Templar (Tales from Thedas)

*"Blessed are they who stand before*

*The corrupt and the wicked and do not falter."*

— Canticle of Benedictions 4:10

The military arm of the Chant of Light, the Templar Order are the wardens of the Circles and the enforcers of the Chantry’s laws. Tasked with hunting maleficarum, Templars are adept at canceling magic and banishing demons. Through ingestion of carefully prepared lyrium, templars gain resistance to magic, including the ability to interrupt spells. Though the Chantry controls the lyrium trade, those with the right connections can acquire enough to emulate the abilities of these vigilant warriors.

Adapted from the base D&D 5E Paladin, Oath of Devotion subclass.

(back to Character Creation)

* **Hit Dice:** 1d10
* **Saving Throws**: Wisdom, Constitution
* **Proficiencies:** All armor, simple weapons, martial weapons
* **Skills:** Choose two from Athletics, Arcana, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, and Religion

### **Equipment**

* a) Chain mail or b) plate mail
* a) A martial weapon and shield or b) A two-handed weapon
* a) a priest's pack or b) an explorer's pack
* A lyrium kit and 8 vials of lyrium

## **Lyrium Addiction**

Lyrium is both the templar's source of power and the leash by which they are bound to the Chantry. Almost every day since you first took your vows as a full Knight of the Templar Order, you have ingested some amount of lyrium. There are six stages of your lyrium addiction: **Full, Sated, Distracted, Craving, Desperate, Maddening.** You progress from one stage of your lyrium addiction every long rest, and suffer worse and worse effects as you continue.

Consuming a vial of lyrium restores you automatically to the **Full** stage, and you must regularly return to the Circle to replenish your supply of lyrium. By default, your lyrium kit contains eight vials. At the **Desperate** and **Maddening** stages, your body undergoes **lyrium withdrawal**. If you are able to survive two weeks of lyrium withdrawal, your addiction is broken, and you are able to perform Templar feats as if you were forever at the **Sated** stage.

### **Stages of Lyrium Addiction**

* **Full -** Passive Perception +1, Initiative +1, Spell Save DC+1. You feel alert and empowered.
* **Sated -** No effects, you feel healthy and normal.
* **Distracted -** Passive Perception -1. You're a little bit distracted by your need for lyrium.
* **Craving -** Passive Perception -1, AC -1. Your addiction has begun to impede your ability to fight.
* **Desperate -** Passive Perception -1, AC -1. Every day you wake up Desperate, roll a WIS saving throw. On a fail, you are exhausted. Satisfying your addiction is now your number one priority.
* **Maddening -** Passive Perception -2, AC -2, You are exhausted, and suffer -1 to all ability scores. You would kill and eat anyone you know for a chance at getting some lyrium.

At **Desperate** and below, you no longer regain spell slots on a long rest. At the **Desperate** and **Maddening** stages, you gain the ability to detect the presence of any lyrium at a 60ft radius.

## **Magic Sense**

The regular ingestion of lyrium has attuned you to the sensation of magical presence. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such energies. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any extant magical effect or enchanted item at a range of 60ft. You can use this feature once per rest. This feature is restored every time you use Lyrium Surge.

## **Nullify**

As a Templar, you are resistant to the effects of hostile magic. While at a Lyrium Addiction level at Full or Sated, you gain +2 to any saving throw made against a hostile spell. At Distracted or Craving, this bonus is only +1. You do not get this bonus at Desperate or Maddening.

## **Fighting Style**

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

### **Defense**

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

### **Dueling**

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

### **Great Weapon Fighting**

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

### **Protection**

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

## **Templar Spells**

By 2nd level, you have learned how to channel the power of the lyrium in your veins to produce effects similar to magic. See the Templar Table linked below for the list of spells and spell slots available to you.

Templar Spell Table

### **Preparing and Casting Spells**

The Templar table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your templar spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of templar spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the templar spell list. When you do so, choose a number of templar spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your templar level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 5th-level templar, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of templar spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

### **Spellcasting Ability**

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your paladin spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a paladin spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

**Spell save DC** = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

**Spell attack modifier** = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

## **Features**

### **Lyrium Surge**

You can, as a bonus action, expend some of your body's lyrium to replenish your spell slots. Doing so increases your Addiction level by the highest number spell slot you have—for example, a level 3 Templar has access to 1st-level spells, and thus would increase their Addiction by 1. A level 10 Templar has access to 3rd-level spells, and thus would increase their Addiction by 3.

You regain one of your highest level spell slots. If all your highest level slots are filled, you regain the next highest spent slot.

### **Divine Smite**

Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend, to a maximum of 6d8.

### **Channel Divinity**

At 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options. When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Channel Divinity again.

***Sacred Weapon.*** As an action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with positive energy, using your Channel Divinity. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls made with that weapon (with a minimum bonus of +1). The weapon also emits bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light 20 feet beyond that. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration.

You can end this effect on your turn as part of any other action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.

***Fade Banishment.*** As an action, you lash out with your lyrium and speak a prayer censuring fiends and undead, using your Channel Divinity. Each spirit, fiend or undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes damage.

A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can't willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can't take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there's nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.

### **Ability Score Improvement**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

### **Extra Attack**

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

### **Aura of Protection**

Starting at 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

### **Aura of Devotion**

Starting at 7th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can't be charmed while you are conscious. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

### **Weathered Soul**

Starting at 9th level, your dependence on lyrium has become an old, familiar friend, and you can take two long rests between moving from each stage of your Lyrium Addiction. This does not effect the costs of using Lyrium Surge. At 14th level, you can go three long rests between suffering an increase in Addiction level. Note: this will make it harder to shake your addiction.

### **Aura of Courage**

Starting at 10th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can't be frightened while you are conscious. At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

### **Improved Divine Smite**

By 11th level, you are so suffused with righteous might that all your melee weapon strikes carry divine power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 radiant damage.

### **Lyrium Conduit**

Beginning at 13th level, you are so accustomed to being suffused with the power of lyrium that the benefits of being Full increase to +2 to AC, Passive Perception, Initiative, and Spell Save DC. At 19th level, this increases to +3 to AC, Passive Perception, Initiative, and Spell Save DC.

### **Mental Fortress**

Beginning at 15th level, you cannot be charmed, frightened, or possessed by a magical effect.

### **Innate Divinity**

Beginning at 17th level, you are able to start every combat encounter with one free use of Channel Divinity. On your first turn of the encounter, you can choose to use one Channel Divinity as a free action. Channel Divinity then recharges at the end of your turn.

### **Flames of Andraste**

At 20th level, as an action, you can emanate an aura of sunlight. For 1 minute, bright light shines from you in a 30-foot radius, and dim light shines 30 feet beyond that. Whenever an enemy creature starts its turn in the bright light, the creature takes 10 radiant damage.

In addition, for the duration, you have advantage on saving throws against spells cast by fiends or undead. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.