From: MVS104@psuvm.psu.edu
Date: 26 Mar 92 22:20:08 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: AD&D2 new class: for humans only

The Adept: the multi-class version of a human.
Ability Requirements: Str 13, Int 14, Wis 12
Prime requisite: Intelligence
Races allowed: Human only.

Adepts can wear armor, up to chain mail (AC 5), and may not use shields. They may use any weapon, but may not specialize. They can use almost any magic item usable by mages and clerics, with a few exceptions.

Abilities: they have the fighter abilities of exceptional strength and the constituition bonuses of fighters. At 1st level, they may cast spells from both mage and cleric spell lists, gaining spells for each. Although they can specialize in a school of magic and a sphere of cleric spells, they can continue to use spells from opposing schools. However, they gain no Wisdom- bonus spells. They often combine the two specialties into one broad area of expertise, such as healing\necromancer or combat\invoker. Priest specialties are usually not in some limited spheres such as astral or creation, as there are not very many spells to be specialized in. There are no wild mage or elementalist adepts.

The main drawback to all this is that they can only cast spells from one school and sphere each, which are announced at 1st level, and must be the adept's specialties. Adepts study for both their mage and cleric spells, having spellbooks for each. They gain both types by the mage progression table on p.30 of the PHB. They gain a set of mage spells and a set of cleric spells (giving a maximum of four spells, two each, to a 1st level adept).

As adepts gain weapon profciencies, as a fighter, they gain new spheres or schools with them, one for every new weapon prof. gained. In addition, they may use nonweapon proficiency slots to learn more. Although they cannot specialize in a weapon, they can fight with two, at the standard penalties. They cannot turn or command undead, other than what they animate themselves.

Level data follows.

level   hit dice (d8)   xps        proficiencies: initially 2\4
1       1               0           1\1 additional at level 3 multiples
2       2               3000
3       3               6000       alignment: must be NG, N, or NE.
4       4               12,000
5       5               25,000
6       6               50,000
7       7               90,000
8       8               150,000
9       9               250,000
10+     +2 hp\lvl.      +300,000\lvl.

The fact that adepts acquire cleric spells independently of a deity often disillusions them to religion, and earns the enmity of priests of the faith, who consider adepts sacrilegious or blasphemous. Since the gods let adepts live in the world, this prejudice would seem unfounded. How adepts learn priest spells is unknown, but it is speculated that a god who has no demands or some other power grants the spells or the power in the written formulae in adepts' spellbooks.

A selection of priest spells work differently or not at all for adepts. All of their priest spells lack religious components, such as holy items as material components. The spells noted as changed thus far are noted: combine: only works with other adepts, but it extends to mage spells. imbue w\spell ability: extends to mage spells. non-functional: augury, divination, atonement, commune, magic font, quest, forbiddance, exaction, and holy word.

Adepts can research spells for both types of spells. Their priest spells are written down in a special written language, called Denarian (the source of the name is reputed to be either a nation's or a man's). All adepts must take this language (read, write, and speak costs one slot). Its knowledge is guarded and kept to non-adepts. Mages and priests cannot decipher the written or spoken form, either with magic or without, and divine intervention has not helped. Protective magic placed on adepts in training prevents any attempt to reveal its knowledge. It can only be taught.

Adepts, being shunned when revealed to the religious, pass themselves off as dual-class fighter mages or half-elves, and may even dress as a priest if needed. The religion nonweapon proficiency tends to be useful. Other than religion-oriented items, they can make almost any enchanted item, and can usually simulate such effects well enough to deceive religious types. They can use almost anything that doesn't get too picky about who uses it.