Prestige Classes

BOGE OF NOMOG-GEAYA

Galtai was one of many clerics of Nomog-Geaya who served in Drazen's Horde. Like other hobgoblins of authority, he acted as a war leader for the "lesser" goblinoid races, such as goblins and bugbears. On one fateful mission, he led a patrol deep into elven territory. His warband fought a series of running battles with the wood elves, and one by one his soldiers fell. Galtai returned to Drazen's territory alone, bloodied but unbowed. By chance he stumbled across a group of wood elves ambushing a goblin war party. He fell upon the elves from behind, killed several, and forced the rest to flee. The leader of the goblins, a cleric of Maglubiyet, congratulated Galtai on his success and then promptly tried to kill him, intending to take credit for the victory himself. Galtai slew the treacherous goblin and all his soldiers, but was grievously wounded in the process. Surrounded by piles of corpses and bleeding from multiple wounds, Galtai fell unconscious.

The next day, the hobgoblin stumbled into Drazen's camp, alive against all odds. The god Nomog-Geaya had sustained him, he claimed, and given him new orders to impart to the hobgoblin people. If the hobgoblins carried out these five directives, the great god would appear before them and reveal his last order. Galtai didn't know what that might be, but he was sure it would herald a new age for all hobgoblins.

Galtai's story spread like wildfire. Drazen, certain that the cleric's appearance was a sign of impending victory for his troops, summoned Galtai to his tent, along with a trusted cadre of war leaders, clerics, and adepts. In the hushed confines of the warlord's tent, Galtai revealed Nomog-Geaya's five orders to the hobgoblin leaders:

  • * Arm yourselves with fire and steel. Any hobgoblin that can walk should bear steel at all times.

  • * Rally all hobgoblins tribes under my banner.

  • * Hunt elves and goblins wherever they may be. Smoke the goblins out of their warrens. Burn the elves out of their forests. Put any that survive to the sword.

  • * Sacrifice nothing to Nomog-Geaya except prisoners taken in battle. All such prisoners are to be burned.

  • * Honor no god above Nomog-Geaya.

Pandemonium ensued. Clerics of Maglubiyet screamed blasphemy, and the hobgoblin warlords accused Galtai of treason. Drazen, for his part, considered himself a likely candidate for the next exalted god of the hobgoblins, and he had no intention of risking defeat in battle by losing the support of the goblin legions under his command. He knew not what had led Galtai to make such impolitic statements, but he intended to stop the crazed cleric before he could sow dissent among the armies. Fixing Galtai with an icy stare, Drazen ordered him clapped into irons to await execution.

Galtai was to be executed the following morning in front of the assembled hobgoblin warriors of the horde as a lesson in loyalty. But by morning, only his manacles remained in his cell, even though the warlord's elite troops had guarded his prison all night long. The captain of the guard was executed in Galtai's stead, and search parties were sent out to find the renegade cleric. But a week of scouring the countryside turned up nothing.

Several months later, Galtai reappeared in the hobgoblin homeland, deep in the Southlands. How he had managed to cross the Blasted Desert and return home alone was a mystery, but he attributed his survival to the support of his god. Far from Drazen's Horde, which was still fighting in the north of the Sundered Empire, Galtai began to preach the word of Nomog-Geaya to the populace. Having learned his lesson in Drazen's tent, however, he chose not to reveal the five orders of Nomog-Geaya in public.

Thus far, Galtai has managed to amass quite a few followers, especially among hobgoblins who were too young to join Drazen's Horde. He has named his followers the Soldiers of the Last Order, and to these chosen alone he has revealed the five orders of Nomog-Geaya.

Galtai hopes that by the time word of the events in Drazen's tent reaches the Southlands, his hold over the tribes will be unbreakable. Then Drazen will have no choice but to accept the five orders and the primacy of Nomog-Geaya.

The boge of Nomog-Geaya is a prestige class for the leaders of the Soldiers of the Last Order. "Boge" is the ancient hobgoblin word for shaman, and Galtai has revived it as a title of honor for his lieutenants. Members of this prestige class combine divine power with martial training, and they strive to be exemplars of hobgoblin strength.

The boge are Galtai's most trusted followers. They recruit and organize new soldiers, then command them on the field of battle. Galtai will need such lieutenants if forced into a showdown with Drazen.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements

To qualify to become a boge of Nomog-Geaya, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Race: Hobgoblin.

Feats: Leadership, Weapon Focus (longsword).

Spellcasting: Ability to cast 3rd-level divine spells.

Class Skills

The boge of Nomog-Geaya's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Perform (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.


Table: The Boge of Nomog-Geaya

Level Base
Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save
Special Spellcasting
1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Master of steel +1 level of existing class
2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 +1 level of existing class
3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Bane (goblins) +1 level of existing class
4th +3 +4 +1 +4 +1 level of existing class
5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Master of fire +1 level of existing class
6th +4 +5 +2 +5 +1 level of existing class
7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Bane (elves) +1 level of existing class
8th +6 +6 +2 +6 +1 level of existing class
9th +6 +6 +3 +6 +1 level of existing class
10th +7 +7 +3 +7 Mantle of authority +1 level of existing class
Class Features

All of the following are class features of the boge of Nomog-Geaya prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Boge of Nomog-Geaya are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light, medium, and heavy armor.

Spellcasting: When a new boge of Nomog-Geaya level is gained, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus metamagic or item creation feats, improved chance of turning or rebuking undead, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. This essentially means that he adds the level of boge to the level of some other spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before he became a boge of Nomog-Geaya, he must decide to which class he adds each level of boge for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

Master of Steel (Ex): A boge of Nomog-Geaya trains intensively with the weapons of his deity - namely the longsword and the handaxe. While fighting with this weapon combination, a boge functions as if he had the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, whether or not he meets the prerequisites for it.

Bane (Su): Boge of Nomog-Geaya bear a special enmity toward goblins and elves and can focus their inner power to deliver mighty blows against such opponents. Beginning at 3rd level, a boge gains a bonus equal to his Charisma bonus (if any) on damage rolls when attacking a goblin with a melee weapon. At 7th level, he gains the same bonus when attacking an elf with a melee weapon.

Master of Fire (Su): At 5th level, a boge learns to channel divine fire through his weapons. As a free action, he can imbue both his longsword and his handaxe he wields with the flaming burst magic weapon ability. This effect lasts for up to 10 rounds per day. This duration need not be consecutive - the boge of Nomog-Geaya may break it up into increments as small as 1 round if he so desires. Ending the effect for one or both weapons is a free action. If the imbued weapon leaves the boge's hand, the effect ends.

Mantle of Authority (Su): At 10th level, a boge of Nomog-Geaya learns to channel a small amount of his deity's divine presence into himself. While touched by this godly energy, he gains a +4 bonus to his Wisdom and Charisma. This ability is usable three times per day, and each use lasts a number of rounds equal to 3 + the boge's newly improved Charisma modifier. However, use of this ability is draining, since containing even a small amount of divine energy takes extreme effort for a mortal. For 1 minute after the duration ends, the boge is fatigued (-2 to Strength, -2 to Dexterity, can't charge or run). This ability cannot be activated if the boge is already fatigued or exhausted.