D&D Classes

The moralist wing of the organized faiths of Zakhara are the heart and fire of their churches, the keepers of the true faith, the sword of their god's vengeance, and the protectors of their people. They are the most militant of god's worshipers as well as the most fervent, zealous in pursuing the goals of their personal faiths. At best, moralists cannot understand why anyone would choose not to share their beliefs. At their worst, they seek to convert others by fire and sword.

Most organized faiths have a moralist wing, or at least a few moralist individuals mixed in with the ethical hierarchy. Faiths that have a large number of moralist priests tend toward holy crusades and, on a national level, holy wars. The Priests of the Pantheon, for example, are heavily moralistic; as a result, the cities of the Pantheist League are the most repressive to other faiths.

Role: Moralists are the most zealous of all the Imams of Order. To many Zakharans, moralists are also the most dangerous. (Of course, to those who embrace compatible ideals, moralists can be charismatic role models.) Each moralist believes that his or her own faith is correct. While other Zakharans may be equally devout in their daily lives, few are as intolerant of other religious beliefs as the moralists. To moralists of a given faith, all correct actions are dictated by god, and all life is encompassed by the worship of god alone. While they accept pragmatists and ethoists of the same faith, they still look down upon them and are little more than civil. Priests from other faiths are openly disliked, as are mystics. Characters using strange magics - such as sha'irs, sahers, and ajami - are openly despised.

Unless sanctioned by the appropriate god, distractions of earthly concern are pronounced counterproductive, to be avoided at all costs. While moralists are permitted to go out among "ordinary" people, they may do so only when they have specific missions in mind, never for simple pleasure or relaxation. For example, a moralist might be told, "Preach the holy word among the people, and find out what those lazy ethoists in the next town are up to now."

A stern face and a closed mind are the hallmarks of moralists; lightheartedness and an easygoing attitude are not. To others, it often seems that they derive no joy from their faith, or perhaps that their only "pleasure" stems from attempting to remain joyless themselves while squelching the joy in others. Even actions encouraged by their god may be conducted in a grim and serious manner. For example, priests of an order of charity make sure that every dinar they give away is accompanied by a stiff lecture on self-worth. And moralist priests of an order of wine tend to be sullen drunks. Insobriety and devoutness might seem incongruous, but moralists can never go too far in the service of god; to them, excess in the name of faith is no sin.

Moralists are excellent and profuse record-keepers, since they feel they may be called upon to offer proof for anything they say or do. They are expected to communicate early and often with their higher-ups. That suits the more powerful moralists just fine.

Special Hindrances: Moralists are tightly tied to their hierarchies. An order from a higher-level moralist priest of the same faith is to be followed to the letter. Those who fail to do so are outcast from their church. Outcasts suffer a discipline crisis and lose all benefits from their church organization until they atone. Even after this effort, the formerly faithful are restored with the organizational benefits of ethoists of the faith, not, moralists.

Restrictions: Moralist Imams may be of any non-genie race, organized moralists of a given faith tend to be of a single homogeneous race. Similarly, moralist priests may be of either gender, but men and women are normally segregated, either in different buildings or even separate temples. Each tends to believe that god is of the same race, and that their race - whether human, elf, or otherwise - was created "in god's image." That image is rarely shown, however. Most moralist faiths, regardless of race, believe that any visual representation of a deity is an anathema. Such representations, they say, encourage idol worship, not the veneration of god's true spirit. Hence, while moralist dwarves believe that god is a dwarf, too, they never portray their deity as such (or in any manner, for that matter). To do so would be heresy.

Whatever their personal faith, moralists take vows of celibacy and chastity. Their lives are highly structured by the church. (For this reason, most are NPCs rather than PCs.)

Moralists must always be of a lawful alignment, though they can be good, neutral or (for NPCs) evil, as they desire.

Rules: Moralists function exactly as clerics. See PH, p 30. Like all Zakharan priests, moralists select one domain based on the deity they worship, and one domain for the type of creed they represent. As moralists, this is the Law domain.