The Lowman (sometimes called the Missionary)

Kevin P. Quigley (kq07+@andrew.cmu.edu)

Races allowed: as cleric.

Portfolio: Humility, the Holiness in Lowliness, and Mercy

Requirements: Wisdom 9, Dexterriry 9, Alignment any Good

Weapons: weapons purchased may not cost more than 2 gp, or must be stolen or
gifts. No equipment that is extravagant or obviously expensive can be kept.


Armor: Any up to leather, Piecemiel armor may be used if DM allows (see
Fighter's Handbook).

Major Spheres: All, Gaurdian, Healing, Protection, Wards.
Minor Spheres: Charm, Divination.

Magical Items: As cleric and thief (No jewelry or gems, except: Amulet of proof
against detection and location, Necklace of Prayer Beads, Pearl of wisdom,
Talisman of pure good).


Granted Powers:

- All Lowmen have the following thieving skills at 1st level: Pick Pockets: 20%,
Move Silently: 20%, Hide in Shadows: 15%, Detect Noise: 10%. They also recieve
20 extra percentage points which they may distribute to these skills at first
level, and gain an additional 15% per level thereafter. Hide in Shadows may also
be used to dissapear into a crowd from even the most wiley attempts at trailing.
They must be alone (or split up from companions) and may attempt this without
penalty even while under observation (now you see him, now you don't). There
must be a sufficient crowd present. If there is not, the DM is free to apply a
negative modifier to the roll - up to "no chance pal".

- They may "gather alms" at any time during the day. This is done either by
staying in one place - or by approaching people on the street and asking for
alms. For every hour the priest spends on the street he must make both a wisdom
check and a charisma check (for every three levels of experience he has, he may
add a +1 bonus to either check - wisdom for remaining statonary, and Charisma
for approaching citizens).

Priest          Both Checks     One Check       Both Checks
Looks           Failed          Failed          Successful
~~~~~~~~~       ~~~~~~~~~~~     ~~~~~~~~~       ~~~~~~~~~~~
Horrible          0               0               1 cp
Poor              0               1 cp          2d4 cp
Fair              1 cp          2d4 cp            1 sp
Good            2d4 cp            1 sp          1d4 sp
Excellent         1 sp          1d4 sp          2d4 sp

These are the equivalents in coinage, not actual coin. It is rare for someone to
give up an entire silverpiece to a beggar.

- They are immune to disease; and often use this ability to stay alive by eating
almost anything organic they can find (i.e. food in any state of rot) without
getting sick.

- They may not turn undead, bt are immune to the draining effects of undead
(Abilties and levels, etc.) due to contact with the Negative Material Plane.
Some believe that this s because of the level loss that many a priest has
suffered for being unable to help those in need. Some, jokingly, think that the
priests are such low creatures that not even the negative plane wants their
energy.

- At 10th level they may join or establish a Missionary (A Lowman may join a
missionary at any level). The missionary is dedicated to caring for the poor and
sick. This is the only sort of "church" these priests are known to harbor,
although no scheduled services take place and any using the facility is free to
worship how they see fit - as long as it doesn't disturb the others. They will
offer counseling and food and healing, and whatever the poor creatures need as
long as they can provide it.

- When a character of at least 10th level establishes such a mission - or a
charcater already involved in a mission reaches 10th level he attracts 1d10
followers.

Use the following table (roll once for each follower):

1-40    0-level vagrant
41-50   mid level city official who, while not openly an aquaintance of the
        Lowmman, wile offer aid in whatever ways he can, if does not jeopardize
        his standing or his job
51-60   3,4, or 5th level fighter (determine alignment)
61-70   6,7, or 8th level thief (determine alignment)
71-80   1st level Lowman
81-85   8th level thief with an appropriate Kit (determine alignment)
85-90   a doo-gooder mage of 1d4 levels
90-95   a moderatley knowledgeable sage interested in teaching the poor
96-99   a paladin (levels 4-7) who will spend several days out of each month
        helping with the Mission, and will champion it when in need
100     the mission will attract the attention of a major noble (king, mayor,
        prince) this may be good or bad depending on alignment, or public or
        secretive depending on the campain needs.

The alignment of a follower has a great affect on the service of the NPC. Most
good alignments will be a great boon to the Mission (good vagrants will raise
alms, provide strong backs without complaint etc.). Those of Chaotic Neutral
alignment will will come and go as they please, sometimes brings great tidings,
sometimes bringing doom, sometimes just themselves; Neutral Evil followers will
stick around and help until there is nothing left in it for them, then they will
depart - probably forever; Lawful Evil followers will usually try to turn the
Mission into some kind of front for some illegal activity, and may even try to
keep this secret from the Mission's opperators; Chaotic Evil followers will
usually be driven by a simple insane lust to kick those who are down. They may
be crazed serial killers who cleverly smother vagrants in their sleep, or they
might just explode one day in a massive violent assualt on everyone within the
mission at any given time.

- New Spell:

Mask Useful Item - I leave the specifics up to you, but this god may allow
priests to petition it through this prayer to make an extarvagant but very
useful item look like something that belongs on the badly dressed priests. A
gleaming shortsword with gold inlays may keep that evil band of city thugs from
beating up your alms squad, but the squad might expect you to sell it, because
the poor could use the food. The priest asks the god to consider its
usefullness, the God does so, and in a few days/weeks/hours/minutes he replies,
by either doing nothing (unload the item the priest wants nasked) or by changing
it into a decrepit-looking thing with all of the same properties (i.e. the
gleaming shrtsword suddenly has a corroded edge and a hilt that will fall off if
anyone else picks it up). Even so the priest may only have three of these items
at a time, and must give up an old one, if he wants to have a new one.


Disadvantages:

- They may not enter any dwelling to steal, and never rob from those who
"deserve" their money. The definition of "deserve" is left up to the individual
DM. Mostly they will see a fat aristocrat in a crowd who has a purse that is far
too heavy for them... 75% of their income must go to feed the poor - if the
priest needs at more than this to stay alive then he may withold a little for
the time being, but this better not become a habit.

- If they ever turn away someone with a plea for aid (unless they themselves are
currently in danger or helpng someone else who urgently needs it at the moment),
they immediately lose two levels of experience and must relieve themselves of
all worldly good before gaining any new experience. For the most part these are
solitary clerics. They worship with their own rules and their own prayers.

- Lowmen tend to dress in whatever clothes are given to them and are forbidden
to bathe more than once a year. Lowmen own only what they can carry, and care
for animals only if the animal has come to it or was given to the priest and it
doesn't wander off of its own free will. The Lowmen have only what they can
carry and do not consider this "having" an ownership at all. If someone else
needs something a Lowman has or could make better use of it then that person
should have it... This is also their justification for theft - but this must be
heavilly considered first...


