Amazon Priestess

Description: Amazons are women warriors in a world where most cultures are male-dominated or ruled more or less equally by men and women. The Amazon civilization is different from the cultures of the rest of the world in that women occupy all the most important occupations and positions in their society; men are either second-class citizens, or are all kept as slaves, or are exiled from the culture altogether. Amazons continually have to defend themselves from the efforts of surrounding civilizations to "return them to normal," and therefore they are very good at war.

Such civilizations often have one or two specific patron gods. (The deity does not have to be female; in classical mythology, for instance, the Amazons' patron was Ares, the very male god of war.)

The priestesses of this god interpret the god's will for the Amazons, fight alongside them in times of combat, perform the usual service of guidance (and even marriage, if this is still a function of this specific Amazon society); and sometimes travel through the outer world in an effort to learn what they can of the world of men--in order to protect themselves from it, or to educate themselves and the outer-worlders to reduce misunderstandings between the cultures.

There are no special ability-score requirements to be an Amazon.

To abandon this kit, the character would have to renounce her Amazon citizenship... meaning that she would have to identify herself more strongly with another culture.

Barred: The DM will decide which gods act as patrons for the Amazon civilization; most Amazon priestesses will serve those specific gods. However, not all Amazon priestesses have to serve those specific gods. An Amazon culture could have as its patron the gods of War and Moon, for instance, but a specific Amazon priestess could serve another god. (Since each attribute has its own role to play in any civilization, few gods are really inappropriate.) Note, though, that no Amazon priestess can serve the gods of Disease or Peace. Also, since Amazon warriors must know the use of the spear and long bow, an Amazon priestess who cannot use those weapons will be looked down upon, and won't command the respect of priestesses who can. Therefore, an Amazon will command less respect unless she is a priestess of one of the following gods: Community, Competition, Elemental Forces, Good, Hunting, Light, Mischief/Trickery, Moon, Oracles/Prophecy, Race (Human), Sky/Weather, Sun, War, Wind, Wisdom.

Role: Among the Amazons, the priestess-types listed immediately above are as highly-regarded as the warrior, and the warrior is the most-admired type of Amazon. Outside the Amazon lands, among male-dominated civilizations, the priestess is looked on as an even more unnatural sort of unnatural woman. In cultures where men and women are approximately equal in influence, the Amazon is looked on as a curiosity, and may even (at the DM's discretion) be looked down on as a representative of a race that hasn't yet come to the conclusion that neither gender should oppress the other.

Among player-character adventurers, the Amazon-priestess is likely to prove herself to be a doughty fighter and an effective spellcaster. If the priestess character starts out suffering a bit of discrimination when she's introduced into the campaign, that may be normal according to the culture but the DM shouldn't encourage this attitude, especially after she's proven herself in dangerous situations. Even if the campaign's main culture is discriminatory, the PCs should demonstrate a little more flexibility in their attitudes based on their adventuring experiences.

Secondary Skills: Required: Groom.

Weapon Proficiencies: Required: None. Recommended: Spear, long bow; if possible, various axes and swords.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus Proficiencies: Riding (Land-Based), Animal Training. Recommended: (General) Animal Handling, (Warrior) Animal Lore, Armorer, Bowyer/Fletcher, Hunting, Running, Survival, Tracking.

Equipment: When an Amazon character is first created, she must buy her armor from among the following choices only: Shield, leather, padded, studded leather, brigandine, scale mail, hide, banded mail, bronze plate mail. Once she has adventured elsewhere in the world, she may purchase other types of armor according to her priest-class limitations.

Special Benefits: Male opponents from cultures where women fighters tend to be rare will be amused, rather than cautious, the first time they confront an Amazon. Therefore, in a fight where such a warrior runs up against an Amazon for the first time, the Amazon gets a +3 to hit and +3 damage on her first blow only. This reflects the fact that her opponent's guard is down.

This bonus doesn't work on any Warrior character of fifth level or higher, or a character of any other class at 8th level or higher; in spite of any prejudices he might bear, this character is too seasoned an adventurer to let his guard down that way.

At the DM's discretion, he can give a wary, suspicious NPC an Intelligence check; on a successful check, he will see the attack coming and deny the Amazon the bonus.

The bonus won't work on any male fighter who comes from a culture where women do regularly fight, or who has had fighting-women comrades or faced fighting-women opponents before, or even who has seen the Amazon hit someone else with this bonus earlier.

It doesn't work on player-characters unless the player is role-playing honestly enough to admit that his character would underestimate the Amazon.

Once the Amazon hits a character with this bonus, the target (if he survives) will never fall for it again. It can only be used successfully once per victim, ever. But if the Amazon misses a target with this blow, she continues to receive it against this target until she hits him once.

Special Hindrances: The Amazon receives a -3 reaction roll adjustment from NPCs from male-dominated societies. Player-characters do not have to demonstrate this hostility unless they want to do so for role-playing purposes, and even then it should fade as they come to respect her.

Wealth Options: The Amazon gets the ordinary 3d6x10 gp as starting money.

Races: None are excluded. Humans, elvish, and half-elvish Amazons are most appropriate. Dwarves would substitute battle axe and warhammer for their weapons and swine for their preferred mounts. Gnomes would substitute throwing axe and short sword, and would ride ponies, and would have Tracking and Survival as their Bonus Nonweapon Proficiencies. Halflings would substitute javelin and sling for their weapons, and Endurance and Set Snares for their Bonus Nonweapon Proficiencies.

Table of Contents