New Proficiencies
All paladins are eligible to acquire these proficiencies, regardless of their
character kits, providing they spend the points listed on Table 23. Characters
belonging to the Crossover Groups listed at the end of each description may buy
the proficiency at the indicated cost. Groups not listed may buy the
proficiency by spending one additional point beyond the listed cost. All of these are
nonweapon proficiencies except Jousting.
Bureaucracy
This proficiency encompasses a working knowledge of governmental protocol and
the skills necessary to navigate bureaucratic organizations. A character with
this proficiency knows which official to approach and the best time to approach
him (a tax collector's aide may have better access to information than the tax
collector himself; a city clerk may be less harried and more helpful at the
beginning of the month than at the end). He knows where government records are
kept and the procedures for examining them. He knows how to circumvent sluggish or
uncooperative bureaucrats. He obtains permits and other government
documentation in half the normal time. No proficiency checks are needed for any of these
functions.
A character can also use Bureaucracy to turn the system against someone else.
A successful proficiency check doubles the amount of time to make a government
decision, causes a permit to be issued under the wrong name, or temporary
misplaces an important document. A paladin must be careful with this ability, to
avoid breaking the law and violating his ethos.
The Bureaucracy proficiency covers the governmental organizations in a
particular region, usually the character's homeland. He may spend additional slots to
expand the proficiency to other regions. Official organizations include
government councils, regulatory boards, and church hierarchies. The proficiency is
only effective when dealing with organizations of 10 or more members.
Crossover Groups: Priest, Rogue.
Diagnostics
Both the Healing and Diagnostics proficiencies aid victims of trauma and
disease. But while the Healing proficiency can be used to restore lost hit points,
Diagnostics is mainly concerned with determining the cause of the damage and the
prognosis; Diagnostics alone will not heal damage.
With a successful proficiency check, a character becomes aware all of the
following information applicable to a particular patient:
• If the patient has suffered physical damage, the character can determine the
extent of the damage, though he may not be able to ascertain the exact cause
(if a victim was attacked by a tiger, the character will know that the victim
was clawed by a large animal, but not necessarily the species). The character can
recommend treatments and offer prognoses, as with victims of diseases.
• If the patient has been poisoned, the character knows the antidote (if one
exists) and how to prepare it. Note that even if the character knows how to
prepare an antidote, he may not have access to the necessary ingredients.
• The character knows the name of the disease, its cause, how long the patient
has had it, and the optimum treatment. If the patient is treated as specified,
he suffers the mildest form of the disease and its shortest duration. If the
patient declines treatment, or the treatment doesn't work, the character can determine the
patient's prognosis with reasonable accuracy. ("The patient will recover by the end of the month." "The patient will become
permanently blind if not treated within a year.") The character may diagnose
both natural and magical diseases.
• When examining a corpse, the character can determine how the victim died and
approximately how long it's been dead. If the victim died of unnatural causes,
the character will only be able to determine the general circumstances of the
death. For example, if an evil wizard incinerated the victim with a fireball, a successful diagnostics check might reveal that the victim burned to death
very rapidly as a result of some type of magic, but not that it was affected by
a fireball.
A character with this proficiency may diagnose himself or any other character,
or animals, except for supernatural creatures (such as a ghost or skeleton)
and creatures from another plane of existence (like a xorn or aerial servant). He
may attempt to diagnose an individual or creature only once.
If a character also has the Healing proficiency, he may modify all Diagnostic
checks by +1.
Crossover Groups: Priest.
Jousting
This proficiency includes the combat skills necessary for a successful joust,
as well as the manners, behavior, and flair needed to impress an audience. To
take this proficiency, a character must first have a weapon specialization in
the jousting lance.
A character with this proficiency modifies his attack rolls in a jousting
match by +2 (see the "Routine Activities'' section of Chapter 7 for jousting
rules). The use of this proficiency presumes that the character has an adequate
lance, shield, and mount.
Should a character win a match, his stylish performance favorbly impresses the
audience. Audience members with a special interest in the match (such as
royalty, gamblers, or potential paramours) who later encounter the jouster modify
their reaction rolls by +2. If he wins several matches in a tournament, the bonus
doesn't rise above +2. If he later loses a match or two in the same
tournament, he still earns the bonus. However, if the jouster has an especially
disastrous day—say, if he follows a winning joust with a long string of losses—the
audience may dismiss the win as a fluke, and the DM may cancel the bonus.
Crossover Groups: Warrior.
Law
A character with this proficiency is thoroughly familiar with the legal system
of his homeland (or any other region of his choice). He knows which laws are
rigorously enforced (illegal gambling may be tolerated in one region,
aggressively prosecuted in another), and routine legal procedures (such as how to file
suit against a debtor). Understanding nuances of the law, such as interpreting
fine points of a contract, require proficiency checks.
A successful proficiency check also allows the character to conduct a strong
defense when he or a companion stands accused of a crime. If the judge is
fair-minded and the evidence of the crime is ambiguous, a successful check will sway
the verdict in the defendant's favor; either he receives the smallest possible
sentence or fine, or is completely vindicated. However, if the evidence clearly
calls for a conviction or the judge is corrupt, a successful proficiency check
won't help.
A character may spend additional slots to know the legal systems of other
regions. Alternately, he may spend slots to acquire expertise in a particular area
of the law, such as tax codes or property rights. Expertise assumes a broad
understanding of the chosen area, requiring checks only in extreme instances.
Crossover Groups: Warrior, Priest.
Law and Paladins
A paladin with the Law proficiency won't defend anyone he believes to be
guilty, including his own companions. Though a paladin won't knowingly break the
law, he may take advantage of this proficiency to defend himself if wrongly
accused of a crime; a failed defense may result in his conviction.
Oratory
Through inspiring speech and sheer force of personality, a character with this
proficiency can influence the opinion of a crowd. Any size crowd may be
influenced, so long as they speak the same language as the orator, and can see and
hear him clearly.
To use this proficiency, the orator must address the crowd on one specific
topic. For instance, he may attempt to persuade them to rise up against a local
despot, leave town because of an impending danger (a monster on the outskirts of
town, an advancing evil army), or help search for a missing child.
Before the orator speaks, the DM must determine the size of the crowd, their
level, and their general attitude toward the orator and the topic he's
addressing. For small crowds—say, less than five members—determine levels and attitudes
individually. Break larger crowds into groups; decide an average level and
attitude for each group. Use Table 59 in Chapter 11 of the DMG to access attitudes about the topic; the crowd may be Friendly, Indifferent,
Cautious, Threatened, or Hostile.
Before any rolls are made, or the orator begins speaking, the player tells the
DM if the orator will be attempting to adjust the crowd's opinion one level up
or down on Table 59. The orator then speaks to the crowd; he must speak
uninterrupted for at least 10 rounds.
When the orator finishes speaking, roll the Oratory proficiency check. If the
check succeeds, make an Intelligence check for each individual in a small
crowd, or for each small group in a large crowd. Modify these rolls by a –1 penalty
for each 1 by which the orator made the Oratory check. For instance, if the
Orator needed a 10 to succeed and rolled a 5, each Intelligence check takes a –5
penalty.
Individuals or small groups who fail their throws have their opinions about
the topic adjusted one level on Table 59 in the DMG. An Indifferent opinion may become Friendly or Cautious, a Cautious opinion
may become Indifferent or Threatening. However, all audience members who fail
their rolls have their opinions adjusted the same way. The opinions of those who
succeed in their rolls remain unchanged by the character's Oratory; however,
practically speaking, peer pressure can produce the same results. The DM may
override any die roll that produces inappropriate results; for example, an NPC in
the crowd who has a long-standing feud with the orator may be unswayed,
regardless of the orator's eloquence.
A character may use this proficiency only once on a given crowd. Should the
composition of the crowd change to include many new members, the character may
make another oratory attempt, providing he speaks on a different topic.
Note that this proficiency elicits only modest changes in attitude. If a crowd
feels Indifferent towards a despot, an orator may be able to stir up some
ambiguous feelings about him, but he won't be able to convince them to immediately
storm the despot's castle. If the crowd is suspicious of a particular religion,
the orator may persuade them to be more tolerant, but he shouldn't expect any
spontaneous conversions.
Crossover Groups: Warrior, Priest.
Poetry
A character taking this proficiency specializes in either lyric or narrative
poetry. Lyric poetry expresses thoughts and feelings, and includes ballads,
sonnets, odes, and hymns. Narrative poetry tells stories in verse, some true, some
fictional. A character spending two slots may specialize in both forms.
The proficiency enables the character to judge the quality of poetry in his
specialty. He also knows a sizeable repertoire of poems and can recite them with
spellbinding skill. No proficiency checks are required for these applications.
The character can also compose poems in his speciality; a successful check
means the poem is of exceptional quality. If the character has the Reading/Writing
proficiency, he can record his poems.
Crossover Groups: General.
Poetry for Paladins
With permission from the DM, a paladin with the Poetry proficiency may offer a
composition to his church (or other designated recipient) instead of a tithe.
The paladin must inform the church a month in advance if he intends to offer a
composition; either lyric or narrative poetry is acceptable. If the church
(that is, the DM) disapproves, the paladin must pay his normal tithe. If the church
approves, the paladin may present a composition when his tithe is normally due.
The composition must be presented at the church or to a church official at a
pre-arranged location. The paladin then makes a Poetry proficiency check. If the
check fails, the composition is deemed unworthy; the normal tithe must be paid
immediately. If the check succeeds, the DM determines the value of the
composition; the value is equal to 3d20 gp. If the value is greater than or equal to
the normal tithe, no tithe is required that month. The paladin doesn't receive
any "change'' if the value is more than his tithe; the excess value is forfeited.
If the value is less than the tithe, the paladin subtracts the value from the
tithe, then pays the difference (if the paladin owes 20 gp and the value of the
composition is 15 gp, he must pay
5 gp). A paladin may exercise this option as often as he likes.
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