Races of Wild

CHAPTER 5PRESTIGECLASSESIllus. by J. Zhang116Alissera Berothar,a champion of Corellona command hierarchy of sorts, and on rare occasions (a greatbattle, for instance) the champions assemble as an elite guard,serving as the armored heart of an elf army. In practice, achampion of Corellon never has to weigh the dictates of theorder against her personal responsibilities to her home, ruler,or family.A champion is welcome among any chapter she encountersin her travels and free to leave a chapter whenever her dutiesor desires lead her to move on.NPC ReactionsChampions of Corellon are indistinguishable from any otherelf fighters, at least in the eyes of nonelves, and thereforereceive much the same reaction from others. Those whowould be disposed to be friendly toward elves will likewisebe friendly to champions of Corellon Larethian, and thosewho regard elves as enemies certainly feel no differentlyabout champions of elf deities.If it is possible for an orc to hate an elf more than orcsgenerally hate elves, clerics of Gruumsh despise any cleric orservant of Corellon Larethian beyond all reason. Gruumshworshipers sometimes launch suicidal attacks in the hopeof killing a servant of Corellon.CHAMPION OF CORELLON LORECharacters with Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (nobilityand royalty) can research the champions of CorellonLarethian to learn more about them. When a character makesa skill check, read or paraphrase the following material,including the information from lower DCs.DC 10: “Some powerful elf lords or knights are dedicatedto the service of Corellon Larethian. They are known aschampions of Corellon.”DC 15: “Any large temple dedicated to CorellonLarethian is likely to be home to one or more champions.They are elite guards, agents, and troubleshooters forelven realms, often embarking on quests to advancecauses important to elves or defend the elven people.They don’t like to start fights, but when violencebecomes necessary you won’t find a more skillfulor determined opponent.”DC 20: “Champions of Corellon are highlyskilled swordmasters. Few can match their abilitywith the blade. They are expert melee fighters andoften wear heavier armor than most elves do. They possesssome paladinlike abilities and strive to be just, honorable,and courageous.”DC 30: Characters who achieve this level of success canlearn important details about specific chapters or championsin your campaign.Finding a champion of Corellon is not terribly difficult,provided one knows where to find a good-sized temple ofCorellon Larethian or an elf town or city. Once the PCshave found an appropriate site, they can establish contactwith a chapter of champions by making a DC 10 GatherInformation check. If, for some reason, they wish to meeta champion without going through elf intermediaries orwithout approaching the clerics of Corellon Larethian, theDC increases to 25. Elf PCs gain a +5 circumstance bonus onthese Gather Information checks.CHAMPIONS OF CORELLONIN THE GAMEAny elf warrior of sufficient skill might turn out to be achampion of Corellon Larethian. Champions of Corellonmake excellent NPC allies who might aid the PCs againsta threat the elves consider important, or the ruler of an elftown might be a champion herself.The great majority of champions are good. However, someembark on this path only to later fall into darkness or evil.Some allow their hatred for enemies or rivals of the elvenfolk to overcome them and become cold and remorselesskillers. Others are enamored by the lure of power and seekto rule over their fellows. Few elf realms are subject to thesame sort of bitter power struggles that often erupt in humankingdoms, but even elves are not immune to bitterly contestedsuccessions or clan rivalries, and an embittered ex-championis often at the heart of such trouble.