Charlatan Priest (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Charlatan priests have a gift for disguising their arcane magic as god-given divine magic, and in the use of divine scrolls, staves, and wands. They roam the lands as prophets of a new faith, using their power to convince the unfaithful of their misplaced loyalties in other gods and governments and to defeat those who oppose them.

Class Information

This is a prestige archetype. The charlatan priest is a wizard that fakes divine magic.

Prestige Class: Razmiran priest from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Paths of Prestige, along with the charlatan priest sorcerer archetype and False Casting from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Magic.

Build Classes: Wizard.

Role: The charlatan priest brings a message to the masses. She can sway onlookers in her favor and discredit divine authority.

Alignment: Any non-good. The charlatan priest works hard to study her faux clerical powers. The church hierarchy tries to control charlatan priests, tempting them with the riches a church career offers.

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills

The charlatan priest's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

A charlatan priest has all the class features of the wizard, except as noted.

Domain

A charlatan priest may select one of the following domains: Charm, Evil, Law, or Trickery. A charlatan priest gains the granted powers of that domain, using her arcane spellcaster level as her cleric level and her Intelligence modifier in place of her Wisdom modifier. She does not gain any domain spells from this domain. At 10th level, a charlatan priest may select a second domain from those listed above and may use the granted powers of that domain as well. This replaces arcane bond.

False Casting

A charlatan priest gains False Casting as a bonus feat, ignoring the prerequisites. She can use Intelligence instead of Charisma to use the Use Magic Device skill. This replaces Scribe Scroll.

When a charlatan priest uses a magic item or a spell-like ability to create a magical effect, she may add additional magic-seeming words and hand gestures to trick onlookers into believing she cast the spell herself. If using an item that is recognizable as a magical implement (such as a wand or ring), she can trick viewers into thinking she is just using the item as a focus component. Onlookers who have no ranks in Spellcraft have no knowledge of what is genuine spellcasting, and automatically believe the charlatan priest is casting a spell. If an onlooker attempts a Spellcraft check to identify the “casting,” her check is opposed by the charlatan priest's Bluff check. If she succeeds, she realizes the deception. If she fails, she believes the charlatan priest cast the spell. Regardless of the result of that opposed check, she uses the result of that Spellcraft check to identify the “spell” cast, except the DC is 20 + the spell’s level instead of 15 + the spell’s level.

Master of Lies (Ex)

At 2nd level a charlatan priest adds half her class level to any Bluff check made as part of a lie or deception. She can use Intelligence in place of Charisma for Bluff checks. In addition, whenever she is subject to a spell or special ability that can discern whether or not she is telling the truth, she is automatically aware of such magic. She is not immune to such spells or abilities, but she can choose to remain silent or avoid answering questions. Master of lies, false channel, first ritual, second ritual, third ritual, conversation, and true pretender replaces arcane school.

False Channel (Su)

Starting at 3rd level, a charlatan priest can channel positive energy to heal living creatures like a cleric, healing 1d6 points of damage. The amount healed increased to 2d6 at level 8 and by another d6 for every four levels after level eight. She can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier. The hit points healed by this ability are treated as temporary hit points, and last for 10 minutes per charlatan priest level. These hit points do not stack with themselves (although they do stack with those from cure spells cast using the first, second, and third ritual class feature). False channel cannot give more temporary hit points than the target has taken damage. This ability does not count for the purposes of meeting any prerequisites that call for the ability to channel energy.

First Ritual (Su)

At 4th level, a charlatan priest adds aid, bless and cure light wounds to her spell list and known spells as 2nd-level spells. Whenever she casts cure light wounds using this ability, the hit points healed are instead treated as temporary hit points that last 10 minutes per class level, although the subject of the spell does not notice this difference. Temporary hit points do not stack and the target cannot gain more temporary hit points this way than she has taken damage.

Whenever a charlatan priest uses False Casting to cast a 0- or 1st-level spell on the cleric spell list, she receives a +10 circumstance bonus on any opposed Bluff check made when casting the spell. In addition, the charlatan priest gains False Focus as a bonus feat if she fulfills the prerequisites.

By using a divine focus as part of casting, you can cast any spell with a material component costing the value of that divine focus (maximum 100 gp) or less without needing that component. For example, if you use a silver holy symbol worth 25 gp, you do not have to provide material components for an arcane spell if its components are worth 25 gp or less. The casting of the spell still provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. If the spell requires a material component that costs more than the value of the divine focus, you must have the material component on hand to cast the spell, as normal.

Second Ritual (Su)

At 6th level, a charlatan priest adds cure moderate wounds, remove disease and spiritual weapon to her spell list and known spells as 3rd-level spells. As with the first ritual, any hit points gained from cure wounds spells are temporary hit points. Finally, whenever a charlatan priest uses False Casting to cast a spell on the cleric spell list up to third level, she receives a +10 circumstance bonus on any opposed Bluff check made when casting the spell.

Third Ritual (Su)

At 9th level, a charlatan priest adds cure serious wounds and prayer to her spell list and known spells as 4th-level spells. As with the first ritual, any hit points gained from cure wounds spells are temporary hit points. Finally, whenever a charlatan priest uses False Casting to cast a spell on the cleric spell list up to fifth level, she receives a +10 circumstance bonus on any opposed Bluff check made when casting the spell.

Conversion (Su)

At 14th level, the charlatan priest can use her own magic to power spell completion and spell trigger items that uses divine spells. She expends a charlatan priest spell slot that is at least 1 level higher than the level of the spell she’s trying to activate, then makes a Use Magic Device check. If she succeeds, the item’s spell occurs and the item or charge is not expended. If she fails, nothing happens. Whether she succeeds or fails, her spell slot is expended.

Also, whenever a charlatan priest heals himself using cure spells or false channel, the effect heals damage instead of granting temporary hit points. Others affected by the same use of the ability get the normal effect.

True Pretender (Su)

At 20th level, a charlatan priest attains true power. Whenever she uses false channel, she can spend two uses of that ability to heal damage to all living creatures in the area, instead of granting temporary hit points. In addition, when determining what spell trigger and spell completion magic items she can use, she acts as though all cleric spells were on her spell list. This makes it so that she does not need to make a Use Magic Device skill check when using such items, but she must still make Bluff skill checks when using False Casting with such spells.

Table: Charlatan Priest

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Cantrips, domain, False Casting	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Master of lies	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	False channel 1d6	4	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	First ritual	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus feat	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Second ritual	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	—	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	False channel 2d6	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Third ritual	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Bonus Feat	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	False Domain (second)	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	False channel 3d6	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Greater leadership (+1 level)	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Conversion	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Bonus feat	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	False channel 4d6	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	—	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	—	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	—	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	True pretender, false channel 5d6	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

The text in this article is Open Game Content. It is covered by the Open Game License v1.0a, rather than the Action copyright. To distinguish it, these items will have this notice. If you see any page that contains OGL material and does not show this license statement, please contact one of the Action administrators. Please note that images used in article may have different copyright than the text.