Athar Scalable Templates

Defiers. The Lost. Call them what you will, berk. These cutters have the audacity to stand against the powers themselves. A body with some sense in his bone box is peery enough to know that if they're not in the dead book, they must know something.

'Course, like everyone else, they claim they know the dark of the multiverse. Trouble is, this claim has some validity to it. See, they don't accept the powers as true gods. However, their clerics can still use magic. That leads a body to wonder just what the Defiers know. If there's an answer, they're willing to share it only with new members.Another odd curiosity for such a group is that they don't force their beliefs on others. That's not to say they won't tell a body what they think about the "false gods," but rather a way to draw the curious the curious to them. The Athar then inform their audiences about the true nature of the powers. To most, it's just barmy screed spewed from the mouths of a few turncoats upset about this power or that not granting them their every wish.

It's true as far as factions go, the Athar are one of the smallest. They're also full of bitter folk who feel cheated, lied to, or were taken advantage of by one of the powers. While they're small, they've got enough bodies to keep track of the other churches through espionage and a few contacts outside the faction. While typically nonviolent, the Athar do have teeth and will use them to protect mental and physical territory.

What the Athar will tell you about the powers is this: if they're divine, why do they need followers, and why do their priests need gold from their followers? Can't the powers provide these things themselves if they're all-powerful? Thus, the "divine" nature of the powers is an affront to what the Athar believe is the true divinity hidden beyond the veil of our perceptions. The fraudulent gods are the one obstacle blocking the Athar from proving their beliefs.

As it stands, the Athar are fighting a defensive war of words and seem to be content distributing tracts on the false divinity of the gods. They pay an army of scribes to mass produce their weekly tracts; each week containing a different message from the last. The Harmonium, Mercykillers, and the Fraternity of Order look down at these publications, but no physical damage has been caused to warrant any attention from anyone but the Harmonium.

For now though, the Athar share a common bond with the Believers of the Source that the gods aren't the true powers of divinity. It's a strange alliance that baffles most outsiders. For the Lost, it's a way to bide their time until their collected proof is irrefutable.

Keep in mind that the Athar aren't looking to end up in the dead book. They are against the powers' fraudulent claims of divinity. This doesn't mean they don't respect their might. Only a complete barmy would do something that soddingly stupid.Defier templates use all the base creature's statistics and special abilities unless noted otherwise.

NamerBelief Point Cost: 1Special Attacks: None.Special Qualities: Athar gain a SR 25 against the following faith-based spells: abjure, augury, bestow curse, curse, divination, enthrall, exaction, holy word, and quest.Saves: as base creature.Abilities: as base creature.Skills: as base creature.Feats: as base creature.Drawbacks: A faith-based priest cannot aid members of the Athar in any way. Extreme circumstances may allow a priest to break this unspoken ban, but no Defier would accept the aid anyway, making the appropriate Saving Throw to avoid all spell effects (DC 20 + spell level + caster’s bonus for relevant ability).*Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.Organization: Same as the base creature.Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, same as the base creature.3 HD to 7 HD, same as the base creature +1.8+ HD, same as the base creature +2.Treasure: Same as the base creature.Alignment: Same as the base creature.Advancement: Same as the base creature.

Anathon (factotum)Belief Point Cost: 10Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: Anathon receive a +4 bonus to all saves against priest spells cast by clerics, proxies, or servants of a deity. This also applies to spell-like powers of all celestials & the fiends who serve a deity. Aanathon also gain a SR 30 against the following faith-based spells: abjure, augury, bestow curse, curse, divination, enthrall, exaction, holy word, and quest.Banishment (Sp): When four Anathon form a ring around a deity's servant, they can concentrate for one full round to banish the creature. This spell-like power only works against creatures who serve a specific deity. It functions like the 7th-level arcane spell of the same name with all members being at least 4th-level. The banished creature returns to its deity's realm and must possess a total HD or levels equal to no more than twice the combined levels of the four Anathon. This power is rarely used and is the faction's most prized ability. This counts as one standard action.Petitioners who fail their saving throw are banished to their deity's realm for a year. Servant creatures of the deity that fail their save are banished to their deity's realm for a month. Proxies banished in this fashion are con-strained to their deity's realm for a week. If the circle includes more than 4 Anathon, a -2 is applied per Anathon beyond 4 to the target's saving throw.Abilities: as base creature.Skills: as base creature.Feats: as base creature.Drawbacks: A faith-based priest cannot aid members of the Athar in any way. Extreme circumstances may allow a priest to break this unspoken ban, but no Defier would accept the aid anyway, making the appropriate Saving Throw to avoid all spell effects (DC 15 + spell level + caster’s bonus for relevant ability).*Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.Organization: Same as the base creature.Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, same as the base creature +1.3 HD to 7 HD, same as the base creature +2.8+ HD, same as the base creature +3.Treasure: Same as the base creature.Alignment: Same as the base creature.Advancement: Same as the base creature.

FactorBelief Point Cost: 20Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: Factors gain a SR 35 against the following faith-based spells: abjure, augury, bestow curse, curse, divination, enthrall, exaction, holy word, and quest. Factors of the Athar learn the special technique known as obscurement.Obscurement (Su): With this technique, Factors are nearly invisible to the deities and their minions. Anyone of a faith-based religion, including the deity and divine servants, casting priest spells or using spell-like powers to locate or uncover information about the Athar factor have a DC of 30. The following arcane spells & spell-like abilities are also affected: detect evil, detect invisibility, ESP, know alignment, locate object; clairaudience, clairvoyance; magic mirror; contact other plane; sending; ensnarement, legend lore; demand, and foresight. This ability also counters these priest spells and spell-like abilities: augury; detect lie, divination, reflecting pool; magic font; find the path; exaction.This is a passive ability that's always in effect.Abilities: as base creature.Skills: as base creature.Feats: as base creature.Drawbacks: A faith-based priest cannot aid members of the Athar in any way. Extreme circumstances may allow a priest to break this unspoken ban, but no Defier would accept the aid anyway, making the appropriate Saving Throw to avoid all spell effects (DC 10 + spell level + caster’s bonus for relevant ability).*Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.Organization: Same as the base creature.Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, same as the base creature +3.3 HD to 7 HD, same as the base creature +4.8+ HD, same as the base creature +5.Treasure: Same as the base creature.Alignment: Same as the base creature.Advancement: Same as the base creature.

Factol

Belief Point Cost: 30Special Attacks: NoneSpecial Qualities: The factol gains a SR 40 against the following faith-based spells: abjure, augury, bestow curse, curse, divination, enthrall, exaction, holy word, and quest. The factol of the Athar learn the special technique known as improved obscurement.Improved Obscurement (Su): The Athar factol has proven how much belief he has in the fraudulent claims of the gods. As such, all effects of Obscurement are improved to the point that the spells and spell-like powers fail utterly when the factol is the target.Abilities: as base creature.Skills: as base creature.Feats: as base creature.Drawbacks: A faith-based priest cannot aid members of the Athar in any way. Extreme circumstances may allow a priest to break this unspoken ban, but no Defier would accept the aid anyway, making the appropriate Saving Throw to avoid all spell effects (DC 5 + spell level + caster’s bonus for relevant ability).*Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.Organization: Same as the base creature.Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, same as the base creature +4.3 HD to 7 HD, same as the base creature +5.8+ HD, same as the base creature +6.Treasure: Same as the base creature.Alignment: Same as the base creature.Advancement: Same as the base creature.*The worship of the Great Unknown is not counted as a faith-based belief that this drawback covers. The Athar themselves have clerics who follow this religion, therefore anything cast from these priests are not subject to the effects of any Athar Drawback/Special Quality.

The Guiding Hand

This fraction of the Athar argues that the quickest way to shatter the deceitful hold of the powers is to gently guide the masses of poor sods who've been duped by one god or another. Surprisingly, this good-aligned group works on members of like-minded powers. They claim that these berks have been bobbed worse than anyone else. This makes them a conundrum in action. How these bloods manage to maintain their beliefs without breaking is a wonder.

The Guiding Hand is a relatively new faction that came into being with the admittance of Factol Terrance. Their work is delicate and follows the lighter mood of the factol. And most interestingly, they are one of the most successful recruiting units in the faction. This is attributed to their comforting ways. Most sods who come to the Athar through this group are the greatest adherents to their beliefs. Most claim it's because they've replaced one faith with another. With such growing influence in the faction, many wonder if this will be the new face presented to the multiverse.The ShoutersMany of these Athar are amongst the most jaded members of the faction. The shouters take up the self-appointed task of taking their edicts to the street. They wait a respectable distance outside of the churches and shout their beliefs to all adherents of that faith how their clergy and god have peeled them time again. Even here amongst the dead, their power is confined by the number of followers they can milk.

Shouters also go out of their way to distribute the faction's tracts to the masses in places that many other Athar normally wouldn't venture. As Sigil is neutral ground, they spend a great deal of time wandering the main thoroughfares frequented by every being with knowledge of the Cage as well. These berks are quite canny and openly oppose the factol's stance on a passive approach. However, they do respect his methods insofar as they've enhanced and expanded the faction recently. However, this doesn't mean they're willing to wait on Terrance forever. The shouters openly debate the faction's current and necessary course.Fists of DivinityOne of the rowdier elements, the Fists of Divinity are the militant wing of the Athar. They enforce and defend the faction's space. This group is mostly comprised of fighters and barbarians who want to take the fight to the powers. Given their fervor towards the faction, these cutters rarely group together unless it's absolutely necessary for the faction's interests. Not all strength must be used to control others. That is the route used by the powers.The fists are normally employed as guards for other faction members. This makes them front line troops that take the brunt of any assault against the faction's more vulnerable members. Normally, no more than two will be seen together. However, much of this is by their design. The general strategies and allocation of faction resources is left mainly in their care for the moment by Factol Terrance's wishes. Many speculate that their loyalty is a sham to turn the faction towards an aggressively offensive posture with open warfare declared against the church. As for now, they appear to be obedient and completely loyal to the factol.Why: As part of the templates I'm using to run a pre-FW campaign and to provide interesting characters post-FW with "relic" feats and PrCs.Pro: It allows for the play of the Athar pre- and post- Faction War.

Con: Not unless they have a problem with the Athar in general.