The Grand Orator

“These self-aggrandizing ‘gods’ as you call them are nothing more than sycophants; when they lose their foolish adherents, they become dead husks in the Astral. True divinity is made of tougher stuff, I say.”

There are those in the athar who shout at the top of their lungs the rhetoric of the faction to no avail. Then, there are those who can negotiate deals with disenfranchised servants of the powers to break away from their patrons. These are the true mouthpieces of the athar. None are so exquisitely gifted with language in the faction than these canny individuals. This prestige class represents the philosophy of the faction given form. In many ways, the grand orator shapes the faction’s philosophy when they approach individuals rather than addressing crowds.

When a grand orator speaks to an individual, they make it known to whom they speak. Grand orators are thus unlike their fractious counterparts. The Shouters may be loud and many, but they have few effects, some say they even hamper the faction’s ability to dissuade the masses from their false gods. The grand orator makes it his business to focus on one individual at a time. This unique tactic sharpens the orator’s skills to convert the servants of the gods to eventually allow him to affect their most prominent servants.

Every god fears the grand orators, but they are too canny for most mortals to spot, even the proxies of the gods have a difficult time spotting them. Such is the nature of the athar’s secretive weapon. In addition, these athar are adept at hiding within a church’s ranks to accomplish their goal.

Question: At 1st level, the grand orator may pose a question once per day to a worshipper of a deity. This question is so troubling to the victim that he must make a Will check with a DC equal to the grand orator’s class level, Diplomacy ranks and Charisma modifier. Synergy bonuses to Diplomacy apply to the DC.If the worshipper fails the roll by 5 or more, his faith in the deity is broken. All other failures result in the worshipper fleeing. Regardless of the outcome, the grand orator can only use this ability once on the target.The grand orator gains an extra use of this ability at 4th, 7th, and 10th levels. Question is an extraordinary ability.

Silver Tongue: At 2nd level, the grand orator gains the feat Silver Tongue.

Heresy: At 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels, the grand orator gains a bonus feat that must be selected from the list below or from the feats available to the athar: Alertness, Attention to Detail, Charlatan, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Persuasive, Sharp-Eyed, Skill Focus, Smooth Talk, and Trustworthy.

Crisis of Faith: At 6th level, the grand orator can use his question ability against priests of deities as if they were worshippers. When questioning worshippers, the DC increases by +2.

Undermine: At 10th level, the grand orator has become so practiced with rhetoric, that he can question petitioners who serve deities as if they were worshippers. The DC increases by +2 for priests and worshippers.