Updated Material Posting on April 15 2007:
This new game is designed to complement the Epic Game. Players are instructed to draft a tale
that spans two years of downtime for their epic characters. These tales will be woven together
where possible to include their Epic Character's deeds and allow new characters beginning at 4th
level to act as retainers, servants, students, bodyguards, or some other choice that will allow the
epic's to touch their lives. The DM will reveal the actual results of the Epic Character's downtime
during the course of play.
Character Creation is as follows... roll 4d6 for each stat and keep the highest 3 results. You may
assign the results of each roll to any stat desired though only one series of stats may be rolled...
this will be done in front of the DM. A pool of 4 points may be distributed across the stats though
no more than 2 points in a given value AND no stat may increase beyond 19 before racial
adjustments.
Selecting a background feat is not required but highly encouraged. Players may Select One Free
Background Feat.
BACKGROUND FEAT PREREQUISITE DESCRIPTION
Artist^ 1st Level +2 Perform; +3 Any SINGLE Craft Skill, +3 Bardsongs/day.
Selee Blooded* 1st Level +2 Spot; +1 resist Fear; +1 Initiative.
Bullheaded^ 1st Level +2 resist Taunt; +2 resist Fear; +1 Will saves.
Luck of Heroes* 1st Level +1 Armor Class; +1 all saves.
Mind Over Body 1st Level Int and metamagic feats increase Hit Points (instead of Con).
Silver Palm* 1st Level +2 Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy.
Snake Blood* 1st Level +2 resist Poison; +2 Fortitude saves.
Spellcasting Prodigy*% 3 1st Level Bonus spell(s) and spells are harder for enemies to resist. +1
DC + 1 Caster Level
Strong Soul^ 1st Level +3 resist Death Magic. +1 Fortitude and Will saves.
Thug^ 1st Level +2 Intimidate and Appraise. +1 Initiative.
LEGEND
Symbol Explanation
* This feat works differently than its D&D version.
^ This feat does not exist in D&D it is unique to Deuxterra.
& Fighters can select this feat as a bonus feat.
% Wizards can select this feat as a bonus feat.
Each new character may select 1 single magic item... this is a low magic world after all... for now.
Mundane items may be purchased but Masterwork and some Enhancements such as Serrated
and Keen require DM approval.
Arcane Spellcasters must have their selections approved as well.
Only the Races listed in the Deuxterra Campaign are valid selections as exotic creatures are
currently all but unheard of, though this may change depending on the party and the epic party's
actions and deeds.
Characters are assumed NOT to know each other when the game begins, though a high Lore Skill
or something similar, may indicate a character knows another by reputation.
This new game is designed to complement the Epic Game. Players are instructed to draft a tale
that spans two years of downtime for their epic characters. These tales will be woven together
where possible to include their Epic Character's deeds and allow new characters beginning at 4th
level to act as retainers, servants, students, bodyguards, or some other choice that will allow the
epic's to touch their lives. The DM will reveal the actual results of the Epic Character's downtime
during the course of play.
Character Creation is as follows... roll 4d6 for each stat and keep the highest 3 results. You may
assign the results of each roll to any stat desired though only one series of stats may be rolled...
this will be done in front of the DM. A pool of 4 points may be distributed across the stats though
no more than 2 points in a given value AND no stat may increase beyond 19 before racial
adjustments.
Selecting a background feat is not required but highly encouraged. Players may Select One Free
Background Feat.
BACKGROUND FEAT PREREQUISITE DESCRIPTION
Artist^ 1st Level +2 Perform; +3 Any SINGLE Craft Skill, +3 Bardsongs/day.
Selee Blooded* 1st Level +2 Spot; +1 resist Fear; +1 Initiative.
Bullheaded^ 1st Level +2 resist Taunt; +2 resist Fear; +1 Will saves.
Luck of Heroes* 1st Level +1 Armor Class; +1 all saves.
Mind Over Body 1st Level Int and metamagic feats increase Hit Points (instead of Con).
Silver Palm* 1st Level +2 Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy.
Snake Blood* 1st Level +2 resist Poison; +2 Fortitude saves.
Spellcasting Prodigy*% 3 1st Level Bonus spell(s) and spells are harder for enemies to resist. +1
DC + 1 Caster Level
Strong Soul^ 1st Level +3 resist Death Magic. +1 Fortitude and Will saves.
Thug^ 1st Level +2 Intimidate and Appraise. +1 Initiative.
LEGEND
Symbol Explanation
* This feat works differently than its D&D version.
^ This feat does not exist in D&D it is unique to Deuxterra.
& Fighters can select this feat as a bonus feat.
% Wizards can select this feat as a bonus feat.
Each new character may select 1 single magic item... this is a low magic world after all... for now.
Mundane items may be purchased but Masterwork and some Enhancements such as Serrated
and Keen require DM approval.
Arcane Spellcasters must have their selections approved as well.
Only the Races listed in the Deuxterra Campaign are valid selections as exotic creatures are
currently all but unheard of, though this may change depending on the party and the epic party's
actions and deeds.
Characters are assumed NOT to know each other when the game begins, though a high Lore Skill
or something similar, may indicate a character knows another by reputation.
| Arcnus Magicus, Sitcom Wars, Deuxterra, Rathaspar and all materials herein are Copyright Arcnus Magicus 1990;2006. All Rights Reserved. |
Backstory & Order of Magus Adept Prestige Class
Where have you been that you don’t know what has transpired? I’d say that you have not just been out of town but on some
island stuck in the middle of an uncharted sea! Ok, fine I’ll fill you in but I don’t really know all that much. Buy me a pint or two
and I might say a little more when the militia types are not looking our way.
Two years have passed since the coupe that almost brought Pax and Grecia to total war.
The legendary Artificer Soren was rumored to have defeated an actual god while in the great coliseum of Pax before
thousands of spectators, but everything happened so quickly few could actually say. One moment the man who would be
crowned Emperor of Pax-Grecia stood with his future bride, about to be correnated. Within the next few moments explosions
rocked the crowd, and a flying dragon descended into the arena. Before panic could grip the populace Soren had in his
grasp the crown of ages and donned it. I don’t know if the god part is true, but we all saw events that day that not even the
clerics could explain.
Soren bade the Imperial Senators and the Praetorian Guard swear fealty to him, and then he left in a spectacular ship that
cut through the sky as though a swift boat would cut through waves.
Two years of speculation and the occasional political double dealing passed, with Soren occasionally stepping in to make
things right. Before returning to rule Pax-Grecia Soren left the Empire in the hands of the Senate who were quickly swayed by
religious convections or coin to join one side or the other. It looked like war was a certainty. Massive War machines crawled
from Grecia into Pax. Hoplites and Centuries marched forward to greet each other as though the very fate of the world
depended on one side falling. Even the many gods appeared; marshalling their mortal forces with divine… the gods too had
chosen sides.
The two armies looked certain to collide as they faced off from on opposite hill tops separated by a valley divided only by a
long dry riverbed. Then the miraculous happened! Soren appeared along side the very same warriors who assisted him the
day he donned the Crown of Ages, right in the middle of the valley.
Soren and his entourage spoke to the deities; they would not listen. Then they spoke to the generals and standard barriers
of each armies… men who had sworn to obey his decree; they would not listen.
When it looked as though war could not be diverted, and all hope appeared lost, a Great White Dragon fell from the sky! It
was the first dragon most had seen in ages though the Azimpari Infidels of the artic wastelands claim to worship two of the
beasts as gods. The dragon thrashed and fought as though outnumbered and tormented by invisible foes. Soren ceased the
opportunity and directed his followers to the riverbed where he worked a powerful magic and vanished.
The armies disbanded. The war machines fell apart on the spot. The very double dealing Senators who had power placed in
their hands by the Emperor were all struck dead. A regency was established in Soren’s name. Sole power over all of Pax and
Grecia was placed in the hands of a young man called only Nathanial who said that Soren was away correcting a crisis in the
Lands of Gorin and dealing with the gods one way or another.
For two years Nathanial maintained the peace and issued laws that were just. Aiding him was another young man, perhaps
slightly older though very unusual in appearance. This aid kept to the shadows when possible, and always wore a voluminous
robe that covered him from head to toe. Some say that the aid was deformed as he walked with a hunch and appeared to
perhaps have a large growth on his back. Nathanial was open and friendly, but when asked of Soren or his entourage the
young Regent would seem distant or overcome with concern. One day Nathanial, his aid and all of the Regency Staff were
gone. No trace of them. The Priests of Laden could not locate Nathanial. The Clerics of all the orders were equally mystified
as to how a government could simply vanish overnight.
Unrest gripped the city. Priests suddenly could not work their healing prayers or even commune with the deities. They
remembered that Nathanial had said Soren would deal with the gods one way or another. The clerics feared that perhaps
even the deities fell to him. Crops withered and died as farmers and livestock sought refuge in more prosperous lands… but
they could find none. Banks were ruined; even the humble blacksmiths could not get metal to forge! It was as though the
world were dying. The moon Solamae slowly appeared to be descending even though it was time for her to wax rather than
wane. Earthquakes and tidal waves destroyed lands even far from Pax-Grecia. Plague gripped the poorer communities first;
soon even the rich were covered with pox and piling their dead in the streets.
Soren reappeared as suddenly as he had left. He was escorted by an elven maiden who called herself Loren; perhaps in
honor of the Emperor himself. The Terasoli Witch drove her staff into the ground and spoke in the Language of Power.
It was the first time most anyone had seen magic worked; and it is forever seared into my memory. Soren called forth stone
from the very earth and shaped it into a huge temple. Then the elf tossed four stones; two fell on the right and two on the left
aside the new temple. From these stones new buildings grew with such intensity the ground rocked as hard as it did during
the quakes only weeks before.
I am a common man thus I was not invited to partake in the reconstruction of the government. I was sent to labor in the other
cities through-out the empire and aid in reconstruction. That’s how you found me here… I am traveling to meet my wife and
sons in Myrydion. Ok, the constable is gone for now so maybe I can open up a little more and tell you what else I know. I still
find it hard to believe you missed out on all of this!
Regarding the rebuilding of the nation what I can tell you is this… Soren sent aid to all of the nations, even beyond the sea
and well past the Lands of Gorin. His power seemed without limit and his purse without bottom. He was quick to befriend other
heads of state and even powers across the seas. Soren’s reach expands to this day even further than my maps have
charted; perhaps even father. His witch Loren seems to haven even greater influence. I’ll tell you more on that in a bit.
Finally, things started to look up for Pax and Grecia. As a unified empire under Soren’s banner crops grew, skirmishes were
crushed even before they could get started, and everyone was making money!
Then the new laws came. They did not impact me much; I’m more likely to spend a night in a tavern then temple. The priests
within Pax-Grecia were ordered to work within a singular temple. One dedicated to all of the gods. The grandest of the new
temples was forged from a single stone that Soren cast out, and placed next to the Imperial Estate. I tell you it is a queer
feeling to know that a Cleric of Solas or Ladin could be chummy with a Priest of Tartoraus or even Demeni while inside the
temple.
Anyway, I digress. As the clerics agreed to move into the single unified temples they regained their powers of prayer. Word
spread around the many lands and beyond the seas of how the priestly orders within Pax-Grecia had been forced to use
temples jointly or they would be declared enemies of the state. At first many of the priests bristled at such an arrangement
and sought to escape but when their powers suddenly returned most thought it was simply the will of the gods.
The temples have some odd rules these days. No one is permitted to wear sandals or boots on the steps of the Temples.
The clerics say it disrespects the gods but I am not so sure. Also, upon entering a temple anyone who is not a priest must
disrobe and be cleansed in a communal bathing pool. I am all for a free bath but the pool is magicked in some way so that
light cannot exist. Even a Dwarven friend of mine said he couldn’t see a darn thing in that pool. Now, I won’t go in… I’m not
much for bathing in the dark where a devote of some dark god might bump me by accident. Like I was saying, those pools
are magicked up; my Dwarven friend said that he felt hands on him washing him up good and pouring water and what not
over his head, but their was no sound. He said that even when he shouted out for them to stop touching him… he could do
the job himself… nary a sound came out of his brew hole. Then suddenly he was standing in the temple itself, dry as a bone
and wearing a new robe… sandals not included.
The Clerics just say it is all the will of the gods and all of the land’s temples now behave this way… who knows? Priests are
an odd lot anyway.
Speaking of odd lots, Soren’s wizardress went away for a month and came back with young men and women, mostly Humans
and Elves, but some I cannot even put a name to. She raised a tower from the ground and then converted the ruined
coliseum into a place to train wizards. Suddenly Pax is buzzing about with magicked coins and rumors of curses and infernal
pacts. Soren seems to think highly of this development but that witch Loren scares me. She seems so aloof and
unconcerned. A fortnight ago an explosion rocked the coliseum and killed thirty men, some of them were just on the street
and none of them were wizards. She just went and turned the corpses into raggedy limping parodies of life and ordered them
to clean up the mess like the loss of life was some grand joke.
The Priests of Ladin and some men-at-arms had to come out and destroy them once the rubble was cleared and the
zombies started attacking anyone who was near. One of the acolytes told me in confidence that the priesthood could have
revived many of those that were killed in the explosion if she had not used her foul magic on those poor bastards.
Loren has even gone so far as to personally train instructors to locate and teach promising warriors war magic to combine
with the blade and bow. The most frightening thing that she has implemented is known as The Order Magus, or simply The
Order. The greatest of her students have moved from the academy to the tower where it is rumored Loren personally
oversees their training. A test of some sort is required for admission into the order. Some say it is a test few survive, and
some of those aspiring wizards are forever altered by the experience.
Before the guards come back let me tell you this of the Order. They have their own rules, philosophies and laws, and operate
outside of the common law. It is said that the Order Magus exists to prevent crimes against magic and the state. The official
word from Soren is that they are guardians of the peace better equipped to deal with situations that impact the empire than a
common army or the city guard. I can say that the Order certainly has excelled in maintaining the peace, but at a great cost.
They can enter the mind and steal or alter thoughts, or even walk through walls and fly to great heights. It is said that the
more powerful among them command fire and lighting from their very finger tips! Now I know what you are going to say… any
wizard these days can cast a few spells such as those, but not the way the Order does. I cannot explain it, they just do it
differently. Those who know more about magic then I say that the members of the Order are taught to make a spell’s
gestures and chants in their minds as you and I might imagine a minstrel playing his lute.
The Order Magus continues to use Loren’s tower as their base of operations but no one sees them leave or enter. They just
appear, usually in groups of two, an apprentice and a more advanced member of the Order. If you see a member be assured
that they already saw you. At first it is easy to mistake them for priests or a monk; they wear drab colored robes and try to
appear very humble or poor. Make no mistake, the Order Magus has unlimited funds and the support of the Emperor… it is
wise not to cross them.
Prestige Class: Order Magus Adept
Stealth and reason are an Adept’s greatest allies when magic is not practical. Adepts seek to achieve a state of perfect
clarity and oneness with magic, weapon, mind and body. An Adept is a troubleshooter, diplomat, warrior, spy and sage all at
once. He values wisdom and respect over action though is unafraid to strike down the enemies of the Order and Pax-Grecia.
The life of an Order Magus Adept is a demanding though rewarding path. Fully half of all income must be donated either to
the Order or to the Adept’s preferred deity. The Order provides Adepts with magical lore, training and the opportunity to
serve the Pax-Grecian Empire. A modest room, meals and even entertainment expenses are provided through the order.
Spell Components, magic item research materials, and healing are provided at a very modest sum for members of the Order.
Complete and total devotion to the order is required even before admittance. Only the best and brightest talents with
sufficient combat skills and the ability to be diplomatic are admitted. Training begins with a grueling eighty-four hour test of
endurance. Those who fail or appear weak minded are tossed out without a second thought. After the first test is completed
the prospective Adept is granted six hours to refresh himself through sleep and bathing in the temple’s pools.
The next step is a unique magical challenge designed to test the weaknesses of each individual candidate… those who fail
here are usually broken and left for dead. Sometimes the test is deadly combat or a series of traps though a test of wills is
not uncommon. All who pass the test and survive are reluctant to speak of their experiences except with their master or the
Witch Queen Loren herself.
Once a prospect has officially been welcomed into the order he is made to select a new name... indicating that his old life is
at an end. Skills from previous classes are encouraged to be embraced and even exploited on occasion though it is
important to remember that the prospect is dead and now only the Adept remains.
Study begins with mundane topics such as law, etiquette, war strategies, history and religion, natural and alchemical
sciences, mathematics and foreign languages are the focus. Those who are quick studies are quickly and quietly promoted;
those who complain they are here to study magic are brought before the Witch Queen and never heard of again. Some
middle ground students patient enough to digest and master those skills taught are eventually placed with masters, though
many of them are sent to become officials within the Pax-Grecian Government or Military.
As the new Adept graduates from the libraries and study chambers he is quickly thrown into a regiment of combat training
and taught how to use his wits while maintaining concentration and a calm demeanor. Usually the Adept is taught to use a
longsword or gain mastery with a staff though some Adepts prefer to select less traditional weapons such as crossbows and
rapiers. It is during the combat trials when the Adepts first get a taste of magic, and it is a taste many of them would rather
forget.
The weaponmasters of the Order have sufficient training to cast many spells that enhance their speed and agility, strength,
or alter the environment. The Adepts are shown no mercy for the next few weeks as they learn what it is like to be on the
wrong end of an unfair fight. The Adepts are expected to remember their failures so that they can avoid them again in the
future by relying on training and instinct.
Martial Training continues throughout the Adept’s life though after graduating from a weaponmaster’s tutelage the Adept is
assigned to a Master of the Order. The Adept’s Master will train him in magical theory and spellcraft as well as all of the
nuisances of life within the Order and serving Pax-Grecia. Adept and Master alike return to the libraries, research in the
laboratories and train to become living extensions of their magic and weapons. As the Adept grows in power and promise so
does his Master in prestige within the order. Capable Adepts are soon sent out into the lands as agents of the Order.
Prestige Class: Order Magus Adept
Select two of the following Bonus Feats upon qualifying for and selecting the Order Magus Adept Class: Maximize Spell,
Enlarge Spell and Quicken Spell.
Order Magus Adepts benefit from an improved Armor Class. They add ½ of their Wisdom Bonus rounding down to their AC
as a Circumstance Bonus. This Bonus is lost while the Adept is prone or unconscious.
Order Magus Adepts may select Two Domains of Divine Spells to prepare and cast as though they were Arcane Spells with
the exception of the following Barred Domains; Chaos, Death, Destruction, Plant, Travel, Trickery, Water. Like Arcane Spells,
these must prepared via a spellbook or scroll prior to casting. Spontaneous Conversion such as one divine spell becomes a
healing spell is not permitted. If the Adept has Divine Spell Caster Levels these spells do not stack, work with Feats Specific
to Divine Metamagic, and are treated as standard Arcane Spells.
Order Magus Adepts may select a single granted power associated with one of the two Divine Domains selected. The Adept
uses this ability as though he were a Cleric of the specified domain if the following conditions are met; the Adept’s alignment
must be within one step of the deity who commands the Domain, and the Adept is required to display the deity’s holy symbol
on his person in clear view at all times. Furthermore, the Adept must attend services at least once per lunar month and tithe
50% of his monthly income either to the Order Magus or the Temple. Failure to abide by these restrictions results in the loss
of the Granted Power and access to both Divine Domains until the adept completes Atonement. In the event that the Adept is
on a mission, imprisoned or otherwise unable to perform these duties, though he makes every reasonable attempt to
compensate, the abilities are not lost.
Hit Die: D6
Prerequisites
- Must be of Lawful Alignment
- Must be a Thief, Fighter or Monk of level 3 or better.
- Must be an Arcane spellcaster level 5 or better
- Must have at least 8 ranks in the Concentration skill
- Must know the Combat Casting Feat
- Must have the Weapon Focus or Weapon Finesse Feat
- Must have at least 4 ranks in the Diplomacy or Bluff Skill
- Must have at least 5 Ranks in Spellcraft
- Must have at least 5 Ranks in Knowledge Arcane
- Must know either the Iron Will Feat or Still Spell Feat
- Must have at least Intelligence 15, Wisdom 14, Dexterity 14
Class Skills: Alchemy, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Jump, Knowledge – Arcana, Knowledge –
History, Knowledge – Religion, Move Silently, Profession, Scry, Spellcraft, Spot, Tumble, Ride.
Skill points per level: 3 + INT bonus
Weapon and armor proficiencies: Simple and Martial Weapons. Order Magus Adepts cannot wear armor even if appropriate
Feats are selected.
Additional Hit Points: Upon attaining this level, the Order Magus Adept doubles the number of hit points rolled for the level, as
well as doubling any normal CON bonus up to +4.
Spell Enhancement I: The Order Magus Adept chooses any known spell of up to 3rd level. This spell may then be considered
to always have an Extend Spell or Still Spell or Silent Spell Metamagic effect without the spell requiring the extra level slot
normally assigned to it. The choice to Extend, Still, or Silence is made at the point this level is attained, and cannot thereafter
be altered (e.g. upon attaining 2nd level as a Order Magus Adept, Dan decides to make his Fireball spell Silent. Thereafter, it
is still prepared as a 3rd level spell, but is always Silent).
Spell Enhancement II: Similar to Spell Enhancement I, but the spell in question is considered to be Empowered. The same
spell chosen for the Spell Enhancement I bonus may be chosen for this bonus as well.
Spell Enhancement III: Similar to Spell Enhancement I, but the spell in question is considered to be Maximized. The same
spell chosen for the Spell Enhancement I bonus may be chosen for this bonus as well.
island stuck in the middle of an uncharted sea! Ok, fine I’ll fill you in but I don’t really know all that much. Buy me a pint or two
and I might say a little more when the militia types are not looking our way.
Two years have passed since the coupe that almost brought Pax and Grecia to total war.
The legendary Artificer Soren was rumored to have defeated an actual god while in the great coliseum of Pax before
thousands of spectators, but everything happened so quickly few could actually say. One moment the man who would be
crowned Emperor of Pax-Grecia stood with his future bride, about to be correnated. Within the next few moments explosions
rocked the crowd, and a flying dragon descended into the arena. Before panic could grip the populace Soren had in his
grasp the crown of ages and donned it. I don’t know if the god part is true, but we all saw events that day that not even the
clerics could explain.
Soren bade the Imperial Senators and the Praetorian Guard swear fealty to him, and then he left in a spectacular ship that
cut through the sky as though a swift boat would cut through waves.
Two years of speculation and the occasional political double dealing passed, with Soren occasionally stepping in to make
things right. Before returning to rule Pax-Grecia Soren left the Empire in the hands of the Senate who were quickly swayed by
religious convections or coin to join one side or the other. It looked like war was a certainty. Massive War machines crawled
from Grecia into Pax. Hoplites and Centuries marched forward to greet each other as though the very fate of the world
depended on one side falling. Even the many gods appeared; marshalling their mortal forces with divine… the gods too had
chosen sides.
The two armies looked certain to collide as they faced off from on opposite hill tops separated by a valley divided only by a
long dry riverbed. Then the miraculous happened! Soren appeared along side the very same warriors who assisted him the
day he donned the Crown of Ages, right in the middle of the valley.
Soren and his entourage spoke to the deities; they would not listen. Then they spoke to the generals and standard barriers
of each armies… men who had sworn to obey his decree; they would not listen.
When it looked as though war could not be diverted, and all hope appeared lost, a Great White Dragon fell from the sky! It
was the first dragon most had seen in ages though the Azimpari Infidels of the artic wastelands claim to worship two of the
beasts as gods. The dragon thrashed and fought as though outnumbered and tormented by invisible foes. Soren ceased the
opportunity and directed his followers to the riverbed where he worked a powerful magic and vanished.
The armies disbanded. The war machines fell apart on the spot. The very double dealing Senators who had power placed in
their hands by the Emperor were all struck dead. A regency was established in Soren’s name. Sole power over all of Pax and
Grecia was placed in the hands of a young man called only Nathanial who said that Soren was away correcting a crisis in the
Lands of Gorin and dealing with the gods one way or another.
For two years Nathanial maintained the peace and issued laws that were just. Aiding him was another young man, perhaps
slightly older though very unusual in appearance. This aid kept to the shadows when possible, and always wore a voluminous
robe that covered him from head to toe. Some say that the aid was deformed as he walked with a hunch and appeared to
perhaps have a large growth on his back. Nathanial was open and friendly, but when asked of Soren or his entourage the
young Regent would seem distant or overcome with concern. One day Nathanial, his aid and all of the Regency Staff were
gone. No trace of them. The Priests of Laden could not locate Nathanial. The Clerics of all the orders were equally mystified
as to how a government could simply vanish overnight.
Unrest gripped the city. Priests suddenly could not work their healing prayers or even commune with the deities. They
remembered that Nathanial had said Soren would deal with the gods one way or another. The clerics feared that perhaps
even the deities fell to him. Crops withered and died as farmers and livestock sought refuge in more prosperous lands… but
they could find none. Banks were ruined; even the humble blacksmiths could not get metal to forge! It was as though the
world were dying. The moon Solamae slowly appeared to be descending even though it was time for her to wax rather than
wane. Earthquakes and tidal waves destroyed lands even far from Pax-Grecia. Plague gripped the poorer communities first;
soon even the rich were covered with pox and piling their dead in the streets.
Soren reappeared as suddenly as he had left. He was escorted by an elven maiden who called herself Loren; perhaps in
honor of the Emperor himself. The Terasoli Witch drove her staff into the ground and spoke in the Language of Power.
It was the first time most anyone had seen magic worked; and it is forever seared into my memory. Soren called forth stone
from the very earth and shaped it into a huge temple. Then the elf tossed four stones; two fell on the right and two on the left
aside the new temple. From these stones new buildings grew with such intensity the ground rocked as hard as it did during
the quakes only weeks before.
I am a common man thus I was not invited to partake in the reconstruction of the government. I was sent to labor in the other
cities through-out the empire and aid in reconstruction. That’s how you found me here… I am traveling to meet my wife and
sons in Myrydion. Ok, the constable is gone for now so maybe I can open up a little more and tell you what else I know. I still
find it hard to believe you missed out on all of this!
Regarding the rebuilding of the nation what I can tell you is this… Soren sent aid to all of the nations, even beyond the sea
and well past the Lands of Gorin. His power seemed without limit and his purse without bottom. He was quick to befriend other
heads of state and even powers across the seas. Soren’s reach expands to this day even further than my maps have
charted; perhaps even father. His witch Loren seems to haven even greater influence. I’ll tell you more on that in a bit.
Finally, things started to look up for Pax and Grecia. As a unified empire under Soren’s banner crops grew, skirmishes were
crushed even before they could get started, and everyone was making money!
Then the new laws came. They did not impact me much; I’m more likely to spend a night in a tavern then temple. The priests
within Pax-Grecia were ordered to work within a singular temple. One dedicated to all of the gods. The grandest of the new
temples was forged from a single stone that Soren cast out, and placed next to the Imperial Estate. I tell you it is a queer
feeling to know that a Cleric of Solas or Ladin could be chummy with a Priest of Tartoraus or even Demeni while inside the
temple.
Anyway, I digress. As the clerics agreed to move into the single unified temples they regained their powers of prayer. Word
spread around the many lands and beyond the seas of how the priestly orders within Pax-Grecia had been forced to use
temples jointly or they would be declared enemies of the state. At first many of the priests bristled at such an arrangement
and sought to escape but when their powers suddenly returned most thought it was simply the will of the gods.
The temples have some odd rules these days. No one is permitted to wear sandals or boots on the steps of the Temples.
The clerics say it disrespects the gods but I am not so sure. Also, upon entering a temple anyone who is not a priest must
disrobe and be cleansed in a communal bathing pool. I am all for a free bath but the pool is magicked in some way so that
light cannot exist. Even a Dwarven friend of mine said he couldn’t see a darn thing in that pool. Now, I won’t go in… I’m not
much for bathing in the dark where a devote of some dark god might bump me by accident. Like I was saying, those pools
are magicked up; my Dwarven friend said that he felt hands on him washing him up good and pouring water and what not
over his head, but their was no sound. He said that even when he shouted out for them to stop touching him… he could do
the job himself… nary a sound came out of his brew hole. Then suddenly he was standing in the temple itself, dry as a bone
and wearing a new robe… sandals not included.
The Clerics just say it is all the will of the gods and all of the land’s temples now behave this way… who knows? Priests are
an odd lot anyway.
Speaking of odd lots, Soren’s wizardress went away for a month and came back with young men and women, mostly Humans
and Elves, but some I cannot even put a name to. She raised a tower from the ground and then converted the ruined
coliseum into a place to train wizards. Suddenly Pax is buzzing about with magicked coins and rumors of curses and infernal
pacts. Soren seems to think highly of this development but that witch Loren scares me. She seems so aloof and
unconcerned. A fortnight ago an explosion rocked the coliseum and killed thirty men, some of them were just on the street
and none of them were wizards. She just went and turned the corpses into raggedy limping parodies of life and ordered them
to clean up the mess like the loss of life was some grand joke.
The Priests of Ladin and some men-at-arms had to come out and destroy them once the rubble was cleared and the
zombies started attacking anyone who was near. One of the acolytes told me in confidence that the priesthood could have
revived many of those that were killed in the explosion if she had not used her foul magic on those poor bastards.
Loren has even gone so far as to personally train instructors to locate and teach promising warriors war magic to combine
with the blade and bow. The most frightening thing that she has implemented is known as The Order Magus, or simply The
Order. The greatest of her students have moved from the academy to the tower where it is rumored Loren personally
oversees their training. A test of some sort is required for admission into the order. Some say it is a test few survive, and
some of those aspiring wizards are forever altered by the experience.
Before the guards come back let me tell you this of the Order. They have their own rules, philosophies and laws, and operate
outside of the common law. It is said that the Order Magus exists to prevent crimes against magic and the state. The official
word from Soren is that they are guardians of the peace better equipped to deal with situations that impact the empire than a
common army or the city guard. I can say that the Order certainly has excelled in maintaining the peace, but at a great cost.
They can enter the mind and steal or alter thoughts, or even walk through walls and fly to great heights. It is said that the
more powerful among them command fire and lighting from their very finger tips! Now I know what you are going to say… any
wizard these days can cast a few spells such as those, but not the way the Order does. I cannot explain it, they just do it
differently. Those who know more about magic then I say that the members of the Order are taught to make a spell’s
gestures and chants in their minds as you and I might imagine a minstrel playing his lute.
The Order Magus continues to use Loren’s tower as their base of operations but no one sees them leave or enter. They just
appear, usually in groups of two, an apprentice and a more advanced member of the Order. If you see a member be assured
that they already saw you. At first it is easy to mistake them for priests or a monk; they wear drab colored robes and try to
appear very humble or poor. Make no mistake, the Order Magus has unlimited funds and the support of the Emperor… it is
wise not to cross them.
Prestige Class: Order Magus Adept
Stealth and reason are an Adept’s greatest allies when magic is not practical. Adepts seek to achieve a state of perfect
clarity and oneness with magic, weapon, mind and body. An Adept is a troubleshooter, diplomat, warrior, spy and sage all at
once. He values wisdom and respect over action though is unafraid to strike down the enemies of the Order and Pax-Grecia.
The life of an Order Magus Adept is a demanding though rewarding path. Fully half of all income must be donated either to
the Order or to the Adept’s preferred deity. The Order provides Adepts with magical lore, training and the opportunity to
serve the Pax-Grecian Empire. A modest room, meals and even entertainment expenses are provided through the order.
Spell Components, magic item research materials, and healing are provided at a very modest sum for members of the Order.
Complete and total devotion to the order is required even before admittance. Only the best and brightest talents with
sufficient combat skills and the ability to be diplomatic are admitted. Training begins with a grueling eighty-four hour test of
endurance. Those who fail or appear weak minded are tossed out without a second thought. After the first test is completed
the prospective Adept is granted six hours to refresh himself through sleep and bathing in the temple’s pools.
The next step is a unique magical challenge designed to test the weaknesses of each individual candidate… those who fail
here are usually broken and left for dead. Sometimes the test is deadly combat or a series of traps though a test of wills is
not uncommon. All who pass the test and survive are reluctant to speak of their experiences except with their master or the
Witch Queen Loren herself.
Once a prospect has officially been welcomed into the order he is made to select a new name... indicating that his old life is
at an end. Skills from previous classes are encouraged to be embraced and even exploited on occasion though it is
important to remember that the prospect is dead and now only the Adept remains.
Study begins with mundane topics such as law, etiquette, war strategies, history and religion, natural and alchemical
sciences, mathematics and foreign languages are the focus. Those who are quick studies are quickly and quietly promoted;
those who complain they are here to study magic are brought before the Witch Queen and never heard of again. Some
middle ground students patient enough to digest and master those skills taught are eventually placed with masters, though
many of them are sent to become officials within the Pax-Grecian Government or Military.
As the new Adept graduates from the libraries and study chambers he is quickly thrown into a regiment of combat training
and taught how to use his wits while maintaining concentration and a calm demeanor. Usually the Adept is taught to use a
longsword or gain mastery with a staff though some Adepts prefer to select less traditional weapons such as crossbows and
rapiers. It is during the combat trials when the Adepts first get a taste of magic, and it is a taste many of them would rather
forget.
The weaponmasters of the Order have sufficient training to cast many spells that enhance their speed and agility, strength,
or alter the environment. The Adepts are shown no mercy for the next few weeks as they learn what it is like to be on the
wrong end of an unfair fight. The Adepts are expected to remember their failures so that they can avoid them again in the
future by relying on training and instinct.
Martial Training continues throughout the Adept’s life though after graduating from a weaponmaster’s tutelage the Adept is
assigned to a Master of the Order. The Adept’s Master will train him in magical theory and spellcraft as well as all of the
nuisances of life within the Order and serving Pax-Grecia. Adept and Master alike return to the libraries, research in the
laboratories and train to become living extensions of their magic and weapons. As the Adept grows in power and promise so
does his Master in prestige within the order. Capable Adepts are soon sent out into the lands as agents of the Order.
Prestige Class: Order Magus Adept
Select two of the following Bonus Feats upon qualifying for and selecting the Order Magus Adept Class: Maximize Spell,
Enlarge Spell and Quicken Spell.
Order Magus Adepts benefit from an improved Armor Class. They add ½ of their Wisdom Bonus rounding down to their AC
as a Circumstance Bonus. This Bonus is lost while the Adept is prone or unconscious.
Order Magus Adepts may select Two Domains of Divine Spells to prepare and cast as though they were Arcane Spells with
the exception of the following Barred Domains; Chaos, Death, Destruction, Plant, Travel, Trickery, Water. Like Arcane Spells,
these must prepared via a spellbook or scroll prior to casting. Spontaneous Conversion such as one divine spell becomes a
healing spell is not permitted. If the Adept has Divine Spell Caster Levels these spells do not stack, work with Feats Specific
to Divine Metamagic, and are treated as standard Arcane Spells.
Order Magus Adepts may select a single granted power associated with one of the two Divine Domains selected. The Adept
uses this ability as though he were a Cleric of the specified domain if the following conditions are met; the Adept’s alignment
must be within one step of the deity who commands the Domain, and the Adept is required to display the deity’s holy symbol
on his person in clear view at all times. Furthermore, the Adept must attend services at least once per lunar month and tithe
50% of his monthly income either to the Order Magus or the Temple. Failure to abide by these restrictions results in the loss
of the Granted Power and access to both Divine Domains until the adept completes Atonement. In the event that the Adept is
on a mission, imprisoned or otherwise unable to perform these duties, though he makes every reasonable attempt to
compensate, the abilities are not lost.
Hit Die: D6
Prerequisites
- Must be of Lawful Alignment
- Must be a Thief, Fighter or Monk of level 3 or better.
- Must be an Arcane spellcaster level 5 or better
- Must have at least 8 ranks in the Concentration skill
- Must know the Combat Casting Feat
- Must have the Weapon Focus or Weapon Finesse Feat
- Must have at least 4 ranks in the Diplomacy or Bluff Skill
- Must have at least 5 Ranks in Spellcraft
- Must have at least 5 Ranks in Knowledge Arcane
- Must know either the Iron Will Feat or Still Spell Feat
- Must have at least Intelligence 15, Wisdom 14, Dexterity 14
Class Skills: Alchemy, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Jump, Knowledge – Arcana, Knowledge –
History, Knowledge – Religion, Move Silently, Profession, Scry, Spellcraft, Spot, Tumble, Ride.
Skill points per level: 3 + INT bonus
Weapon and armor proficiencies: Simple and Martial Weapons. Order Magus Adepts cannot wear armor even if appropriate
Feats are selected.
Additional Hit Points: Upon attaining this level, the Order Magus Adept doubles the number of hit points rolled for the level, as
well as doubling any normal CON bonus up to +4.
Spell Enhancement I: The Order Magus Adept chooses any known spell of up to 3rd level. This spell may then be considered
to always have an Extend Spell or Still Spell or Silent Spell Metamagic effect without the spell requiring the extra level slot
normally assigned to it. The choice to Extend, Still, or Silence is made at the point this level is attained, and cannot thereafter
be altered (e.g. upon attaining 2nd level as a Order Magus Adept, Dan decides to make his Fireball spell Silent. Thereafter, it
is still prepared as a 3rd level spell, but is always Silent).
Spell Enhancement II: Similar to Spell Enhancement I, but the spell in question is considered to be Empowered. The same
spell chosen for the Spell Enhancement I bonus may be chosen for this bonus as well.
Spell Enhancement III: Similar to Spell Enhancement I, but the spell in question is considered to be Maximized. The same
spell chosen for the Spell Enhancement I bonus may be chosen for this bonus as well.
