Buy me a coffeeCelt, Characters Classes
This chapter details how the SRD core character classes best fit in a typical Celtic campaign setting. The following guidelines are primarily intended for Celtic campaigns set in Old-Europe-like worlds, which can be much more restrictive on character classes.
Celtic Druids and the Tuatha de Dannan
By Dominique Crouzet
The Barbarian class apply fairly well in a Celtic campaign. In fact, a good number of warriors will be of that class, rather than fighter (who will be found mostly among nobles). This is especially true in an authentic Celtic setting as inspired by ancient Ireland. However, during a medieval (as featured in Braveheart) or early Renaissance era (as featured in Highlander I), this class will be rare, coming always from remote clans of the Highlands. In any case, the name “barbarian” is not appropriate, and this class should rather be called Tribal Warrior (see the version in the Slaine d20 book) or Clan Warrior. As such, Tribal Warriors are rugged individuals from rural communities, who are used to a boisterous and physical life, and at war cannot afford to buy expensive armors.
Bards also apply fairly well in a Celtic campaign, as the concept for this character class derives from the ancient Celts. However, Celtic bards are not roguish troubadours or mere jacks-of-all-trades, as in regular fantasy settings. In fact, their function and status is closer to that of priest, in that they are the keepers of the oral traditions and history of the Celtic culture, that is exclusively oral. As such, bards are very important in the Celtic society, and each clan will have its own bard to act as the recorder and guardian of its collective memory. Then, kings and chieftains will greet and honor travelling bards, so the fame of their clan may be propagated among the other clans. In fact, bards are never taken lightly, as in Celtic society their satirical verses could defame and dishonor an individual, with terrible results in a culture where personal reputation so much influences most relationships and social interactions. The preferred Musical instrument of Celtic bards is usually the harp, but a bard from the Highlands will of course rather play the Scottish bagpipes!
clerics are appropriate to a Celtic campaign setting allowing only SRD classes. They should just choose a Celtic god as their patron deity, and not be given proficiency in heavy armors (which are unknown in a Celtic setting). However, we suggest that the cleric class be rather kept for other religions, for non-Celtic cultures and societies. In fact, the “cleric” name itself suggests some kind of organized church with curates, bishops, and abbots. Then, the cleric doesn’t personify well the priesthood of the Celts, and should be replaced with the new Fili class presented in this chapter. Nonetheless, there are some cases where the cleric class may fit better than the fili, especially where deities of war or death are concerned.
Only the following gods and goddesses should have priests of the cleric class: Arawn, Goibhniu, Morrigann, Nuada, and Oghma. Such Celtic clerics conform to the SRD cleric, except on the following point: they are not proficient with heavy armors (for cultural reasons), but get proficiency in the favored weapon of their deity in addition to all simple weapons.
In Celtic polytheism, a druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in ancient Celtic societies. These societies existed through much of Western Europe, Britain and Ireland, until they were supplanted by the Roman government and, later, the arrival of their religion. In the communities they served, druids combined the duties of priest, arbitrator, healer, scholar, and magistrate. Both men and women served as druids.
Overview
The druids, like the Celtic communities they served, were polytheists, and worshipped a number of goddesses and gods. They also show signs of animism, in their reverence for various aspects of the natural world, such as the land, sea and sky, and their veneration of other aspects of nature, such as sacred trees and groves (the oak and hazel were particularly revered), tops of hills, streams, lakes and plants such as the mistletoe. Fire was regarded as a symbol of several divinities and was associated with cleansing. Ritual killing and human sacrifice were aspects of druidic culture that shocked classical writers.
The druids looked for omens in the shapes of the clouds, and sought “signs and seasons” in the movements of the sun, moon, and stars.Their calendar year was governed by the lunar, solar, vegetative and herding cycles.
The four main Gaelic holidays observed by Gaelic druids and their people included
*Imbolg (February 1), which marked the earliest signs of the coming spring
* Beltain (May 1), a time of community gatherings and moving of the herds to summer pastures * Lughnasadh to celebrate the ripening of first fruits and the many-skilled deity Lugh
* Samhain to recognize the end of harvest, the time of sacrifice, and the lowering of the barrier between the world of the living and that of the dead
The timing for these four festivals was determined by seasonal changes in the natural world, or possibly by combined lunar and solar calendar.
Roleplaying
Druids are THE archetypal Celtic character, a central figure of Celtic societies, and are mentioned in most of their legends. However, the SRD druid shares little in common with the historical Celtic priesthood. This class is described as a sort of nature-priest, friend with animals and protector of the woodlands, who abhors cities and prefer to live as an hermit in the deep of forests. Then, there is no evidence that the class advocates any religion, only some kind of secret order about which nothing is said. Clearly, such a druid doesn’t fit in a Celtic campaign world. Yet, the SRD druid‘s game mechanics may be kept as they are, while the class description should be as follows:
Celtic druids are the most honored members of their society. They form the druidic branch who are in charge of the religion and the rites (where the filidh are more of mentors and guardians of knowledge, techniques, and traditions, rather than priests in the usual sense). druids are thus sages and mystics who devote their time to studying the universe’s mysteries, and act as intermediaries between the mortal world and the spiritual realms. Their power comes from their thorough knowledge of nature, from the simplest grass twig to the movement of stars in the sky (unlike filidh whose more limited understanding makes them dependant on the gods for their magic). druids hold that spirits (of humans and everything that exist, including animals, plants, mountains, the sun, and the moon) are immortal, but that all forms perpetually change and are subject to cycles. They exemplify it by their sacred ability to change their own shape into that of animals, or even the elements.
A few druids may live as hermits in the wilderness, but they are not “protectors of trees and forests”. In fact, most druids will have an active social life among the Celts. At lower levels, they will travel across the land, learning more about the world, and acting as emissaries, diplomats, or informants. Then, at higher levels druids will be appointed as advisers to nobles and kings, as well as spiritual leaders of the Celtic society. As such they are highly respected and listened to. In fact, druids are the most important people of the Celtic society, but do not govern themselves, only helping (with their knowledge and magic) those whose traditional function is to rule.
The fighter class is perfectly appropriate, yet will remain uncommon in the Celtic world. In fact, fighters are found mainly among nobles who can devote all their time to weapon practice, and do not need to work in the fields to make a living. Common tribal warriors have to spend a fair amount of time farming, hunting, etc, thus will rather be of the barbarian, ranger, and other similar classes (if any). fighter on the other hand, becomes the choice profession of nobles, and often valorous fighters will acquire noble status as this class somewhat represents the counterpart of the medieval knight. As such the fighter could be renamed Noble Warrior (as in Slaine d20).
Monks are clearly an oriental type of character, and have nothing to do in the Celtic world. As such, the monk class should not be allowed. Nevertheless, some GMs do not care about historical consistency in their games, or do not want to restrict their players’ choices. In this case, we may find ways to keep the monk class, and turn it into a character fitting with Celtic legends. However the Shaolin archetype of monk honing mind and body in the monastery, definitely cannot apply. Instead, we propose two characters who may use the monk’s game mechanics in a Celtic campaign setting. But remember: while the game mechanics are still those of monks, the theme of the class (and the names of its abilities) is new. This shouldn’t be considered a monk anymore!
– Laoch Taibhse (-ghost warrior-): Always operating in the dark of the night, this evil character (typically a part-fomorian – i.e.: half-orc) works as an assassin for some otherworldly entity. He gets his unnatural fighting skills and other abilities from the demon he serves, during ritual trances carried out in the deep of foggy nights… And so, his hands and feet turn to talons when he fights, reverting back to normal thereafter; while his legs seem to lengthen and change to that of an animal when he runs, reverting back to normal afterwards. However, all of this usually wields a price, as the more he gains of such powers, the more he becomes enslaved to his supernatural mentor’s will.
-Witches of Kaer Lloyw: These legendary witches are known to train young men who were promised to a heroic destiny by fate (like Cuchulainn trained by the witch Scatach), not only in the arts of war, but also in love and magic. However, they are witches, not muscled warriors wielding great axes and shields. As such, they owe their mysterious art of combat to magic and other secrets only known to their kind. These women are thus rumored to strike their opponents with their bare hands better than with many weapons, a thing of witchcraft indeed. Others tell of these witches being able to dismiss arrows shoot at them with a gesture of the hand. So, they are often called Gaisge Buitseach Maighdeann, which roughly means: “maiden able to perform incredible feat of arms through witchcraft”.
The paladin is another class ill-suited to a Celtic campaign setting. Even if the Celts hold in high esteem courage, honor, and integrity, their heroes definitely aren’t of the paladin sort. Such champions of law and goodness wielding healing abilities do not belong to the Celtic culture. They could nonetheless be included in the campaign, but always as the occasional stranger from a neighboring or distant land. Examples of such foreigners paladins include:
– Arthurian Knights: Note first, that before being a medieval mythology, Arthurian legends were Celtic (and much different from La Morte d’Arthur). In any case, the typical Arthurian kingdom would make a perfect neighbor for many Celtic settings. And the typical Arthurian knight is often a paladin.
– Exiled Paladins: Historically, during the 13th century, when their order was dismantled and its members persecuted, many Knight Templars fled to Scotland. Then, it is said that a battalion of Knight Templars helped the Scots at the battle of Banockburn. Therefore, it wouldn’t be ridiculous (from a historical point of view) to find a few castles of paladins in a Celtic land. These paladins would be ready to rally the clans to repel invaders when the need arises. But note that they would be refugees from a foreign country, not natives.
Rangers fit in a Celtic or Highlands setting. In fact they will be even more common than fighters. In a pure Celtic age, rangers would learn their magic from the druids (or filidh). Then, in a medieval or Renaissance era, they would have to be followers of the “Old Religion”. This is their interest in the old faiths and traditions of their culture that would enable them to get magic at higher levels. (As such, and from a roleplay perspective, rangers shouldn’t automatically gain spells for reaching the relevant level. They should instead get magic from appropriate circumstances. For instance, rangers who belong to the old religion and serve it well, or have performed some quest for nature, could be instructed in the ways of magic by some elder druid or witch, or even fairies and nature spirits. Nonetheless, where rules are concerned it still only happens at the relevant levels.)
Rogues are fine in a Celtic setting, but will be less frequent than in more traditional fantasy worlds. The first reason is that the rogue is typically an urban character, while Celts are essentially rural. Yet, this aspect may be easily adapted: just replace the crossbow and rapier proficiencies with sling and longsword, and discard such skills as Decipher Script, Forgery, Open Locks, or Pickpockets, at least until you travel to more civilized lands and get a chance to learn them (get a few ranks). In any case, you could use the Wilderness Rogue variant from Unearthed Arcana fairly well. The second reason to shun the class is that the Celts will usually scorn rogues for their devious ways, valuing honor and bravery much more than cunning and trickery.
Sorcerers are very appropriate to a Celtic campaign setting, and will happen every now and then (unlike wizards who should remain very rare). Nonetheless, a sorcerer’s innate ability for spellcasting should not be considered a natural (even if only rare), trait. Instead, sorcerers will normally be half-breeds (such as half- Sidhe, part-Sidhe, or part-Fomorian), or non humans (such as Sidhe or Small Folk – i.e.: Gnomes and Halflings). Or they may be fully human characters who made pacts with some otherworldly (and probably evil) entity to get magical powers. In any case, being a sorcerer in a Celtic setting should not be just another type of spellcaster. sorcerers will typically attract the attention of supernatural powers who will try to tempt them, convert them to their cause, etc. As such, some unnatural events will often happen in the vicinity of sorcerers, and they will be viewed with suspicion by the Celts. Then, in medieval /Renaissance Highlands, sorcerers are feared if not reviled.
Celtic legends are full of stories about witches. Hence, such characters, although not being common, will be widespread. However, the GM should first determine who the witches really are in his campaign setting. Here are a few suggestions:
• Use the Psion and Psychic Warrior classes, as outlined above, that is: with an appropriate change to all the relevant terminology to get a witchcraft feel.
• Use the sorcerer class, but give them access to a cleric domain for belonging to a witchcraft cult and having a supernatural patron. Note that these patron deities are most of the time demons or Fomorian gods, although this is not necessarily the case.
• Witches are in fact the last remnants of the “old religion” that disappeared when the medieval culture expanded into the Celtic lands, and the righteous “True Faith” persecuted all pagan cults. As such, druids (and filidh) will be held for evil witches and satanic worshipers by the intolerant Holy Church. Then, a superstitious and fearful populace will be prone to see a witch in any character who displays magical abilities without being a priest of the official religion.
Wizards may occasionally appear in a Celtic setting, but seldom as natives. Celts are a rural people and their culture is almost exclusively oral, which is incompatible with all the books, libraries, universities, etc., necessary to practice wizardry. Then, in the medieval / renaissance era, the Highlands are a very poor region where most people are also illiterate. These economic conditions cannot permit the development of wizardry in such disinherited regions, as the wizard class requires a high level of education and a lot of money. Henceforth, the rare wizard who may appear in the campaign will normally be a stranger from a neighboring or distant land. On the other hand, many Sidhe will be knowledgeable in arcane magic, but will carefully keep it for themselves. Even half-Sidhe will have a hard time learning it from them, even if they could have a natural talent for it.
New Core Classes
The Fili
The term acquired generic meanings of an epic author/singer/narrator (compare with the terms in other cultures: minstrel, skald, rhapsode, udgatar, griot) or any poets, especially famous ones.
Bards or filid were those who sang the songs recalling the tribal warriors’ deeds of bravery as well as the genealogies and family histories of the ruling strata among Celtic societies. The pre-Christian Celtic peoples recorded no written histories; however, Celtic peoples did maintain an intricate oral history committed to memory and transmitted by bards and filid. Bards facilitated the memorization of such materials by the use of poetic meter and rhyme.
Irish bards
Irish bards formed a professional hereditary caste of highly trained, learned poets. The bards were steeped in the history and traditions of clan and country, as well as in the technical requirements of a verse technique that was syllabic and used assonance, half rhyme and alliteration, among other conventions. As officials of the court of king or chieftain, they performed a number of official roles. They were chroniclers and satirists whose job it was to praise their employers and damn those who crossed them. It was believed that a well-aimed bardic satire, glam dicenn, could raise boils on the face of its target.
The Fili (core class)
Originally written by Dom of D20 / D&D 3e Netbooks and Downloads.
| Spells per Day | |||||||||||||||
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 1st | 0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Awe aura ; Savant | 3 | 1+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Salmon of Knowledge | 4 | 2+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Diviner (+1) | 4 | 2+1 | 1+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Savant (+1) | 5 | 3+1 | 2+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Bonus feat | 5 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | – | 5 | 3+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Diviner (+2) | 6 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8th | +5 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Savant (+2) | 6 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 9th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +6 | – | 6 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | – | – | – | – |
| 10th | +6 / +1 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Bonus feat | 6 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | – | – | – | – |
| 11th | +7 / +2 | +3 | +3 | +7 | – | 6 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | – | – | – |
| 12th | +7 / +2 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Diviner (+3) | 6 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | – | – | – |
| 13th | +8 / +3 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Savant (+3) | 6 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | – | – |
| 14th | +9 / +4 | +4 | +4 | +9 | – | 6 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | – | – |
| 15th | +9 / +4 | +5 | +5 | +9 | Bonus feat | 6 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 | – |
| 16th | +10 / +5 | +5 | +5 | +10 | – | 6 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | – |
| 17th | +11 / +6 / +1 | +5 | +5 | +10 | Diviner (+4) | 6 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 | 1+1 |
| 18th | +11 / +6 / +1 | +6 | +6 | +11 | Savant (+4) | 6 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 3+1 | 2+1 |
| 19th | +12 / +7 / +2 | +6 | +6 | +11 | — | 6 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 3+1 | 3+1 |
| 20th | +13 / +8 / +3 | +6 | +6 | +12 | Bonus feat | 6 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 5+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 | 4+1 |
The Fili (plural Filidh) belongs to the branch of druids who perform as seers, healers, lawyers, and teachers, among the Celts. They are the guardians of knowledge and laws, where bards are the guardians of memory and history. Nonetheless, the fili is not only a scholar, but also a skilled poet like bards. As such, when a fili comes to condemn an unjust noble or king, he will do it through magical verses known as “satires”.
Adventures: Filidh typically adventure to help their communities or further their understanding of the world. Many will also travel the land to ply their trade where they are needed, thus leading a wandering life which more often than not lead them into adventures. Then, at times, filidh will go on quests as inspired by their patron deity.
Characteristics: Like clerics Filidh are masters of divine magic. A fili’s spells are granted by the deity who emphasizes his domain of specialization (like medicine, law, Craft, etc.). Filidh are also great scholars and diviners, and sometimes function as ethical judges, cursing with satire spells those who deserve it. Filidh are in fact given much respect in their society, and it is considered anathema to harm them. On the other hand, filidh are less effective in combat than other type of priests, even if they still are able to defend themselves should the need arise, or for if they would accompany the clan’s warriors to war.
Alignment: As filidh are the guardians of Celtic traditions and lawyers (the Brehon law), and given the importance of truth in their society, most of them are of lawful alignments, while the archetypal filidh is lawful neutral. Conversely, chaotic filidh are very rare.
Religion: Filidh are in fact more sages than priests, which is the province of druids. However, the Celts do not make a very clear distinction between science and spirituality, and their path to knowledge delves into both. Thus, while filidh are bound to show the normal reverence to all the Celtic gods, they nonetheless must choose one as their patron deity. That is, the deity who exemplifies their field of study. Hence, a fili specialized in medicine will choose Diancecht as her patron deity; while one specializing in magic will choose Math Mathonwy.
Background: Filidh may come from all walks of life, provided someone would pay for their studies. In any case, many would become filidh for its high social status among the Celts. However, druidic studies tend to be long, and often require several years to learn the basics. In fact, to become an accomplished fili willtypically takes twenty years. A fili could learn from only one mentor, but will generally be instructed in druidic colleges, learning under several masters. There, filidh also learn to read and write (in Ogham and Common). Nevertheless, since writing is considered unsuited to keep knowledge, all of their science is memorized, never written down. As such, filidh students will spend much time learning by heart, often teaching younger students, as in the process they can strengthen their knowledge. A low level fili adventurer could thus teach a companion who may consequently multiclass as a fili. However, it should not be possible to take the class on a whim when having enough XP to get a new level. Becoming a fili can only result from long and thorough studies.
Races: Filidh may be of any race, but will typically be found among the Celts, and thus will be mainly humans. Of course, half-breeds (part-Sidhe, etc.) raised in a Celtic society will proportionally become filidh as much often as humans.
Other Classes: Filidh get along best with Celtic warriors, especially rangers who usually have some basic knowledge of druidism, thus are more able to understand them than the others. They are of course on excellent terms with bards and druids. On the other hand, filidh rather dislike those who tend to act in devious ways (like many rogues), for they revile lies. Then, filidh are highly suspicious of those not of the druidic priesthood who wield magic, especially sorcerers.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Filidh have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Wisdom determines how powerful a spell a fili can cast, how many spells the fili can cast per day, and how hard those spells are to resist. To cast a spell, a fili must have a Wisdom score of 10 + the spell’s level. A fili gets bonus spells based on Wisdom. The Difficulty Class of a saving throw against a fili’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the fili’s Wisdom modifier. A high Intelligence is also important so filidh can have more skills.
Alignment: Varies by deity. A fili’s alignment must be within one step of his deity’s, and it may not be chaotic unless the deity’s alignment is chaotic.
Class Skills
The fili’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Charisma), Concentration (Constitution), Craft (Intelligence), Diplomacy (Charisma), Heal (Wisdom), Knowledge (any) (Intelligence), Perform (Charisma), Profession (Wisdom), Scry (Intelligence, exclusive skill), and Spellcraft (Intelligence).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Intelligence modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the fili.
Hit Die: d6
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Filidh are proficient with the following weapons: club, dagger, darts, quarterstaff, sickle, sling, and spear (half, long, short). Their spiritual oaths prohibit them from using weapons other than these. They are proficient with light armors only, and are prohibited from wearing metal armor (should they acquire a medium or heavy armor proficiency).
Spells: A fili casts divine spells. A fili may prepare and cast any spell on the cleric spell list, provided he can cast spells of that level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a fili’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the fili’s Wisdom modifier. Each fili must choose a time at which he must spend an hour each day in quiet contemplation to regain his daily allotment of spells. Time spent resting has no effect on whether a fili can prepare spells. In addition to his standard spells, a fili gets one domain spell of each spell level, starting at 1st. When a fili prepares a domain spell, it must come from one of his two domains.
Domain spells: A fili’s deity influences his alignment, what magic he can perform, his values, and how others see him. A fili chooses two domains from among those belonging to his deity. A fili can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if his alignment matches that domain.
Each domain gives the fili access to a domain spell at each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up, as well as a granted power. The fili gets the granted powers of both the domains selected.
With access to two domain spells at a given spell level, a fili prepares one or the other each day in his domain spell slot. If a domain spell is not on the cleric spell list, a fili can prepare it only in his domain spell slot.
Spontaneous casting: Much like the clerical power, filidh can channel stored spell energy into divination spells that they haven’t prepared ahead of time. The fili can “lose” a prepared spell in order to cast any divination spell of the same level or lower. A fili can’t use spontaneous casting to convert domain spells into divination spells. These spells arise from the particular powers of the fili’s deity, not divine energy in general. This ability comes as a result of filidh being expert seers and prophets; they can convert divine energy into an act of divination at any time.
[Exception: filidh whose patron deity is Diancecht – the god of healing -get the normal spontaneous casting ability of clerics instead, and convert prepared spells to cure spells -but not inflict spells -]
Bonus Languages: A fili may substitute Sidhe for one of the bonus languages available to him. In addition, a fili knows the druidic language (as per the druid class). This secret language is known only to druids and filidh, and they are forbidden from teaching it to non-druids. druidic has its own alphabet: the Ogham script. Ogham is highly versatile: a fili (or druid) can create a coded message to another, hidden in a piece of art or arrangement of twigs. There are even several ways of communicating in a highly subtle Ogham sign language that can be used without nonproficient observers having any idea what is being said.
Awe Aura: Filidh are protected at all time by an aura of taboo affecting humanoids. Provided that the fili doesn’t perform any obviously offensive action against them or their allies, humanoids cannot attack him unless they succeed a Will saving throw. The DC for this saving throw is 10 + half the fili’s level + his Charisma modifier for Celts; and 5 + half the fili’s level + his Charisma modifier for non-Celts (i.e.: any humanoid not raised in a Celtic culture). Once a save is failed, an humanoid cannot attempt a new save until the next day.
Savant: Filidh are scholars as well as priests, and spend much time memorizing knowledge. As such, at first level a fili gains 8 ranks in two knowledge skills (4 ranks each) chosen among the following: Arcana, law, Geography, History, Local, Nature, Nobility and royalty, The Planes, and Religion. Then, at 4th level the fili gains a +1 competence bonus to these two knowledge skill. This bonus increases to +2 at 8th level, +3 at 13th level, and +4 at 18th level.
Salmon of Knowledge: At 2nd level, filidh get the Bardic Knowledge ability (as per the SRD bard class). A fili may make a special knowledge check with a bonus equal to his level + his Intelligence modifier to see whether he knows some relevant information about local notable people, legendary items, or noteworthy places. This check will not reveal the powers of a magic item but may give a hint as to its general function. The fili may not take 10 or take 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random. The DM will determine the Difficulty Class of the check by referring to the table below.
| DC | Type of Knowledge |
| 10 | Common, known by at least a substantial minority of the local population. |
| 20 | Uncommon but available, known by only a few people in the area. |
| 25 | Obscure, known by few, hard to come by. |
30 | Extremely obscure, known by very few, possibly forgotten by most who once knew it, possibly known only by those who don’t understand the significance of the knowledge. |
Diviner: At 3rd level, the fili gets a +1 circumstance bonus to his Scry skill checks; as well as to all Spot, Search, or Sense Motive checks made to detect any kind of falsehood (i.e.: lies, Forgery) or concealment (i.e.: secret doors, hidden treasures). He also gets a +1 bonus to her Will saving throws against Illusion spells and effects. These bonuses increase to +2 at 7th level, +3 at 12th level, and +4 at 17th level.
Bonus Feats: At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels, the fili gains a bonus feat from the following list: Craft standing stones,
Ex-Filidh
A fili who grossly violates the code of conduct expected by his god (generally acting in ways opposed to the god’s alignment or purposes) loses all spells and class features and cannot gain levels as a fili of that god until he atones.
Multiclass: if a fili multiclasses with the cleric class (and provided he still worships the same god), the level of fili and cleric stacks to determine the spellcasting level (both the fili and cleric classes have the same spellcasting progression, domain spells, and spontaneous casting ability).
The priests of Celtic deities are normally filidh.
Author’s note: The Fili is before all intended to represent a priest closer to the historical Celtic priesthood than the SRD cleric. As such, the Fili is heavily inspired by the AD&D 2nd edition Celt Campaign Sourcebook’s druid, bard, and manteis, as well as by the D20 Slaine RPG’s druid. The name “Vate” would have been probably more accurate, but it seems to come from Latin, or at least Gallo-Latin. As such, I opted for the term Fili, as filidh were the counterpart of vates, even if they are mistaken for Irish bards.
War-Smith
During the antiquity, the Celts had in fact a superior metallurgy. Thus, warsmiths are the elite blacksmiths of the Celtic society, who Craft the best weapons and armors available. They hold a highly respected status among the Celts, being warriors, artisans, and even something of priests at the same time.
Originally written by Dom of D20 / D&D 3e Netbooks and Downloads.
They could be independent artisans in a village, or in the service of a noble. In any case, warsmiths know how to take advantage from their knowledge of warfare when forging weapons and armors, and likewise will benefit greatly on the battlefield from the strength and resistance gained at the forge. These warriors know how to work metal to make weapons and armors, and eventually render them magical.
Adventures: Warsmiths are peculiar in that they will adventure (or go to war) as part of their craftsman work. Warsmiths who are serious about their trade will test the weapons and armors they manufacture in real and varied situations of combat and warfare. They will thus take on adventures to seek such opportunities of battling different foes using different techniques and equipment. As such, they may see if their weapons and armors are efficient and how they could be improved. Then, adventuring is sometimes an opportunity to find in forgotten dungeons lost secrets of metallurgy and weaponsmithing, or veins of rare metals such as mithril or adamantite.
Characteristics: Warsmiths are both warriors and artisans. They know how to manufacture any metal tools, but in order to excel in creating weapons and armors they are also expert in their use. Their long hours of hard work at the forge eventually gives them great strength and immunities to heat and fire. Then, at higher levels, their god reward them with spells that may help them in their work.
Alignment: Warsmiths may be of any alignment, but must be of the same, or close to the same alignment as their deity. Otherwise, good aligned warsmiths will create weapons and armors to defend their community, while evil warsmiths revel in making nice tools for shedding blood and inducing fear in others.
Religion: Warsmiths are not true priests, yet revere Goibhniu the god of metallurgy and smithing. In fact, Warsmiths view their work with a religious fervor, and their shrine will often be located in their smithy.
Background: Warsmiths are not simple artisans; they view their work as an art, and in a religious way. Then, as they manufacture the most beautiful and efficacious weapons and armors, warsmiths are usually held in high esteem and honored as nobles among the Celts. However, warsmiths rarely divulge their secrets, and so usually learned the trade from their family. Warsmith secrets are typically passed on from father to children, and are not available to learn for everyone else contrary to other trades, including more common blacksmiths.
Races: Warsmiths are in fact more typically found among Sidhe and humans. On the other hand they are almost non-existent among non Celtic cultures. In more typical campaign
settings featuring dwarves, warsmiths are of course the most common among that race.
Other Classes: Warsmiths get along the best with characters who use the weapons and armors they manufacture, so they get the best with fighters. As Celts, they will of course appreciate to team with druids, filidh, or bards, even while their preference will go to priests of war deities who would use their weapons and armors. On the other hand, warsmiths have little in common with rogues, sorcerers, and wizards, whose ways are so much different from theirs. Nonetheless they still could associate with such characters without problem. However, they tend to be irritated by monks who combat without weapons and armors, and thus demonstrate that the equipment the warsmiths manufacture, is useless.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Warsmiths have the following game statistics:
Class Skills
The Warsmith’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Alchemy (Intelligence), Appraise (Intelligence), Concentration (Constitution), Craft (Intelligence), Handle Animal (Charisma), Knowledge (metallurgy) (Intelligence), Profession (Wisdom), Spellcraft (Intelligence), and Spot (Wisdom).
Skills Points at 1st level: (4 + Intelligence mod) × 4.
Skill Points at each level: 4 (four) + Intelligence modifier.
Hit Die: d10 (ten sided die).
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Warsmiths are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They are proficient with all kind of armors, and all sorts of shields.
| Warsmith | Spellcasting | |||||||||
| Class Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Splt Lvl | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Weapon Focus: hammer ; Smith talent (+1) | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Mighty arm & hammer (+1) ; Smith talent (+2) | 1st | 0 | – | – | – |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Identify weapons & armors | 2nd | 0 | – | – | – |
| 6th | +6 /+1 | +5 | +2 | +2 | – | 3rd | 1 | – | – | – |
| 7th | +7 /+2 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Resist fire & heat (1/–) | 4th | 1 | – | – | – |
| 8th | +8 /+3 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Mighty arm & hammer (+2) ; Smith talent (+3) | 5th | 1 | 0 | – | – |
| 9th | +9 /+4 | +6 | +3 | +3 | – | 6th | 1 | 0 | – | – |
| 10th | +10 /+5 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Craft Weapons & Armors | 7th | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| 11th | +11 /+6 /+1 | +7 | +3 | +3 | – | 8th | 1 | 1 | 0 | – |
| 12th | +12 /+7 /+2 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Mighty arm & hammer (+3) ; Smith talent (+4) | 9th | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 13th | +13 /+8 /+3 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Resist fire & heat (2/–) | 10th | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 14th | +14 /+9 /+4 | +9 | +4 | +4 | Craft Weapons & Armors (improved) | 11th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 15th | +15 /+10 /+5 | +9 | +5 | +5 | – | 12th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 16th | +16 /+11 /+6 /+1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Mighty arm & hammer (+4) ; Smith talent (+5) | 13th | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 17th | +17 /+12 /+7 /+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 | – | 14th | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 18th | +18 /+13 /+8 /+3 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Craft Weapons & Armors (superior) | 15th | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 19th | +19 /+14 /+9 /+4 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Resist fire & heat (3/–) | 16th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +20 /+15 /+10 /+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Mighty arm & hammer (+5) ; Smith talent (+6) | 17th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Abilities: A Wisdom score of 14 or higher is needed to get access to the most powerful warsmith spells, and a score of 11 or higher is required to cast any warsmith spell at all. A high Constitution improves a warsmith’s hit-points, and a high Strength makes him more effective in melee combat, where he typically excels.
Alignment: Any. However, a warsmith’s alignment must be within one step of his deity’s, and it may not be neutral unless the deity’s alignment is neutral.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the Warsmith core class.
Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a warsmith gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells. To cast a spell a warsmith must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell’s level, so a warsmith with a Wisdom of 10 or lower cannot cast these spells. Warsmith bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws against these spells have a Difficulty Class of 10 + spell’s level + Wisdom modifier. When the warsmith gets 0 spells of a given level, such as 0 1st-level spells at 4th level, the warsmith gets only bonus spells. A warsmith without a bonus spell for that level cannot yet cast a spell of that level. The warsmith has his own spell-list. The warsmith is a divine spellcaster who prepares his spells in advance through prayer like any cleric or druid. The warsmith has access to all the spells available to his class. Trough the 3rd level, a warsmith has no caster level. Starting at 4th level, a warsmith’s caster level is equal to his class level minus 3 (see table).
Weapon Focus – Hammer: At 1st level, warsmiths gain the Weapon Focus feat with both the light hammer and the war-hammer.
Smith Talent: At 1st level, warsmiths gain a +1 competence bonus to their Appraise, Craft, Knowledge, and Profession checks related to metal armors and weapons. This bonus increases to +2 at 4th level, +3 at 8th level, +4 at 12th level, +5 at 16th level, and +6 at 20th level. Note this bonus also applies to discover the possible magical properties of such items (see thereafter).
Mighty Arm & Hammer: Warsmiths spend most of their time hammering metal with a hammer, and thus get a really strong arm. However, since they generally always use the same arm to beat the metal (the right arm for most people), this one becomes much more muscular than the other. As such, at 4th level the difference becomes important enough, that warsmiths get a +1 circumstance bonus to their strength checks made while using that arm/hand specifically, and likewise get a +1 circumstance bonus to damage done with any light or war-hammer wielded with this arm/hand. This bonus increases to +2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level. Note that trying to work with both hands equally won’t give the bonus to both arms, but rather to none. The warsmith must select the one arm/hand that will get the benefit.
Identify Weapons & Armors: At 7th level, warsmiths get the ability to determine the magical properties of weapons and armors. This is done with an Intelligence check, plus Smith Talent bonus; and requires to study the item (including handling it) for the amount of time indicated. If the check is failed, it cannot be retried before the next increase in Smith Talent bonus.
| DC | Time | Information gained |
| 15 | 5 mn | If the item is magical or not |
| 20 | 30 mn | Approximate power of item |
| 25 | 1d4 hr | Exact power and abilities of item |
Resist Heat and Fire: At 7th level, warsmiths become inured to heat and fire from working so long at the forge. They get fire (and heat) resistance of 1/-. This resistance increases to 2/- at 13th level, and 3/- at 19th level.
Craft Weapons & Armors: At 10th level, warsmiths get the Craft Weapons and Armor feat for free. At 14th level (improved) they require only 75% of the gold / XP cost to manufacture weapons, armors, or shields of metal. Then, at 18th level (superior) they require only 50% of the gold / XP cost.
Ex-Warsmith
Warsmiths are not just specialized warriors. They are before all specialized artisans. As such, a warsmith can progress to the next level only when he has made at least one masterwork quality weapon or armor during that level (in addition to earning the required amount of XP). Then, when he reaches the 7th level, he must now have his own forge. This means having the relevant building (or cavern) with a fireplace designed for smithing, as well as equipment and tools costing no less than 250 gp. Then, at 10th level, if he wants to manufacture magical weapons and armors, the warsmith must also have an alchemy lab (costing 500 gp) where prepare the various components that will help create special alloys, and chill cast iron with special methods.
Warsmith Arcane Spell List
Warsmiths are limited to the following spells only, that they get through prayer like clerics:
Warsmith Spell List:
- 1st level: cure light wounds, Create Water, Detect Magic, Endure elements, Mage hand, Magic weapon, mending, read magic. / Detect gold* / Ignite°.
- 2nd level: bull’s strength, chill metal, Endurance, heat metal, Make whole, Resist Energy. / Flame-frost weapon*. / Fire burst°.
- 3rd level: cure moderate wounds, greater magic weapon, keen edge, protection from energy. / Iron storm*.
- 4th level: create food and water (only if worshipper of Goibhniu), quench, Rusting grasp.
(*: spells from Relics & Ritual supplement by Sword and Sorcery Studio / °: spells from the Netbook of Spells free supplement by the FanCC).