New Base Class - Favored Soul

[EO]

In preparation for the next hak update, which will include new clothing options and placeables, and various fixes, here's information on another new base class, the Favored Soul (taken from Complete Divine/Miniatures Handbook). Some elements are still subject to change so this shouldn't be considered a final version but it should give you an idea of what it will be like on POTM:

Favored souls follow the path of the cleric but are able to channel divine power with surprising ease. They are able to perform the same tasks as their fellow divine spellcasters but with virtually no study; to them, it comes naturally. Scholars wonder if favored souls have traces of outsider blood from unions, holy or unholy, centuries ago and generations removed. Others suggest that divine training of the proper type awakens the ability, or that favored souls are simply imbued with their gifts by their gods when they begin the cleric's path.

Favored souls cast divine spells by means of an innate connection rather than through laborious training and prayer, so their divine connection is natural rather than learned. They know fewer spells and acquire powerful spells more slowly than clerics, but they can cast spells more often, and they have no need to select and prepare them ahead of time.

WARNING: To cast a spell, a favored soul must have an Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level. For example, to cast a 9th-level spell, a favored soul must have a Charisma of 19.

- Base Attack Bonus: +3 / 4 Levels.
- Hit Die: d8.
- Primary Saving Throws: Fortitude, Reflex, Will.
- Proficiencies: All simple weapons, light and medium armor, and shields.
- Skill Points (*4 at 1st level): 2 + Int Modifier.
- Spellcasting: Cleric spells. Divine (Charisma-based, no spell preparation, spell failure from armor is ignored)
- Ex-Favored Souls: A favored soul that grossly violates the code of conduct of their faith or whose alignment is not within one step of their patron deity's loses all favored soul spells and abilities until they have atoned.

Class Skills: Concentration, Heal, Influence, Lore, Parry, and Spellcraft.
Unavailable Skills: Animal Empathy and Use Magic Device.

ABILITIES:

Level
2: Favored Weapon - Gain weapon proficiency for the deity's favored weapon.
3: Deity's Weapon Focus - Weapon Focus in deity's favored weapon.
5: Energy Resistance - Gain 10 damage resistance vs 1 type of energy.
10: Energy Resistance - Gain 10 damage resistance vs 2 types of energy.
12: Deity's Weapon Specialization - Weapon Specialization in deity's favored weapon.
15: Energy Resistance - Gain 10 damage resistance vs 3 types of energy.
17: Stalwart Soul: Gain immunity to fear.
20: Damage Reduction - Gain 10/+3 damage reduction.

FAVORED WEAPON:
At level 2, the Favored Soul must pick a favored weapon corresponding to their deity's. The character will receive the weapon proficiency, weapon focus, and weapon specialization feats for that weapon. This feat can be taken at level 3 if the character's origin has not been decided yet.

Associated Feats

Favored Weapon

Spoiler: show

Type of Feat: Class.
Prerequisite: Favored Soul level 2.
Specifics: The favored weapon of the favored soul's deity becomes the focus of his bonus weapon proficiency, weapon focus and weapon specialization feats.
Use: Automatic.

Energy Resistance

Spoiler: show

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Favored Soul level 5
Specifics: The character gains resistance 10 against the chosen type of energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, sonic). (The first 10 points of damage of this type of energy are ignored.)
Use: Automatic. The favored soul chooses additional energy types to resist at level 10, and level 15.

Stalwart Soul

Spoiler: show

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Favored Soul level 17.
Specifics: The favored soul is immune to fear.
Use: Automatic.

Damage Reduction

Spoiler: show

Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisite: Favored Soul level 20.
Specifics: The favored soul gains damage reduction 10/+3.
Use: Automatic.

[Pav]

Looks great! Favored Soul is one of my favorite base classes from base D&D and I was waiting for this for years. Thank you for taking the work and consideration to add this, especially considering the difficulty with feats corresponding with a deity's favored weapon. That's a tricky one.

My one question is, do they have Turn Undead and the corresponding feats? If not, do they have access to using Turn Undead feats if they multiclass with Blackguard/Cleric/Monster Hunter?

If they do, I would suggest disabling Divine Might and Shield on them completely, with something that bars the character from using those abilities in particular, no matter if the source is from another class. Other than that, I can't wait to play it 

[SardineTheAncestor]

Lol! The Cleric mass extinction event is upon us!

edit: Meant to type Lo! but the meteors falling and other rapture stuff going on demanded my extended haste.

[Lexica]

They seem very cool!

Overall, they look like they're where they probably should be. I'm curious if favored weapon proficiency gives proficiency with just the weapon in particular or with the whole category of weapons. The fear immunity at level 17 is also probably a bit redundant that late in the game, but it's fine as a ribbon, and that doesn't seem like a big deal.

[EO]

They seem very cool!

Overall, they look like they're where they probably should be. I'm curious if favored weapon proficiency gives proficiency with just the weapon in particular or with the whole category of weapons. The fear immunity at level 17 is also probably a bit redundant that late in the game, but it's fine as a ribbon, and that doesn't seem like a big deal.

It gives weapon proficiency in the weapon's category. Due to NwN limitations, there's no good way to give weapon proficiency in each individual weapon.

My one question is, do they have Turn Undead and the corresponding feats? If not, do they have access to using Turn Undead feats if they multiclass with Blackguard/Cleric/Monster Hunter?

If they do, I would suggest disabling Divine Might and Shield on them completely, with something that bars the character from using those abilities in particular, no matter if the source is from another class. Other than that, I can't wait to play it.

They don't get Turn Undead but they could get it by multiclassing. I understand the powerbuilding concerns, but we don't normally restrict an ability because of another class; it becomes too messy doing so. They'll still lose out on level 9 spells by multiclassing so it comes at a certain cost.

[Pav]

My one question is, do they have Turn Undead and the corresponding feats? If not, do they have access to using Turn Undead feats if they multiclass with Blackguard/Cleric/Monster Hunter?

If they do, I would suggest disabling Divine Might and Shield on them completely, with something that bars the character from using those abilities in particular, no matter if the source is from another class. Other than that, I can't wait to play it.

They don't get Turn Undead but they could get it by multiclassing. I understand the powerbuilding concerns, but we don't normally restrict an ability because of another class; it becomes too messy doing so. They'll still lose out on level 9 spells by multiclassing so it comes at a certain cost.

My follow-up question to that is, do they have sorcerous spell progression in PotM's rendition, as in they get 2nd level spells at 4, 3rd level spells at 6, etc?

Multiclassing for Divine Might and Shield would lower their available spells to 7th Circle by this logic, but my concern remains. If that's not something desirable, that's fine, but I can still see giving up on those spell levels for the ability to get 4 APR, charisma to saves and divine might and shield becoming a vastly preferable option.

[EO]

My follow-up question to that is, do they have sorcerous spell progression in PotM's rendition, as in they get 2nd level spells at 4, 3rd level spells at 6, etc?

Ah yeah correct, it’s indeed sorcerer progression so losing 8 and 9. The combination you have in mind is probably on par or better but gated behind an application so I doubt we’ll see tons of those.

[zDark Shadowz]

Does favoured soul count for Hallowed Witch?
A natural divine connection seems fairly apt for this.

A much more dynamic starting point for ones journey to find and/or establish their own coven outside of being locked into an existing church or druidic circle.

[Stormy]

Does favoured soul count for Hallowed Witch?
A natural divine connection seems fairly apt for this.

It works but you don't learn new spells

[NacreCicatrix]

Would Favored Souls follow the one-step rule for alignments?

[MAB77]

Would Favored Souls follow the one-step rule for alignments?

Yes.

[Devil's Moon]

Would Favored Souls follow the one-step rule for alignments?

- Ex-Favored Souls: A favored soul that grossly violates the code of conduct of their faith or whose alignment is not within one step of their patron deity's loses all favored soul spells and abilities until they have atoned.

[NacreCicatrix]

Me no read good.

Does a favored soul have domains?
Could a favored soul become an anchorite?

[APorg]

Does a favored soul have domains?
Could a favored soul become an anchorite?

No; the latter is more an IC question but assuming the lore stays the same: not unless they multiclass Cleric with the Mists domain.

[MAB77]

Favored souls do not have access to clerical domains and cannot invoke the Shield of Ezra.

A favored soul can still claim Ezra as their patron deity. In the eyes of the Church of Ezra, they fall in the same category as paladins and should expect to be met with more scrutiny.

[herkles]

Can you be a favored soul of the Divinity of Mankind or Ancestral Choir? This feels IMO much better for the DoM then Clerics.

[Sinthepie]

God this is so exciting, does Favored Soul get the same spell-list as base clerics?

[mstrlzard]

Can you be a favored soul of the Divinity of Mankind or Ancestral Choir? This feels IMO much better for the DoM then Clerics.

Good question- I'd love to go Ancestral Choir FS

[blur927]

Are there learned spells / spells per day going to be the same as in Complete Divine?

[MAB77]

Are there learned spells / spells per day going to be the same as in Complete Divine?

Barring unforeseen technical issues, it should be.

[William Roberts]

Are there learned spells / spells per day going to be the same as in Complete Divine?

Barring unforeseen technical issues, it should be.

My follow-up question to that is, do they have sorcerous spell progression in PotM's rendition, as in they get 2nd level spells at 4, 3rd level spells at 6, etc?

Ah yeah correct, it’s indeed sorcerer progression so losing 8 and 9. The combination you have in mind is probably on par or better but gated behind an application so I doubt we’ll see tons of those.

Favoured Soul has a much better known-spell progression in The Complete Divine than does Sorcerer on POTM. If this advantage is retained---presumably because Favoured Souls are divine casters like clerics, rather than charisma-based spontaneous casters like Sorcerers--it would seem Favoured Souls should also lose one spell slot per level, as clerics do.

Otherwise, the spell-casting superiority of Favoured Souls will give little reason to play a cleric (other than Turn Undead). The class's saves are better...then there's full-time Energy Resistance, free weapon feats, mega snowflake appeal, and Damage Reduction at 20th. Top that off with being able to choose spontaneously among six Storms of Vengeance, Undeath's Eternal Foe, or Implosion versus only four for a cleric--who will also have had to decide ahead of time which to prepare.

A 20th level Favoured Soul will be capable of casting a total of 54 spontaneous divine spells, a POTM cleric, 41 prepared divine spells. Under standard NWN rules, that would be 50, meaning a disparity of four will increase to 13.

[Disorder]

Will their elemental damage resistances stack with the items?

[EO]

Can you be a favored soul of the Divinity of Mankind or Ancestral Choir? This feels IMO much better for the DoM then Clerics.

Since neither are deities, the answer would be no. Favored Souls must worship a deity, not a philosophy or ideal, unlike clerics.

Will their elemental damage resistances stack with the items?

It likely will, like the feat Resist Energy. It's a new function that'll need testing so can't confirm 100%.

[APorg]

It sounds like a lot of the checks and balances on Favored Souls will be IC, not having Domains means they'll probably not be trusted by most of the mainstream Churches, and literally can't become Ezrite anchorites without multiclassing Cleric. After all, Domain powers are how Clerics demonstrate that they aren't heretics or imposters. Without domains, Favored Souls can't do this.

So the dynamic may evolve IC into "young fresh favored souls competing against the staid traditional cleric hierarchy". I think that's a fairly good dynamic; after all, not all the assets and weaknesses of a class are on the character sheet, it's often about the context.

[herkles]

Can you be a favored soul of the Divinity of Mankind or Ancestral Choir? This feels IMO much better for the DoM then Clerics.

Since neither are deities, the answer would be no. Favored Souls must worship a deity, not a philosophy or ideal, unlike clerics.

A shame as I felt like Favored Soul fit the Divinity of Mankind much more than a cleric, considering the whole thing about the divinity of mankind is that humans have the spark of the divine within them.