From: gelinas@CAM.ORG (Daniel Gelinas)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Clarification of previous post. The Law-Makers help me decide.
Date: 26 Dec 92 18:13:37 GMT
Organization: Communications Accessibles Montreal, Quebec Canada


I have here the complete description of the class.  at first I was hesitant to
post it, but hey what the hell.

One person has already replied to my previous message and suggested I give them the Ivo/Evoc school.  Unfortunately this school is not only too powerful but are generally too chaotic.  I find that in general extremely destructive spells lend themselves to chaos.  Furthermore, these guys have a great repect for life, and would not use most of the destructive spells.  If I'm lucky, Dragon Magasine 
should be helping me out with this question soon.

	Feel free to use this character class if it looks interesting to you.
If you do, please do me the honor of mentioning my name.

Any comments on the class would be appreciated.  In case you missed the first
original post, the question was, how should I solve the problem of which school
to give them?  Or do you think the present character class is acceptable?  I 
just hate having to write out 2 paragraphs on spells when it might not be 
needed.  I was also thinking of redifining my own school of magic, but that
prooved to be more difficult then I thought.  It is very hard to decide if a 
spell is lawful or not, and if it is lawful enouph to deserve special classifi-
cation.

I cannot use priest spheres as there is an additional problem with that, that isIf they can cast priest magic they must worship a God, so I would have to go
through the process of creating their god, and that just gives me a hell of a lot more work.  Of course having a sphere of Law does help out in spell selection.  I may consider changing it from magic userto priest, but at the present time I think that would be more difficult.


Class: Law-Maker

Hit dice: 1D8             Armour: Chain or worse
Alignment:Lawful Neutral  Weapons: Size M or smaller.(No two handed swords)
Race:Human                Ability requirements: STR 12 INT 12 DEX 13
THACO: Warrior            Prime requisites:  INT DEX

# of attacks: Warrior
Weapon specialization: Available.
Saving throws: best of wizard/warrior
Proficiencies: 4 weapon 4 non-weapon  progression: 1/3 weapon  1/3 non
Proficiency groups: General, warrior, wizard.

Experience:   H.D      Spell Progression       *M.S    H.I.S    H.N
                       1  2  3  4  5  6
1         0    1                               15      10      10
2      2400    2                               21      15      10
3      4800    3       1                       27      20      15
4      9600    4       2                       33      25      15
5     24000    5       2  1                    40      31      20
6     48000    6       3  2                    47      37      20
7     96000    7       4  2  1                 55      43      25
8    180000    8       4  2  2                 62      49      25
9    336000    9       4  3  2  1              70      56      30
10   696000    9+2     4  3  3  2              78      63      30
11  1056000    9+4     4  3  3  2  1           86      70      35
12  1416000    9+6     4  4  3  2  2           94      77      35
13  1776000    9+8     4  4  4  2  2           99      85      40
14  2136000    9+10  **4  4  4  3  2  1        99      93      40
15  2496000    9+12    4  4  4  3  2  1        99      99      50
16  2856000    9+14    4  4  4  3  2  1        99      99      50
   +360000 each level

* M.S= Move silently  H.I.S= Hide in shadows  H.N= Hear noise
** Spell progression stops

Special abilities:

1st level:  Must meditate every day.  Level 1-3(30mins) 4-6(60mins)
                                            7-9(90mins) 10-(120mins)

3rd level:  Must choose one schoool out of Abjuration,
            Enchantment/charm, Greater Divination.

6th level:  Must return to his fellow Law-Makers for the ceremony of
            change.  Gains ability to perform limited polymorph.


Restrictions:

Can only size M or smaller weapons.
Cannot own more than 6 magic items.
Must donate 10% of wealth when possible to Law-Makers.
Cannot keep more treasure than can carry.
Can use only certain types of magical items.


Law-Maker:

        The name 'Law-Maker' was given to these people because of their
pursuit of order.  They are not actually makers of law, but their
primary purpose is to restore order to the world.

        They do this in various ways.  Some mingle with high level
officials in large villages, others go out to battle chaotic forces in the
region,  and others still preffer to more subtely influence those
around them.

        It is not easy to become a Law-Maker, the ability requirements
are high.  Those who do start out do not always make it.

        The Law-Makers have discovered that in order to restore order
in the world they must be able to have an influence over it.  Law-Makers
learn many skills in order to attain their goals.  When called upon
they can speak elloquently to city officials, talk with magic users,
and discuss battles with fighters.  Law-Makers are very methodical and
do not go of making rash judgements on things.  They preffer to plan
out their actions in a controlled way.  They try and prepare
themselves as much as they can before setting out on a task. In this
way they are able to spend more time solving the task then addressing
themselves.  They try and be a precise as possible, solving the
problem as safely, and as quickly as they can.

        Although they are all part of a secret underground, there is
no specific leader, but they act collectively in order to spread
order as quickly and as safely as possible.

        In short, people in this class can do many things, be many
things, but everything is done in the purpose of LAW, good or evil is
irrelevant.

        In order to spread their influence, Law-Makers were able to
give their bretheren the power to change their shape.  In this way,
they could, in essence, become part of other races and help them
become more productive societies.

        In the Law-Maker ranks there are many occupations(as previously
stated) but in times of desperate need Law-Makers may band together to
fight the powers of chaos.  In some situations they may be called upon
to kill, but preffer not to, and use it as a last resort.  In general
they do not like to draw attention upon themselves(as they are very
secretive) and preffer to exert an influence from the background.

        If there is one thing that law makers will not tolerate, it is
the presence of a doppleganger.  These creatures are exact opposites
of the Law-Makers, and they will be pursued if they are found.  A
Law-Maker receives a +1 bonus to hit a doppleganger when in combat.

        Law-Makers are extremely loyal and would never divuldge any of
their secrets to outsiders, even if their death might result.

***Meditation:

        Law-makers must meditate, if they do not, they lose their
abilities and begin to make mistakes.  For every 24hr period that a
Law-Maker does not meditate he receives a -1 to strike and a 10%
spell failure possibility.  This is due to the lack of concentration
that a Law-Maker has if he does not meditate.  For each additional
24hr period the penalties are multiplied by a factor of 2(i.e -2 -20%
day two -4 -40% day 3 -8 -80% day 4 ect..).  In addition, if a law
maker has not meditated in a 48hr period, he cannot use his
shapechanging ability and reverts to his natural shape.

        Meditation is not sleep, and should not be confused with it.
It is a period of concentration and relaxation.  A Law-Maker is fully
aware of his surroundings during this period.

        Meditation must be performed before the memorization of
spells.

        Meditation must be continuous.  It can be interrupted for no
longer than 5 minutes.  Any longer and the character concentration is
broken and he must start over again.

***Spell casting:

        Although they may only choose one school, Law-Makers are not
specialists.  They can cast only one school of magic and no other.
The restrictions placed on mages also apply to Law-Makers.  They may
not cast while in armour, they must study their spells.  They must
acquire new spells and when they find one they must first see if they
understand it before they can put it in their spell book.  All
Law-Makers can cast lesser divination, as this school is open to all
users of magic, but only those who choose Greater Divination can cast
spells of that school above 4th level.  They do start with the basic
spells which all mages have(read magic ect...).

        Whichever school they choose, Law-Makers are also restricted
by not being able to cast chaotic spells.  Spells such as 'chaos',
'tasha's uncontrolable hideous laughter', and 'confusion' are good
examples.  It is up to the DM to determine if any spell is too chaotic
to be used.

*After 14th level they do not gain any additional spells.


***Limited Polymorph:

        When a Law-Maker goes through the ceremony of change he is
given a special symbol.  A magical device is used which molds the
sorrounding skin into it's shape, leaving a raised portion of skin
which looks like the mold.  This symbol is part of source of the
Law-Maker's polymorph.  It is a magical symbol which does not disapear
even if the Law-Maker shape changes.  It is allways placed in the center
 of the chest and does not cause any pain when put there.  It cannot be 
removed by normal
means but only by 2 ways, death, or the use of another device possesed
by the Law-Makers which removes it.  If it is removed, the Law-Maker
can no longer polymorph.  The rest of the polymorph is controlled by
the focussed mind of the Law-Maker.  Their mental conditioning allows
them to control their shape.  Upon death the symbol disappears. 

        The polymorph is very limited.  A Law-Maker cannot alter his
shape by more than +- 50% of his mass.  He cannot change shape into a
non-humaniod creature(must have 2 arms 2 legs ect..).  He can change
up to a maximum of 3 times per day.  When he changes, his clothes and
small items(rings, belts, headband) change with him if he so chooses.
Armour of any type will not meld with the body.  He can still change,
but cannot ecced the size of his armour.  Most magical items change
size to fit their owner, therefore, if a Law-Maker changes while
wearing bracers, unless he grows too big for them, they will enlarge
of shrink to his new size.

        If a dispel magic is cast upon a Law-Maker he is affected as
if it were an innate ability with a bonus of +2(20%) in favor of the
Law-Maker(the bonus is awarded because of the strong mental
conditioning the Law-Maker has undergone).  If the dispel is successful
he reverts to his natural form.

***Magic Items:

        Law-makers can use all warrior magical items.  They can
however only use wizard items of their chosen school.  There is one
ecception to both of those categories.  A Law-Maker cannot use any
extremely chaotic item.  A deck of many things is a good example,
another would be a wand of wonder.  The DM and the player should
determine wether or not the item should be allowed, if no easy
solution is found, then the item should be disallowed.


***Law and actions***

        Law-makers expect their own to act with lawful conduct.  If
one should ever knowingly perform a chaotic act, he will be penalized.
For each act performed his meditation time is doubled.(i.e 3 acts
performed=8 times longer 2x2x2=8).  This extra time is needed for him to
contemplate his actions and clear his mind of any further destructive
thoughts.  If he does not complete his meditation, he suffers the same
penalties as he does normally.  This is only in the case of actions
which go directly against the alignment of the class.  The DM
should determine if the characters actions warrant penalties(i.e
killing for no particular reason, or if it was not needed), and if so
how many.  It is possible for characters to go into seclusion for
several hours(even days).  The DM should be warned that generally
penaties are given only for obviously chaotic acts which would affect
the personality of the Law-Maker, not for such things as

        In extremely severe cases, it is possible that the Law-Makers
send out a group to find and capture the character, removing all
his abilities.  This is only done if the character continuously
performs chaotic acts.  The elders see him as a traitor and should
not be allowed to use any of his special abilities for chaos.  A
special compass can be used (there are few in existence) that will
point to any Law-Maker in the area by tracking his symbol.  It can
then be removed, thus terminating the polymorph ability of that
Law-Maker.


***Hierarchy***

        There is a loose form a hierarchy within the Law-Makers ranks.
In order to restore order to the world, they have organised themselves
into networks spreading over vast areas.  In this way they can get
information to each other, and determine where people should be sent
and what should be done.  Generally, for every region there is one council
composed of 2 to 3 Law-Makers of 10 level or higher.  These are
further coordinated by 1-2 Law-Makers of 14 level or higher.  The
size of each region may vary, but it is never too large as to make
communication impossible.  A region will often compose an area
containing 1 or 2 very large cities.  In any given region there are never
more than 5 or 6 Law-Makers.

        There is no supreme Law-maker.  Instead, they have organised
themselves into subdivided networks which are organized by key
individuals.  The killing or accidental death of a high level Law-maker
sometimes causes problems, but he is often replaced quickly.

        Many Law-makers live normal lives until they are called upon
to do a mission.  The network is designed so that basic control is kept
over all members, but that they are still free to work independently.
In this way they can scout the largest possible area but still remain
in contact with the others as to not cause confusion.

        Upon reaching 10th level, the Law-Maker can become a council
member if he wishes, but it is not mandatory(except in extreme
cases).  If they choose to do so, their adventuring would be limited,
but they would still be sent out on the very important missions.  A
council member is expected to make important decisions, and delegate
duties to others.  If any problems arise he would try and deal with
them unless he needs more help, at which point he can summon others to
his aid.


Additional Spell

All lawmakers are taught this particular spell.  It helps them better
judge an individual and his actions even if he has been away for a
long time.


Aura of Lawfullness/Chaos

Level:1
Range:30 yards
Components:V,S
Duration: 2 rounds + 1round/level
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of effect: 1 humaniod
Saving Throw: None

        The spells allows the caster to see an aura about his subject.
By observing this aura he can tell how far along the lines of
Lawfullness or Chaos the person is.  In general a lawful character
will have a steady, bright, getting close to white aura, while a
chaotic character would have a shimmering, dim, dark aura.  This spell
is mainly used in the ceremony of change, when a lawmaker must be
judged on his past deeds.  This spell helps eliminate people who are
not fit to be in the lawmaker class.  This spell can be cast on any
humanoid, not Law-Makers alone.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd