Favored Soul
 Character Creation | |
| Characters on Arelith: | |
|---|---|
| Race - Alignment | |
| Deity - Class | |
| Gifts - Backgrounds | |
| Mark of Destiny | |
| Epic Sacrifice | |
| Customization | |
| Head List | |
Favored Soul is a custom base class available on Arelith.
Introduction
Favored Souls are the chosen agents of the gods. Although they are divine spellcasters, their magic comes to them innately through their connection to a god or goddess, rather than through prayer or ritual. While many Favored Souls may be chosen by intentionally earning the favor of a certain divine being, some may be chosen against their will. Favored Souls do not have to worship the being that granted them their powers, and they may not even want the powers they have been given. In spite of this, their newfound connection to a certain god or goddess may give them urges to do their patron being’s will, even if it goes against the Favored Soul's morals or personal code of honor.
Class Features
- Hit Die: d8
- BAB: Medium
- Proficiencies: Simple weapons, all armor, and shields
- Saving Throws: High: Fortitude, reflex, and will
- Skill Points: 4 + Int
- Class Skills: Concentration, Heal, Lore, Parry, Persuade, Spellcraft, Craft Trap, Craft Mastery, Ride
- Spellcasting: Divine, cleric spell list, charisma-based (a base charisma score of 10 + the spell’s level is required to cast a spell, bonus spells are based on modified charisma, and the charisma modifier affects spell DCs), and spontaneous cast (no spell preparation required).
- Special: Favored Souls are unable to use the feats Divine Might and Divine Shield.
- Special: Favored Souls do not benefit from Cleric domain abilities.
Spells
| Cantrips | 1st level spells | 2nd level spells |
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| 3rd level spells | 4th level spells | 5th level spells |
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| 6th level spells | 7th level spells | 8th level spells |
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| 9th level spells | Epic spells | |
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Level progression
| Lvl | BAB | Saves | Feats | Base spells per day | Known spells | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |||||
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +2 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +3 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +3 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Resist Energy: Fire | 6 | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 7th | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 8th | +6/+1 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Resist Energy: Cold | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 9th | +6/+1 | +6 | +6 | +6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 10th | +7/+2 | +7 | +7 | +7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | |||
| 11th | +8/+3 | +7 | +7 | +7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | |||
| 12th | +9/+4 | +8 | +8 | +8 | Resist Energy: Electrical | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | ||
| 13th | +9/+4 | +8 | +8 | +8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | |||
| 14th | +10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | |||
| 15th | +11/+6/+1 | +9 | +9 | +9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | |||
| 16th | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +10 | Resist Energy: Acid | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | ||
| 17th | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | |||
| 18th | +13/+8/+3 | +11 | +11 | +11 | Haste 4x/Day (As the spell) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 19th | +14/+9/+4 | +11 | +11 | +11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||
| 20th | +15/+10/+5 | +12 | +12 | +12 | Resist Energy: Sonic | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||
Bonus spell slots come from items and high charisma.
As a rule of thumb, favored souls can cast spell levels up to half their class level (rounded down).
Epic favored soul
Hit die: d8
Skill points: 4 + int modifier
Bonus feats: The epic favored soul gains a bonus feat every three levels after 20th. In other words, at levels 23, 26, and 29.
Epic favored soul level progression
| Lvl | Feats |
|---|---|
| 21st | |
| 22nd | |
| 23rd | bonus feat |
| 24th | |
| 25th | |
| 26th | bonus feat |
| 27th | |
| 28th | |
| 29th | bonus feat |
| 30th |
Roleplaying Tips
- Favoured souls are, by all means, divine characters with a strong connection to their gods. Their understanding is an innate and spontaneous one.
- There are many ways to portray them, but they should always reflect in some aspect of their gods, consciously or not.
- In the same way, they should serve the agenda of their gods. Like clerics, if they were to stray from their purpose, they would be considered Fallen and lose their powers.
Favoured Souls by the Books
This is the way the class has been portrayed in the books. Arelith's Favoured Souls are inspired and based on this, but they are far from a mirror copy, both mechanically and in RP.
Favoured Soul, by Complete Divine
Introduction
The favored soul follows the path of the cleric but is able to channel divine power with surprising ease. She is able to perform the same tasks as her fellow divine spellcasters but with virtually no study; to her, it comes naturally.
Scholars wonder if favored souls have traces of outsider blood from unions, holy or unholy, centuries ago and generations removed. Others suggest that divine training of the proper type awakens the ability, or that favored souls are simply imbued with their gifts by their gods when they begin the cleric’s path.
In any case, favored souls cast their spells naturally, as much through force of personality as through study. Though this gives them extraordinary divine abilities no normal person could ever match, they see their gift as a call to action, and so in some ways may lag behind their more studious colleagues.
Adventures
Favored souls are often loners, wandering the land serving their deities. They are welcomed by their churches but treated as unusual and are sometimes misunderstood. They are emissaries of their deities and outside the church’s command structure—respected mystics not requiring the support normally crucial to a priest’s success.
This makes them sometimes revered and sometimes envied by their cleric cousins. While favored souls are occasionally disrespected for their perceived lack of discipline, devout worshipers know that they are a powerful message from, and indeed a living manifestation of, their deities.
Characteristics
Favored souls cast divine spells by means of an innate connection rather than through laborious training and prayer, so their divine connection is natural rather than learned. These divine spellcasters know fewer spells and acquire powerful spells more slowly than clerics, but favored souls can cast spells more often, and they have no need to select and prepare them ahead of time.
Alignment
Divine magic is intuitive to a favored soul, not a matter of careful prayer. This intuitive nature leads to a freer interpretation of faith and doctrine, and so favored souls tend slightly toward chaos over law.
A favored soul is often of the same alignment as her deity, though some are one step away. For example, a favored soul could serve a lawful good deity and be neutral good herself. A favored soul may not be neutral unless her deity is neutral.
Religion
A favored soul can be of any religion. The most common deity worshiped by human favored souls in civilized lands is Pelor, god of the sun. Among nonhuman races, favored souls most commonly worship the chief deity of their racial pantheon.
Unlike clerics, favored souls are not able to devote themselves to a cause or a source of divine power instead of a deity.
Background
Favored souls learn of their connection with the divine at a young age. Eventually, a young favored soul understands the power that she has been wielding unintentionally.
Favored souls, as naturally inclined divine channelers, are also born loners. Unlike clerics in a temple, they gain little by sharing their knowledge and have no strong incentive to work together.
Races
The innate talent of spontaneously channeling divine power is unpredictable, and it can show up in any of the common races.
Divine spellcasters from savage lands or from among brutal humanoid tribes (such as orcs or half-orcs) are more often favored souls than clerics.