uninhibited. As they rise in power, they begin to gain the attention of the magical organizations that regulate use of the Vortex. If a wizard allies with one of these organizations, they are granted privlidges, incentives, and extra abilities. Conversely, if a wizard chooses to be independent, they will be harassed and possibly even abused for their unwillingness to conform. At certain points in history, they have even had their powers curtailed.
Religion: Though wizards may follow any god, all of them acknowledge the divinity of two deities in particular, Andrinor and Angadar. Previously mortals, these two deities have assumed important positions with regard to the control of magic. Andrinor is the only known individual to succeed in controlling the Vortex of Mortal Magic, and thus, it is now he who determines which wizards and sorcerers have access to it. As the god of magic, all wizards acknowledge him as being in control, and most, though not all, wizards ascribe loyalty to him because he is now the source of their power. The other deity, Angadar, is the god of Arcane Knowledge, and is credited with the collection of arcane spells and magics that began appearing on Avlis after his ascension to godhood. Wizards respect Angadar for his thirst for knowledge and his love of magic, and the more ambitious and power-hungry wizards worship him as their principle god figure.
Races: Though members of any race can become wizards, it is usually the races that value intelligence and academic learning, such as elves, humans, and gnomes that produce the best wizards. Among the orcs, wizards are reviled and hated, even hunted down and killed. Due to the role of magic in the demise of the ancient orcish empire at the close of the Great War, orcish nations have outlawed sorcerous and wizardly magic and pledged to put all users to death. Orcish wizards are only able to survive by staying away from these societies or by sticking to protective underground groups.
Game Rule Information: This class is as described from the rules given for it in the Player?s Handbook.