Athasian Elemental Clerics - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Athasian Elemental Clerics

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
therion666
Nov 20, 2010 7:31:44 I do like what's been done with Dark Sun overall but the Clerics are an issue for me. The old style of Athasian Elemental priest was an integral part of the setting with each priest type having a philosophy, particular theme bases weapon choices and very individual Spells.
I was thinking about putting these together as per below but exact powers I'm not sure about so suggestions would be appreciated.

The fire priest:
Philosophy: Fire will rejuvinate the world, let it burn and start anew. This meant that the priest would burn people, buildings, vegitation where possible but not a random or insane pyromania, instead a carefully consindered approach.
Weapon: Obsidian weapons but any weapon that is on fire.
Powers: area of flame, preferably that set things alight( Fireball-Wizard power). Utilities that pretect against flame, fire damage( walk through fire, on lava etc).

The air priest:
Philosophy: Life is like the wind and the priest follows the winds example, constantly changing. Likewise the Air priest is flighty, usually struggling to focus on a single task and changing their opinion quickly.
Weapon: All air based, bows, crossbows, thrown weapons.
Powers: Gas(poison), thunder attacks, even lightning with Utilities that allow extra movement, levitation and flight.

The Earth Priest:
Philosophy: The earth Provides, the earth is where life is renewed so death is merely a stage and all must return to the earth to renew it.
Weapon: All earth connected weapons of earth,stone, wood or metal. Metal being the preference.
Powers: Attacks that cause straight damage, daze and stun and leave broken ground. Utilities would be create walls, Immobility.

The water priest:
Philosophy: Desperate striving to refresh the world with water sources, preservers of all from the merciless fire element of the sun.
Weapon: Any that began existence from organic living beings, wood, bone. Leather or bone armour.
Powers: Ice, cold attacks that restrain, caused Immobolity and sliding. Utilities are water for the priest, enough to save the priest but only the priest.

#2
diggles
Nov 24, 2010 22:26:12 Funny you mention this. One of my recent NPC's was a 'reverse defiler', pretty much an earth priest that was able to kill/sacrifice and give back to the land to recover from defiling.

Of course the Vieled Alliance didnt care for him much because he would defile when needed, as he could undo any damage he caused.
#3
privateer2hire
Nov 25, 2010 18:45:35 I'm likely going to be heretical and reskin clerics from Heroes of the Fallen Lands into Elemental Priests. I do like your philosophies approach.
#4
big_goon
Nov 26, 2010 16:47:50
I do like what's been done with Dark Sun overall but the Clerics are an issue for me. The old style of Athasian Elemental priest was an integral part of the setting with each priest type having a philosophy, particular theme bases weapon choices and very individual Spells.
I was thinking about putting these together as per below but exact powers I'm not sure about so suggestions would be appreciated.

The fire priest:
Philosophy: Fire will rejuvinate the world, let it burn and start anew. This meant that the priest would burn people, buildings, vegitation where possible but not a random or insane pyromania, instead a carefully consindered approach.
Weapon: Obsidian weapons but any weapon that is on fire.
Powers: area of flame, preferably that set things alight( Fireball-Wizard power). Utilities that pretect against flame, fire damage( walk through fire, on lava etc).

The air priest:
Philosophy: Life is like the wind and the priest follows the winds example, constantly changing. Likewise the Air priest is flighty, usually struggling to focus on a single task and changing their opinion quickly.
Weapon: All air based, bows, crossbows, thrown weapons.
Powers: Gas(poison), thunder attacks, even lightning with Utilities that allow extra movement, levitation and flight.

The Earth Priest:
Philosophy: The earth Provides, the earth is where life is renewed so death is merely a stage and all must return to the earth to renew it.
Weapon: All earth connected weapons of earth,stone, wood or metal. Metal being the preference.
Powers: Attacks that cause straight damage, daze and stun and leave broken ground. Utilities would be create walls, Immobility.

The water priest:
Philosophy: Desperate striving to refresh the world with water sources, preservers of all from the merciless fire element of the sun.
Weapon: Any that began existence from organic living beings, wood, bone. Leather or bone armour.
Powers: Ice, cold attacks that restrain, caused Immobolity and sliding. Utilities are water for the priest, enough to save the priest but only the priest.

These would make awesome themes. The theme powers could potentially work only with the designated weapon types you describe - powers that trigger when a fire-keyword-power is used, for example.

Making them work with 4e divine classes might be neat...
#5
DocSun
Nov 28, 2010 21:33:39 I have a number of house rules when I started Dark Sun with my players, Basicly what I did was something similar and make them take a wizard/sorcerer and take 90% powers related to the chosen element and any EP skills are automaticly of that element, even the Paragon paths basicly I have it so the player changes the damage type and "fluff" to fit their chosen element, I mean it seems to work so far
#6
Aegeri
Nov 29, 2010 6:30:46
The old style of Athasian Elemental priest was an integral part of the setting

Actually, they were more of a total hack in order to have one of the only classes capable of healing other characters with magic in the game. Elemental Priests were eliminated with 4E as a whole because the Cleric has numerous non-divine replacements. They are now more than adequately represented with the elemental priest theme and divine healers like shamans.
#7
Alphastream
Nov 29, 2010 13:51:19 I didn't see it as a hack. I saw it as really fitting the setting. It was one of the really cool angles the campaign had, in my opinion. Because the game was simpler with fewer casters, recasting all leaders as being either templars or elemental clerics had a strong effect on the setting. When your PC cleric was of Sun/fire, that had a big RP effect and power effect on the way the game played out. Enemy clerics often were of a different element. NPC cleric allies might bring interestingly different powers.

This effect is really hard to reproduce in 4E, since so many leaders do not have any aspect around prayer. Still, I could see a set of themes for leaders really bringing this forth. Maybe a warlord is a champion for a certain element, for example.
#8
Aegeri
Nov 29, 2010 19:38:41
I didn't see it as a hack. I saw it as really fitting the setting.

It did fit the setting, but this made it no less of a hack to have a setting where they removed the divine source of magic - then realized their only viable healer mechanically in the rules was the Cleric. So Elemental Priests were a direct hack into the setting to maintain a healer in Dark Sun. Now that we have numerous options for healing, such a hack wasn't needed and IMO, this is probably much closer to the intention of the setting than the original.
#9
603
Nov 29, 2010 20:35:12
I didn't see it as a hack. I saw it as really fitting the setting.

It did fit the setting, but this made it no less of a hack to have a setting where they removed the divine source of magic - then realized their only viable healer mechanically in the rules was the Cleric. So Elemental Priests were a direct hack into the setting to maintain a healer in Dark Sun. Now that we have numerous options for healing, such a hack wasn't needed and IMO, this is probably much closer to the intention of the setting than the original.

Agreed. Water-path Templars were the best healers in the game anyway.

I like the idea of the shaman (witchdoctor?) as a healer type, to be honest. 2e and 3.x never treated them quite right by making them infringe on Necromancer stuff with the whole "speaker for the dead" thing.
#10
big_goon
Dec 04, 2010 19:00:54 Yeah, I agree with Aegari, it was a hack. It was an angle that was produced from the mechanics - the necessity for parties to have healing, which meant a healer or cleric was necessary. Now that the mecahnics have changed to include healers of other power sources, the hack is less necessary.

NB while it was implemented, there was some really good ideas that were spawned - which is good! The hack ended being... interesting.

I like the concept of 4e Elemental gifts, and 4e anamist shamans, but I'd really like it more if there was an Elemental Power Source with real elemental clerics, who'd walk the edge between the real world and the elemental chaos. They can play with fanatic elemental cults to Rajaat or the elemental Princes (or the Elemental Eye... or demons). Not that I dislike the Primal Power source and the classes involved (which I DO like), but I don't see it as the same thing as an elemental cleric. Elemental Clerics are more... wicked and evil. Druids are more anti-defiler. Elemental is more anti-psionic...? Hmmm...

One thing I really want to say "Good Ridence" to, is the similarity between 2nd edition elemental clerics and 2nd edition templars. They were such different classes and concepts - meshed together under a handwave-y "elemental cleric" banner. Now they are different power sources and they can properly hate each other. Yay!
#11
therion666
Dec 06, 2010 14:32:01
Sorry to the 'hack' favouring posters but whilst I agree they included Elemental Clerics to provide healing it wasn't a hack, it was well thought out and very competantly expanded on with the in the 2E expansion Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The Prism Pentad books demonstrated a Sun priest brilliantly.

The elemental clerics were very heavily influenced by the manner of the element that they bound themselves to thus Fire priests were aggressive and 'fiery' by their nature, Earth priests were solid and stoic, Air were flighty and changable in their nature and Water were prone to being comforting and easy going like a still pond water. Likewise the priests healing and effects were reflected by the element, the fire priests healing was more like taking a blowtorch to the injury, Air priests blew cooling air into the cut, Earth priests spell causing a slight paralysis around the wound and Water were chill cool water.

I think 4E Darksun characters are a much better representation of the classes they are except for the elemental priest. But I do have a reasonable compromise to use the standard DS classes by using the THEME of the Elemental Priest, Shamen(or Similar) and a Genasi as the race to show their strong affinity to the element.

But any more contructive suggestions would be appreciated so thanks to the guys who given some.

#12
603
Dec 07, 2010 18:32:47
Elemental stereotypes are one of the most irritating elements of fantasy ever conceived, good riddance to them.

^ This.
#13
Alphastream
Dec 07, 2010 22:14:24
Elemental stereotypes are one of the most irritating elements of fantasy ever conceived, good riddance to them.

^ This.

Really? When you two read the fiction in Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, you hate it? I really dig it. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. The lack of elemental emphasis is probably the thing I miss the most from the old edition.
#14
FriendlyBiscuit
Dec 09, 2010 17:44:59
Elemental stereotypes are one of the most irritating elements of fantasy ever conceived, good riddance to them.

I guess it has persistence because it's easily understood, even if trite, tired, and involves extremely heavy doses of wishful personification.

I, for one, would be most amused if game designers replaced them with "new" (new to gamers) varieties of arbitrary groupings or ancient pseudoscience. Choleric, Phlegmatic, Sanguine, Melancholic anyone? Rock Paper Scissors? Noble, Mercantile, Commoner! (Noble spells are "frilly", mercantile spells are "noisy", and commoner spells are "dirty".)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 therion666 Nov 20, 2010 7:31:44	I do like what's been done with Dark Sun overall but the Clerics are an issue for me. The old style of Athasian Elemental priest was an integral part of the setting with each priest type having a philosophy, particular theme bases weapon choices and very individual Spells. I was thinking about putting these together as per below but exact powers I'm not sure about so suggestions would be appreciated. The fire priest: Philosophy: Fire will rejuvinate the world, let it burn and start anew. This meant that the priest would burn people, buildings, vegitation where possible but not a random or insane pyromania, instead a carefully consindered approach. Weapon: Obsidian weapons but any weapon that is on fire. Powers: area of flame, preferably that set things alight( Fireball-Wizard power). Utilities that pretect against flame, fire damage( walk through fire, on lava etc). The air priest: Philosophy: Life is like the wind and the priest follows the winds example, constantly changing. Likewise the Air priest is flighty, usually struggling to focus on a single task and changing their opinion quickly. Weapon: All air based, bows, crossbows, thrown weapons. Powers: Gas(poison), thunder attacks, even lightning with Utilities that allow extra movement, levitation and flight. The Earth Priest: Philosophy: The earth Provides, the earth is where life is renewed so death is merely a stage and all must return to the earth to renew it. Weapon: All earth connected weapons of earth,stone, wood or metal. Metal being the preference. Powers: Attacks that cause straight damage, daze and stun and leave broken ground. Utilities would be create walls, Immobility. The water priest: Philosophy: Desperate striving to refresh the world with water sources, preservers of all from the merciless fire element of the sun. Weapon: Any that began existence from organic living beings, wood, bone. Leather or bone armour. Powers: Ice, cold attacks that restrain, caused Immobolity and sliding. Utilities are water for the priest, enough to save the priest but only the priest.
#2 diggles Nov 24, 2010 22:26:12	Funny you mention this. One of my recent NPC's was a 'reverse defiler', pretty much an earth priest that was able to kill/sacrifice and give back to the land to recover from defiling. Of course the Vieled Alliance didnt care for him much because he would defile when needed, as he could undo any damage he caused.
#3 privateer2hire Nov 25, 2010 18:45:35	I'm likely going to be heretical and reskin clerics from Heroes of the Fallen Lands into Elemental Priests. I do like your philosophies approach.
#4 big_goon Nov 26, 2010 16:47:50	I do like what's been done with Dark Sun overall but the Clerics are an issue for me. The old style of Athasian Elemental priest was an integral part of the setting with each priest type having a philosophy, particular theme bases weapon choices and very individual Spells. I was thinking about putting these together as per below but exact powers I'm not sure about so suggestions would be appreciated. The fire priest: Philosophy: Fire will rejuvinate the world, let it burn and start anew. This meant that the priest would burn people, buildings, vegitation where possible but not a random or insane pyromania, instead a carefully consindered approach. Weapon: Obsidian weapons but any weapon that is on fire. Powers: area of flame, preferably that set things alight( Fireball-Wizard power). Utilities that pretect against flame, fire damage( walk through fire, on lava etc). The air priest: Philosophy: Life is like the wind and the priest follows the winds example, constantly changing. Likewise the Air priest is flighty, usually struggling to focus on a single task and changing their opinion quickly. Weapon: All air based, bows, crossbows, thrown weapons. Powers: Gas(poison), thunder attacks, even lightning with Utilities that allow extra movement, levitation and flight. The Earth Priest: Philosophy: The earth Provides, the earth is where life is renewed so death is merely a stage and all must return to the earth to renew it. Weapon: All earth connected weapons of earth,stone, wood or metal. Metal being the preference. Powers: Attacks that cause straight damage, daze and stun and leave broken ground. Utilities would be create walls, Immobility. The water priest: Philosophy: Desperate striving to refresh the world with water sources, preservers of all from the merciless fire element of the sun. Weapon: Any that began existence from organic living beings, wood, bone. Leather or bone armour. Powers: Ice, cold attacks that restrain, caused Immobolity and sliding. Utilities are water for the priest, enough to save the priest but only the priest. These would make awesome themes. The theme powers could potentially work only with the designated weapon types you describe - powers that trigger when a fire-keyword-power is used, for example. Making them work with 4e divine classes might be neat...
#5 DocSun Nov 28, 2010 21:33:39	I have a number of house rules when I started Dark Sun with my players, Basicly what I did was something similar and make them take a wizard/sorcerer and take 90% powers related to the chosen element and any EP skills are automaticly of that element, even the Paragon paths basicly I have it so the player changes the damage type and "fluff" to fit their chosen element, I mean it seems to work so far
#6 Aegeri Nov 29, 2010 6:30:46	The old style of Athasian Elemental priest was an integral part of the setting Actually, they were more of a total hack in order to have one of the only classes capable of healing other characters with magic in the game. Elemental Priests were eliminated with 4E as a whole because the Cleric has numerous non-divine replacements. They are now more than adequately represented with the elemental priest theme and divine healers like shamans.
#7 Alphastream Nov 29, 2010 13:51:19	I didn't see it as a hack. I saw it as really fitting the setting. It was one of the really cool angles the campaign had, in my opinion. Because the game was simpler with fewer casters, recasting all leaders as being either templars or elemental clerics had a strong effect on the setting. When your PC cleric was of Sun/fire, that had a big RP effect and power effect on the way the game played out. Enemy clerics often were of a different element. NPC cleric allies might bring interestingly different powers. This effect is really hard to reproduce in 4E, since so many leaders do not have any aspect around prayer. Still, I could see a set of themes for leaders really bringing this forth. Maybe a warlord is a champion for a certain element, for example.
#8 Aegeri Nov 29, 2010 19:38:41	I didn't see it as a hack. I saw it as really fitting the setting. It did fit the setting, but this made it no less of a hack to have a setting where they removed the divine source of magic - then realized their only viable healer mechanically in the rules was the Cleric. So Elemental Priests were a direct hack into the setting to maintain a healer in Dark Sun. Now that we have numerous options for healing, such a hack wasn't needed and IMO, this is probably much closer to the intention of the setting than the original.
#9 603 Nov 29, 2010 20:35:12	I didn't see it as a hack. I saw it as really fitting the setting. It did fit the setting, but this made it no less of a hack to have a setting where they removed the divine source of magic - then realized their only viable healer mechanically in the rules was the Cleric. So Elemental Priests were a direct hack into the setting to maintain a healer in Dark Sun. Now that we have numerous options for healing, such a hack wasn't needed and IMO, this is probably much closer to the intention of the setting than the original. Agreed. Water-path Templars were the best healers in the game anyway. I like the idea of the shaman (witchdoctor?) as a healer type, to be honest. 2e and 3.x never treated them quite right by making them infringe on Necromancer stuff with the whole "speaker for the dead" thing.
#10 big_goon Dec 04, 2010 19:00:54	Yeah, I agree with Aegari, it was a hack. It was an angle that was produced from the mechanics - the necessity for parties to have healing, which meant a healer or cleric was necessary. Now that the mecahnics have changed to include healers of other power sources, the hack is less necessary. NB while it was implemented, there was some really good ideas that were spawned - which is good! The hack ended being... interesting. I like the concept of 4e Elemental gifts, and 4e anamist shamans, but I'd really like it more if there was an Elemental Power Source with real elemental clerics, who'd walk the edge between the real world and the elemental chaos. They can play with fanatic elemental cults to Rajaat or the elemental Princes (or the Elemental Eye... or demons). Not that I dislike the Primal Power source and the classes involved (which I DO like), but I don't see it as the same thing as an elemental cleric. Elemental Clerics are more... wicked and evil. Druids are more anti-defiler. Elemental is more anti-psionic...? Hmmm... One thing I really want to say "Good Ridence" to, is the similarity between 2nd edition elemental clerics and 2nd edition templars. They were such different classes and concepts - meshed together under a handwave-y "elemental cleric" banner. Now they are different power sources and they can properly hate each other. Yay!
#11 therion666 Dec 06, 2010 14:32:01	Sorry to the 'hack' favouring posters but whilst I agree they included Elemental Clerics to provide healing it wasn't a hack, it was well thought out and very competantly expanded on with the in the 2E expansion Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The Prism Pentad books demonstrated a Sun priest brilliantly. The elemental clerics were very heavily influenced by the manner of the element that they bound themselves to thus Fire priests were aggressive and 'fiery' by their nature, Earth priests were solid and stoic, Air were flighty and changable in their nature and Water were prone to being comforting and easy going like a still pond water. Likewise the priests healing and effects were reflected by the element, the fire priests healing was more like taking a blowtorch to the injury, Air priests blew cooling air into the cut, Earth priests spell causing a slight paralysis around the wound and Water were chill cool water. I think 4E Darksun characters are a much better representation of the classes they are except for the elemental priest. But I do have a reasonable compromise to use the standard DS classes by using the THEME of the Elemental Priest, Shamen(or Similar) and a Genasi as the race to show their strong affinity to the element. But any more contructive suggestions would be appreciated so thanks to the guys who given some.
#12 603 Dec 07, 2010 18:32:47	Elemental stereotypes are one of the most irritating elements of fantasy ever conceived, good riddance to them. ^ This.
#13 Alphastream Dec 07, 2010 22:14:24	Elemental stereotypes are one of the most irritating elements of fantasy ever conceived, good riddance to them. ^ This. Really? When you two read the fiction in Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, you hate it? I really dig it. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. The lack of elemental emphasis is probably the thing I miss the most from the old edition.
#14 FriendlyBiscuit Dec 09, 2010 17:44:59	Elemental stereotypes are one of the most irritating elements of fantasy ever conceived, good riddance to them. I guess it has persistence because it's easily understood, even if trite, tired, and involves extremely heavy doses of wishful personification. I, for one, would be most amused if game designers replaced them with "new" (new to gamers) varieties of arbitrary groupings or ancient pseudoscience. Choleric, Phlegmatic, Sanguine, Melancholic anyone? Rock Paper Scissors? Noble, Mercantile, Commoner! (Noble spells are "frilly", mercantile spells are "noisy", and commoner spells are "dirty".)