Faerûnian Prestige Class : Moon Drover
Winters are a particularly harsh season for the humans and animals of the Farsea Marshes. On a midwinter night a millennium ago, legend claims Bright Nydra fell to Faerûn from the trailing lights of the Tears of Selûne in the form of a falling star. She is the winter moon that brings the Marsh Drovers hope and strength as they await the arrival of spring. She claimed to be the daughter of Selûne and Shaundakul and a goddess of hope and renewal. Although this might well have been true long ago, today Bright Nydra is but an aspect of Selûne, Lady of Silver and goddess of the moon.
The Marsh Drovers of the Farsea Marshes, all of whom are considered "One with the Winter Moon," worship Bright Nydra. She is loved for her wisdom and kindness and venerated as the head of a pantheon that includes Eldath, Lathander, Mielikki, and Chauntea, among others. Clerics of Bright Nydra are identical to the clerics of Selûne, except their favored weapon is the wooden club. Druids of Bright Nydra are identical to druids in the Player's Handbook. Most moon drovers are multiclassed human cleric/druids known as Moon Maidens, although some men, known as Moon Guards, also become moon drovers.
Moon drovers spend their days providing counsel and wisdom to the Marsh Drovers. They teach their people how to become one with the catoblepas herds, thus allowing them to milk the magical beasts for the precious liquid they churn into the delectable Death Cheese. They favor bright-colored clothing made from natural fibers, all of which are harvested from the Farsea Marshes.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Moon Drover, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Chaotic good
- Skills: Handle Animal 3 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, Survival 3 ranks
- Base Fortitude Save: +5, Base Will Save: +5.
- Spellcasting: Ability to cast 2nd-level divine spells and access to at least one of the following domains: Good, Protection, Travel, or Chaos domain.
- Bright Nydra (Selûne)
- Special: Must have the ability or power to identify plants and animals with perfect accuracy and tell whether water is safe to drink or dangerous.
Class Skills
The moon drover's class skills are Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Profession, Ride, SpellCraft, Spot, Survival, and Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the moon drover.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A moon drover is proficient with all simple weapons. They are proficient with light and medium armors, and they are proficient with shields.
Spells per Day: When a character gains a new level of moon drover, she gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in whatever divine spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling undead, improved wildshape, and so on).
If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before she became a moon drover, she must decide to which class she adds each level of moon drover for purposes of determining spells per day when she adds the new level.
Catoblepas Lore (Ex): Due to their special affinity for and work with catoblepas, moon drovers may apply their Handle Animal, and Knowledge (nature) skills to catoblepas with no penalties, treating them as if they were domesticated animals instead of wild magical beasts. Moreover, moon drovers receive a +2 circumstance bonus on these skill checks when applying them to the catoblepas and a +4 insight bonus on saves against a catoblepas's death glare.
Lunar Sight (Ex): Moon drovers gain low-light vision.
Resistance to Death Effects (Ex): A 2nd-level moon drover gains a +4 bonus to saves against death effects and becomes immune to a catoblepas's death gaze.
Renewal Domain and Spells: At 3rd level, a moon drover gains access to the Renewal domain, including its granted power (the ability to regain 1d8 + Charisma modifier in hit points if you fall below 0 hit points 1/day). In addition, the moon drover may pray for and receive any Renewal domain spell as if it were on her divine spell lists.
| Moon Drover | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per Day |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Catoblepas lore, lunar sight | +1 level of existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Resistance to death effects | +1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +1 | +33 | Renewal domain | +1 level of existing class |
Source: Dragon #307