Priest (HLC)

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High-level priests combine spellcasting abilities with combat power. Like warriors, priests equipped with magical armor and weapons are formidable in combat.
Their primary strength, however, comes from their spells.
In addition, priests receive extra proficiencies and hit points through 30th level.
Priests also have access to special skills beginning at 10th level.
==Priests and 10th-Level Spells==
All priests, even druids, gain the ability to cast true dweomers when they reach 20th level. (Although druids do not gain additional spells of levels 1–7 once they exceed 15th level, true dweomers represent a new approach to magic that very high-level druids can understand and use.) Note that the term “10th-level spell” is something of a misnomer. For a priest, a true dweomer might be called an 8th-level spell, but a true dweomer cast by a priest functions just like a wizard's true dweomer does.
Unlike wizards, priests use divine power to create their true dweomers, and any true dweomer a priest casts must promote the deity's interests in some way. This requires a judgment call for the DM. When deciding if a priest's deity grants a true dweomer, consider the following:
The priest must be in good standing with the deity, having observed the requirements of both the character's alignment and the deity's ethos. This is true of all priest spells, and a priest who has strayed too far from the path might not be able to cast any spells at all.
Any true dweomer that impacts on the deity's sphere of control or portfolio is likely to be granted unless it runs contrary to that power's wishes. For example, a deity of agriculture is likely to grant a true dweomer that creates an abundant harvest unless the people who are going to benefit from the harvest have offended the deity. Similarly, a deity of war is very likely to grant a true dweomer that transports an entire army to a battlefield, whereas a deity of peace would be more likely to help transport troops away from a battle. The DM should always try to consider the problem from the deity's point of view.
When in doubt, check the spheres of normal spells the priest is allowed to cast. If the proposed true dweomer contains effects found in those spells, it is probably acceptable. For example, a priest with access to the creation sphere probably can use true dweomers from the create, conjure, and animate areas.
 Table 45: Priest Advancement Beyond 20th
Level	———Experience Points——-	———Experience Points——-	———Proficiencies———	———Proficiencies———	Hit Points(d8)*
Level	Cleric 	Druid 	Weapon 	Nonweapon 	Hit Points(d8)*
20 	2,700,000 	2,000,000 	7 	10 	9+22
21 	2,925,000 	2,500,000 	7 	11 	9+24
22 	3,150,000 	3,000,000 	7 	11 	9+26
23 	3,375,000 	3,500,000 	7 	11 	9+28
24 	3,600,000 	4,000,000 	8 	12 	9+30
25 	3,825,000 	4,500,000 	8 	12 	9+32
26 	4,050,000 	5,000,000 	8 	12 	9+34
27 	4,275,000 	5,500,000 	8 	13 	9+36
28 	4,500,000 	6,000,000 	9 	13 	9+38
29 	4,725,000 	6,500,000 	9 	13 	9+40
30 	4,950,000 	7,000,000 	9 	14 	9+42
: * Bonus hit points from high Constitution scores are not added after 9th level..
 Table 46: Priest Spell Progression
Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	*
20 	9	9	9	8	7	5	2	1
21 	9	9	9	9	8	6	2	1
22 	9	9	9	9	9	6	3	2
23 	9	9	9	9	9	7	3	2
24 	9	9	9	9	9	8	3	2
25 	9	9	9	9	9	8	4	3
26 	9	9	9	9	9	9	4	3
27 	9	9	9	9	9	9	5	4
28 	9	9	9	9	9	9	6	4
29 	9	9	9	9	9	9	7	4
30 	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	4
: * The number of true dweomers—10th-level spells—the character can prepare, have prepared, or cast in one day (see Chapter 6).
==Priests Beyond 20th Level==
Improved Access to Quest Spells: Any priest with access to true dweomers can receive a quest spell without sacrificing any spellcasting ability. All other requirements for receiving a quest spell must be met normally, see the Tome of Magic for details.
Improved Undead Turning: Upon reaching 21st level, a priest who receives the granted power to turn undead can use the power multiple times within the same encounter. The character may continue to turn undead so long as prior attempts against the same group of creatures were successful. Once an attempt fails, the priest cannot continue.
In the case of mixed groups of undead, where a single turning attempt succeeds against some creatures in the group but not others, further attempts to turn the unaffected creatures are useless. Weaker creatures continue to be affected as long as attempts against them succeed.
For example, Wulf meets a lich, six vampires, and a horde of skeletons and ghouls. Wulf is a 21st-level cleric and rolls a 7 on his turning attempt. Wulf automatically destroys 2d6+2d4 skeletons and 2d6+2d4 ghouls. The roll is sufficient to turn the vampires; Wulf rolls 2d6 and gets a 5, leaving one vampire unaffected. The turning roll of 7 is insufficient to turn the lich. The next round, Wulf can use his turning ability against the skeletons, ghouls, and the remaining vampire, but the lich is unaffected since Wulf’s initial roll did not affect him.
Increased Spell Selection: At 21st level, the priest gains minor access to a sphere of spells the character previously did not have access to or gains access to another level of spells in a sphere the character already has minor access to.
For example, clerics do not have access to the plant, animal, or weather spheres, and they have only minor access to the elemental sphere. A 21st-level cleric could gain minor access to the plant, animal, or weather sphere or get access to 4th-level elemental spells. The DM can make the selection or let the player choose.
At 25th level, the priest gains minor access to another sphere of spells or adds access to another level of spells in one of the character’s minor spheres, including the minor sphere the priest added or enhanced at 21st level.
At 27th level, the priest gains minor access to another sphere of spells or adds access to another level of spells in one of the character’s minor spheres, including the minor spheres added or enhanced previously.
Holy Army: A priest of 21st level or higher can call up an army of dedicated followers to accomplish a single task. The task can be as simple or complex as the priest desires, but it must be something that can be accomplished through force of arms. Acceptable tasks include: destroying a particular castle, temple, or town; rescuing a captive; recovering a stolen item; bringing a fugitive to justice; deposing a ruler; and so on. The task cannot violate the principles of the priest’s alignment or ethos. A priest cannot summon a holy army if the character already has one in the field and cannot summon more than one each year.
A holy army can contain as many troops as the priest’s experience point total divided by 1,000. For example, a priest who has just attained 21st level can summon 2,925 troops. Most troops are 0-level fighters, but there is one commander of half the priest’s level (round down). The commander in turn has two assistants of half the commander’s level, and each of those characters have two more assistants and so on. Each commander and assistant also has a priest or cleric of similar level. For example, a holy army summoned by a 21st-level priest has one commander of 10th level, two subcommanders of 5th level, four lieutenants of 2nd level, and eight sergeants of 1st level. Each officer is accompanied by a priest of similar level. If the priest is lawful good, there is a 10% chance that any given officer is a paladin. If the priest is of any good alignment, and the task involves activities in the wilderness, there is a 10% that any commander is a ranger.
To summon a holy army, the priest must be in a place where people worship the character’s deity openly. A holy army takes two weeks to gather for every 500 people in it, though the priest can summon a smaller army. If worshippers of the character’s deity are not common in the area where the priest is, the gathering time is doubled. An army usually stays together for a maximum of one month for each level of the priest summoning it. However, the priest can hold it together a little longer by paying the troops well (2–4 gp per 0-level trooper and 100 gp per level for commanders and priests) or by making a successful Charisma/Leadership check. In either case, the army’s goal must be within easy reach, and the troops remain active for an additional 2d4 months.
When an army disbands, the troops may return home or they may decide to remain together as an independent force to pursue their own goals. It is best if the priest sees to it that the troops return home instead of giving a more radical element the opportunity to take control of the army.
==Skills For High-Level Priests==
: See: Skills for High-Level Priests (HLC)