Chapter 1 - Class - Character Kits
Priest Kits
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:
You can customize your priest by taking a priest kit for him. A kit is a
collection of skills, proficiencies, restrictions, benefits and hindrances which give the
priest more background and personality, further define his role in the campaign and in the
campaign's cultures, and give him advantages and disadvantages to make him more
colorful.
A kit is more of a cultural description than anything else. Therefore, most kits are
allowed to priests of most faiths. There are exceptions, of course; for example, a priest of
the god of Peace may not take the Fighting-Monk kit. Wherever such an exception
occurs, it will be mentioned in the text.
- No priest character has to take any priest-kit. It's not necessary, it's not required: It's just a way of adding detail to the character.
- A priest character may only take one priest-kit. He should take it when he is first created. In campaigns which began before you got The Complete Priest Handbook, the DM should allow characters to take priest-kits, but only ones which are appropriate to the characters' actions and deeds so far. (For example, if a character has been a perfectly ordinary priest until now, he should not take the Outlaw Priest kit; it's not appropriate.)
- Once a character has taken a Priest Kit, he cannot change it to another Priest Kit. Hecan, however, eventually abandon it
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 ofsociety, 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.
Amazon Priestess
Barbarian-Berserker Priest
Fighting Monk
Nobleman Priest
Outlaw Priest
Pacifist Priest
Peasant Priest
Prophet Priest
Savage Priest
Scholar Priest
