BelovedOfSehanine

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System: This prestige class, known as Unicorn Riders to anyone who does not succeed at a DC15 Knowledge (religion) check, is functionally the same as the Beloved Of Valarian prestige class from the Book of Exalted Deeds with the following differences:

'System': This prestige class, known as Unicorn Riders to anyone who does not succeed at a DC15 Knowledge (religion) check, is functionally the same as the Beloved Of Valarian prestige class from the Book of Exalted Deeds with the following differences.

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The Worship of Sehanine

In the BrightWorld? of the ShinyWorld campaign, elven worship is primarily based around Corellon and the Seldarine seen largely as his subordinate deities and worshipped as a pantheon as a whole. Some divine spellcasters might draw their power from the Seldarine but it is almost unheard of to have a divine spellcaster calling directly on one of the Seldarine other than Corellon.

The exception to this rule is the worship of Sehanine who has her own order and secluded temples. However, the relative weakness of Sehanine in this world has led to her being unable to generally grant high level spells to her priests.

In the BrightWorld?, Sehanine is deeply tied to the natural order, the moon and the night. Her sacred animals are Owls, Stags and Unicorns and these are commonly seen within the groves and temples that are dedicated to her.

Temples to Sehanine are never found within elven towns in the BrightWorld? and instead are found deep in the forests. In secluded groves in the forest, beautiful temples are raised and here is where many of the few devotees of the goddess live and in seclusion, obedient to the dictates of their lady. In temples to Sehanine, chastity is expected even from those who have not taken vows of chastity and so those who do not wish to abide by this rule seldom live there.

The Beloved of Sehanine are an order who directly worship her and these are split into three.

Dedicated of Sehanine – an elf who wears the holy symbol of Sehanine. Often these are planning to become Beloved of Sehanine. They do not live in the temple but may travel there regularly to make their devotions. Most dedicated are rangers or druids but fighters and bards are not unknown.
Beloved of Sehanine / Unicorn Riders – these are the most reclusive of the order, and the best known of the Beloved. All Unicorn Riders live within the temple grounds with their unicorn companions although many will travel and wander throughout the forests. Any seeking closer union with Sehanine will likely go down this route, some stay as a Unicorn Rider for millennia (sheltering from aging under the bright gaze of their unicorn friend), others do so for mere decades before leaving to join the priesthood.
Beloved of Sehanine / Priest of Sehanine – A Unicorn Rider who has requested release from his vow of chastity and ended his bond with his unicorn companion, he remains part of the Order and remains known within it as Beloved of Sehanine. However, outside of the Order he is generally known as a Priest of Sehanine. Due to the requirement for chastity nearly all Priests leave the temples at this point in their lives and live normal elven lives either in the town, in the temples of Corellon or the Seldarine or in one of the Druid Groves.

A Unicorn Rider who goes down this route is still known as a Beloved of Sehanine inside the Order but outside it they tend to be known as Priests of Sehanine. Nearly all progress as Clerics or Paladins after this point. It is incredibly rare for a cleric or paladin of Sehanine to exist who has not spent at least some time in the Unicorn Riders and so the Priests of Sehanine are especially skilled with weapons for priests although none have the potent clerical spells that a Priest of Corellon might wield.
A Unicorn Rider who breaks his vow rather than requests release loses access to all Supernatural and Spell like abilities and his spells as a Beloved of Sehanine. He is known as one Lost to Sehanine. He can complete an atonement quest to recover his abilities or, technically, trade in his levels of Beloved of Sehanine for Blackguard levels.

Beloved of Sehanine

The character need not be female (although most are and makes are rare). Female unicorn riders tend to ride male unicorns and male ones tend to ride female unicorns.
Must be a worshipper of Sehanine Moonbow and have worn her holy symbol for at least a year.
The requirement to meditate in a druid's grove is changed to meditating in a temple or grove dedicated to Sehanine until she has the chance to do a deed of good.

Abilities: The Beloved of Sehanine tends to be less solitary than the Beloved of Valarian, being, as they are, an organised religious order. As such, she does not get quite so strong an understanding of the woodlands as they do, instead they get powers reminiscent of the moon that they venerate:

The ability Woodland Knowledge becomes known as "Moonlit Wanderer". It is otherwise the same.
The ability "Nature's Understanding" becomes known as "Moonlit Insight". It is otherwise the same.

Leaving the Order: The vows that a Unicorn Rider makes are binding but elven life times are long and a Unicorn Rider’s lifespan is suspended for their time in the order. Sehanine is not herself opposed to procreation and many Unicorn Riders decide after a century or two that their life has moved on and that they wish to progress with their lives.

A Unicorn Rider, of at least 2nd level, who decides to do this must bid a formal farewell to their Unicorn companion and pray to Sehanine to release them from their bond and vow. If the goddess is willing to grant this, then a soft nimbus of moonlight appears around them (in game terms, they exchange their Vow of Chastity feat for the Nimbus of Light feat). From this moment onwards they cannot gain further levels in the prestige class but can freely take levels in either cleric or, if their alignment is lawful, paladin.
A Beloved of Sehanine who asks to be released from their vow and, has this granted, retains their abilities and spells although some are changed:

“Call Unicorn” becomes “Call Moon Friend”: replaced by a Celestial Owl (owl with the celestial template) familiar as a wizard. This familiar gains power as if they were a wizard of the level of the sum of their wizard, sorcerer, cleric & Beloved levels.
“Call Celestial Charger” becomes “Call Moon Steed”: Gains a Celestial Stag (abilities as a light warhorse with a horn attack that does 1d6 damage and the celestial template) mount as if they were a paladin. This mount gains power as if they were a paladin of the level of the sum of their paladin, cleric & Beloved levels.
Telepathic Bond (this ability is replaced with the ability to speak telepathically with their familiar and warstag. They retain the ability to communicate with woodland animals).
“Timelessness” becomes “Timeless Body” (the Beloved starts ageing again as if she was the same physical age as when she first bonded with a Unicorn). However, their long supernatural bond with a quasi-immortal being means that their body remains touched with the same agelessness and they gain the Timeless Body ability as if they were a 15th level Druid. However, they do start to accumulate ageing bonuses and they will die of old age.

Example Beloved of Sehanine

Artuil Gladesong – starting Unicorn Rider – Level 9 - Wizard 1, Ranger 7, Beloved of Sehanine 1. Base Attack: +8, Highest Level of Spells: 1 (as Ranger, Beloved and Wizard). Caster Levels: Wizard 1, Ranger 3, Beloved of Sehanine 1.
Daieruil Moonshadow – elder Unicorn Rider – Level 18 - Wizard 1, Ranger 7, Beloved of Sehanine 10. Base Attack: 17, Highest Level of Spells: 4 (1st as Wizard, 1st as Ranger and 4th as Beloved). Caster Levels: Wizard 1, Ranger 3, Beloved of Sehanine 10.
Tilurie Yarrowstar – elder Priest who found love after centuries and maintained his martial training – Level 20 - Wizard 1, Ranger 7, Beloved of Sehanine 6, Paladin 6. Base Attack: +19, Highest Level of Spells: 4th (1st as Wizard, 4th as Beloved, 1st as Paladin). Caster Levels: Wizard 1, Ranger 3, Beloved 6, Cleric 3. Has a Celestial owl familiar as a 13th level wizard, a celestial stag mount as a 12th level paladin and an animal companion as a 3rd level druid.
Yalara Riverstar – just taken his vow as a Priest – Level 13 - Wizard 2, Druid 8, Beloved of Sehanine 2, Cleric 1. Base Attack: +15, Highest Level of Spells: 4th (1st as Wizard, 4th as Druid, 1st as Beloved and 1st as Cleric). Caster Levels: Wizard 1, Beloved 2, Druid 8, Cleric 1, Beloved of Sehanine 2. Has a Celestial owl familiar as a 5th level wizard and an animal companion as an 8th level druid.
Yalara Riverstar – when an elder Priest of Sehanine – Level 20 - Wizard 2, Druid 8, Beloved of Sehanine 2, Cleric 8. Base Attack: +14, Highest Level of Spells: 4th (1st as Wizard, 4th as Druid, 4th as Cleric). Caster Levels: Wizard 1, Beloved 4, Druid 8, Cleric 8, Beloved of Sehanine 2. Has a Celestial owl familiar as a 12th level wizard and an animal companion as an 8th level druid.

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