The Priest Kits

Each priest kit consists of the following elements:

Description: This paragraph talks about what this type of priest is to the culture. It also lists any requirements necessary for the character to take the kit; for instance, to be a Savage Priest, the character must have been born among or adopted by a savage tribe.

Barred: This paragraph details which priest classes (plus cleric and druid) may not take this priest kit.

Role: This kit describes the role of this priest in his society and campaign. For example, an Outlaw Priest of the God of Love would have a very different campaign role than the Amazon Priestess of the same god.

Secondary Skills: If you're using the Secondary Skills rules from the AD&DŽ 2nd Edition game rule books, then your kit may require your priest to take a specific skill instead of choosing or random-rolling his Secondary Skill. However, even more so than in The Complete Fighter's Handbook, we're recommending that you use the Weapon and Nonweapon Proficiency rules instead of the Secondary Skill rules.

Weapon Proficiencies: The priest-kit could require the priest to take a specific weapon proficiency. This is one of the factors that makes it impossible for some priest classes to take some priest kits; obviously, no priest class which cannot use a weapon required by a kit could take that kit.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: A given priest kit may require the priest to have a specific nonweapon proficiencies; however, unlike the situation above with Weapon Proficiencies, these are bonuses. If a kit requires that the character know Riding (Horse), then the character gets that proficiency free, above and beyond the slots he is normally granted. Some proficiencies might be granted from other than the Priest or General groups, but this doesn't matter; if a proficiency is given free, then it is free.

If the Priest Kit grants a proficiency that the priest has already had granted to him because of his specific priesthood, the character, instead of receiving that proficiency again, receives one extra free nonweapon proficiency slot which he may spend as he pleases.

Some proficiencies will merely be recommended, not required. When this is the case, the proficiency is not given to the character, and the character doesn't have to take it if he doesn't want to. If the character decides to take this nonweapon proficiency, he uses up the appropriate number of his available nonweapon proficiency slots.

Equipment: Some priest kits limit the way their priests acquire or use certain types of equipment; when there is such a limitation, this paragraph will deal with it.

Special Benefits: Most priest kits include special benefits that the priest-character receives. Often, they're defined as special reaction bonuses among certain classes of society, special rights in certain cultures, etc.

Special Hindrances: Likewise, each priest kit carries certain disadvantages which hinder the priest. Outlaw priests are sought by their own orders and perhaps the authorities, for example.

Wealth Options: Some priest kits have special rules regarding their wealth. Generally, these rules don't affect the amount of gold he'll have when he is created (with all clerics and priests, this amounts to 3d6x10gp). However, different priest-kits have variations on the way the money is to be spent. Some insist that it all be spent at the beginning, and the remainder of starting gold returned to the priest's superiors. Others let the priest "keep the change;" still others have limits on the amount that can be spent initially.

Races: If a particular priest-kit discriminates among the demihuman races (for example, if an elf can't take a specific kit), that will be noted here.

DM Choices

Before allowing his players to choose kits for their priests, the DM should look over the priest-kits and make some decisions.

For each Priest Kit, the DM has to choose:

(1) If he will even allow this Kit in his campaign. (It could be that the kit is inappropriate. If there are no Amazons in his world, he shouldn't allow the Amazon priest-kit.)

(2) What additional information he needs to give the players about each Kit. (DMs will probably want to elaborate on the priest-kits to fit them better into his campaign.)

(3) What changes he might wish to make to each Kit. (If, for example, our conception of the Barbarian doesn't match the DM's, he might wish to change the benefits, hindrances, or other factors to match his conception.)

An Important Note

Several Priest Kits get reaction bonuses and penalties as part of their Special Benefits and Special Hindrances.

In the AD&DŽgame, when a character has a very high or low charisma, he gets what is called a "reaction adjustment." (See the Player's Handbook,
page 18.) When the character has a high charisma and receives a bonus, it's expressed as a plus: For example, +2. When he has a low charisma and receives a penalty, it's expressed as a minus: For instance, -3.

But here's a special warning: When you roll the 2d10 for Encounter Reactions (see the Dungeon Master's Guide,
page 103, don't add the bonus (+) or subtract the penalty (-) from the die roll. Do it the other way around: Subtract the bonus (+) and add the penalty (-). If the character has a Charisma of 16, and thus gets a +5 reaction adjustment, you subtract that number from the 2d10 die roll. Otherwise the more charismatic or appealing a PC is, the more vigorously all the NPCs and monsters would dislike him!

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