Page 97 - Eberron -Rising from the Last War_Neat

ThMPLARS OF THE SILVER FLAME PATRON BENEFITS
The Church of the Silver Flame includes three orders With a religious order as your group's patron, you gain
of clergy: ministers who tend congregations, friars who the following benefits:
spread the faith, and templars who fight evil in the flesh. Divine Service. In times of need, your group can appeal
Your group has been ordained as templars and sent into to the priests of your faith for magical aid. A cleric or
war against the forces of evil. druid of your faith who is of sufficiently high level will
As templars of the Silver Flame, you have distinctive cast any spell of up to 5th level on your group's behalf,
silver tabards to wear over your other clothing or armor. without charge. The priest even provides any costly
You also have the privilege of using a knightly honorific material components needed for the spell, so long as
before your name (typically "sir" or "lady"), and you are you can demonstrate your need and are in good stand­
immediately recognized as a knight, an agent of the ing with the church.
church, and effectively a lesser member of Thrane's Equipment. Each member of your party has a holy
aristocracy. This status guarantees the good will of symbol or druidic focus, even if it isn't needed for
members of the church and citizens of Thrane, but spellcasting. Each of you also has a book containing
carries less weight and might even provoke animosity prayers, rites, and scriptures of your faith.
outside Thrane. Proficiencies. Each member of your party gains pro­
H i erarchy. The order of the Templars of the Silver ficiency in the Religion skill, if the character doesn't
Flame is represented on the Council of Cardinals that already have it.
serves as the governing body of Thrane and the church.
Seven commanders govern the knights of the order un­ BUILD YO R GROUP
U
der the Grand Master's leadership: one for each of the Religious orders attract people from all walks of life.
Five Nations of old, one for foreign lands, and one for It can be fun to play against type-to make a devout
the seas. Their assistants carry the title of marshal, but character with the criminal or charlatan background,
no real division of rank exists beneath them. for example. Regardless of your origins, consider the
Knights templar are free to wander the world in pur­ following roles for the characters in your party:
suit of the order's aims. When leaving the jurisdiction
of one commander and entering that of another, it is a Fixer. The Fixer might work for a religious order for
knight's responsibility to promptly report to the com­ entirely non-religious reasons. This character does
mander of the new area, in case that commander has the order's dirty work and clears away its problems.
a pressing need for a knight to perform a mission. The It's entirely possible for an entire party to be made
commanders try to keep each other informed about up of Fixers, but rogues and fighters are especially
where knights are operating and what they are doing, well suited to this kind of work. Characters with the
but this system works better in some places-and be­ criminal background excel at putting their skills and
tween some commanders-than others. contacts to use on the church's behalf.
Allies. The other two orders of the Church of the Prophet. The Prophet is a visionary with a more-or­
Silver Flame's clergy-ministers and friars-staunchly less direct connection to the divine. This character
support the knights templar. Even when there is rivalry might be the driving force behind the group's quests,
among the leaders of these orders and other officials steering them according to divine will. Proficiency in
of the church, the rank and file members support each skills such as Insight and Religion can help reflect this
other regardless of order. You can count on these clergy character's divine connection. The Prophet is often a
to help you secure spellcasting services, and to offer you cleric or druid, but could also be an NPC with no real
other material aid within reason. adventuring skills, who needs the group's protection.
E n emies. Since the order of knights templar is sworn Scholar. The Scholar brings academic knowledge to
to exterminate supernatural evil, such creatures are bear in the religious order's work, often in the form
always hostile when they recognize a knight templar. of proficiency in History and Religion. This character
The following groups and creatures viciously oppose the might be an expert on ancient ruins or know all the
templars of the Silver Flame: weaknesses of the demons they are hunting. Charac­
ters with access to divination magic (including clerics
Fiends and Undead. Unnatural beings loathe templars, with the Knowledge domains as well as wizards)
as they represent everything these foul creatures might excel at this role. Many Scholars come from the
despise-light, life, hope, and good. These menaces sage background. Unlike the Prophet and Zealot, the
sometimes go to great lengths to trap and destroy tem­ Scholar isn't necessarily devout, just knowledgeable.
plars, and fiends take particular pleasure in corrupt­ Teacher. Those in this role spread the teachings of the
ing the faithful to evil. faith. This isn't usually an effort to win converts­
Lycanthropes. All types and alignments of lycan­ though it can be, especially in the case of the Church
thropes have a particular hatred for the Church of the of the Silver Flame-but rather the task of encour­
Silver Flame, thanks to the crusade that nearly exter­ aging people to live according to the highest ideals
minated their kind over a century ago. Shifters are of faith. Proficiency in skills such as Persuasion (or
uncomfortable with the templars for the same reason. sometimes Intimidation) and Religion can be useful
The Order of the Emerald Claw. Tied as it is to the for this character. Many clerics fill this role, but devout
Blood of Vol and the worship of the undead, the Order bards can also be effective Teachers. Some Teachers
of the Emerald Claw opposes the Church of the Silver bring skills from the entertainer background into the
Flame and its agents in the world. service of their faith.

96 CHAPTER l I CHARACTER CREATION