Some spirits demonstrate
their devotion to their deity by traveling to the deity’s home plane. Those
that survive the journey across the planes become servants of their deity. While
a few may remain disembodied spirits, most become petitioners through the divine
will of their patron deity.
In general, petitioners
appear in the form that they had when they died, though they may be remade by
deities to fit the nature of their particular afterlife. In general, petitioners
who become divine servants are creatures that originally had at least 1
Intelligence and 1 Wisdom.
The following creature types
may become petitioners depending on the deity: aberrations, animals, dragons,
fey, giants, humanoids, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, and plants, oozes,
and vermin with sufficient ability scores. Constructs and undead are not usually
made into petitioners, though the spirits of their original forms may be.
Elementals and outsiders tend to meld with their native planes, and as such do
not become petitioners. Their spirits may still be called back from the dead,
however.
The template presented below
is for NPCs, not player characters. If dead characters who are petitioners are
later restored to life (once again becoming player characters), they forget any
of their experiences as petitioners.
“Petitioner” is a
template that may be added to any creature as determined by the nature of the
campaign (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature’s type
changes to outsider, and the creature uses all the base creature’s statistics
and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: Change
to 2d8. Retain bonus hit points.
AC:
Natural Armor Class, Dexterity, and size bonuses or penalties apply. Armor
bonuses are not applicable.
Attacks:
Base attack bonus is reduced to +2, subject to modifications for size and
Strength.
Special Attacks:
A petitioner loses all supernatural and spell-like attacks, but retains normal
and exceptional attacks.
Special Qualities:
A petitioner loses all supernatural and spell-like abilities, but retains
exceptional abilities. In addition, it gains the following qualities.
Mental Immunity: All
petitioners are immune to mind-affecting effects.
Other Immunities: Depending
on its nature, the petitioner is immune to two of the following effects: acid,
cold, electricity, fire, poison, petrifaction, or polymorphing. These immunities
are applied similarly to all petitioners of a particular plane or deity.
Resistances:
Depending on the nature of the petitioner’s plane, the petitioner gains
resistance 20 against two of the following effects: acid, cold, electricity, or
fire.
Planar Commitment: Petitioners
cannot leave the plane they inhabit. They are teleported one hundred miles in a
random direction if an attempt is made to force them to leave.
Additional Special
Qualities: Particular planes may
provide additional benefits for petitioners of those planes. Typical additional
special qualities may include any one of the following.
• Damage reduction
5/silver and spell resistance 5.
• Continuous magic circle
against evil.
• Fast healing 1.
• Damage reduction
10/magic.
• Spell resistance 10.
• Additional 2d8 Hit Dice.
• Remove all immunities
and resistances except immunity to mind-affecting effects. Add acid, cold,
electricity, fire, and poison resistance 5.
Such modifications are the
result of the nature of the plane or the powerful beings within it.
Saves:
Base saving throw bonuses are +3.
Abilities:
Same as the base creature. Some cosmologies or deities may set a maximum of 18
for petitioner ability scores. Abilities higher than that are reduced to the
maximum.
Skills: Petitioners
have no skills. Previous skills are lost.
Feats: Petitioners
have no feats. Previous feats are lost.
Climate/Terrain:
Any land and underground (within the same plane).
Organization: Same
as the base creature.
Challenge Rating:
1.
Treasure:
None.
Alignment: Same
as the native plane.
Advancement: None.
The deities may choose
particular servants for specific tasks that may retain the knowledge of their
previous selves. These exceptional petitioners retain the feats and skills they
had in life, but are otherwise limited as for the petitioners of their plane.