Kelemvor, Lord of the Dead

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Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Domains: Fate (Luck), Law, Protection [Guardian], Repose, Travel.
Favored Weapon: Bastard Sword or Scythe

Kelemvor is the latest in a long line of Faerunian deities to command the forces of death and oversee the fate of the dead. Death has been the greatest constant throughout human history, but the way humans viewed this unavoidable force has changed considerably as different deities arose to oversee it. During the reign of the inscrutable Jergal, death and the afterlife held a great deal of mystery for the common person. Most feared what they did not know or understand. When Myrkul took the office of Lord of the Dead after Jergal tired of it, humanity’s worst fears were given form. Evil cultists reminded the living of the dead’s power and influence, which extended far beyond the grave. In those days the lines between dead and undead became blurred, and commoners knew that to be taken into Myrkul’s embrace was no protection from being raised by some demented necromancer. Things got worse when Myrkul was destroyed during the Time of Troubles and Cyric assumed the role, as the notoriously petty and flawed Black Sun seemed to offer not even the pale assurances of his forebears. Kelemvor, who assumed the mantle ten years after the Godswar, has taken a decidedly different approach.

If there truly were a Wall of the Faithless in the days before Kelemvor took the throne of the dead, there is one no more. The False — those who deceive or betray their faith — are still harshly judged, and commensurately punished, but Kelemvor’s judgement is fair, and unswerving. Those who called no faith their own in their mortal lives, but are not judged as False, dwell on in Kelemvor’s realm as His petitioners, some of whom become harbingers to guide other departing souls to their final rest.

Dogma: Death is part of life. It is not an ending but a beginning, nor a punishment but a necessity. Death is an orderly process without deceit, concealment, and randomness. Help others die with dignity at their appointed time and no sooner. Speak against those that would artificially prolong their life beyond natural limits, such as the undead. Do honor to the dead, for their strivings in life brought Faerun to where it is now. Forgetting them is to forget where we are now, and why. Let no human in all Faerun die a natural death without one of Kelemvor’s clerics at his side.

For Deific Obedience

Obedience: Collect small bones whenever it is convenient and respectful to do so. When it comes time to perform your obedience, lay out the bones on a clean cloth before you and engrave on them runes of repose and prayers for peaceful rest. Save them, and when you can, set these on the tombs and graves of those you come across as a prayer to their eternal rest. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on saving throws against necromancy and negative energy effects.

Boons
1: Gravewatcher (Sp) deathwatch 3/day, gentle repose 2/day, or blessing of the mole 1/day
2: Wrath to the Unrestful (Su) As a free action, you can grant the ghost touch weapon special ability to a weapon that you hold. If that weapon is not magical, it is considered magical while under the effect of this ability. This ability affects only weapons held in your hand; if you drop the weapon or give it away, the effect ends on that weapon. You can affect a weapon in this way a number of rounds each day equal to 1 + 1 for every 4 Hit Dice you possess (maximum 6 rounds). These rounds don’t need to be consecutive.
3: Death is No Bar to Me (Ex) You cling ferociously to life — you will go to The Crystal Spire when Kelemvor calls, but no sooner. Once per day, you can send yourself into a determined state that lasts for 1 minute. While in this determined state, you can fall to a number of negative hit points equal to 10 + your Constitution score before you die. If you drop to negative hit points while in this determined state, you can continue to act normally, and do not bleed each round due to taking actions. If your determined state ends while you still have a number of negative hit points equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you die instantly. If your determined state ends while you still have negative hit points, but the number of negative hit points is not equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you fall unconscious and gain the dying condition as normal.

Paladin Code

  • The dead have earned their peace. I shall see them put to rest with respect, and do my utmost to keep their graves and tombs honoured and undisturbed.
  • Should some force or custom insist on treating the graves of the passed as anything other than a place of quiet memorial, I shall do all in my power to end this practice.
  • The undead have stepped out of the natural order of life and death, and they threaten the sanctity of the grave. I shall seek to destroy them when possible, and keep them from the resting places of others.
  • Rituals, magic, and tortures that damage the soul undo the work of Kelemvor. I will bring swift judgement to those who use these methods, and seek to repair those who have fallen victim to these crimes.
  • Death is part of life. To run from death is only delaying the inevitable. I will not shy away from it when my time is come.
  • My soul cannot be bought for any price, as all souls go to Kelemvor in the end.

For Followers of Kelemvor

Archetypes and Alternate Class Features: Vampire Hunter† (Inquisitor), Fated Guide (Spiritualist), Hallowed Necromancer† (Wizard), Knight of the Eternal Order† (Paladin), Stoic Caregiver (Cleric)

Specialty Priest: Doomguide† (Cleric)

  • Must be lawful in alignment.
  • Bonus Feats: At 4th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, a Doomguide may choose a bonus feat from the following: Augment Channel, Blazing Channel, Channel Mastery, Channel Surge, Channeled Revival, Empower Channel, Enlarge Channel, Greater Channel, Improved Channel, Selective Channeling, Turn Undead. This replaces spontaneous casting.
  • Bond of Fatal Touch (Su): The doomguide’s devotion to Kelemvor and dedication to the teachings of the Lord of the Crystal Spire has helped him to establish certain supernatural links to Fatal Touch, Kelemvor’s powerful sword. These links manifest in the form of a pale green nimbus around the weapon. He may activate this ability by spending a daily use of his channeling ability. At 5th level, the bond grants wielded weapons the ghost touch property. At 10th level, weapons wielded by the doomguide gain both ghost touch and the undead bane properties. At 15th level, wielded weapons gain the ghost touch, undead bane, and disruption properties even if they are not bludgeoning weapons. The weapon’s normal abilities still apply. This connection lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Doomguide’s Charisma modifier (minimum 1) each time it is activated.
  • Save Bonus (Ex): At 6th level, Doomguides get a +4 bonus on saving throws against death effects and to saving throws to overcome a negative level. Upon reaching 12th level, a doomguide always makes his saving throw to overcome a negative level. This and Bond of Fatal Touch replace one of the Cleric’s domains.
  • Kelemvor’s Grace (Su): At 20th level, a doomguide gains complete immunity to energy drain and all death effects. Allies within 10 feet of him gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against death effects and to saving throws to overcome a negative level. His soul is immune to being trapped, and his body ubable to be possessed by effects such as magic jar. If the Doomguide should perish, his corpse is immune to any effect that would animate or control it, and it does not decompose unless and until it is properly interred.

Divine Fighting Technique: Kelemvor’s Balance

Feats: Eerie Sense, Fateful Channel, Intrepid Rescuer, Messenger of Fate, Trailblazing Channel.

Magic Items

Prestige Classes: Arcane Devotee, Divine Champion, Divine Disciple, Divine Scion (Unchained), Knight of Ozem, Mortal Usher.

Spells: Early Judgment, Invigorating Repose, Smite Abomination

Traits: Corpse Hunter, Guardian Smite, Frightening Speed, Honeyed Words, Light Sleeper, Lover of the Law, Mighty Protector, Protective Faith, Spirit Guide, Split-Second Defense, Stabilizing Touch, Undead Slayer.

Unique Spell Rules

  • Deathwatch can be prepared as a 1st-level Paladin or Ranger spell
  • Speak with Dead can be prepared as a 3rd-level Paladin or Ranger spell
  • When using the speak with dead spell, instead of the usual one question per two caster levels, a follower of Kelemvor may ask one question per caster level to the deceased to whom he converses.

Unique Summons

  • Summon Monster III: Nosoi
  • Summon Monster VI: Vanth

Clergy & Temples

Kelemvor’s clerics make every attempt to minister to the common people, to demystify the process of death and help the bereaved cope in times of loss. Most folk welcome the appearance of clerics of Kelemvor, thankful for their light touch and calming demeanors — a welcome change from the days when unsettling clerics of Myrkul demanded funerary fees that seemed all too close to extortion. Children (particularly those growing up near evil kingdoms) hold militant clerics and paladins of Kelemvor in awe as undead hunters, and communities beset by the attentions of necromancers or tomb robbers often come to his clergy for aid. Clerics of Kelemvor consider all undead abominations, and do whatever they can to put them to eternal rest. They contend that those who create undead are fit only for swift and utter destruction (an important difference between Kelemvorite clergy and that of Jergal, who hold that certain undead have their use). Kelemvorite clergy sometimes declare crusades against the undead or against creatures deemed to have caused too much untimely death. Occasionally, this leads them to employ adventurers to solve problems with which they cannot contend alone.

Many Kelemvor’s temples used to be temples of Myrkul, and hence have less inviting or soothing architectural than their high clerics might prefer. Bone-and-skull motifs predominate, and some of the larger temples even feature now-sealed chambers once used for revivification or darker rites.