Egyptian Kits, Part Two: Priests and Rogues

Following the popularity of the other kits posted here on the same subject last week, I present the Priests and Rogues.

Priest Kits

Urban Priests

In addition to any other weapon proficiencies, urban priests receive a free proficiency in the scourge. All urban priests also receive the proficiency religion (cult) for free and reading/writing (Desert Khemri) for free.

Occulted Cleric of Aha’seb

The occulted clerics of Aha’seb are the servants of the god of magic and supply the secret rituals that keep the Breath of Gold flowing throughout the world. Aha’seb is pictured as a serpent-headed god with a cobra’s hood, breathing the flow of magic into the air; for this reason his priests all wear cobra-headed masks or long silvery hoods to represent the hood of a cobra.

Requirements: Intelligence 11

Role: The clerics of Aha’seb are secretive and clandestine. They support those princes and nobles who give money to the temple. This causes many to see them as a mercenary order but nothing could be farther from the truth. The clerics of Aha’seb follow the divine designs of their god, taking orders directly from the temple at Nebet.

Weapon Proficiencies: Clerics of Aha’seb may be trained in the mace, the sling, or the staff.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Bonus Profs: ancient history (Khewed), ancient languages (Archaic Khemri), spellcraft

Equipment: As per a normal cleric

Special Benefits: Clerics of Aha’seb may use magical items normally reserved for wizards. They may also perform the Ritual of Ablution for Hekau in order to ritually cleanse them. In addition, they are masters at dispelling magic and receive a +5 bonus to dispel any wizard spells when casting it. Finally, they are trained at seeing the unseen and can detect magic at will and detect invisibility once per day.

Special Hinderances: None

Spheres Allowed:  Major; Astral, Creation, Divination, Protection, Necromantic Minor; Summoning, Wards

Mortuary Priest of Akhemet

The most high cult of Akhemet is the most powerful organization in Khewed. Mortuary Priests are extremely political potent and even the lowliest carries great respect in Khewedi society. The mortuary cult has displaced the ancient power of the Nesut-Bi’it and essentially rules Khewed through the influence it exerts on the local rulers.

Requirements: Wisdom 15

Role: The mortuary priesthood rules the Khemren people and controls Khewet from the city of Per-Medjed. It also governs the rituals of death and supports the massive industry of crypts and burial chambers on the far side of the Khetemesh and Wadi rivers. Mortuary priests may service one of the cults many temples, or they may be wandering mendicants bound to perform ritual duties in any city they come to pass. Either way, they are afforded a great deal of deference.

Akhemet, with his jackal-head, often decorates their predominantly black clothing.

Weapon Proficiencies: The Mortuary Priests may be proficient in the mace, the khopesh, and the flail.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Bonus Profs: etiquette, heraldry

Special Benefits: When turning undead, mortuary priests may choose to either destroy them (instead of turning) or control them at their will. In addition, the undead suffer a -2 penalty to strike mortuary priests and will be very averse to doing so.

Special Hinderances: None

Spheres Allowed: Major; Combat, Guardian, Necromantic (reversed and normal), Healing Minor; Sun, Weather, Protection

Rogue Kits

Boatman

The boat-people are those who make their living fishing or otherwise operating watercraft on one of Khewed’s three life-giving rivers or along her rocky coasts. They are considered to be a lesser class of folk by most Khewedi, though the clerics insist they are close to the waters of the beginning of the world.

Requirements: Membership of a boatman family.

Role: The boatmen make all transport and fishing possible in Khewed. These are not the powerful merchants that operate ships sailing to Ninfa or Ishtria but the little craft that ply the rivers and waters. Most internal trade in Khewed is up or down one of the three great rivers, and thus boatmen are positioned to be at the heart of trade there. They are thought of as a lot of thieves and pirates by many nobles, but have proved important in the schemes of Khewedi politics time and time again.

Weapon Proficiencies: Boatmen may be proficient with any weapon, unlike most rogues.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Bonus Profs: swimming, seamanship

Equipment: As per a rogue

Special Benefits: The boatmen are a tight-knit group and each family wears distinguishing facial tattoos to mark them out amongst their mates. Other boatmen will generally come to the defense of one of their own, regardless of his family ties.

Special Hinderances: Boatmen are generally frowned upon in polite society and receive a -1 reaction penalty when in the company of urban NPCs.

Merchant

Poisoner

Poisoners are adept at crafting and administering the poisons brewed in Khewed. They are a key component of politics in the three lands. They often wear a public face of propriety, masquerading as wealthy merchants, minor nobles, or clerics.

Requirements: Dex 14, Charisma 16

Role: Poisoners are elite assassins who carry out their work quickly and with a minimum of fuss. They are necessary to the operation of society and every noble house or temple assumes that there are Poisoners who have secreted themselves amongst their ranks. For this reason, many take precautions against them.

In public life, many poisoners use a disguise to make them appear to be a different build, hair color, or other such affectations. This allows them to disappear into their assumed life.

Weapon Proficiencies: Poisoners prefer silence, stealth, and speed. For this reason they may only be proficient in daggers, slings, and saps or blackjacks.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Bonus Profs: heraldry, disguise

Equipment: Poisoners begin play with the starting money of a thief as well as a small supply of Type F poison - enough to administer to one person or to coat a blade for one hour.

Special Benefits: Poisoners may brew potions as assassins. Their find/remove traps skill, their open locks skill, and their pick pockets skill all begin at 0%. However, their Move Silently and Hide in Shadows skills begin at 30% and 20% respectively. For all this, their most potent power is that of having an assumed identity. Shem the Water Merchant may also be Shem the Poisoner, a horrifying prospect. Poisoners must spend profligate amounts of money to create and establish an assumed identity of any potency; they generally begin play with a low class assumed identity which they will most likely shed over the course of a campaign. Acquiring a higher class assumed identity is possible (and desirable).

They may emulate (but not actually perform) many class abilities with this power as long as it is a non-magical ability and reinforces their false identity. This includes emulating commonly used skills that they may reasonably be assumed to have. However, each emulation of a class ability or non-possessed skill must be checked against Cha -4; if the check fails, the limits of their knowledge become apparent.

Special Hinderances: Once a poisoner is exposed in any given city, their ability to assume a new identity there is destroyed, as is whatever previous identity they may have had.

Reciter

Reciters are entertainers, heralds, and holy speakers. They are private citizens who make their wages by hiring themselves out to entertain nobles, recite religious poetry, or stir crowds into a fervor. The bard class is most suited to be a reciter.

Requirements: bard

Role: Reciters are the personal relations experts of Khewed. They may serve as major-domos in a household, simple traveling performers, religious adjuncts to a cult, or simple rabble-rousers. Most reciters, however, have a patron organization or noble house which utilizes their skills.

Weapon Proficiencies: Reciters may be proficient in slings, clubs, short bows, daggers, and the khopesh.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Bonus profs: reading/writing (Desert Khemri), heraldry

Equipment: As a rogue.

Special Benefits: Reciters gain the benefits of the Hekau’s purity chart in terms of casting spells. Additionally, they may perform purification ceremonies in any cult to which they are affiliated (instead of just Aha’seb) to raise their purity. All other benefits due bards apply. They may use scrolls of both priest and wizard spells without more than the normal chance of failure for a priest or wizard of equivalent levels.

Special Hinderances: None.

Sesh

The sesh are Khewed’s scribal class. They are seneschals, recorders, and stewards. Some sesh may even know a bit of magic like a hekau (these would be bards that take the class) while others are focused on more material magics such as architecture and engineering. The sesh is a master of moving money and materials, both on papyrus and in reality.

Requirements: none

Role: Every noble house employs a bevy of sesh, and they are seen as an upper middle-class role. Sesh are also employed by temples, which in many ways act like noble houses. Sesh may also be engineers or doctors (wabau) or engineers and they, outside of the priestly caste, alone share the privilege of literacy with the princes.

Weapon Proficiencies: Sesh never begin the game proficient in more than a simple dagger (with which they sharpen stylus’) and a club or staff.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Bonus profs: reading/writing (Desert Khemri), heraldry, and one of the following: engineering, healing, herblore, local history (region), ancient history (region), ancient language (Ancient Khemri)

Equipment: The sesh begins with a supply of papyrus, ink, and styluses as well as wax tablets for drafting. Two jars of ink, 20 sheets of papyrus, 2 styluses, and two wax tablets. Otherwise they buy equipment as a rogue.

Special Benefits: Bards who are also sesh use the hekau table of purity.

Special Hinderances: None.

Urchin

Urchins are those rogues that infest the great cities of Khewed. They often live on the street or in hovels. They work the black markets, serve merchants, and steal for a living.

Requirements: None

Role: 

Weapon Proficiencies: sling, dagger, sap/blackjack, club, short sword, single weapon style

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Bonus Profs: local history and one of the following: blind-fighting, forgery, gaming, gem cutting, begging, jumping, read lips

Equipment: 

Special Benefits:

Special Hinderances: Urchins have the reek of the streets about them and suffer a -2 reaction penalty with lower classes such as husbandmen, a -3 penalty with middle classes such as merchants and sesh, and a -4 penalty with upper classes such as nobles or priests. Slaves count as the class of their patron.