Fire Clerics (EAFW)

The most feared and unpredictable of the Athasian clerics are those of the Elemental Plane of Fire. Some say these individuals become crazed during initiation, and others say that one must be insane to petition the destructive lords of flame in the first place. Whatever the reason for their erratic nature, fire clerics are the most powerful and the most destructive of the elemental priests.
Fire priests have earned their reputations for two reasons, they are very aggressive and very offensive. They will laugh maniacally while their enemies are incinerated, and they appear to thrive onry when everything around them is being devoured by the fiery appetites of their patrons.
But it is the sorcerer-kings and the defilers who harbor the greatest fear of the priests of fire. They are horrified by their destructive nature, because fire deprives them of the organic matter they need to power their own spells. They see fire clerics as wandering madmen who squander their resources for no discernible reason.
But every priest of fire knows that when the forests and plains are destroyed by his flaming touch, the land will grow back even stronger than before. When a defiler ruins an area, that land lies sterile for millennia, and there will be nothing to feed the infernal appetites of the fire clerics' patrons.
Clerics of the other elements usually don't understand this, and more than one fight has erupted between the exuberant warriors of flame and their erstwhile associates. Even those priests who do understand the ways of their insane brethren are reluctant to let them have their way. The balance of the creation/annihilation cycle is delicate, and the fire priests are frequently over zealous about their work. They often tease somber water clerics with an old jest: "To destroy the world is to destroy the defilers." The water clerics wonder if they are truly joking.
==Initiation==
Before an initiate can become a cleric of the flame, he must pass a searing test of fire and be awarded the badge of flame.
When the mentor feels that his student is ready, he takes the novice to a clearing, close to a source of wood, scrub, coal, or other fuel. Throughout the day the student and the teacher gather wood, dig coal, and perform whatever tasks are necessary to create a large bonfire. During this process they discuss everything that the student has learned during the apprenticeship. As night begins to fall, the mentor starts a magical fire with the fuel they have gathered, and the student steps into the blazing bonfire.
The novice remains inside the inferno throughout the nigkt, meditating, watching materials burn and crumble into ash, until the elemental lords of flame speak with him through the crackling fire. If the elementals accept the petitioner and the pact is made, his hair turns fiery red and his eyes grow black as coal. This is known as the badge of flame."
If the acolyte is not accepted by the Plane of Fire, the mentor's magic ceases to protect him and he is violently expelled, taking 4d8 points of damage.
==The Pact of Fire==
The pact of fire is the most ironic of the clerical oaths. The creatures of the Elemental Plane of Fire demand that their servants preserve Athas only so that they might destroy it again. Specifically, the Plane of Fire needs the forests and the cities of man to return. This means that their clerics must encourage the growth of forests, cities, and fields.
A large part of the pact is dedicated to the defeat of the sorcerer-kings and all defilers. This is a goal they share with the druids, but the priests of fire are too eccentric to form long, lasting relationships with the members of that elusive order. A frontal assault wielding the power of the inferno is their usual tactic.
==Weapons and Armor==
Fire clerics dislike normal weapons like swords and bows, unless they can be enflamed. Any metal weapon may be carried by a fire cleric, but he must magically light it or smear oil on it, igniting it before combat in order to use it effectively. If the weapon cannot be ignited the priest gains no experience for that encounter. Most fire clerics don't even carry weapons, relying on the spell flame blade instead.
They will use bows and crossbows, but gain no experience if they cannot ignite the arrows or bolts. Obsidian weapons, however, are acceptable for fire clerics, because they were forged under great heat. Even these weapons, though, will be slicked with oil, ready to inflame. There is no experience point penalty if they are not.
Fire clerics may use any armor, and they usually paint it brilliant red or char it to black.
==Granted Powers: Major==
At the 5th level, fire clerics may ignore fire and heat for a number of rounds equal to their level. Their weapons and possessions are also protected. A heat metal spell would make a priest's sword glowing hot, but it would not warp or otherwise affect it. When the time limit has passed, the priest is subject to the full effects of whatever is attacking him. Items that have been heated to extremes will suffer whatever effects are appropriate if they are not cooled before the power fades. The sword in the example above would warp as soon as the cleric's power stopped functioning if a heat metal spell was still in effect
At the 7th level, the cleric can gate in raw flame from the Elemental Plane of Fire. The flame can be as small as the character wishes, its maximum size is 1 cubic foot for every level of the priest above the 6th. Each cubic foot can affect one medium to large sized creature. As the total volume increases, so does the heat and damage. Every cubic foot gatedm does ld6 points of damage to anything that it touches. A successful saving throw will cut this in half.
Fire without fuel will last only a single round. It ignites paper, clothing, hair, wood, and other light materials if a successful saving throw vs. magical fire is not made. Summoned fire that catches on combustible materials will burn normally and destroy material items accordingly.
A cleric may not move the flame once it has materialized, and it must appear at a point no more than 50 feet away. Anything that can ignite will, unless a saving throw vs. magical fire is successful. Items carried by characters who make the saving throw are also unaffected. Burning items inflict damage normally.
==Granted Powers: Minor==
In addition to the major powers listed above, the cleric may choose one of the following minor powers at levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13. Only the priest may directly benefit from these powers.
* Enflame: The priest does not gate flame from his plane, but creates small fires the size of a match stick at will. This power ignites torches and larger materials normally. The ability has a range of 1 yard per level of the caster.
* Affect Normal Fires: This ability functions once per day, and acts exactly as the 1st-level wizard spell of the same name.
* Cleansing Flame: The cleric steps into a flame the size of a campfire for no more than one round. This allows him to skip one meal (food and water), cures him of ld4 points of damage, and cleans his body of dirt and filth. If the cleric is poisoned, the cleansing flame will allow him a second saving throw. Note that this "meal" is not enough to sustain the cleric for any length of time. He will still need normal food and water to supplement the energy given him by the cleansing flame.A character may invoke this ability when attacked by a fireball, when stepping into a burning building, or at any other time of need. The effects last for only one round. After that, the priest either suffers the usual damage, or he has to use his ability to ignore the element to protect himself. He may use this ability once per day.
* Control Flame: A fire priest can control any fires smaller than torch head. He may cause them to smother, spread, or move, as long as the flames remain in contact with combustible material. The fire may even perform short leaps through the air by expanding and catching on other materials, but this range is limited to 6 inches per level of the caster. A 6th-level cleric could cause the flame to leap 36 inches, or 1 yard.
* Protection from Flame: A fire cleric may take this ability upon reaching the 5th level. It grants him a +2 to saving throws vs. any fire-based attack. The disadvantage of this ability is that the priest is at —2 to any water based attacks, since casting protection from flame will dowse his own fiery energies.
==Wandering Fire Clerics==
The most common fire clerics are the roving priests of fire. These hearty individuals like to make dramatic entrances in the settlements and cities they) visit. They are especially fond of arriving just as a village is being attacked or in the middle of some local crisis.
Once things have calmed down, the priest performs much the same role as an earth cleric. He will lecture about preservation, teach reverence for the flame, and heal those who have listened to his message.
Fire clerics know that the remains of the fallen should be placed in the ground to begin the cycle again, but their patrons' nature compels them to teach cremation.
==Fire Clerics of the Shrines==
The shrines of the lords of fire are the most common elemental temples on the face of Athas. Many fire clerics are content to live near these holy places and give aid to those who make an offering to the eternal flames they protect
Villages near fire shrines often petition the guardian cleric to save them from local terrors. In the rare cases when a defiler threatens them, the villages have learned to think long and hard before asking the cleric for aid—sometimes the offering required will be their very homes!
==Fire Clerics in the Cities==
Priests of fire who operate in the cities of the sorcerer-kings do not reach old age. Their flamboyant methods do not allow for anonymity, and the templars need no excuse to arrest and execute them.
To the Veiled Alliance, fire clerics are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, they are as powerful as many sorcerers, but on the other, they draw too much attention to what are supposed to be secret operations.
Still, one of the goals of the fire priests is to encourage the growth of the cities so that the fire elementals may once again feast on them. To pursue this goal, they try to live among the people and do and teach whatever they can to Kelp them survive. Often, this means saving them from the whims of a city's ruler or even joining the templars in the face of some imminent attack against a settlement
Playing a fire priest in a city-based campaign is challenging. PC fire clerics should be proud, boastful, and generally afraid of nothing, but these very actions will be met with a quick response from the templars. Wiser fire clerics will remain in the background as much as possible, but even then they will boast of their handiwork from time to time.
==Fire Shamans==
Fortunately, shamans who wield the power of fire are rare. Most tribal shamans associate themselves with the most common element in their home land. Besides, continuous, open flame is rare in the sparse lands of Athas.
Only the most ferocious tribesmen become fire shamans. It is the nature of these savages, rather than any link to the material world, that fuels their raging power. Gith and belgoi are all likely to have fire shamans in battle.
Even more terrifying is the fact that larger tribes and groups often have several shamans. Some have been known to have a council of silt clerics and a champion of fire. Champions are rarely seen by the savages they lead, except in battle. Their fiery passions lead attacks with reckless abandon and severe consequences for all who stand in their way.