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in: 2001 publications, D&D 3.0 publications

Defenders of the Faith

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Defenders of the Faith: A Guidebook to Clerics and Paladins is a 96-page sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition released in May 2001.

Official synopsis[]

Divine dedication powers these crusaders.

This book spotlights the champions of deities in the D&D game, clerics and paladins. It's packed with ways to customize cleric and paladin characters, including:

  • New feats, prestige classes, weapons, and equipment
  • More uses for turning checks, and new magic items and spells designed specially for clerics and paladins
  • Information about special organizations such as the Laughing Knives and the Stargazers
  • Detailed maps of temples that players and Dungeon Masters can use as bases of operation or as enemy structures that must be brought down

Indispensable to both players and Dungeon Masters, this book adds excitement to any campaign.

Content[]

Defenders of the Faith is a a sourcebook focusing on expanding the options available to cleric and paladin characters.

  • Chapter 1: Clerics and Paladins features advice on playing a cleric and paladin, both mechanically and as a character concept. It introuces rules on alternative paladin mounts, including special dragon mounts. It details a number of feats: Improve Shield Bash, Shield Charge, Divine Cleansing, Divine Might, Divine Shield, Divine Vengance, Divine Vigor, Reach Spell, Sacred Spell, Extra Smiting, Extra Turning, Empower Turning, Heighten Turning, and Quicken Turning. It introduces the concept of Divine Feats, which expend Turn Undead attempt uses for alternative purposes. It describes various mundane pieces of religious equipment such as incense and candles. Finally, it details a number of useful magic items, mostly armor and shield properties: absorbing armor, antipathy armor, aquatic armor, blinding armor, called armor, charming armor, commmand armor, daylight armor, energy drain armor, ethereal armor, fearsome armor, feathered armor, ice armor, sacred armor, speed armor, undead controlling armor, and undead disrupting armor armor; the blue armor of the Crystalmist Mountains, Equerry's armor, golden apron, red dragon armor, splint mail of stability, arrow of farsight, battle rod, bolt of battering, goad of mastery, rod of authority, amulet of memory, arm of Nyr, black patch, bowl of contemplation, braces of binding, cloak of the forest, gate amulet, greater holy symbol, helm of vision, mark of apostasy, mask of the dead, mirror of revolation, and the sacred scabbard.
  • Chapter 2: Churches and Organizations details the organizational structure of churches, the design of their temples, and various religious orders.
  • Chapter 3: Prestige Classes introduces the church inquisitor, consecrated harrier, contemplative, holy liberator, hospitaler, hunter of the dead, knight of the chalice, knight of the middle circle, master of shrouds, sacred exorcist, sacred fist, templar, and warpriest prestige classes.
  • Chapter 4: Divine Magic details a number of spells for clerics, paladins, druids, and rangers: aspect of the deity, bear's heart, beast claws, beastmask, blessed aim, blight, bolt of glory, bolts of bedevilment, brain spider, brambles, briar web, burial blessing, castigate, chain of chaos, chain of eyes, crown of glory, curse of the brute, curse of lycanthropy, divie agility, divine flame, divine sacrifice, divien storm, divine zephyr, flame of faith, genesis, greater aspect of the deity, harrier, knife spray, lesser aspect of the deity, lesser telepathic bond, maddening scream, monstrous thrall, otyugh swarm, plague of rats, probe thoughts, rage, recitation, righteous wrath of the faithful, scourge, slime wave, spikes, sweet water, sword stream, touch of madness, true creation, true domination, unbinding, unfailing endurance, weapon of the deity, weather eye, and zeal. It also introduces several cleric domains: Beastmaster, Celerity, Community, Creation, Divination, Domination, Exorcism, Glory, Inquisition, Madness, Mind, Mysticism, Prestilence, and Summoning. These are referred to as Prestige Domains, which can be selected when a prestige class grants a third domain.
  • Appendix: Monstrous Clerics lists various deities of monsters.

Development and release[]

Development[]

The book was written by Rich Redman and James Wyatt, with additional design and development by Andy Collins and Monte Cook. The cover illustration was provided by Gerald Brom, with interior illustration by Dennis Crammer and cartography by Todd Gamble.

The title of the book previously appeared in the text of a number of AD&D 2nd edition sourcebooks, such as Player's Option: Spells & Magic (1996), p.31 and Faiths & Avatars (1996), p.182, where it is used to describe one of the major duties of the cleric. It may originate in the phrase Defender of the Faith, used for centuries as a title of real-world British monarchs.

Various AD&D 2nd edition works were cited as inspirations for this book, including two prior articles by James Wyatt: Heaven's Trump, Dragon #263 (Sep 1999), and Playing the Priestly Part, Dragon #283 (May 2001). Bruce Cordell's religion-focused Bastion of Faith (1999) was also cited, as was Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue (1992), presumably for its section on mundane equipment for priests.

The demon-slaying Knight of the Chalice prestige class was inspired by James Wyatt's home campaign setting, "Night", in which demons have taken over the world.[2] The Hunter of the Dead prestige class first appeared in Dragon #276 (Oct 2000), in a Class Acts article by Monte Cook.

According to writer James Wyatt, the enemy on the cover is Daros Hellseeker, a tiefling cleric from The Speaker in Dreams (2001).[3] He can be seen sundering a weapon, which matches the Sunder feat in the character's game statistics.

Release[]

Defenders of the Faith was released by Wizards of the Coast in May 2001 for $19.95 US.[1] A product announcement in Dragon #282 (Apr 2001), p.20, incorrectly listed its price as $9.95.

On May 4, 2001, a free web enhancement was released, titled Called to Serve. It listed suggestions of various quests that certain of the Greyhawk churches might call upon their members to perform. Epic level progressions were published for the holy liberator, hospitaler, templar, and warpriest prestige classes in the the Epic Level Handbook (2002) web enhancement, and as part of the collected Epic Insights article series.

On January 6, 2015, it was re-released in digital format. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $7.99.

Reception and influence[]

Critical reception[]

As of 2023, Defenders of the Faith: A Guidebook to Clerics and Paladins reached the rank of Silver seller on DriveThruRPG.

Influence on other works[]

The Community and Glory domains later appeared in Book of Exalted Deeds (2003), as did the spell crown of glory. Other content from Defenders of the Faith appeared in Deities and Demigods (3e) (2002) (including the Community, Creation, Glory, and Madness domains, and the genesis spell), Complete Divine (2004) (including aspect of the deity spell), Complete Adventurer (2005), Complete Warrior (2003), Ghostwalk (2003), and Draconomicon (3e) (2003), among others. In particular, nearly every prestige class was later revised and reprinted in a D&D 3.5 sourcebook, except for the knight of the middle circle.

Divine feats, introduced by this work, appeared in the Epic Level Handbook (2002) and other works. These would allow clerics to expend turn undead uses for other purposes, which would increase the power and versatility of what was already the edition's most powerful core class.[4] Clerics in third edition had originally been balanced without the use of turn undead. D&D 4th and 5th edition would broaden the concept to Channel Divinity.

External links[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Product page. Wizards.com, via Web Archive.
  2. ↑ Tweet. "2001 Fun Fact: The Knight of the Chalice prestige class in Defenders of the Faith was inspired by my “Night” campaign setting, a world where demons took over. (See http://roleplaying.aquela.com/night)"
  3. ↑ Tweet. "2001 Fun Fact: The tiefling on the cover of Defenders of the Faith is Daros Hellseeker, who appeared in The Speaker in Dreams."
  4. ↑ Dev Test Answers. Wizards.com, 2005-10-07.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0
Core rules
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual • Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game
Supplements
Arms and Equipment Guide • Book of Challenges • Book of Vile Darkness • Defenders of the Faith • Deities and Demigods • Enemies and Allies • Epic Level Handbook • Fiend Folio • Ghostwalk • Hero Builder's Guidebook • Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (Gazetteer) • Manual of the Planes • Masters of the Wild • Monster Manual II • Oriental Adventures • Psionics Handbook • Savage Species • Song and Silence • Stronghold Builder's Guidebook • Sword and Fist • Tome and Blood
Adventures
The Sunless Citadel • The Forge of Fury • The Fright at Tristor • The Speaker in Dreams • The Standing Stone • Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil • Heart of Nightfang Spire • Deep Horizon • Lord of the Iron Fortress • Bastion of Broken Souls • City of the Spider Queen
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