New Proficiencies

   All paladins are eligible to acquire these proficiencies, regardless of their character kits, providing they spend the points listed on Table 23. Characters belonging to the Crossover Groups listed at the end of each description may buy the proficiency at the indicated cost. Groups not listed may buy the proficiency by spending one additional point beyond the listed cost. All of these are nonweapon proficiencies except Jousting.

Bureaucracy

   This proficiency encompasses a working knowledge of governmental protocol and the skills necessary to navigate bureaucratic organizations. A character with this proficiency knows which official to approach and the best time to approach him (a tax collector's aide may have better access to information than the tax collector himself; a city clerk may be less harried and more helpful at the beginning of the month than at the end). He knows where government records are kept and the procedures for examining them. He knows how to circumvent sluggish or uncooperative bureaucrats. He obtains permits and other government documentation in half the normal time. No proficiency checks are needed for any of these functions.

   A character can also use Bureaucracy to turn the system against someone else. A successful proficiency check doubles the amount of time to make a government decision, causes a permit to be issued under the wrong name, or temporary misplaces an important document. A paladin must be careful with this ability, to avoid breaking the law and violating his ethos.

   The Bureaucracy proficiency covers the governmental organizations in a particular region, usually the character's homeland. He may spend additional slots to expand the proficiency to other regions. Official organizations include government councils, regulatory boards, and church hierarchies. The proficiency is only effective when dealing with organizations of 10 or more members.

   Crossover Groups: Priest, Rogue.

  

Diagnostics

   Both the Healing and Diagnostics proficiencies aid victims of trauma and disease. But while the Healing proficiency can be used to restore lost hit points, Diagnostics is mainly concerned with determining the cause of the damage and the prognosis; Diagnostics alone will not heal damage.

   With a successful proficiency check, a character becomes aware all of the following information applicable to a particular patient:

• If the patient has suffered physical damage, the character can determine the extent of the damage, though he may not be able to ascertain the exact cause (if a victim was attacked by a tiger, the character will know that the victim was clawed by a large animal, but not necessarily the species). The character can recommend treatments and offer prognoses, as with victims of diseases.

• If the patient has been poisoned, the character knows the antidote (if one exists) and how to prepare it. Note that even if the character knows how to prepare an antidote, he may not have access to the necessary ingredients.

• The character knows the name of the disease, its cause, how long the patient has had it, and the optimum treatment. If the patient is treated as specified, he suffers the mildest form of the disease and its shortest duration. If the patient declines treatment, or the treatment doesn't work, the character can determine the patient's prognosis with reasonable accuracy. ("The patient will recover by the end of the month." "The patient will become permanently blind if not treated within a year.") The character may diagnose both natural and magical diseases.

• When examining a corpse, the character can determine how the victim died and approximately how long it's been dead. If the victim died of unnatural causes, the character will only be able to determine the general circumstances of the death. For example, if an evil wizard incinerated the victim with a fireball, a successful diagnostics check might reveal that the victim burned to death very rapidly as a result of some type of magic, but not that it was affected by a fireball.

   A character with this proficiency may diagnose himself or any other character, or animals, except for supernatural creatures (such as a ghost or skeleton) and creatures from another plane of existence (like a xorn or aerial servant). He may attempt to diagnose an individual or creature only once.

   If a character also has the Healing proficiency, he may modify all Diagnostic checks by +1.

   Crossover Groups: Priest.

Jousting

   This proficiency includes the combat skills necessary for a successful joust, as well as the manners, behavior, and flair needed to impress an audience. To take this proficiency, a character must first have a weapon specialization in the jousting lance.

   A character with this proficiency modifies his attack rolls in a jousting match by +2 (see the "Routine Activities'' section of Chapter 7 for jousting rules). The use of this proficiency presumes that the character has an adequate lance, shield, and mount.

   Should a character win a match, his stylish performance favorbly impresses the audience. Audience members with a special interest in the match (such as royalty, gamblers, or potential paramours) who later encounter the jouster modify their reaction rolls by +2. If he wins several matches in a tournament, the bonus doesn't rise above +2. If he later loses a match or two in the same tournament, he still earns the bonus. However, if the jouster has an especially disastrous day—say, if he follows a winning joust with a long string of losses—the audience may dismiss the win as a fluke, and the DM may cancel the bonus.

   Crossover Groups: Warrior.

Law

   A character with this proficiency is thoroughly familiar with the legal system of his homeland (or any other region of his choice). He knows which laws are rigorously enforced (illegal gambling may be tolerated in one region, aggressively prosecuted in another), and routine legal procedures (such as how to file suit against a debtor). Understanding nuances of the law, such as interpreting fine points of a contract, require proficiency checks.

   A successful proficiency check also allows the character to conduct a strong defense when he or a companion stands accused of a crime. If the judge is fair-minded and the evidence of the crime is ambiguous, a successful check will sway the verdict in the defendant's favor; either he receives the smallest possible sentence or fine, or is completely vindicated. However, if the evidence clearly calls for a conviction or the judge is corrupt, a successful proficiency check won't help.

   A character may spend additional slots to know the legal systems of other regions. Alternately, he may spend slots to acquire expertise in a particular area of the law, such as tax codes or property rights. Expertise assumes a broad understanding of the chosen area, requiring checks only in extreme instances.

   Crossover Groups: Warrior, Priest.

Law and Paladins

   A paladin with the Law proficiency won't defend anyone he believes to be guilty, including his own companions. Though a paladin won't knowingly break the law, he may take advantage of this proficiency to defend himself if wrongly accused of a crime; a failed defense may result in his conviction.

Oratory

   Through inspiring speech and sheer force of personality, a character with this proficiency can influence the opinion of a crowd. Any size crowd may be influenced, so long as they speak the same language as the orator, and can see and hear him clearly.

   To use this proficiency, the orator must address the crowd on one specific topic. For instance, he may attempt to persuade them to rise up against a local despot, leave town because of an impending danger (a monster on the outskirts of town, an advancing evil army), or help search for a missing child.

   Before the orator speaks, the DM must determine the size of the crowd, their level, and their general attitude toward the orator and the topic he's addressing. For small crowds—say, less than five members—determine levels and attitudes individually. Break larger crowds into groups; decide an average level and attitude for each group. Use
Table 59 in Chapter 11 of the DMG to access attitudes about the topic; the crowd may be Friendly, Indifferent, Cautious, Threatened, or Hostile.

   Before any rolls are made, or the orator begins speaking, the player tells the DM if the orator will be attempting to adjust the crowd's opinion one level up or down on Table 59. The orator then speaks to the crowd; he must speak uninterrupted for at least 10 rounds.

   When the orator finishes speaking, roll the Oratory proficiency check. If the check succeeds, make an Intelligence check for each individual in a small crowd, or for each small group in a large crowd. Modify these rolls by a –1 penalty for each 1 by which the orator made the Oratory check. For instance, if the Orator needed a 10 to succeed and rolled a 5, each Intelligence check takes a –5 penalty.

   Individuals or small groups who fail their throws have their opinions about the topic adjusted one level on
Table 59 in the DMG. An Indifferent opinion may become Friendly or Cautious, a Cautious opinion may become Indifferent or Threatening. However, all audience members who fail their rolls have their opinions adjusted the same way. The opinions of those who succeed in their rolls remain unchanged by the character's Oratory; however, practically speaking, peer pressure can produce the same results. The DM may override any die roll that produces inappropriate results; for example, an NPC in the crowd who has a long-standing feud with the orator may be unswayed, regardless of the orator's eloquence.

   A character may use this proficiency only once on a given crowd. Should the composition of the crowd change to include many new members, the character may make another oratory attempt, providing he speaks on a different topic.

   Note that this proficiency elicits only modest changes in attitude. If a crowd feels Indifferent towards a despot, an orator may be able to stir up some ambiguous feelings about him, but he won't be able to convince them to immediately storm the despot's castle. If the crowd is suspicious of a particular religion, the orator may persuade them to be more tolerant, but he shouldn't expect any spontaneous conversions.

   Crossover Groups: Warrior, Priest.

Poetry

   A character taking this proficiency specializes in either lyric or narrative poetry. Lyric poetry expresses thoughts and feelings, and includes ballads, sonnets, odes, and hymns. Narrative poetry tells stories in verse, some true, some fictional. A character spending two slots may specialize in both forms.

   The proficiency enables the character to judge the quality of poetry in his specialty. He also knows a sizeable repertoire of poems and can recite them with spellbinding skill. No proficiency checks are required for these applications.

   The character can also compose poems in his speciality; a successful check means the poem is of exceptional quality. If the character has the Reading/Writing proficiency, he can record his poems.

   Crossover Groups: General.

Poetry for Paladins

   With permission from the DM, a paladin with the Poetry proficiency may offer a composition to his church (or other designated recipient) instead of a tithe. The paladin must inform the church a month in advance if he intends to offer a composition; either lyric or narrative poetry is acceptable. If the church (that is, the DM) disapproves, the paladin must pay his normal tithe. If the church approves, the paladin may present a composition when his tithe is normally due.

   The composition must be presented at the church or to a church official at a pre-arranged location. The paladin then makes a Poetry proficiency check. If the check fails, the composition is deemed unworthy; the normal tithe must be paid immediately. If the check succeeds, the DM determines the value of the composition; the value is equal to 3d20 gp. If the value is greater than or equal to the normal tithe, no tithe is required that month. The paladin doesn't receive any "change'' if the value is more than his tithe; the excess value is forfeited.

   If the value is less than the tithe, the paladin subtracts the value from the tithe, then pays the difference (if the paladin owes 20 gp and the value of the composition is 15 gp, he must pay

5 gp). A paladin may exercise this option as often as he likes.

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