The Ascetic - LotFP Custom Class

The Ascetic

     A mystic who derives strange powers through self-denial and mortification. The men and women who choose to follow the austere path are generally people who for one reason or another see the world as a garden of temptations. They turn away from their own desires, and in the process are granted wondrous abilities. Whether these powers are gained at the hands of a deity, some process that exists within every soul, or simply magic, Ascetics find themselves welcome, if often baffling additions to adventuring parties.

Lvl	Exp	HP	Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Device	Magic	Vows	Blessings
1	0	1d8	14	11	16	12	15	1	2
2	1,750	1d8	14	11	16	12	15	1	2
3	3,500	1d8	14	11	16	12	15	1	2
4	7,000	1d8	14	11	16	12	15	1	3
5	14,000	1d8	12	9	14	10	12	1	3
6	28,000	1d8	12	9	14	10	12	2	3
7	56,000	1d8	12	9	14	10	12	2	4
8	112,000	1d8	12	9	14	10	12	2	4
9	224,000	1d8	10	7	12	8	9	2	4
10	336,000	+3*	10	7	12	8	9	2	5
11	448,000	+3*	10	7	12	8	9	3	5
12	560,000	+3*	10	7	12	8	9	3	5
13	672,000	+3*	8	3	8	4	6	3	6
14	784,000	+3*	8	3	8	4	6	3	6
15	896,000	+3*	8	3	8	4	6	4	6
16	1,008,000	+3*	8	3	8	4	6	4	6
17+	+112,000 /lvl	+3*	6	2	6	4	5	4	7

* Constitution modifiers no longer apply.

Thac0 Table	As Cleric
Requirements	CON 13
Prime Requisite	CON
Hit Dice	d8
Maximum Level	14
Armor	Any, including shields
Weapons	Any
Languages	Alignment, Common

     The Vows of the Ascetic represent the particular approach to purification been revealed to them by a mentor, a path of faith or their own meditations. Vows either require that the character perform some action or conversely that they are forbidden from certain actions. Vows must be maintained if the Ascetic is to sustain the cleanliness of their souls.

      Ascetics begin the game with a single Vow rolled from the table below, with additional Vows being rolled on the same table as they gain levels. If a result has already been rolled, you must re-roll until you gain a new one. Breaking a Vow results in the withdrawal of two Blessings (Referee’s choice) until you engage in the particular form of Atonement associated with the Vow you’ve broken.

1 d12	Vow of...	Effect	Atonement
1	Chastity	Hewing to a higher ideal, you refuse sexual congress. Further, you may not fraternize with those who potentially interest you, requiring another person be present to ensure proper decorum.	Love is to be reserved for the multitude, not selfishly hoarded. To remind yourself of this spend time in service to others in a meaningful and self-sacrificial way. This cannot be something that requires money, but rather something taxing but necessary.
2	Poverty	You are barred from amassing wealth of any sort. You must beg for your food. Any wealth that would gain must be donated to a spiritual organization or those in need. You may still possess weapons or armor to defend yourself.	Whatever you acquired with your ill-gained riches must immediately be given away to someone you have never met. You must then give penance by wearing a hair shirt for a week afterwards, though your Blessings return after your act of charity.
3	Humility	You may never put yourself first or before another. If there is only one ration left, you must go without. If only one may be healed, you must endure.	Arrogance led you to believe that you were entitled to service, so you must reject any and all aid from those close to you for the next 48 hours.
4	Vagrancy	You may not have a place which could be called a home, including any which are gifted to you or freely given by others. You are still allowed to carry or construct a temporary shelter if required.	Expose yourself to the open elements in all their glory while you sleep in the an absolute minimum of clothing for three successive nights.
5	Truth	You are not allowed to deliberately convey any lies. This applies to all forms of communication. You may choose to simply stay silent if pressed.	A foolish tongue led you astray, so it must be leashed with silence. You cannot speak for 72 hours.
6	Suffering	You scourge your flesh every day at dawn in any way which fills you with joy. You start the day with 1 point of damage for every 2 HD you possess, rounded up.	Cowardice towards your devotions has let your wounds begin to heal. Tear them open, ensure they scar. Begin the next day with 1d6 damage additional damage on top of that from already present from you Vow.
7	Deprivation	You eat nothing but the simplest of meals and you fast at least several days per week. You are always considered Starving, though you are allowed to remedy it if necessary to survive.	Indolence and want overwhelmed you, so you must redouble your efforts. Forgo sleep for a night to fully consider your weakness.
8	Abasement	You are required to live your life in a humiliating and taboo breaking way. Due to your repugnant lifestyle, you are required to roll twice and take the worse result whenever you are trying to convince, hire or otherwise sway someone to your views.	To remind yourself of your fallen and degraded state, you must publicly and needlessly embarrass yourself in front of those who hold you in esteem.
9	Observance	You have a secret phrase or prayer which you are required to repetitively recite internally. The distraction from constantly repeating this phrase gives you -1 to all rolls involving concentration or close observation.	Your lack of vigilance in maintaining your mantra, or worse, revealing it to another, means that not only do you need a new phrase, you must spend 8 hours in deep meditation to thoroughly replace the old one in your mind.
10	Shunning	The old you is dead. What use would you have for a dead person’s former family? You must reject any connection to your former lineage, including your name or any inheritance or title you may have.	Your acknowledgement of your old self shows a careless attachment to your old life. Destroy a connection or relationship of import in your new life. It will teach you to let go of the past.
11	Obfuscation	Your faith must be kept secret to better guard your heart against hypocrisy or pride. This includes your Vows.	Laying your faith bare for another requires you that you that you then denigrate that faith in a poignant and vicious manner before them. They do not have to believe you’ve rejected it, but you still lose the Blessings for 24 hours.
12	Excess	To better contemplate your soul’s connection to your body, you push it to its limits by imbibing worrying quantities of drugs and alcohol. You must do so at least once a week and the ritual must result in at least a penalty of -2 or higher the next day.	If you choose not to grow closer to the divine by aping a sinner, than you will do so by suffering from the vice’s sudden absence. The withdrawal must be ridden for an entire week, but you gain your Blessings back after 24 hours.

     For their devotion Ascetics are granted supernatural abilities known as Blessings. These abilities are not magic, they are not affected by any means by which magic is subverted or otherwise redirected. Blessings are rolled in the same way which Vows are rolled, with the exception that some Blessings may be rolled multiple times.

1 d12	Blessings of the...	Effect
1	Templar	You have been called to defend what holds meaning to you and have captured a small measure of a warrior’s prowess through daily training. Your Attack Bonus rises by +1. You may roll this Blessing up to three times.
2	Mighty Heart	You add your Wisdom in addition to your Strength modifier to feats of Strength such as opening doors and bending bars, as well as to Wrestling. Your Unarmed die increases from a d2 to a d4.
3	Healer	You may lay your hands on others and cure their wounds. 3/day you may heal an amount equal to 1d6 + your HD. Alternatively you may forgo healing to cure a condition such as Blindness, Stunning or Paralysis.
4	Sacred Postures	You may contort and twist yourself into tight spaces and openings. You can squeeze through any sized opening which you can fit your head into. You may also easily slip bonds or other forms of entanglement by dislocating your joints.
5	Seer	The truth is always clear to you. Lies spoken in your presence are revealed to you by the intrusion of an unpleasant smell or a discordant noise. Illusion spells are subject to the same effect with a successful Magic Save on the part of the Ascetic. If this Blessing is rolled again, you are immune to illusions of all sorts.
6	Wilds	Wind, rain, snow or withering heat have little effect on you, they are nothing compared to the strength of your soul. You add +2 on all saving throws against cold or heat based magical or breath attacks. In addition you subtract 1 from each die of damage dealt by a cold or heat based attack. Each die will still inflict a minimum of 1 damage. You may roll this blessing up to two times.
7	Saintly Form	You are immune to diseases and non-magical poisons. Your body will not rot after you die if you’ve kept to your vows.
8	Divine Fool	The serene and simple nature of your thoughts render you difficult to mislead using magic. You are resistant to Charm and Suggestion effects or spells, allowing you to roll twice and choose the better of the two saves. If you roll this blessing again, you are immune to these effects.
9	Golden Raiment	A holy aura surrounds you, keeping you safe from harm. You gain +1 to your AC. You may roll this blessing up to two times.
10	Airy Soul	With heavy concentration you can levitate yourself several inches off of the ground and travel at a walking speed. You do not disturb whatever material you would otherwise be walking over. If rolled a second time, you may move at a run.
11	Abundant Feast	You may sustain yourself on nearly anything which is or was once alive. Grass, bark, rotted food & fetid water all taste as sweet to you as the finest a chef can manage and nourish you just as well. If rolled again, you no longer need to eat at all.
12	Empty Body	Your may pull yourself bodily into the spirit world for a short period of time through extreme concentration. You can become insubstantial for a number of rounds per day equal to ½ your CL. You are invisible to the living and corporeal undead, but not spirits. All of the time must be spent at once and the remainder is lost if you choose to end the effect early. The Blessing also ends if you attack anyone.

Images: A God's Fool Sitting on the Snow by Vasily Surikov, Female Ascetic from India, Karnataka, Bijapur c 1600, A Sadhu by Lady Lawley 1914