Priest Class

Clerics: Each level of experience beyond 20 is an additional 225,000 experience points/level.

An additional 2 Hit Points per level are earned for each level beyond 20.

*See section on Hierophant Druids. Druid advancement is capped at 18th level.

Religion in AD&D comes in many forms, and there are many types of clergy associated with the various religions.

Clerics, for example, are the gneral caretakers of the flock, if one exists. Clerics generally do not worship a single deity, but rahter an ethos, should that ethos be goodness, neutrality, evil, law or chaos. Clerics seek to advance teh ethos rather than the belifs or teachings of a specific deity.

The Specialty Priest (or priest of a specific mythoi) is a believer and advocate of a specific deity from a particular mythos. More than just a follower, he intercedes and acts on behalf of others, seeking to use his powers to advance the beliefs of his deity.

There are also Crusaders, priests who are more warlike and use battle and combat to further the influence of the deity they serve. They may also serve as the frontline of confronting the enemies of his deity.

Shamans and Witch Doctors are clerics who happen to be humanoid or from some form of barbarian tribe. These clerics tend to be limited in level.

Mystics are highly individual priests who may believe that one's life should be spent experiencing pleasure, or enjoying life in other ways. They may also be a group of diviners who look into the future and offer advice on one's fate or destiny.

Finally, Druids are nature priests, priests who believe in the sanctity of the earth and the power of nature. Druids tend to be neutral in alignment, believing in the balance of all things. However, not every druid believes in absolute neutrality, and some groups of druids may be more militant than others when it comes to protecting nature.

All priests have certain powers: The ability to cast spells, the strength of arm to defend their beliefs, and special, deity-granted powers to aid them in their calling. While priests are not as fierce in combat as warriors, they are trained to use weaponry in the fight for their cause. They can cast spells, primarily to further their god's aims and protect its adherents. They have few offensive spells, but these are very powerful.

All priests use eight-sided Hit Dice (d8). Only priests (not clerics) gain additional spells for having high Wisdom scores. All priests have a limited selection of weapons and armor, but the restrictions vary according to the mythos.

All priests use Table 23 to determine their advancement in level as they gain experience points. They also all use Table 24 to determine how many spells they receive at each level of experience.

All priest spells are divided into 16 categories called Spheres of Influence. Different types of priests have access to different spheres; no priest can cast spells from every sphere of influence. The 16 spheres of influence are as follows: All, Animal, Astral, Charm, Combat, Creation, Divination, Elemental, Guardian, Healing, Necromantic, Plant, Protection, Summoning, Sun, and Weather.

In addition, a priest has either major or minor access to a sphere. A priest with major access to a sphere can (eventually) cast all spells in the sphere. A priest with minor access to a sphere can cast only 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-level spells from that sphere.

All priests gain one eight-sided Hit Die (1d8) per level from 1st through 9th. After 9th level, priests earn 2 hit points per level and they no longer gain additional hit point bonuses for high Constitution scores.

*Usable only by Priests with 17 or greater Wisdom

**Usable only by Priests with 18 or greater Wisdom