The Priest Class

Athas is a world without true gods. Powerful sorcerer-kings often masquerade as gods and demigods but, though their powers are great and their worshipers many, they aren't true gods. The world does, however, provide sources of priestly magical power. Such belief-inspired magic is separated into two distinct areas, each with a class suitable to its application. Note that the use of priestly magic never adversely affects the ecosystem in and of itself. The net result of the spell may affect the environment (such as summon insects or lower water), but the use of the magical energy itself doesn't destroy the environment like defiling magic.

In a world with no gods, how, what do priests serve? TSR's Earth, Air, Fire, and Water reveals exactly how priests function on Athas. This document, which borrows extensively from EAFW, is merely a reference. EAFW begins with an explanation about the nature of the elemental planes in the wake of Athas's devastation and its effects on those mortal champions who are the Athasian priest class. Later chapters deal with elemental clerics, para-elemental clerics, druids, and templars. Their system of power conjunctions and shrines and their unusual relationships with the powerful elementals they serve are also revealed. The transformation of clerics into advanced, elemental beings, the terrible duties of high-level clerics and druids, and the hidden aspects of the elemental planes about Athas are presented in EAFW.

Athasian priests fall into three different categories with different types of duties, abilities, and power sources: Clerics, Druids, and Templars. These are described immediately following below, and the differences are charted in quick-reference form on the chart one page below.

The clerics and druids who inhabit the wastes of Athas are very different from those of a standard AD&D campaign. They do not pray to patron deities, for they have no deities. Priests beneath the dark sun pledge themselves to the very powers that dwell on the elemental planes. Like the Athasian deserts, the elemental powers are neither benevolent nor malevolent, caring only that their natural forms are preserved in the material world.

Clerics are priests who tend to the needs of the local people with their particular talents. They worship one of the four elemental forces: earth, air, fire, or water. They call upon magical energies from the associated planes, specializing in one element's magical application on the Prime Material plane of Athas. Like the elements themselves, the power they draw upon isn't benevolent or malevolent—it only cares that its natural form in the material world is preserved.

The spells available to a cleric depend upon his elemental plane of worship. To reflect this, the spheres of clerical spells have been reorganized into five spheres: the Spheres of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, and the Sphere of the Cosmos (a general sphere). Spells are received directly from the elemental sphere (even the Cosmos spells). A cleric need not restrict his activities to supporting his element on Athas, but direct opposition may cause spells to be withheld, at the DM's option. For example, an elemental water cleric who poisons or otherwise damages a watering hole might suffer for such an action.

Druids, the second type of Athasian priests, associate themselves with the spirits that inhabit special geographical locations on Athas. Every oasis, rock formation, stretch of desert, and mountain has a spirit that looks over it and protects its use. A druid allies with a particular spirit, acting as that spirit's earthly counterpart and drawing magical energy from it. For example, an oasis has its own spirit and a single druid who lives there to protect it and preside over its use by humans, demi-humans, and animals. Druids choose their spheres based upon the geographic feature with which they are associated.

Templars, the most common type of Athasian priest within the city-states, serve and worship the sorcerer-kings, even obtaining spells from them. The templars of some cities consider their patrons as gods, and even those who do not believe this take great care to secure and maintain their patrons’ favor.

Typically, the templars are broken, cruel, greedy, and corrupt. They are the officers, managers, tax collectors and bureaucrats that protect the Sorcerer-monarchs’ power, and keep the business of state running. In most states, they are the only people who may legally read and write. Templars use fear and cruelty to enforce an arbitrary justice.

Similarities among the Subclasses

Templars, Druids, and Clerics do share a number of basic rules. Under House Rules, all priests progress at the same experience point rate per level. Ignore the druid XP listing in the PH. All Priests use d8s for hit dice, are subject to some degree to channeling rules (see p 4-5), keep the same THAC0 table (p5). Finally, all priests share the following saving throw table:

The differences between the subclasses are described in detail in subclass descriptions on pages 6 to 34, but for your convenience, they are indexed on the priest subclass table:

Note: The Player, not the DM, is responsible for having access to the spell description. The DM has enough to worry about. When a PC casts a spell, the player should have the spell description ready for the DM to look at—or the spell may fail.

Spell Point Bonus for Cleric Wisdom (Cumulative by level)

House Channeling Rules

House Spell Point (Spelts) Rules

Regaining spell points

Spell Variance

Reduction variance (-2 Spell Points per reduction, 50% minimum):

• Increase casting time by a factor of 10.
• Half-potency.
• Special limitation (DM option).

• Increase range by 25%.
• Increase potency by 25%.
• Increase target or area by 25%.