Seer[]
Description: A foreteller of the future and reader of omens, the Seer considers himself a conduit of the gods, superior to lesser mortals. The Seer undergoes rigorous training from an early age. He is left in the woods for days at a time, his limbs bound with vines, his eyes and ears covered with bark, to enhance his sensitivity to the natural world. Duels with wild animals sharpen his combat skills. Sips of herbal brews induce violent nightmares that harden his resistance to fear. His training complete, he begins an apprenticeship in the outworld, sharing his gifts with the unenlightened until his elders call him home.
Requirements: Standard.
Homeland Terrain: Any.
Role: Proud and arrogant, the Seer interprets signs and offers prophecies to help his party achieve their goals. He often expects to be pampered, and can become indignant if his companions show insufficient sympathy when he breaks his favorite weapon or falls ill. He tends to socialize with the higher-status members of his party (those of equal or higher level) and ignore the others. He may make little effort to conceal his contempt for the outworld.
The Seer attacks without hesitation on the battlefield, certain that his deities will protect him from serious harm. Wounds make him angry, increasing his determination to destroy any opponent who had the audacity to damage an agent of the gods.
Secondary Skills: Forester, Hunter, Lore master.
Weapon Proficiencies: Any, but he prefers melee weapons such as spiked clubs*, knives, and axes.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
- Required: Sooth saying*.
- Recommended: Blind-fighting, Direction Sense, Leadership*, Religion.
Economic System: Both simple barter and animal products barter.
Wealth Options: The Seer begins with 2d4 gp worth of animal products or tradable goods. As a gift from his elders, he also receives 1d4 small ornamental stones (DM's choice) with a total value less than 100 gp.
Armor and Equipment: A Seer begins with padded armor. He also begins with a set of fetich sticks, 13 small rods of wood bearing carvings of human faces, given to him by his elders. The fetich sticks are wrapped in lizard skin, the package tucked inside a leather strap the Seer wears around his waist or shoulder. If the Seer snaps one of the fetich sticks at dawn, he may increase his resistance to damage. Roll 1d20; on a roll of 1-19, he suffers only half damage from all forms of attack—including, weapons, poison, disease, natural disasters, and magic—for the next 2 hours. On a roll of 20, he suffers double damage from all attack forms for the next 6 hours.There is a delay of 1d2 rounds before the benefits or detriments are realized.
A Seer can use only one fetich stick per day. No one but the Seer may use a fetich stick.
The fetich stick set is intended as a one-time gift. Should the Seer desire another set, he may return to his homeland and petition his elders. If they approve, they will give him another set of 13 sticks. However, enchanting a replacement set requires an infusion of energy from the Seer; he must sacrifice one magical item and cast spell levels equal to his level to enchant the fetich sticks. The Seer may keep acquiring new sets as long as the elders approve. He may never receive a replacement until all of the sticks in the old set have been used or lost. At the DM's option, the Seer's elders may first require him to perform a heroic deed that shows his intimate relationship with the gods. The fetich sticks serve as the reward for this deed.
Spheres: Standard.
Talisman: A nganga branch, made of a small tree limb crudely carved in the shape of a man, with two bits of quartz for eyes and a snake skin for a loincloth.
Special Benefits[]
Identification: Once per day, a Seer can attempt to identify the remains of any creature or character. The remains may be an entire corpse or just a body part (bone, hair, skin, or blood); the age of the remains is irrelevant. Alternately, he may attempt to determine ownership of any weapon or object; the Seer will identify the last creature or character who possessed the item for at least a day.
To use this ability, the Seer touches the remains or item, concentrates for one round, then makes a Wisdom check. If the check fails, so does the identification attempt; the Seer learns nothing. If the check succeeds, the Seer sees an image of the character or creature in his mind. The image lingers for one round. If the Seer is unfamiliar with the character or creature, his companions may be able to provide details from the Seer's description.
Know Motivation: To use this ability, the Seer points at the subject and makes a Wisdom check. If the check succeeds, the Seer instantly knows the fundamental motivation of the subject; typical motivations include hunger, fear, greed, affection, and anger. The ability reveals the motivation in general terms only; the Seer may learn that a dragon is hungry, but not what it wants to eat. He may learn that a stranger is afraid, but not what he fears. This ability won't work on those whose minds are protected from detection by means of spells, magical items, or psionic powers. Nor will it work on mindless creatures (unthinking undead, slimes, most plants). A Seer can use this ability once per day.
Fear Immunity: The Seer is immune to all forms of fear.
Special Hindrances[]
Victory Ritual: Whenever a Seer completes a successful combat encounter—that is, an encounter in which his enemies have been killed, captured, or chased away—he must execute a victory ritual to express his appreciation to the gods. The DM determines when a ritual is appropriate. Normally, hunting and fishing encounters don't require victory rituals, nor do recreational matches or battles with mixed results.
The Seer selects a specific ritual at the beginning of his career from the following list. If he prefers, the DM may suggest a different ritual or allow the player to design one. Once the ritual is chosen, it never changes.
- The Seer takes a lock of hair, a tooth, a scrap of cloth, or other souvenir from at least one of the opponents who didn't escape or retreat. He displays these souvenirs on a shield, belt, or necklace for a least a day. (If all of the opponents were chased away, the Seer is excused from performing this ritual.)
- He marks the area where the battle occurred with a special tribal symbol, carved in a tree, chiseled in a boulder, or cut in the ground.
- He "purifies" the area where the battle occurred by sprinkling it with water or flower petals.
- He silently gives thanks to his gods for guiding his hand and giving him courage, a process taking at least 10 rounds.
The Seer must perform his victory ritual within an hour after the combat encounter ends. If he fails to do so, he may not use his special benefits or cast spells for the next 24 hours.
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