96
ThMPLARS OF THE SILVER FLAME
The Church of the Silver Flame includes three orders
of clergy: ministers who tend congregations, friars who
spread the faith, and templars who fight evil in the flesh.
Yo ur group has been ordained as templars and sent into
war against the forces of evil.
As templars of the Silver Flame, you have distinctive
silver tabards to wear over your other clothing or armor.
You also have the privilege of using a knightly honorific
before your name (typically "sir" or "lady"), and you are
immediately recognized as a knight, an agent of the
church, and effectively a lesser member of Thrane's
aristocracy. This status guarantees the good will of
members of the church and citizens of Thrane, but
carries less weight and might even provoke animosity
outside Thrane.
Hierarchy. The order of the Templars of the Silver
Flame is represented on the Council of Cardinals that
serves as the governing body of Thrane and the church.
Seven commanders govern the knights of the order un
der the Grand Master's leadership: one for each of the
Five Nations of old, one for foreign lands, and one for
the seas. Their assistants carry the title of marshal, but
no real division of rank exists beneath them.
Knights templar are free to wander the world in pur
suit of the order's aims. When leaving the jurisdiction
of one commander and entering that of another, it is a
knight's responsibility to promptly report to the com
mander of the new area, in case that commander has
a pressing need for a knight to perform a mission. The
commanders try to keep each other informed about
where knights are operating and what they are doing,
but this system works better in some places-and be
tween some commanders-than others.
Allies. The other two orders of the Church of the
Silver Flame's clergy-ministers and friars-staunchly
support the knights templar. Even when there is rivalry
among the leaders of these orders and other officials
of the church, the rank and file members support each
other regardless of order. You can count on these clergy
to help you secure spellcasting services, and to offer you
other material aid within reason.
Enemies. Since the order of knights templar is sworn
to exterminate supernatural evil, such creatures are
always hostile when they recognize a knight templar.
The following groups and creatures viciously oppose the
templars of the Silver Flame:
Fiends and Undead. Unnatural beings loathe templars,
as they represent everything these foul creatures
despise-light, life, hope, and good. These menaces
sometimes go to great lengths to trap and destroy tem
plars, and fiends take particular pleasure in corrupt
ing the faithful to evil.
Lycanthropes. All types and alignments of lycan
thropes have a particular hatred for the Church of the
Silver Flame, thanks to the crusade that nearly exter
minated their kind over a century ago. Shifters are
uncomfortable with the templars for the same reason.
The Order of the Emerald Claw. Tied as it is to the
Blood of Vol and the worship of the undead, the Order
of the Emerald Claw opposes the Church of the Silver
Flame and its agents in the world.CHAPTER l I CHARACTER CREATIONPATRON BENEFITS
With a religious order as your group's patron, you gain
the following benefits:
Divine Service. In times of need, your group can appeal
to the priests of your faith for magical aid. A cleric or
druid of your faith who is of sufficiently high level will
cast any spell of up to 5th level on your group's behalf,
without charge. The priest even provides any costly
material components needed for the spell, so long as
you can demonstrate your need and are in good stand
ing with the church.
Equipment. Each member of your party has a holy
symbol or druidic focus, even if it isn't needed for
spellcasting. Each of you also has a book containing
prayers, rites, and scriptures of your faith.
Proficiencies. Each member of your party gains pro
ficiency in the Religion skill, if the character doesn't
already have it.BUILD YOUR GROUP
Religious orders attract people from all walks of life.
It can be fun to play against type-to make a devout
character with the criminal or charlatan background,
for example. Regardless of your origins, consider the
following roles for the characters in your party:
Fixer. The Fixer might work for a religious order for
entirely non-religious reasons. This character does
the order's dirty work and clears away its problems.
It's entirely possible for an entire party to be made
up of Fixers, but rogues and fighters are especially
well suited to this kind of work. Characters with the
criminal background excel at putting their skills and
contacts to use on the church's behalf.
Prophet. The Prophet is a visionary with a more-or
less direct connection to the divine. This character
might be the driving force behind the group's quests,
steering them according to divine will. Proficiency in
skills such as Insight and Religion can help reflect this
character's divine connection. The Prophet is often a
cleric or druid, but could also be an NPC with no real
adventuring skills, who needs the group's protection.
Scholar. The Scholar brings academic knowledge to
bear in the religious order's work, often in the form
of proficiency in History and Religion. This character
might be an expert on ancient ruins or know all the
weaknesses of the demons they are hunting. Charac
ters with access to divination magic (including clerics
with the Knowledge domains as well as wizards)
might excel at this role. Many Scholars come from the
sage background. Unlike the Prophet and Zealot, the
Scholar isn't necessarily devout, just knowledgeable.
Teacher. Those in this role spread the teachings of the
faith. This isn't usually an effort to win converts
though it can be, especially in the case of the Church
of the Silver Flame-but rather the task of encour
aging people to live according to the highest ideals
of faith. Proficiency in skills such as Persuasion (or
sometimes Intimidation) and Religion can be useful
for this character. Many clerics fill this role, but devout
bards can also be effective Teachers. Some Teachers
bring skills from the entertainer background into the
service of their faith.