The Godhead

Some clerics preach the word of their god and some preachers live the word of their god. But some preachers, some preachers are the word of their god.

The Quintessential Cleric II

Author Patrick Younts

Publisher Mongoose Publishing

Publish date 2004

The godhead is a cleric specially blessed by his god with the ability to sway anyone to his cause. His voice is so enhanced by his god’s divine grace that it rivals the choirs of the angels for beauty and the secret whispers demon king’s for seductive timbre. When the godhead speaks, the sound is like the light of a newly risen sun filtered through stained glass, beautiful and terrible in its potency.

The godhead’s sacred duty is to strengthen the faith by attracting new worshipers to his god’s cause and to exhort the faithful to create great, lasting works. Both tasks are ones to which he is most ably suited.

As might be expected, godheads occupy very high positions within their faith, though they only rarely become the actual head of their faith, as the responsibilities of holding that office would leave them very little time to attract new converts and to directly oversee the tending of the flock.

Non-Player Character godheads can usually be found in the largest cities, evangelising for new converts or directing their fanatical followers to construct monuments and churches, or lobbying with the government to earn more favourable tax rates and push through new rules which benefit the church. They can also be found in the courts of kings, for their diplomatic skills are second to none, or even in the divine halls of their god and their god’s most powerful servants, acting as intermediaries between the divine and those mortals who dare approach them directly.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements

To qualify to become a godhead, a character must meet all the following criteria:

Base Will Save: +7 or higher.
Skills: Diplomacy 10 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 6 ranks
Feats: Leadership, Skill Focus (Diplomacy).
Spells: Ability to cast divine spells of 5th level or above and access to clerical Domains.

Class Skills

The godhead’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Charisma), Concentration (Constitution), Diplomacy (Charisma), Gather Information (Charisma), Heal (Wisdom), Intimidate (Charisma), Knowledge (religion), Perform (Charisma), Profession (Intelligence), Sense Motive (Charisma) and Spellcraft (Intelligence).
Skill Points At Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.

The Godhead
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Inspiring Leadership, attract converts	+1 cleric level
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	tongues, compelling tone	+1 cleric level
3rd	+1	+3	+1	+3	Leadership +2
4th	+2	+4	+1	+4	Mesmerising words	+1 cleric level
5th	+2	+4	+1	+4	Boon companion +1 cleric level
6th	+3	+5	+2	+5	Leadership +4
7th	+3	+5	+2	+5	Inspire to greatness	+1 cleric level
8th	+4	+6	+2	+6		+1 cleric level
9th	+4	+6	+3	+6	Leadership +6
10th	+5	+7	+3	+7	Voice of god

Class Features

All the following are class features of the godhead prestige class.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: The godhead gains no new proficiencies with weapons, or with armour or shields.

Spells: The godhead continues to gain spell power, albeit more slowly than other clerics do. At every level except 3rd, 6th and 9th, the godhead gains new spells as though he had also gained a level in the cleric class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. This means that he adds his godhead levels (except 3rd, 6th and 9th) to his cleric levels to determine both how many spells he can cast and how powerful those spells are.

Inspirational Leadership: The godhead is a naturally gifted leader, the kind of inspirational figure who is remembered in legend and song for centuries after his passing. The godhead’s natural Charisma is enhanced by both dedicated training and divine power, giving him a natural authority which draws people to him like flies to honey. At the same time, the godhead’s force of personality is so intense that he can terrify with a glance and a single carefully chosen word and suss out information with just a smile and a friendly clasp on the shoulder.

Beginning at 1st level, the godhead adds half his Wisdom bonus (rounding up) to all Charisma based skill checks. At 5th level, the godhead adds his entire Wisdom bonus to all Charisma based skill checks.

Attract Converts: The godhead’s ability to attract new converts to his faith is unmatched. He is so skilled at doing it, in fact, that he need barely open his mouth to drive even the most ardently opposed to his faith into a swoon. Beginning at 1st level, the godhead is always considered to have rolled a 20 when making Diplomacy checks for the purpose of converting listeners to his church (see Tricks of the Trade for full details of conversion).

Tongues (Su): The desire to believe in something greater than oneself is universal, so language is no barrier to the spreading of the righteous word of the faith, at least not for the godhead. Beginning at 2nd level, the godhead is able to speak and understand any language, as though under a more powerful version of the tongues spell. When the godhead speaks, his words are automatically translated into all languages simultaneously, meaning he can preach to an audience composed of listeners from all the corners of the universe and be perfectly understood by each and every one of them.

Compelling Tone (Su): By carefully modulating his pitch and tone and with use of soothing, subtly hypnotic gestures, the godhead can enthral and fascinate his listeners. Beginning at 2nd level, the godhead can attempt to fascinate, as by the bardic music ability of the same name. In order for this ability to work, the intended target or targets must be within 30 feet of the godhead and able to pay attention to him.

To use this ability, the godhead rolls a Perform check, with the result of the check setting the DC of the Will save the listeners must succeed at to save against the effect. Those who save are unaffected and cannot be affected by this ability again for a full day. Those who fail to save are fascinated; they sit quietly and listen to the godhead’s words, unable to take any other action for as long as the godhead speaks, to a maximum of his class level in rounds. While fascinated, listeners suffer a –4 penalty to skill checks made as reactions, such as Listen and Spot checks. Any potential threat, such as the godhead approaching the fascinated listeners allows the listeners a new Will save against the original DC –5. Any obvious threat, such as the brandishing of weapons, or the casting of a spell, automatically breaks the fascination.

Compelling tone is a mind-affecting, supernatural ability which can be used once a day per 2 class levels.

Leadership Bonus: The godhead’s followers are numerous as the waves on the sea and singularly devoted to his cause. Beginning at 3rd level, the godhead adds a +2 sacred or profane bonus to his Leadership score, allowing him to attract more and more powerful, followers to his banner.

At 6th level, the godhead’s sacred or profane bonus to Leadership increases to +4 and he gains new followers to replace those lost to war or other hardships overnight, so long as he is near a large city or collection of villages.

At 9th level, the godhead’s sacred or profane Leadership bonus increases to +6 and he can now have a cohort who is only a single level or more lower than himself. The godhead’s second cohort can now be two or more levels lower.

Mesmerising Words (Su): When he has advanced this far along his chosen path, a godhead’s words gain divine backing. His voice becomes rich and thick with holy power and every word spoken conveys the weight of timeless wisdom and unfathomable power. When he focuses his attention, his words can move mountains, inspire kings to give up their crowns and convince dragons to give up all their hard won hoard for the good of the faith.

Beginning at 4th level, the godhead can, once a day, enthral an audience and sway them to do his bidding, as though by a mass charm monster spell cast by a sorcerer of his godhead and cleric levels combined. Using this ability, he can charm a number of beings whose total Hit Dice are equal to or less than three times his godhead and cleric levels combined, or a single being of any number of Hit Dice.

To use this ability, the godhead must be able to speak with his intended targets for a minimum of one minute’s uninterrupted time. This means that all intended targets must be able to hear and understand him, so if the area is silenced or affected by other, similar spells, the ability will not work.

Mesmerising words is a mind-affecting, supernatural ability.

Boon Companion: The godhead’s ability to attract fanatically loyal followers serves him well throughout his life. At 5th level, the godhead gains a 2nd cohort. This second cohort follows the standard rules for cohorts (see the Leadership feat in the SRD), except that he or she must be three or more levels lower than the godhead. Should this new cohort die, he or she will be replaced as normal.

Inspire to Greatness: The godhead does not just inspire his followers to serve him, he inspires them to serve one another and the will of their church and god. In so doing, he awakens the true power of their spirit, allowing them to perform acts of bravery and skill which they would not have thought possible.

At 7th level, the godhead can, once per day per two class levels, inspire greatness in his followers or his allies, as per the bardic music ability of the same name. The godhead can use this ability to inspire greatness in a number of allies equal to 1 + his Charisma modifier, so long as all intended recipients are within a 30 foot radius of him and are capable of hearing his words. A being inspired by the godhead’s sermon receives 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10) worth of temporary hit points and gains a +2 sacred or profane bonus to attack rolls and a +1 sacred or profane bonus to Fortitude saves. The bonuses gained from this ability last for as long as the godhead speaks, up to a number of rounds equal to his class level.

Inspire to greatness is a mind-affecting ability which is used as a standard action.

Voice of God: At 10th level, the godhead gains his most powerful and terrifying ability; knowledge of the true speech of the divine. Once a day, he can speak a single word in this first, most pure of languages, overwhelming all mortals who hear it. The power of this word transcends all mortal notions of good and evil, law and chaos and strikes at the true essence of the spirit.

When uttered, all within a radius of 30 feet + 10 feet per point of Charisma modifier of the godhead are affected as though by the spells blasphemy, dictum, Holy word and word of chaos. The spell effects occur simultaneously but listeners must save against all effects caused by the spells which affect their alignment individually. This means that a listener who is chaotic good must save against the effects of both blasphemy and dictum, while a listener who is chaotic evil must save against the effects of dictum and Holy word.

Voice of god is a sonic, mind-affecting ability.

Epic Godhead

Hit Die: d8.

Skill Points At Each Additional Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.

Turn or Rebuke undead: The epic godhead gains no improved ability to turn as he increases in level. He uses only his cleric levels when determining the most powerful type of undead he may turn, rebuke or destroy.

Spellcasting: The  epic godhead gains new cleric caster levels every two out of three times he  gains an epic level. This means that he gains new caster levels at 21st and  22nd level, does not gain one at 23rd level and then gains them again at 24th and 25th levels. After 20th level, he gains only new caster levels, not new  spells per day.

Bonus Feats: The   epic godhead gains an additional feat every three levels higher than 20th.