A recent thread on RPG.Net had an awesome premise. What if you removed Clerics from OD&D and gave their magic to elves?
I thought the idea had merit. The more I rolled it around in my head, the more I liked it. Even if you left Clerics in, the spell creation and class creation rules in ACKS gave a perfect opportunity to build a ‘better elf’… or at least a different one.
So I did…see the previous post about the race build. See the previous altered Spellblade Class. And here is the post about Nightblades.
In this post I’m going to rebuild the Elven Courtier class as a divine noble. Their spell list focuses on control and spells that would help political types.
Elven Courtier
Divine by birth, noble by upbringing.
Prime Requisite: WIS and CHA
Requirements: WIS 9
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 13
Among the elves of Northern Argollë, there yet remain some noble families that can trace their lineage to the Imperial era. These highborn elves spend their days at the courts of Aodhan, engaging in intricate duels of etiquette, swordplay and magic against rival families. Few care to look beyond their borders, likening man’s dominance over the Ammas Aurë region to the darkening sunset at the end of a glorious day.
From time to time, one of these elven courtiers is possessed with more than the usual allocation of ambition and vigor, and sets out from sylvan Aodhan to seek glory and gold in the world of men. Few return to their woodland demesne, yet enough succeed to fill the history books with new annals of elven glory. The elven courtier class represents one of these bold scions.
Though not specialized in fighting, elven courtiers are comfortable with weapons. At first level, elven courtiers hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. Elven courtiers thereafter advance in attack throws and saving throws by two points every four levels of experience (i.e. as thieves). Elven courtiers are trained to fight with swords, shortswords, daggers, composite bows, spears, and lances, and to wear chain mail or lighter armor. They may wield a weapon and shield or a weapon in each hand, but may not wield a weapon two-handed. All courtiers receive classical weapons training giving them a bonus of +1 to attack throws with their choice of melee or missile attacks. The courtier must choose which type of attack will receive the bonus at 1st level, and may not change the choice as he advances.
As patricians of their race, elven courtiers are of course taught the dive arts, but it is not their focus. Elven courtiers cast divine spells as cleris of one-half their level, use the same rules for learning and casting spells. They can use any magical items available to clerics. In addition, they can turn undead as a cleric of half their level.
| Elven Courtier Level Progression |
Eleven Courtier Spell Progression |
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| Experience | Title | Level | Hit Dice | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 0 | Attendant | 1 | 1d6 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1600 | Courtier | 2 | 2d6 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 3200 | Aristocrat | 3 | 3d6 | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| 6400 | Noble | 4 | 4d6 | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| 12800 | Exemplar | 5 | 5d6 | 2 | – | – | – | – | |
| 25600 | Patrician | 6 | 6d6 | 2 | – | – | – | – | |
| 50000 | Dignitary | 7 | 7d6 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | |
| 100000 | Consul | 8 | 8d6 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | |
| 240000 | Lord | 9 | 9d6 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | |
| 380000 | Lord, 10th level | 10 | 9d6+1* | 2 | 2 | – | – | ||
| 520000 | Lord, 11th level | 11 | 9d6+2* | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 660000 | Lord, 12th level | 12 | 9d6+3* | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 800000 | Lord, 13th level | 13 | 9d6+4* | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| *Hit point modifiers from constitution are ignored | |||||||||
As befits their noble upbringing, elven courtiers are well-schooled in diplomacy and protocol. They receive a +2 bonus on all reaction rolls when they attempt to parley with intelligent creatures (as per the Diplomacy proficiency). This same upbringing gives them the leadership skills and self-confidence to inspire courage in their allies, in the same manner as bards. Inspiring courage requires a few moments of oration before a battle (one round), and grants the courtier’s allies within a 50′ radius a +1 bonus to attack throws, damage rolls, morale rolls (for monsters or NPCs allied with the caster), and saving throws against magical fear. The bonus lasts for 10 minutes (1 turn). A courtier can inspire courage in any given character once per day per class level. (Even the most inspiring epic gets old if you hear it twice in the same day.) A courtier cannot inspire courage on characters who are already engaged in combat.
From childhood, courtiers are taught to either sing, recite poetry, or play a group of instruments in a skilled manner. The courtier chooses the type of performance that his character knows. He may take the Perform proficiency to learn other types of performances.
Such training lays the ground work for courtiers to work magic with their song and poetry. At will, the character can conduct a performance that can serenade creatures with a potential prurient interest (as a charm person spell) or quiet savage beasts (as a sleep spell, but it only functions on ordinary and giant animals of 4 HD or less). These abilities require one minute (6 rounds) of performance and may not be used if combat has already begun.
Like other elves, courtiers gain a +1 bonus to surprise rolls when in the wilderness due to their attunement to nature. Elves have keen eyes that allow them to detect hidden and secret doors with a proficiency throw of 8+ on 1d20 when actively searching, or 14+ on casual inspection. Because of their connection to nature, elves are completely unaffected by the paralysis ghouls can inflict, and the target values for all their saving throws versus Petrification/Paralysis and Spells are reduced by 1. Elves can speak the Common, Elven, Gnoll, Hobgoblin, and Orc languages.
When an elven courtier reaches 9th level (Lord), he is expected to establish a fastness in a natural setting, such as a forest or glen, to further his family’s lineage. A total of 3d6x10 1st level elven NPCs will move in to help with it and defend the fastness at no cost to the character. A courtier’s elven fastness follows all the rules for elven fastnesses detailed in the Elven Fastnesses section of Chapter 7 of ACKS.
When an elven courtier reaches 10th level, he may begin to research spells, scribe magical scrolls, and brew potions.
Elven Courtier Proficiency List: Apostasy, Beast Friendship, Combat Trickery (Disarm, Sunder), Command, Divine Blessing, Divine Health, Eavesdropping, Fighting Style, Healing, Laying on Hands, Leadership, Loremastery, Magical Engineering, Military Strategy, Mystic Aura, Naturalism, Passing Without Trace, Performance, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Quiet Magic, Riding, Righteous Turning, Sensing Power, Skirmishing, Swashbuckling, Unflappable Casting, Wakefulness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus
First Level Divine Spells
| 1 | Command Word enc |
| 2 | Cure Light Wounds |
| 3 | Detect Magic |
| 4 | Fellowship enc |
| 5 | Sanctuary |
Second Level Divine Spells
| 1 | Augury |
| 2 | Bless |
| 3 | Delay Poison |
| 4 | Hold Person enc |
| 5 | Shimmer |
Third Level Divine Spells
| 1 | Cure Disease |
| 2 | Prayer |
| 3 | Protection from Nor. Missiles |
| 4 | Remove Curse* |
| 5 | Striking |
Fourth Level Divine Spells
| 1 | Cure Serious Wounds |
| 2 | Dispel Magic |
| 3 | Hold Monster |
| 4 | Neutralize Poison |
| 5 | Tongues |
Fifth Level Divine Spells
| 1 | Commune |
| 2 | Quest* enc |
| 3 | Restore Life and Limb |
| 4 | Strength of Mind* |
| 5 | True Seeing |
M Blackburn: A Writer's Journey 