The Templar is the warrior of his faith. His is the difficult path of self-sacrifice and dedication to combating the enemies of the faith with sword and shield in hand, turning not away for any who might stand against his righteous or terrible cause. Virtually every faith will form an Order of Templar to act as both defenders and forceful proselytizers of the religion. Only the most faithful and staunchest believers need apply for this daunting career where every action is judged against the holy standard which he bears before him.
As someone who fulfills both the roles of warrior and acolyte the Templar gains many abilities denied normal men as well as the use of Talismans in order to better carry out the will of his god. Templars must obey the uniform Code of Conduct. If he fails in this effort he is considered Pariah and must fulfill a Quest in order to regain his status. The Primary attribute for this class is Strength, with the secondary attributes of Wisdom and Charisma.
Class Abilities:
Level Title Attribute Class Ability Table
1 – 4 Gallant Str: 12
Wis: 12
Cha: 12 Aura of Faith: The Templar is a walking embodiment of his faith. As such he may detect enemies of his faith at 60’. The Templar also radiates an Aura of Faith causing enemies of his faith to suffer a –1 penalty to hit either the Templar or any allies of his within a 10’ radius. At fourth level the Templar gains the ability to use Orisons as a Priest, though the Templar is restricted to his Charisma divided by three uses per day.
5 – 8 Defender of the Faith Str: 13
Cha: 13 Combat Prowess: The Templar gains two special combat skills of Power Attack and Cleave. The Power Attack: before making attack rolls for a round, you may choose to subtract a number from all melee attack rolls and add the same number to all melee damage rolls. This number may not include magikal bonuses, and adjustments apply until the next round. If you attack with a two-handed weapon, or with a one-handed weapon wielded in two hands, instead add twice the number subtracted from your attack rolls. The Cleave: If you deal a creature enough damage to make it drop (typically by dropping it to below 0 hit points or killing it), you get an immediate, extra melee attack against another creature within reach. You may take a 5-foot step before making this extra attack. The extra attack is with the same weapon and at the same applicable bonuses as the attack that dropped the previous creature. You can use this ability once per round.
9 –12 Paladin Wis: 13
Invocation: Like Priests of his faith the Templar is given the ability to either turn or command the undead and/or other supernatural creatures and wield Talismans as a Priest of ½ his level, rounded up.
13 – Templar Wis: 14
Cha: 14
Sacred Ordinance: At this time the Templar, for his service and dedication shall receive a blessing from his deity giving him a special ability. The nature of this Ordinance shall be decided by his deity and shall be in keeping with the efforts of the Templar. Ex. Resistance to edged weapons, Immunity to cold, Protection from Undead etc.
Special Advantages:
Purity:
–As a paragon of his faith, his gods have bestowed upon him immunity to disease, and a +2 to all saving throws. Furthermore, the Templar is able to Cure Disease once a month.
Faith:
–As a sign of selfless dedication to his faith, the Templar is able to Lay Hands, which permits him to heal 2 points per level, once per day. Templars of evil alignment may choose to Lift Hands, which causes 2 points per level (This is considered a touch attack and is guided by those rules under Combat. This is permissible while grappling). The Laying on of Hands seals wounds and staunches all bleeding of the individual, thus making a character Stable (see rules under Healing).
Non-Weapon Proficiencies:
The Templar has received a small amount of tutoring by the Priests of his faith, and gains some skills that they feel would advance his efforts.
-Education 2
-Theology
-Undead or Spirit Lore
-Riding 3
-Leadership
-Etiquette
Talismans:
Templars are more than merely the muscle of their faith; they are the ultimate defenders and exemplars of their deities’ temporal power. While there are clerics who walk the land to stand as representatives of their god and do mighty works; the Templars are the true edge of the faith. The Templars punish the unworthy, defeat the infidel, and defend the sacred spaces. In this duty he is very close to a priest and so gains the use of Talismans upon reaching the level of Paladin.
Talisman Table
Templar
Level Talisman Level
1 2 3 4
9 2 – – –
10 3 – – –
11 3 1 – –
12 4 2 – –
13 4 3 1 –
14 4 3 2 –
15 4 3 2 1
16 4 4 2 2
17 5 4 2 2
Birth of a Templar:
The character must have a minimum of 12 Strength, 12 Wisdom, and 12 Charisma. Templars are much like Knights but instead of being dedicated to a particular noble they are committed to the will of the gods. Many noble families see advantage in allying themselves with a particular faith; others eschew it and see the martial power of temples as dangerous. Many Templars are children given to the church in dedication to a god. They may be from merchant or peasant stock and there may be little future for them if they are third or fourth children or the family may be especially dedicated to the faith. The following table is used to determine the Templar’s background.
Roll Family Results
01-04 Old Nobility Ruling class member dating back many centuries or more; major landowners. Family has longstanding ties to faith. Templar gains Fortuitous Birth, Heraldry, Hunting, and Local History as a bonus NWP.
05-15 Respected Nobility Old family with long tradition of warriors, leaders, and minor landowners. Family has long standing ties to faith. Templar gains Heraldry, Local History, and Hunting as bonus NWP.
16-31 Patrician Class Noble family with a military lineage; minor landowners. Templar is a late child, service offers opportunity to advance socially. Templar gains Heraldry, and Falconry as bonus NWP
32-58 Religious – Scholar Class Noble family with a religious or scholarly background. Minor landowners who have very strong ties and work with faith. Templar gains Heraldry and Ancient History as bonus NWP.
59-80 Merchant Class Wealthy family of business who have tithed to the faith to take their child into service. Templars may become noble or own land. Templar gains Local History and Rhetoric as bonus NWP.
81-00 Peasant Class You are from the ranks of laborers whose family gave you up to service. You have been raised by Priests of the faith. You owe all to the church. Templar gains Grooming as bonus NWP.
Becoming a Templar:
The foundation of being a templar is the Code of Conduct. This code is set down by the priests of the faith as directed by their deity and the exact methods by which the code is enforced or obeyed will be determined by the alignment and particular deity. This code directs the behavior of the Templar and should be treated as the law of their life before all other considerations. A violation of the Code is a sin against their faith! If the Code is violated, the templar will receive a vision or a visitation by a messenger of the god. They will know beyond a doubt that the messenger speaks the truth and the templar must immediately perform a Quest in order to be restored from excommunication. While in this state of disgrace the Templar receives none of the holy benefits of his faith, may not use Talismans, and may not wield a Consecrated weapon.
Code of Conduct
Courage:
-Turn not away from any enemy of the faith even unto death.
-Never betray the faith even unto death.
-Present the symbol of your faith with pride.
Defense:
-Defend the priests, property, and precepts of the faith to the death.
-Never abandon an ally or other Templar of the faith.
-Protect the adherents of the faith.
Piety:
-Keep only 10% of material wealth won.
-Keep no more than 10 magik items.
-Be humble before your god, your priest, and your lord.
Honor:
-Honor like faiths and expect honor from them.
-Discipline yourself in word and deed.
-Obey the precepts of your faith.
Correction:
-Discipline the errant without mercy.
-Permit the unfaithful to repent, if unrepentant then correction must be administered.
-Sometimes correction can only come in the form of punishment.
Advancing as a Templar:
Templars advance as other warriors save that they must be trained by another Templar or a Knight of a House that is friendly to the faith of the Templar. When the Templar achieves the rank of Paladin he must receive his instruction in talismans from a priest of the faith and no one else. Each morning a Templar must take a minimum of one turn in prayer and meditation. If he fails to do this for more than three days he will lose the benefits of his faith. Upon achieving 5th level or at any time after, at the discretion of the GM, the Templar may receive a vision of a Consecrated weapon that can be gained by the completion of a Quest. If he does gain it, the Templar radiates his Aura of Faith in a 30’ diameter.
Experience Level Hit Dice (d10) Attacks/Round
0 1 1 1/1 | 3/2
2,500 2 2 1/1 | 3/2
5,000 3 3 1/1 | 3/2
9,000 4 4 1/1 | 3/2
18,000 5 5 1/1 | 3/2
36,000 6 6 1/1 | 3/2
70,000 7 7 3/2 | 2/1
122,000 8 8 3/2 | 2/1
192,000 9 9 * 3/2 | 2/1
242,000 10 10* 3/2 | 2/1
302,000 11 11* 3/2 | 2/1
377,000 12 12* 3/2 | 2/1
500,000 13 13* 2/1 | 5/2
Experience Table