NooSpherics

Noospherics is the study of knowledge, the power of knowledge to shape the mind and the mind to shape the world. These philosophers build great halls of knowledge, libraries, scribes, and actively search for answers to many questions about the history of Alterra and the universe.
Noospherians are philosophers concerned with accumulation of truth, and are adept at dialogs and debates to determine the true histories and events, data and metrics among many subjects. They have preserved much lost knowledge, and are trying to decipher ancient writings and the details of life before arrival.
People will visit a hall of knowledge to borrow books (for a fee, usually 1SP per day), have books copied either in hand or to publish with movable type. Translation services are also available for 1gp a page, and they will use mundane or magic as needed to do the job. They can also identify magical objects and technological objects but those fees can vary. City states may even have offices in the hall to help identify dangerous objects, monsters, or other objects vexing the inhabitants.
The Hall will hire adventurers to escort researchers to the wilderness to study phenomena, conduct excavations, secure (or steal) important texts or numeria. They can sometime pay in books, training, or numeria. Books of magic and lore are often sought by mages, (though the Noospherians themselves do not practice wizardry magic) and are often held out as a reward for service.

Structure

At the lowest level are The Ignorant, though an insulting title, this is an admission that one doesn't know, and uneducated. This would be a common member of the philisophical order.
The next level of the laypeople who act as clerks, scribes, or typesetters have the title Student. Students usually have job in the hall either paid or voluntary. They are expected to spend as much as 20 hours a week studying various texts, literature, essays and histories in addition to their jobs. These lay people are the most likely to be encountered by the public in the hall. They often provide services such as scribe, reading, accounting, or producing books and texts.
Above these laypeople are the clerics who have developed philosophical magic. At the lowest level are the Clerks, these are incharge of Students and recruit more of The Ignorant to come to the hall to learn. In charge of a hall is usually a librarian, and these come in various degrees and jobs. Archivists, researcher, organizer, and arch librarians are all titles of the librarian. They run the hall, are incharge of it's events and activities, safeguarding it's resources and expanding it's knowledge. Depending on the size of the hall it could have just one librarian or dozens. Arch librarians are found at the largest halls.
A city may have more than one philosophical hall of knowledge, or it could have a university or other types of schools attached to it. In the case of a school a librarian and several clerks may run it as teachers with courses and lines of study towards various professions. Guilds may find it useful to align with certain schools to produce better educated members. Typically lawyers, accountants, and others that require education and study.
In the cases of cities that may have multiple halls, or abby's and monastaries associated with them in the region a librarian may be elected to be Dean. As Dean they organize cooperation between the different organizations and represents the region to governments and other philosophies.
Every 10 years there is a college of Deans meeting in a different city around the globe. If able many deans will travel to this conclave for a 3 to 4 months to trade knowledge and learning, books and manuscripts. This allows for information from wildly different regions to cross pollinate around the world. At the end of the conclave they vote on the next city to host in 10 years.

Culture

The core belief of Noospherics is that knowledge is power, and that power wants to be free. Which can be a dangerous notion, even for them. There is sometimes a passion to learning that can turn to obsession. They believe knowledge should be disseminated and that the masses should be educated. However many in power would rather that learning and reasoning be restricted to those in power.
One of the balances of this is that members of the order are called The Ignorant, a title you can not graduate from until you become a Student, which takes some commitment. Though they will teach anyone who want's to to read they often stop short of pushing for compulsory education, guilds and nobles need undeducated masses to work the fields, toil in workshops and generally be of use for their strong backs rather than for their minds.
As such they tend to want to either stay out of politics and cater to the individuals of means and ambition who can afford to spend time learning, or dive into local politics and actively recruit members of the public to join their ranks. It in these cases depends on the interplay of the government, upper classes and lower class struggles.

Public Agenda

Education and preservation of knowledge is their main public agenda.

Assets

The biggest libraries have vaults with ancient books, cyphers, oddities, and other numenaria that could upset the balance of power if their ambitions were different. Books, scrolls, and magic spells are their currency with wizards, numeriamancers, and other spell casters.

History

Founded in the year 2015 was created by several librarians and university researchers. They studied studying and the nature of knowledge and discovered philosophical magic.

Ethics

Followers of this faith tend to be lawful, and generally want to keep a practical status quo within the philosophical hall.

Priesthood

To become a cleric of Noospherics one must first spend years at the Student level. If they show not just their aptitude of facts and knowledge, but learn deeper secrets of how to learn they may be recurited to join the order full time. Philosophic magic training takes years of attunement but eventually the threshold is reached and they are graduated to Clerk. The lowest levels one must head back into the public to recruit the ignorant to their philosophy. This reinforces that they are different from the masses and need to recognize the depths of how uneducated the masses are.
After proving themselves they are eligible to join the librarian track and become part of the halls operation and politics.

Granted Divine Powers

Clerics have access to the Knowledge Domain.

Political Influence & Intrigue

Depending on the city some Librarians and Deans are content to let the wealthy and powerful enjoy the learning and knowledge, others are more populist and want to educate the masses, and it often is a deeply political fight within the organization in the city.
Amonst the Deans when they conclave there can be much lively debate over how the philosophy should operate in the world.
Some librarians and deans can be jelous of another library's books and artifacts. They can also desire private collections, thinking they would be better served in their hands.

Sects

There are groups that delve into knowledge that man was not meant to know, and they tend to find forbidden books, formula spells, and mythos knowledge. These can splinter into forbidden cults within the philosophic hall.

Founding Date

2015A

Type

Religious, Deanery

Alternative Names

The Book

Demonym

Noospherites

Notable Members

• Princess Hillope Varna

Philosophical Knowledge Cleric: These adventurers are usually restless students, and are usually given tasks outside the hall to complete. Knowledge domain spells are their focus in their training. other domains are studied. These students learn combat and debate are really the same thing, much of their training is in defensive tactics, and to focus their attack at flaws. Their martial weapons are usually pikes, halberds, and spears.
Philosophical Monasticism: Some halls of knowledge are linked to monastic orders who study debate and like the cleric see it as combat. Discipline of word and thought are the key focus. These monastaries are usually guarding a particular knowledge, and are may have been founded to make sure certain numeria, relics, or books stay in a vault, or they protect a site known to harbor mutants or other strange monsters and keep them contained.
Philosophical Paladin: Paladins are powered by the belief in their oath, and some are bound to seek a specific artifact, learn a truth or quest for some kind of monumental discovery. Often a student of the hall becomes obsessed with a quest and ends up going down the paladin path.

Philisophical Cleric

---

Hit Points

Hit Dice: d8 per Philisophical Cleric level

Hit Points at first Level: 8+CON bonus

Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8+Con bonus

Proficiences

Armor: Light Armor

Weapons: Simple weapons

Tools: None

Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma

Skills: History, Insight, Persuasion, Religion

---

Overview & Creation

Clerics in this game are known as Philosophers, as there are no gods to worship. So logic and ideas are worshiped, the Philosopher is a conduit of this wisdom.
Normal D&D Clerics are part of an organized religion, that organized religion has various economic and political roles in the story.
The philosophical orders function in that niche, having a social and political role. Cities usually organize governments around philosophic logic. It may be more than one. A city for example could be a war and forge philosophy based. The city’s politics may be based on knights or paladins and have temples and universities that study these philosophies. They may be driven to produce great armored soldiers but lack other aspects, so they may be mercenaries, or expansionist, or even crusaders.
The common person however, does not go to the philosophical temples to worship but to find purpose in their life.. The feats of Philosophical magic can inspire because of their effects on reality to cure and destroy.
But philosophy doesn’t fill every void for every person, Philosophers are seen as a state to achieve but a difficult path. For many Philosophy beyond the magic is empty and has no effect on their lives.
In the world of Alterra the following philosophies that have proven true are:
Knowledge – So much has been lost and it must be uncovered, we are star children with a great inheritance beyond this world. This philosophy is attractive to explorers, Numeriamancers, wizards, and other who deeply believe that understanding underpins all of existence. These philosophers are in tune with the vibration of things and time. Philosopher's stone is a topaz crystal.
Life – Life is the 5th element of the universe, between all living things is a connection a deep level. Philosophers of life are deeply connected to all living things, tend to be vegetarians, and will speak out against slaughter, war and capital punishment. These philosophers can reforge flesh of the injured and sick channeling positive vibrations. Philosopher's stone are Aetites that rattle.
Light – Philosophers of light believe in the power of a light to transform the universe. They believe in the philosophical quanta that light is more than what we see, that it pervades and connects the universe together. Light philosophers are always seeking truth, not just facts. They usually strive for justice and uncovering corruption. Quartz crystals and lenses are often used as their philosopher’s stone.
Nature – As children of the stars, this world was not given to us, we did not evolve here, we must learn to commune with and build a relationship with it. Like the life domain these philosophers respect all life and resonate with it, but beyond individual living organisms they resonate with whole ecosystems. They feel the interconnections of the life web, the interdependence between life forms. These philosophers will be against the wanton destruction and desolation of any environment, and will hunt monsters and villains who exploit and disrupt. Philosopher stone is a garnet.
Tempest – These philosophers are driven by change, noticing it, fighting stagnation and opt for dynamism. Weather and seas embody the constant change and the larger cycle. Tempest philosophers are observers, justice driven, and against entropy. Use a load stone for the philosopher's stone.
Trickery – Everything we see is an illusion, there is always another layer, another twist, and the most dangerous people are the ones that are sure they know the answer. Trickery philosophers can be very strange people, but everything they do is with purpose to break an illusion of righteousness, power, affluence, intelligence or pride. They are somehow aware of perception its self and can channel and manipulate it. Trickery philosophers use amethyst for their philosopher stone.
War – War philosophers are not as interested in the political ambitions of princes, but the conflict within, focusing on challenges, the conflict between good and evil, the conflict between ambition and service. War is an awesome and terrible challenge; to win but not be cruel, to fight but not oppress, strength without arrogance, honor without spitefulness. A blood stone is their favored focus.
Forge – Philosophers of the Forge are builders, they are obsessed with mechanisms and craft, but also building communities, societies and civilizations. They vibrate with matter and the way it is both separate and yet connected. Use a hard polished Anthracite coal stone.
Grave – The greatest of mysteries is that of the connection between life, consciousness and what happens to that consciousness after we die. Grave philosophers are in tune with the vibrations and connections between these and are aware of when these auras change or can be manipulated to stay connected to the lifeforms or leave. A fossil, usually small nautical creatures, are used as grave philosopher stones.

---

Class Features

Defeat Undead

at second level philosophers discover the great truth that death is real and un-life is essentially a falsehood perpetrated by necromancers. By arguing the bitter truth they can become immune to the effects of the undead and do additional damage to them.
Instead of turning the undead with divine power, the philosopher channels belief in their domain and become Immune to necrotic damage, and take half damage from any direct attack made by an undead. In addition the philosophical cleric's physical attacks using melee or ranged weapons now do +1d4+WIS Bonus radiant damage to Undead. It does no damage to magically animated corpses, or mechanically animated corpses. this radiant damage bonus is considered a magical attack that ignores undead resistance.
To trigger the effect the cleric must be in line of sight to an undead, and know it is an undead, they can trigger it on a DC test = 6+CR of the undead. This effect lasts until known undead are destroyed or flee the scene of the battle. This effect is triggered only in the presence of the Undead. For example a vampire that is using a magic device or other magic to pass as normal will not trigger this effect on the suspicion that the individual is a vampire, but as soon as something reveals that the they are in fact a vampire, they can then test to use their ability. For example they pass a perception test and they notice the individual doesn't reflect in a mirror or another spell reveals the presence of undead, or negates the illusions. Further once triggered if the vampire claws at the philosopher he takes half damage, if the vampire has a sword and hits the philosopher, he takes half damage, if the vampire casts a spell, any damage from the spell is half (other effects apply). But if the vampire cuts a rope and drops a chandelier on the philosopher he takes full damage.

Great Argument for Life

At 5th level the cleric may spend an action to inspire their comrades. The philosopher rolls 10+Persuasion roll. Each player that can hear the cleric's voice then rolls their wisdom save. Those that don't save are granted this ability above to allies who can hear the cleric. This effect on allies lasts 5 rounds. Allies that are deafened, or otherwise cannot hear the voice of the philosopher automatically pass. telepathy, reading lips, and recordings do not have the effect.

Exegesis

At 10th level your faith in your philosophy is so strong you literally bend the universe, using all of your actions you focus and can invoke any one cleric spell at 9th level. It is triggered at the end of your next turn. This ability can be used again after 7 days. To activate, roll d100 and if you roll below your current level you can unleash this effect.
At 20th level you may do this once a day

---

Starting Equipment

Select from choices below:

• (a) padded armor or (b)Leather armor
• (a) mace or (b) staff (c) hand axe
• (a) short bow and 20 arrows or (b) light crossbow and 20 bolts
• (a) Priests pack or (b) explorer pack or (c) academic's pack
• (a) Fine clothes or (b) Fine boots or (c) Fine Hat
• Philosopher Stone, Book of Philosophy

---

Spellcasting

Clerics of the philosophies conjure up the power of will over reality and channel dimensional energy linked to that philosophy. They are a conduit and shape that energy.
At first level Philosophical Clerics gain the cleric spell casting ability.

Cantrips

At first level you have access to all cleric cantrips and can select three to start. At higher levels clerics gain additional cantrip spells per the cleric spell progression table.

Preparing and casting spells

Philosophers must spend a short rest mentally preparing their arguments. For each level a certain number of slots are available for each level of spell. Caster may choose a number of spells from the Cleric list equal to their WIS modifier+Level, with a minimum of 1 spell.
After a long rest the philosopher must spend 1 minute per level of spell to refresh their arguments.

Spell Casting Ability

Wisdom is the controlling stat for philosophical magic, and will drive your ability to cast and the difficulty of targets to resist your magic. The base formula is:
Spell DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + WIS modifier Spell Attack Modifier = Proficiency Bonus + WIS modifier

Ritual Casting

A prepared argument that has the ritual tag may be cast without expending a spell slot if the required amount of time to prepare and cast is uninterrupted.

Spell Casting Focus

For a Philosophical cleric their focus is their Philosopher's Stone. Each philosophy has a different one. while holding their stone in their hand they gain the focus benefits. The stone reminds them of what is real and what is a falsehood.

Philosophical Domains

Each of the Cleric spells are divided into domains; Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, or War, Forge, Grave. Philosophical clerics pick one domain. Spells in that domain are considered always prepared in addition to those that must be prepared daily. Spells that are not on the cleric list, but are tagged to that domain may be considered prepared.