From: kq07+@andrew.cmu.edu (Kevin P. Quigley)
Date: 16 Apr 92 15:58:37 GMT


New Class: the Lowman (sometimes called the Missionary)


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...
