Faerûnian Prestige Class : Divine Disciple
The most zealous, devout, and pious clerics, druids, and paladins possess the ability to serve their deity as intermediaries between the deity's mortal and divine servants. They interpret the divine will, act as teachers and guides to other members of the clergy, and arm the lay followers of their deity with the power of their patron. Eventually they transcend their mortal nature and embody the divine on the face of Toril.
Divine disciples are always divine spellcasters. Clerics and druids are the most common candidates for becoming divine disciples, but paladins and rangers have been known to become divine disciples, and evil deities such as Bane have been known to elevate blackguards as divine disciples in the ranks of their dark faiths.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Divine Disciple, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Diplomacy 5 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 8 ranks.
- Spellcasting: Ability to cast 4th-level divine spells.
- Patron: A divine disciple must have a patron deity, and it must be the deity of which she is a divine disciple.
Class Skills
The divine disciple's class skills are Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (the planes), Profession, Spellcraft, and Survival.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the divine disciple prestige class:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Divine disciples gain no proficiency with any weapon, armor, or shield. Armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble, and double the normal armor check penalty applies to Swim checks.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: When a new divine disciple level is gained, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in whatever divine spellcasting class granted her access to 4th-level divine spells before she added the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of turning or rebuking undead, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. This essentially means that she adds the level of divine disciple to the level of whatever other divine spellcasting class granted her access to 4th- level divine spells, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.
If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class that granted access to 4th-level spells before she became a divine disciple, she must decide to which class she adds each level of divine disciple for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.
Divine Emissary (Ex): At 1st level, a divine disciple can communicate telepathically with any outsider within 60 feet that has the same alignment as she does or serves her deity. The telepathy function of this class feature is a supernatural ability.
The character also gains a bonus equal to her divine disciple level on any Charisma-based skill or ability checks she makes when dealing with outsiders that share her alignment or patron.
Sacred Defense (Ex): At 2nd level, the divine disciple gains a +1 bonus on saving throws against divine spells, as well as the spell-like and supernatural abilities of outsiders. At 4th level, this bonus increases to +2.
Imbue With Spell Ability (Sp): A 3rd-level divine disciple can use imbue with spell ability (caster level equals divine disciple's caster level). Since it is a spell-like ability, the divine disciple does not need to devote a 4th-level spell slot to its use, though the imbued spells themselves take up her lower-level spell slots, as usual. This ability is usable once per day.
Domain: At 4th level, the divine disciple may choose a domain from those that her deity grants access to. If she already has two domains as a cleric, she gains a third in addition to those. Regardless of her original divine spellcasting class, she gains the granted power of the new domain, adding her divine disciple level to her cleric level (if any) to determine level-based effects. If the divine disciple has cleric levels, she also gains a third spell choice with which to fill her domain spell slot at each level. Druids, paladins, and rangers gain no extra spell slots for domain spells, but they can prepare the domain's spells in their normal spell slots.
Transcendence (Su): At 5th level, thanks to her frequent contact with outsiders and her deity's direct intervention, the divine disciple sheds her mortal form and becomes an outsider with the native subtype. This apotheosis grants her immunity to any spell or effect that does not affect outsiders (for example, charm person cannot affect her) as well as darkvision out to 60 feet, if she does not already have it. Because of her native subtype, however, the divine disciple must still eat, breathe, and sleep, and she can be reincarnated, raised, or resurrected normally. She also gains any alignment subtypes that match alignment components she has in common with her deity. Thus, a chaotic neutral divine disciple of a chaotic evil deity gains the chaotic subtype, and a divine disciple of a neutral deity gains no additional subtypes.
| Divine Disciple | Hit Dice: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per Day |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Divine emissary | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Sacred defense +1 | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 3rd | +1 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Imbue with spell ability | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 4th | +2 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Sacred defense +2 | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 5th | +2 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Transcendence | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
Source: Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Player's Guide to Faerûn