The material below is Open Game Content
STREET-CORNER PREACHER
‘Doom! Yea! Thrice and thirty times I cry Doom upon the sinful city, where the righteous sleep and the corrupt hold sway! ’
Religions do not operate solely from temples and cathedrals, nor is every priest a robe-wearing ritualist. Down among the common people, the street-corner preacher can be found doing his best to rally the faithful and bring the light of religion to the unenlightened. It is a thankless and dangerous path to follow but it has a power all its own. Often unpopular with civic leaders because of their tendency to speak exactly what they think, the street-corner preacher frequently has a loyal following among the common people, who can come to see him as a spokesman for their rights.
Those who have gained experience as street-corner preachers may also use their rhetorical powers to rouse troops on the field or to seek new converts to the faith as missionaries in distant countries.
Hit Die: d8.
Requirements
To qualify to become a street-corner preacher, a character must fulfil all of the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +3 or higher.
Ability Scores: Charisma 15+
Spells: Must have the ability to cast divine spells.
Turning: Must have the ability to turn undead.
Class Skills
The street-corner preacher class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Innuendo (Wis), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis) and Spot (Wis). See Chapter 4: Skills in the SRD for skill descriptions.
Skill Points At Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
The Street-Corner Preacher
| Class Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spellcasting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | +0 | +0 | +1 | Compelling Rhetoric | +1 level of existing class |
| 2 | +1 | +0 | +1 | +1 | Strong Faith | +1 level of existing class |
| 3 | +2 | +1 | +1 | +2 | Powerful Suggestion | +1 level of existing class |
| 4 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +3 | Attempt Conversion | +1 level of existing class |
| 5 | +3 | +2 | +3 | +3 | Point the Finger | +1 level of existing class |
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the street-corner preacher prestige class.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: The street-corner preacher gains no new weapon or armour proficiencies. Note that armour check penalties for armour heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand and Tumble.
Spells per Day: The street-corner preacher continues to gain ability as a divine spellcaster as well as bringing the holy word to the heathen. For each level gained as a street-corner preacher, the character also gains new divine spells as if he had gained a level in whatever divine spellcasting class he belonged to before becoming a street-corner preacher. The street-corner preacher does not, however, gain any other benefits of his former divine class, such as improved chance of turning or rebuking undead. In other words, to determine the number of spells that a street-corner preacher can cast per day, simply add his level as a street-corner preacher to the level of his previous divine spellcasting class. Characters with more than one divine spellcasting class must decide which class to assign each level of street-corner preacher to for purposes of determining spells per day.
Compelling Rhetoric (Ex): With a successful Perform check (DC 15 +I for every 2 people in the crowd) the Street-Corner Preacher may capture the attention of a crowd of bystanders. To qualify as a ‘bystander’ each person in question must not be engaged upon activity that they consider especially important. Each one must make a Will saving throw (DC 15 plus the street-corner preacher’s level plus his Charisma modifier) to voluntarily leave the area before the street-corner preacher has finished speaking. Any person of opposite alignment to the street-corner preacher receives a +1 circumstance bonus to his saving throw; any person of the same alignment receives a -1 circumstance penalty to the same roll. The power of the street-corner preacher’s rhetoric is not greater than the instinct for self-preservation. Captivated onlookers may leave the area without making a saving throw if their own safety or that of a dependent is threatened.
Strong Faith: The street-corner preacher radiates the confidence of one who knows he has the Gods on his side. At 2nd level and onwards, he may add his Charisma modifier (if positive) to all saving throws.
Powerful Suggestion (Sp): By speaking to an already attentive crowd without interruption for a number of rounds equal to 6 minus his level (minimum 1 round) the Street-Corner Preacher may make a mass suggestion to the assembled crowd. If interrupted, such as by heckling, thrown fruit or attack, the Street-Corner Preacher must make a Concentration check as if he were casting a 6th level spell. If he fails, he loses the crowd’s attention and they begin to disperse. This is a spell-like ability.
Attempt Conversion (Su): The ranks of the faithful must be swelled. By hammering home his doctrines in a dramatic and compelling way backed with the channelling of divine energy, the street-corner preacher can win souls for his own deity. In order to change another person’s religion to his own he must deliver a thunderous invective promising salvation for the faithful and damnation for the unbelievers. In game terms he must attempt to Rebuke potential converts as if they were undead. For the purposes of resolving this attempt, add the character’s level as a street-corner preacher to those levels ordinarily used when making a turning attempt. Use of this ability uses up a turning attempt for that day and has no other effect upon the target than to plant the seeds of a new faith in their minds.
Any targets who are successfully Rebuked do not convert immediately, though they are thenceforth friendly and respectful to the street-corner preacher. Instead, conversion takes place after the targets have slept for more than four hours. During sleep, the affected targets are allowed a Will saving throw (DC 10 plus the Street-Corner Preacher’s level plus his Charisma bonus). If this saving throw is failed, they wake up the next morning as converts. Clerics and paladins are immune to this ability.
Those who wish to prevent conversion from taking place the next morning by ‘talking the affected characters out of it’ in the interim time may attempt a Diplomacy or Knowledge (religion) check (DC 10 plus the street-corner preacher’s level plus his Charisma bonus.) Success negates the effect of the attempted conversion. A cleric or paladin may also channel divine energy (see the SRD) to undo the effects of an attempted conversion. Neither method may be used after the afflicted character has failed his Will saving throw.
Point the Finger (Su): When addressing an already attentive crowd, the street-corner preacher may call attention to a specific person and blacken his name in the crowd’s eyes. If the person is present, they must make a Will saving throw (DC 10 plus the Street-Corner Preacher’s Charisma bonus plus his level) or immediately become shaken, suffering a -2 morale penalty on all attack rolls, checks and saving throws, for a number of hours equal to the Street-Corner Preacher’s level. If the person is not present, they receive a circumstance penalty (-1 per level of the Street-Corner Preacher) to all Charisma-based checks for one week when interacting with any person who was a member of the crowd when the Finger was Pointed.
Classic Play
This is a class with far more applications than are immediately obvious. The classic archetype is the character to whom faith is everything, more important even than material possessions or rudimentary physical hygiene and who is driven to ‘save’ as many people as possible. As such, he makes an interesting non-player character for the Games Master to throw in the players’ path. However, as a player character, he can achieve quite startling results given enough people who can be persuaded to listen. Why slaughter a camp of bandits when a single unarmed person could walk in and talk them into giving up their evil ways? For those of evil inclination, what could be more enjoyable than to start a cult of the God of Death in a peaceful halfling hamlet?
Having a street-corner preacher in the party can be a headache as he rarely shuts up but so long as his aims are in harmony with everyone else’s, he can help in many ways. Not least of these is his ability to whip up popular support for any action the party might need to take. It is easier to storm a wizard’s stronghold if there is an angry mob backing you up, armed with flaming torches and pitchforks. It is more convenient if the village that shields you and your teammates from the king’s soldiers is doing so because they believe you to be the emissaries of the one true God.
This material originated in a 3rd party source (Licence)
