Apostle of Tirek (3.5e Prestige Class)

Apostle of Tirek

“	Do not underestimate Lord Tirek nor his chosen.	”
—Needles, Half-Dragon Apostle of Tirek

The Apostle of Tirek is a dedicated follower of Tirek, god of knowledge and fire. They manipulate others as often as needed, scheme for their own goals, and spread the gospel of Tirek wherever they go.

Becoming an Apostle of Tirek

An Apostle of Tirek is any of the very very few followers of Tirek who wish to grow even closer to his patron deity. He strives to be like his lord in as many ways as he can be as a mortal.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Not Lawful Good or Chaotic Good
Skills:	Any 3 Knowledges 8 ranks
Patron:	Tirek
Domains:	Knowledge

Table: The Apostle of Tirek

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Concentrated Effort, Lance Proficiency, Lance Focus	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Short Haft	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Sneak Attack +1d6	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Lance Specialization	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Fire Resistance 10	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Sneak Attack +2d6	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Charger, +5 Speed	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6	Arcane Affinity	+1 level of existing spellacasting class
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6	Sneak Attack +3d6, +10 Speed	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7	Fire Resistance 20, Swindler	+1 level of existing spellcasting class

Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level)
Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Apostle of Tirek.

Spellcasting: At each level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming an Apostle of Tirek, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Concentrated Effort: An apostle of Tirek knows how to focus on what he has to do to achieve his greater schemes. You may roll a concentration check before performing a skill. Scoring a 10 or higher on this roll grants you a +1 competence bonus on the skill roll Concentrated Effort is being applied to. Every 5 points higher than 10 grants another +1. (e.g. 10/+1, 15/+2, 20/+3 etc)

Concentrated Effort can only be applied to skills which require a full round action or longer to perform, or to any knowledge skill in which you have 8 or more ranks.

Lance Proficiency: An Apostle of Tirek gains proficiency with the lance.

Lance Focus: An Apostle of Tirek gains the feat Weapon Focus for the lance.

Short Haft: An Apostle of Tirek gains the Short Haft feat at level 2, even if he does not meet all the prerequisites.

Sneak Attack: If an apostle of Tirek can catch an opponent when she is unable to defend herself effectively from his attack, he can strike a vital spot for extra damage.

The apostle’s attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the apostle of Tirek flanks histarget. This extra damage is 1d6 at 3rd level, and it increases by 1d6 every three apostle levels thereafter. Should the apostle score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.

With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, an apostle can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. He cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.

An apostle can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The apostle must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. An apostle cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Lance Specialization:An apostle of Tirek gains Weapon Specialization for the lance at 4th level, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.

Fire Resistance (Ex): As an apostle of Tirek continues to grow closer to his master, he gleams a semblance of the same tolerance over fire as Tirek himself. At 5th level, he gains resistance 10 against fire. This increases to 20 at level 10.

Charger (Ex): At 7th level, an apostle of Tirek inflicts double damage at the end of a charge while using a lance. He also gains +5 speed while charging, which increases to +10 at 9th level.

Arcane Affinity: Starting at 8th level an apostle of Tirek is treated as a wizard of one-half his class level. This remains even if he multiclasses out of apostle of Tirek.

Swindler: Regardless of class, a character who has attained 10th level as an apostle of Tirek will always have Disguise, Diplomacy, Forgery, Gather Information, and Sense Motive as class skills.

Ex-Apostles of Tirek

On the off chance an apostle of Tirek shuns the teachings he's received, he will be stripped of all powers gained. He will retain his lance training, weapon and armor proficiency, and spellcasting levels, but will lose all other gifts.

Due to how kind Tirek is, he will accept any of his apostles who come back to him after they have received an atonement from a cleric of his church.

Campaign Information

Playing an Apostle of Tirek

Combat: Apostles are primarily played as either a rogue with a big stick, or a fighter with low hp; they need another ally on the battlefield with them to be effective. If they have a strong warrior such as a fighter or barbarian, they can supply aid with their sneak attacks and healing. If they are fighting alongside a rogue, they can add much more damage with their lance, especially when using it short hafted, adding their sneak attack damage.

Advancement: Apostles of Tirek can benefit from multiclassing into any of the four basic classes. As a cleric, he increases his already potent magical ability. As a rogue, his social skills can be put to good work and even benefit from the larger pool of skill points. The extra sneak attack damage is a nice bonus as well. The gain in reflex will also be well earned. A fighter apostle can benefit from the increase in hp, as well as the heightened base attack. While the lower number of skill points may be a tad frustrating, all of those extra feats can be quite handy. Taking levels in wizard would seem most appropriate for an Apostle of Tirek, considering Tirek himself is a wizard. Thanks to Arcane Affinity, a fully leveled apostle is effectively considered a 5th level wizard, giving him an edge on spells which gain damage on a per level basis.

Resources: An apostle of Tirek are treated different depending on how he's perceived by those around them. He most likely will be mistaken for a powerful cleric due to his divine prowess, or as either a rogue or fighter due to how he fights and carries himself. As such, he will more than likely have no difficulty receiving aid because of his class. But he might have to strain to stand out.

NPC Reactions: Typically, an apostle of Tirek will be regarded as a powerful cleric with either some power or charm about him, depending on whether he focuses on his lance or his interaction skills. Just as other clerics, good apostles will be welcome anywhere, evil apostles will frighten normal people, and neutral apostles will gain note on their own merits.

Apostles of Tirek in the World

“	I follow him because I know, with our faith, he'll rise to his rightful place at the top.	”
—Intral, Troglodyte Apostle of Tirek

Apostles of Tirek are never found with any frequency. They constantly migrate, giving the word on Tirek's wisdom and teachings.

NPC Reactions: NPCs typically don't know about apostles or even of Tirek himself, so they'll just treat an apostle of Tirek as a cleric. Unles they witness any of his abilities, such as his charger or fire resistance in which case anything from curiosity to amusement may transpire.

Apostle of Tirek Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge Religion can research Apostles of Tirek to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Special: An apostle of Tirek, cleric of Tirek or (at DM's discretion), an influential or otherwise respected member of Tirek's church have the following DCs reduced by 5.

Knowledge Religion

DC	Result
14	Apostles of Tirek are dedicated savants to the demigod of fire and knowledge.
19	They utilize their lances and healing spells in battle.
24	Every apostle is well read in at least a few circles, as well as trained to deceive should they find the need.
29	Tirek imbues his apostles with his powers and skills so they can concentrate it and return it to him upon their passing. He and his followers believe that this cycle will give him untold strength.

Apostles of Tirek in the Game

Apostles of Tirek drift from place to place, preaching the gospel of their master while honing their multitude of skills.

Adaptation: Since only clerics of Tirek can become an apostle with any ease, it's suggested that a player only try to become one if it is appropriate for role play reasons. Only one or two NPCs normally encountered in a game would be an apostle of Tirek.

Sample Encounter: While wandering through the world, you encounter an odd lance wielding troglodyte. He appears to be a cleric of some sort, but you can't quite distinguish what deity he follows. Nonetheless, upon some conversation, you learn that he's more than what he seems.

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