Gift of the Ancients and the Shield of the Faithful

Nanietharil – Gift of the Ancients

A vest of Masterwork Leaf Armor made of overlapping layers of Ironwood carved into the form of tiny leaves. It’s dark hue is broken by a leaf-and-branch pattern of bronze and gold.

Requirements:

• Proficient in Medium Armor
• Survival Skill
• Elven or Half-Elven Blood

Properties:

• +2 Ironwood Leaf Armor Vest (AC 13)
• Resistance to Non-Magical Slashing, Piercing, and Bludgeoning Damage
• Considered Enchanted
• Treated as Light Armor
• May re-roll any Survival skill check, 1/day.
• When wooded or grassy areas, the leaves shift in shape and hue to match the native flora.

Level Bonuses:

• 5th: One with the Wild – Characters with the Animal Handling skill may use it with non-domesticated animals.
• 6th: Walk Unseen – The character has Advantage on Stealth checks in natural surroundings.
• 7th: Walker in the Wild – The character has Advantage on Survival checks.
• 8th: +3 Ironwood Leaf Armor Vest (AC 14)
• 10th: Voice of the Wild – 3/Day – May Speak with Animals as the spell.
• 12th: Armor of the Wild – A character wearing this while using the Wild Shape class feature gains all the benefits of the armor.
• 13th: +4 Ironwood Leaf Armor Vest (AC 15)
• 14th: Predator’s Dash – Base speed increases by 10′ per round.
• 16th: Shape of the Wild – A character with the Wild Shape class feature gains one additional use of this ability per day.

---

The Aegis Inviolable – Shield of the Faithful

A Kite Shield of Fine Quality and sized for a Medium creature made of fire-blackened steel. It is bordered in bright sunsteel, with the sunburst symbol of the same metal in the center.

Requirements:

• Proficiency with Shields
• Proficiency with Heavy Armor
• Religion Skill
• Good Alignment

Properties:

• +1 Kite Shield (+3 AC)
• Considered Enchanted
• The wielder is considered one level higher for the purposes of Turning and Destroying Undead as long as they already have that class feature.
• When strapped onto the wielders arm, the sunburst symbol glows brightly. While not bright enough to provide any illumination, it makes it impossible to hide or sneak about unseen.

Level Bonuses:

• 5th: Light Fortification – 25% to negate Critical Hits or Sneak Attacks
• 6th: Energy Aegis – 1/Day – Can choose Resistance to a single type of energy as a Reaction, this last 1 round.
• 8th: Holy Vessel – For Clerics and Paladins of Good Alignment, the Aegis Inviolate functions as their Holy Symbol.
• 9th: +2 Kite Shield (+4 AC)
• 10th: Protection of the Gods – 1/Day – The wielder may use the Shield of Faith spell.
• 11th: Energy Aegis Inviolable – The Resistance (q.v.) becomes Immunity.
• 12th: Medium Fortification – 50% to negate Critical Hits or Sneak Attacks
• 13th: +3 Kite Shield (+5 AC)
• 16th: Divine Ward – 1/Day – The wielder may invoke a Death Ward as a Reaction.

Priestly Vestments and Foci (5e)

While the details and forms of the foci and instruments of clergy will vary considerably from religion to religion, there have developed a common set of vestments that different priests and priestesses use. These Vestments mark the wearer as clergy or as one of the related professions. Depending upon the religion it will likely even identify specific orders as well as a ranks and roles. Those who wear Vestments can include Paladins, and certainly there is the potential for some Archtypes with Divine magic to use them as well. These items require Attunement – and any divine servant that loses, mistreats, or misuses their vestments suffers Disadvantage at the very least until the wrong is righted, often Curses and other punishments plague such misfortunate priests. The creation of vestments is included in the training of most clergy, though examples abound of them being created simply be strength of faith and devotion itself. Similarly, the vestments of the most devout (or wealthy) priests may have additional abilities beyond those listed here.

All of the items are considered magical and have Advantage on all of their saves.

The Priest’s Holy Text – Most priests carry at least a basic copy of their religions Holy Text. The length and breadth of this can vary considerably from religion to religion, and the beauty and ornateness of the copy or edition can also vary – much like a Holy Symbol. The primary use of the Holy Text is as a teaching aid, and as a source of Inspiration. During a Short or a Long Rest, a any sufficiently devout individual can grant themselves Inspiration by reading and reviewing their Holy Text, a priest can do it for themselves and any other members of the same faith that are present.

The Priest’s Book of Rites – Many priests also keep a copy of their Book of Rites handy, as this is required to cast Ritual Spells. For many religions it also has the information for the proper ceremonies when performing marriages, last rites, naming and dedications, along with the creation of holy water, holy oils, etc. At their most basic, a Book of Rites contains only a handful of Ritual Spells as well as basic community rites, at great temples or seminaries these may be a huge tomes with Ritual Versions of each and every spell that a cleric could cast.

The Priest’s Holy Symbol – The most basic of a priest’s vestments, the Holy Symbol is a cleric’s basic Divine Focus. Some spells may require additional components, but the presence of a Holy Symbol is necessary for all Divine magic. The appearance of a holy symbol can vary considerably depending upon the wealth and social class of the cleric or temple it comes from. Unlike a Wizard’s Wand however, any of the devout may carry a Holy Symbol, and it’s mere presence does not confirm the bearer as a priest. A priest merely openly bearing or presenting a Holy Symbol benefits from Protection vs Good & Evil (and this is a common enchantment on Holy Symbols for the devout). A priest presenting a Holy Symbol and Concentrating, may invoke Sanctuary for themselves.

As Priests gain higher levels it is not uncommon for them to gain increased magical items such as the following:

The Priest’s Robes – The most commonly visible and obvious of the vestments, these come in many different version. From the cassocks of the Church of the Lords of Light, to the robes of the En Khoda Theos Kirk, to the mask of the priest of the Midnight Sun or even the blackened splint mail of Khazan shamans. Aside from clearly marking them as clergy, a priests robes allow the priest the use of the Shield of the Faithful once between Long Rests.

The Priest’s Prayer Beads – A length of beads, usually with a set number according to doctrine and faith, often of particular materials. They may be worn as a necklace, a bracelet, or even simply hanging from the belt or kept in a pouch. The faithful use Prayer Beads to guide their individual worship, both prayers and mediation. Priests may also use their Prayer Beads in two special ways. First, it allows them to maintain Concentration on one additional spell if held in the hand. Second, using it allows them a Divine Recovery after a Short Rest if that is all that they focus on. They may recover spell levels equal to half their level, none of them higher than 6th level.

The Priest’s Girdle – Generally in the form of a belt or cincture or some sort to wear around their Robes, the Priest’s Girdle is another of the Vestments that commonly mark the wearer as a priest – and the absence of which (much like Robes) may cause some to question the authenticity or veracity of the claimant. When worn, the Girdle allows the personal use of the Resistance cantrip if they do not know the it, and also grants them the effect of an Aid spell once between Long Rests.

The term “Archpriest” in this context means that the following items, as Vestments, are often reserved for specific ranks within a religious hierarchy – or that they can only be created and gifted by higher ranks. They are often reflective of the greater divine mandate that these priests have, and are often reserved for Clerics of 10th level or greater. Exceptions have been made in some cases, and for the particularly devout but lower ranked priests, they may find that their “lesser vestments” may take on some or all of these abilities as well. These are the equivalents of Bishops, Cardinals, Abbots, and similarly ranked religious figures.

The Archpriest’s Medallion – Often an ornate piece included in either a set of Prayer Beads, the Archpriest’s Medallion often commemorates some special event or personage. In the Church of the Lords of Light it might be one of the Elect, while in the En Khoda Theos Kirk it might some special crystal or stone from the site of a significant manifestation of one of the Great Dragons. When included as part of a set of Prayer Beads, it does not require separate Attunement. This is the one Archpriest item that is most commonly found in the possession of non-Archpriests – often gifted to favored priests and other members of the Faithful.

• Can hold Concentration for one spell cast by the Cleric.
• Can use a Bless once before requiring a Short or Long Rest.
• Can use an Aid spell once before requiring a Short of Long Rest.
• The Cleric gains one additional use of their Channel Divinity

The Archpriest’s Cloak – Often a more ornate and elaborate addition to the Priest’s Robes, this is often a short cloak or mantle such as chasuble or alb – though for some religions it can be nothing more that a veil.

• Provides a bonus to AC equal to +1 per five full levels of the Cleric class.
• The Cleric may use a Hellish Rebuke, but the damage is Radiant and the Save is Wisdom, once between Rests.

The Archpriest’s Pectoral – A large and ornate Holy Symbol that is worn on the chest as a reminder of the status and power of the Archpriest in question.

• +2 to Armor Class (it is treated as a Breastplate)
• Protection vs Good & Evil at all times
• With Concentration can invoke Sanctuary as desired
• The Cleric has Divine Favor.
• The Cleric also radiates a Crusader’s Mantle

The Archpriest’s Signet – Essentially the religious version of a noble’s seal, an Archpriest’s Signet is a worn by those priests that hold high rank within their religious organization. These are commonly destroyed on their death of the priest that they were made for, though some faith’s pass them along to the next holder of the office. Using one without sanction is a guarantee of getting the attention of the church authorities – not top mention the Divine Power who sanctioned the item’s creation in the first place.

• With members of their Faith, may issue a Command as a Standard Action.
• Can use Bless as a Standard Action.
• May use a Guardian of Faith once per day
• The Cleric gains one additional Spell Slot for each Spell Level.
• The Cleric gains one additional use of their Channel Divinity.

The Archpriest’s Crown – Like the Archpriest’s Signet (q.v.) the Archpriest’s Crown is a physical symbol of the priests spiritual and temporal might using a familiar secular symbol.

• Members of the Faithful have Disadvantage on saves against the Clerics magic
• The Cleric has Advantage when making Charisma check with members if the Faithful
• Advantage on Saves against Enchantments.
• The Crown gains one additional Spell Slot for each Spell Level.
• The Cleric gains one additional use of their Channel Divinity

The Archpriest’s Sceptre – Often a symbol of both divine and temporal power, the Archpriest’s Sceptre is usually an ornate rod of office – though in some more blood-thirsty religions it may be an actual weapon and may then share some characteristics with a Sanctified Weapon (q.v.).

• Treated as a Holy Symbol for purposes of casting spells.
• Always treated, at a minimum, as an Enchanted Weapon.
• Weapon damage can vary from that of a Club to a Warhammer.
• Treated as a+1 weapon per five full levels of the Cleric class.
• Does additional Radiant Damage equal to the Proficiency Bonus of the Cleric
• Weapon Bonus also adds to Spell Strike and Spell Save modifier.

The Sanctified Weapon – Some faiths, as well as most religious orders of warriors (including Paladins), have deities which are closely associated with a particular weapon. These are actually able to be used by any member of the faithful, but holy law often reserves their use to Clerics & Paladins, or a few select others who are deemed the most worthy. Considered a Holy Weapon, these are often relics and highly prized by the Faithful.

• Always treated, at a minimum, as an Enchanted Weapon.
• Treated as a+1 weapon per five full levels of the character.
• Does additional Radiant Damage equal to the Proficiency Bonus of the character.
• Some are able to Smite as a Bonus action a number of time per day equal to their Channel Divinity (and recovered in a similar manner). Smiting a foe means that the wielder may add their level to the damage done (Radiant). On a Critical, this damage is doubled.

The Church of the Lords of Light uses all of these vestments, their Robes being a simple cassock (often in specific colors and design as guided by Rule and Rite), their Girdle is the typical triple-braided cord worn by all members of the faith, the Holy Symbol being an Argentos, and the Prayer Beads being simply that (and made from a variety if materials). Their Sanctified Weapon, commonly made of sunsteel, is either a fighting knife or a broadsword (less commonly a longsword and very rarely a battlesword or greatsword).

As befits the somewhat disorganized nature of the En Khoda Theos Kirk they are not particularly organized in their use of vestments. Their Holy Symbols, a Scale (usually of a drake, but rarely that of an actual dragon) combines the functions of both the Holy Symbol and the Girdle. Similarly, while some Dorje wear Robes with the standard effects, for others they wear a sash that (confusingly) combines the abilities of the Robes and Girdle (effects do not stack) – this is an ancient style preferred by the Dragonborn. Prayer beads are commonly carried, most commonly made of stone. Sanctified weapons are commonly mainly with the military religious orders of the Kenza, and are not nearly as common within the ranks of the Dorje. They do not, however, have holy texts, and while there are a series of philosophical treatises that can function in the same way as Holy Text there are no Books of Rites.

While the Heptarchy uses all of these vestments, the individual style depends upon the actual deity, few generalizations being able to be made. Holy Symbols are the solar and lunar symbols noted in the specific descriptions, and while Robes are worn by most of the clergy, for the priests of the Midnight Sun this is a Black Mask, while for the Daughter of Blood they a considered Robed if nude and covered with a least some freshly spilled blood. The Sister of Bone only has prayer beads of bone, while Mother of Pearl uses only pearls. Sanctified Weapons are most common among the followers of Sol Invictus (usually sword, spear, or lance), Sister of Bone (bone dagger), and Daughter of Blood (battle axe of some sort).

A Note On Damage: While the damage done is generally Radiant for religions that are Good or Neutral, some Neutral and most Evil will do Necrotic damage instead. For some Deities, especially those with an Elemental or Nature portfolio, the damage may be Fire, Thunder, Lightning, or even Poison. This is determined by the Dungeon Master.

En Khoda Theos Kirk – Part 2 (5e)

So, I was hoping that there would be rules for Elemental Domains in the Elemental Evil adventure and was disappointed. That said, one of my players is playing a Dorje of the Great Dragon of the Air so I’ve been coming up with Domains for these four Domains of the En Khoda Theos Kirk.

Part One

The Dorje of the En Khoda Theos Kirk are highly attuned to the Mysteries of the Great Elementals. Each Dorje chooses (or, perhaps more accurately, is chosen by) one of the Great Dragons and leads their Kirks or Vihara in the worship, veneration, and contemplation of that particular Great Dragon.

At 1st level, like other clerics, all Dorje are trained in the use of Light and Medium Armor, Shields, and Simple Weapons. They are also granted the Blessing of their Great Dragon, and the player is allowed to choose one Blessing, and then gain later features as they advance in level.

Blessing of the Great Dragon of the Air

• Bonus Cantrip: Gust
• Extra Weapons: Blowgun, Warfan
• Feature: Missiles always have Disadvantage to Attack. Additionally, if unarmored, the Dorje gains half their Wisdom bonus as an AC bonus.
• Bonus Spells at various levels:
  • 1st – Absorb Element, Thunderwave
  • 3rd –Gust of Wind, Warding Wind
  • 5th – Fly, Windwall
  • 7th – Conjure Minor Elementals, Stormsphere
  • 9th – Control Winds, Conjure Elemental

Blessing of the Great Dragon of the Earth

• Bonus Cantrip: Mold Earth
• Extra Weapons: Warhammer, Maul
• Feature: The Dorje is unencumbered by metal armor, and may add their Wisdom bonus to any Bludgeoning damage done with melee weapons.
• Bonus Spells at various levels:
  • 1st – Absorb Element, Earth Tremor
  • 3rd – Earthbind, Maximillian’s Earthen Grasp
  • 5th – Erupting Earth, Meld into Stone
  • 7th – Conjure Minor Elementals, Stoneskin
  • 9th – Conjure Elementals, Transmute Rock

Blessing of the Great Dragon of the Fire

• Bonus Cantrip: Control Flame
• Extra Weapons: Shortsword, Warspear
• Feature: The Dorje has Advantage on saves against Fire or Flame, and they may ignore the Fire damage equal to their Wisdom bonus each round.
• Bonus Spells at various levels:
  • 1st – Absorb Element, Burning Hands
  • 3rd – Agannazar’s Scorcher, Flaming Sphere
  • 5th – Melf Minute Meteors, Fireball
  • 7th – Conjure Minor Elementals, Fire Shield
  • 9th – Conjure Elementals, Immolation

Blessing of the Great Dragon of the Water

• Bonus Cantrip: Shape Water
• Extra Weapons: Longknife, Trident
• Feature: The Dorje has Waterbreathing for themselves and does not suffer from an penalties for moving or swimming through water, even if wearing Medium armor.
• Bonus Spells at various levels:
  • 1st – Absorb Element, Ice Knife
  • 3rd – Blur, Melf’s Poison Arrow
  • 5th – Sleet Storm, Wall of Water
  • 7th – Conjure Minor Elementals, Vitriolic Sphere
  • 9th – Conjure Elementals, Cloudkill

Elemental Wrath

At 2nd Level, the Dorje can use their Channel Divinity ability to summon the ferocity of the Great Dragon that they serve. When rolling specific damage types (Earth – Acid, Fire – Fire, Air – Thunder, Water – Poison) they can do maximum damage instead of rolling their damage.

Dragon’s Scale

At 6th level, when the Dorje or a creature within 30 feet of them takes a specific type of damage (Earth – Acid, Fire – Fire, Air – Thunder, Water – Poison) the Dorje can use a Reaction to grant them Immunity to that instance of damage.

Divine Strike

At 8th level, the Dorje can imbue their weapons with the essence of the Great Dragon that they serve. Once on each turn, when the Dorje hits an opponent with weapon attack they can deal an additional 1d8 damage based on the Great Dragon they serve (Earth – Acid, Fire – Fire, Air – Thunder, Water – Poison). When the Dorje reaches 14th level the damage increases to 2d8.

Dragon’s Roar

At 17th level the Dorje can use an action to channel the presence of the Great Elemental Dragon that they serve, causing those around them to either become awestruck or frightened. This affects all hostile creatures with a 60′ radius, causing them to become Charmed (if attempting Awe) or Frightened (if attempting Fear) on a failed Wisdom saving throw. This effect last for one minute, or until Concentration is lost, which ever come first. If a creature makes their save, they are immune to this ability for the next 24 hours.

The Society of Light – Part 6 (5e Specific)

Part 1     Part 2     Part 3     Part 4     Part 5

The rules for playing a Lightbringer of the Church of the Lords of Light are essentially the same but have some significant differences from the rules in the Player’s Handbook for playing a Cleric. In general, Lightbringers of the Church of the Lords of Life are expected to take the Light cantrip (Lightbringers who take the Light Domain get it as an extra Cantrip). All Clerics of the Church of the Lords of Light have proficiency in Longknife and Shortsword. Their training in Armor is dependent upon their type of Order, not on their specific Domain or the standard Cleric rules.

Minor Orders

Non-Cleric’s may choose to seek and hold Minor Orders, represented by the Magic Initiate Feat or the Ritual Caster Feat.

Orders Anchorite

Clerics who belong to these Orders do not have any additional training in either armor or weapons – instead they have Holy Aura that provides a bonus their Armor Class equal to their Wisdom Bonus plus their Proficiency Bonus. They may choose either the Light or the Knowledge Domain.

Orders Evangelion

Clerics who belong to these Orders are trained in the use of Light Armor and both Basic and Simple Weapons. They possess a Holy Aura that grants them a bonus to Armor Class equal to their Wisdom Bonus. They must choose the Light Domain.

Orders Martial

Clerics who belong to Orders Martial have training in Light, Medium, and Heavy Armor as well as with Simple and Martial Weapons. These may choose either the Light or War Domain. There are many Paladins and some Rangers who serve in the Orders Martial as well. Paladins are found throughout the Orders, while Rangers are found in limited number of places.

There are also two “Healing Orders” (that of Sc. Estor and Sc. Brigid) which use the Life Domain. They are treated as Orders Anchorite, they have the Healer Feat rather than skill in the use of Heavy Armor. Furthermore, when looking at the wider Society of Light, the rules may be more similar to the ones in the Player’s Handbook than those found here. Rumors persist of small, dedicated Orders than have very specific Domains that they use that fall outside the standard. Some of these verge on the heretical, others are simply obscure or highly select. An example would be a minor Order devoted to Lord Sc. Uriel that uses the Death Domain.

Musing about the last AD&D campaign

As I’ve been thinking about the AD&D game I was running I’ve been looking at some of the things I’m not so thrilled with. Training for levels is one thing and weapon proficiencies is another. Experience points are the last place where I am just not thrilled with the basic AD&D system.

Weapon proficiencies were ok, but I wasn’t really happy with the way that they worked. While I like the idea of the different classes being restricted in what weapons they can use (it’s somewhat artificial but I’m ok with it for game balance) I’m less convinced that there is any good reason for limiting the learning of new weapons to level advancement. It seems to me that I merely want there to be a cost in time and money (mostly time) in order to learn new weapons.

Similarly, I’m less than thrilled with the time and costs associated with level advancement. This seems to be a remnant of the particular play style that is very “Grognardian” and reflective of the artifacts of the AD&D experience system. Back in the day I had dropped any level training for fighters and rogues (save for when they wanted to learn a weapon proficiency) and retained some costs for spell casters only when they gained a new spell level (to cover initiation and ritual costs). I’m really thinking that I’m going to do the same thing again. This makes the warrior and the rogue classes a bit more popular (not a bad thing) and in turn makes the magic-using and multi-classes a bit less popular because they are actually expensive to play.

In the old days I’d left the old style AD&D system behind and moved to what was basically the Palladium XP system which was far more based on ideas and planning rather the killing and treasure for the generation of XP. The problem is that this made figuring out XP a large investment of time after I was done gaming for the session. So this time around I went with a mix of that style, plus the old AD&D style, and it was still a ton of work. I really like Alexis’ method of 10XP per point of damage done, 20XP per point of damage suffered, with a bonus for the party on total damage suffered. There would still need to be a bit of something figured out for spell-casters and rogues because I like to reward people for using their special skills, but looking at his number crunching and doing some of my own I think it is a pretty reasonable method.

In any case, I just wanted to get this down for posterity. TTFN!

D.

So what happens if I don’t have a component..? (1e)

Or I get hit during combat? Or something else funky happens?

How often does this question come up?

I have a very simple, abstracted way to handle this.

The character in question must make a save vs. spell, with a penalty to the save equal to the spell’s level. The only modifiers allowed to the roll are things like Luckstones, Talismans of Protection, spells that have similar effects, etc. Magic armor does not help you here… There might also be some extra penalties depending upon circumstance, but not very often. If you are missing both material and somatic components, double the penalty for the spell level.

As spell-casters go up in level they get better at it, and it is more and more difficult to do with higher level spells.

So, hit in combat? Roll to see if you lose the spell. The spell is disrupted no matter what, but you might not lose it.

Hands tied and trying to cast a spell with a somatic component? Roll for it.

A priest without a holy symbol? Roll to see if faith alone gets you through.

Trying to cast while drunk? Roll to see, with an additional penalty equal to Attack penalty for the level of drunkenness.

The one hard-and-fast rule I have is that both Arcane and Divine magic absolutely requires a verbal component, if you are gagged you are screwed. I also generally don’t let this happen for the sorts of big ritual spells that likeSpiritwrack, etc.

Nice and simple.

D.

The Society of Light and the Order Luminous

This was the intersessionary email (slightly tweaked for context) for the Society of Light folks. It’s worth noting that the Order Luminous is directly stolen from the “Luminous Order” from the Shattered Gates of Slaughtergarde module, as are the Serene Guardians (a prestige class). The description of the Order is pretty much verbatim taken from the module.

—

Now Frater Nikolai was off dealing with the Caves of Chaos because he was tasked with it after getting a break on his training for 3rd level, and Brother Illya has merely been accompanying him. It is worth noting that while Castle Seraph is an outpost of the Society of Light, it’s a very small one. It isn’t exactly brimming with Lightbringers and Paladins, there are a grand total of five priests on hand. The Curate, Frater Lionel, and his three acolytes, the Brothers Hugh, Tomas, and Emile – plus a Cloistered Cleric by the name of Brother Simeon who acts a scribe for the castellan. This gentleman goes by the name of Sir Lucian Sc. Valour, Guardian of Seraph Keep, and he is the only paladin at the Keep. There is also a half-elf warrior/mage by the name of Raeburn who acts as an advisor to the Sir Lucian and seems to be highly trusted. There is also a wandering Warrior-Monk by the name of Master Birinaj, not of the Endorian Monastery to the south in Albion where Brother Illya hails from, but of the much smaller and reclusive Monastery Tel Hazor from deep in Shahuda Mountains to the north (also known as the Mountains of Witness or the Mountains of Martyrs). Commonly known as the “Serene Guardians”, these Warrior-Monks are quite friendly with another obscure group, the Order Luminous. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both Frater Lionel and Sir Lucian (as well as the officers of the Keep) are members of the Order Luminous, an obscure order that dates back to Wars of Binding and has always been located here in these mountains where they are concerned with incursions of the Dearth and the machinations of the Fallen.

The actions of Frater Nikolai impressed Frater Lionel and Sir Lucian to such a degree that they are offered membership in the Order Luminous. This is, by the way, not exactly something you can refuse without giving offense – it doesn’t conflict with membership in other Orders, nor does it particularly conflict with either of your other religious directives. It’s an Order basically on the lookout for evil, especially the sorts of hidden inequity that might lead to greater woe down the road. The Order Luminous was created to stop demonic invasion, so it is particularly concerned with anything that lets evil gain a foothold such as a secret demonic cult engaging in foul rites within a forest, or an evil lycanthrope hidden within a community. It strikes at any growing evil, uprooting it before it can bear bitter fruit.

The Order Luminous places great faith in the self-reliance of its members. Once accepted within its ranks, the Order is confident that you take its mission to heart. Thus, the order demands few specific duties from you beyond those expected of other members of the Knights-Militant of the Society of Light. If evil shows its face, then the Order Luminous asks that its members to vanquish it. But the Orders leaders rarely demand that a specific agent undertake a specific mission. While its members are always welcome in the shining citadels of the Order, it is common for Luminaries to be away from order for months at a time, even if they aren’t on any specific quest or mission. Joining the Order advances one’s career as a hero, it doesn’t constrain it.

It is made perfectly clear to Gregor that once he takes his next initiation as a paladin (at 3rd level) he will be welcome to take a place in the Order Luminous as well.

Brother Illya continues to study with Master Birinaj, and the two spend a great deal of time discussing philosophy as well as honing and practice the skills and abilities of the Warrior-Monk – such that Brother Illya is relatively certain that if he continues to study with Master Birinaj he might very well be able to understand the mysteries of the Serene Guardians who seem to be especially in tune with the harmony and resonance of what they call the Divine Song.

—

This is how you link modules together by the way. Find something from one that works with something from another and build a bridge. It isn’t rocket-science, it isn’t even very hard nor does it insist that the players ever do anything to follow-up on the things that would take them towards the next Slaughtergarde. Heck, I’m ignoring most of the “mini-campaign setting” for that module (which doesn’t fit my world much at all) and I can scatter the bits all over the Shahuda Mountains as i desire.

D.