Covenant rules and rewards

Covenant Magic

Nearly all cultures tell of mortals who make costly bargains to obtain the aid of otherworldly spirits, learning the secrets of their power and partaking of their very essence. These rituals, usually performed in secret, were rarely recorded until now.

Covenants

Covenants are bargains struck between mortals and spirits, allowing the mortal to gain some aspect of the spirit’s power in exchange for something that the spirit desires. Each covenant grants a supernatural ability unless noted otherwise. Also unless noted otherwise, the save DC of each ability is equal to 10 + 1/2 patron’s Hit Dice + patron’s Charisma modifier. The caster level of covenant abilities that emulate spells is equal to the patron’s caster level for spell-like abilities (or its Hit Dice, if it has no spell-like abilities). However, because a covenant relies on a distant spirit’s power to maintain, the mortal can have only one instance of any non-instantaneous, non-permanent ability active at one time. A new use of the ability ends any previous ability he has active.

Cost: Entering into a covenant is a two-step process. Any mortal (referred to as “the supplicant” below) can enter into a covenant if he can take the appropriate feat and provide the required components. No spellcasting ability is required.

First, the supplicant must purify himself in a special ceremony and take the appropriate Covenant Supplicant feat (described below). If the mortal is a medium attempting to form a permanent version of the covenant granted by his influence with a patron from within his influence, he need not take the feat.

Second, the supplicant must make a ritual offering, most commonly of wealth, to the patron of the

covenant. Fey and outsider patrons in particular appreciate offerings of gold and treasure of a useful

or valuable sort. The offering ritual takes 1 hour to perform. The offering required is based upon the grade of the covenant, as indicated below. If the patron is offering the covenant as part of a spell or bargain with a gp cost, such as lesser planar ally, subtract the cost of the spell or bargain from the cost of the covenant (but not from the cost of the purification ceremony required to take the feat).

• Least: 250 gp per Hit Die of the patron (ex: art, coins, rare spices, potions, minor scrolls).

• Minor: 500 gp per patron HD (ex: art, uncommon jewels, minor wands, major scrolls).

• Major: 1,000 gp per patron HD (ex: rare jewels, minor permanent magic items).

• Greater: 2,000 gp per patron HD (ex: exquisite nonmagical treasures, medium magic items).

• Superior: 4,000 gp per patron HD (ex: major magic items).

Both the cost of the ritual offering and the cost of the purification ritual (see individual feats) must be paid for the covenant to be successful.

Covenant Supplicant Feats

The following feats can be selected by any character or creature willing to make the additional sacrifices (monetary, roleplaying, or otherwise) necessary to make a covenant with an otherworldly source. Characters with the medium class have the option to make a trance covenant permanent through their influence class ability do not need to take the feats below.

Least Covenant Supplicant

Through rigorous occult study, spiritual devotion, or sheer desperation, you have readied your soul to enter into a covenant with a spirit by paying the appropriate cost.

Prerequisites: Must perform a purification ritual taking 8 uninterrupted hours and requiring rare incense, oils, herbs, and other costly components worth 300 gp.

Benefit: You can form one least covenant with a spirit. If you are a medium, you may form covenants outside your influence. You must still pay the cost of the covenant. In addition, so long as you do not have a covenant associated with this feat, fey, outsiders and undead with an Intelligence of 6 or higher have their starting attitudestoward you improved by one step.

Special: You can gain this feat more than once. Each time, you may make an additional covenant. You cannot gain the same covenant more than once, although you may form multiple covenants with the same patron.

Normal: You cannot form covenants unless you are a medium. A medium can only form covenants that he can simulate with his trance.

Least Covenants

• Dark Arcana I: You can use a 1st-level arcane spell as a spell-like ability 3/day.

• Diabolic Assistant: Gain a fiendish, resolute, or similar servant from the summon monster list that

you can summon 1/hour.

• Elemental Weapon: Your melee and ranged weapon attacks deal energy damage.

• Frightful Violence: Cause enemies caught unprepared by your attacks to become shaken.

• Gift of Glory I: Gain a +2 enhancement bonus to an ability score or two.

• Gift of Skill I: Gain a moderate competence bonus on three skills.

• Heavenly Blade: Create a magic sword of pure justice.

• Imbued Armor I: Add lesser magical enhancements to a suit of armor you own.

• Seelie Friendship: Gain an ally from the summon nature’s ally list that you can summon 1/hour.

• Spell Secrets I: Gain a bonus 1st-level spell known and spell slot; at 13 patron HD, gain another of 2nd level.

• Stolen Heart: Charm person 3/day, permanently if the target has fewer than half patron’s HD.

• Stone Fist: Your fists become living stone.