The Codex | The Warpriest

Leaf the First

Preface: who kneels in the line

A Warpriest is a cleric of the front rank. Where other priests keep their distance and send their blessings forward, the Warpriest carries the blessing herself, at the end of a flanged mace, into the exact place it is needed least comfortably. She is trained in chain, shield and mace; she has a voice that carries across a field; and she has Fervor, the stored heat of a faith that is practised daily and not discussed with enemies.

Mechanically, the class is a mid-weight front-liner with a prayer-driven toolkit. Your Might and Reflex decide how well you strike and how hard you are to strike. Your Grit decides how long you stand. Your Faith decides how many litanies you can afford and how firmly they bind. Voice and Lore are the supporting virtues: Voice for the Command litanies and for the Resist rolls of those who would argue with you, Lore for the knowledge a priest is supposed to have and a warrior frequently does not.

Playing the class well means rotating three jobs: standing where the line needs you, spending Fervor on the right litany at the right beat, and keeping at least one point in reserve for the moment the table goes quiet and looks at you. The third job is the one that earns the title.

Leaf the Second

The Numbers

A Warpriest has six virtues, each scored from roughly 3 to 20: Might for force and the swing of a mace, Reflex for speed and balance, Grit for endurance, Lore for learning, Faith for devotion and Voice for presence and command. Each score produces a modifier by one rule: subtract 10, divide by 2, and round down. A score of 14 gives +2. A score of 9 gives −1. A score of 10 or 11 gives nothing at all.

Almost every roll is a d20 plus a modifier against a Difficulty. A Strike beats a foe’s Guard. A Resist roll beats the Dread of a litany. A check beats a number the GM states before the dice are thrown. Ties go to the roller. Natural 20s and natural 1s are worth remarking on, and nothing more unless the GM says so.

The plate below gathers every derived number on the sheet. The Forge page uses exactly these formulas, shows its arithmetic, and will never surprise you with a figure that cannot be traced here.

Strike: Oath bonus + Might modifierExample: Oath +2 and Might 16 (+3) gives a Strike of +5.
Guard: 14 + Reflex modifier (at most +2), +1 for the Vow of the ShieldExample: Reflex +3 is capped at +2, so Guard 16.
Vigor: 12 + Grit modifier at degree 1, then (7 + Grit modifier, at least 1) for each degree after the firstExample: degree 3 with Grit +1 gives 13 + 8 + 8 = 29.
Fervor: Degree + Faith modifier (at least 1), +1 for the Vow of MercyExample: degree 4 with Faith +2 gives a pool of 6.
Dread: 8 + Oath bonus + Faith modifier, +1 for the Vow of the PyreExample: Oath +2 and Faith +3 gives Dread 13.
Initiative: Reflex modifier, +2 for the Vow of the StandardExample: Reflex +1 under the Standard gives +3.

Leaf the Third

Class Features

Ten features carry the class from the first degree to the tenth. Each shows the degree at which it arrives. The Vow and Penance of Growth return at later degrees, as marked.

Mace and Mantle Degree 1

You are trained in chain, shields and any mace, hammer or flail. Your Guard begins at 14 in chain and tabard. Your Iron Sigil, either the mace itself or a symbol you carry, serves as the focus for every litany.

Fervor Degree 1

You hold a pool of Fervor equal to your degree plus your Faith modifier, never fewer than 1. A Breath of ten quiet minutes restores 1 point. A Vigil restores them all. Fervor pays for litanies and for Hallowed Strike.

Litanies Degree 1

You know the number of litanies shown on the degree table, each of a rank no higher than your top rank. A litany costs Fervor equal to its rank. Speaking one requires your voice and your Iron Sigil in hand; if you cannot speak, you cannot cast.

The Vow Degrees 1, 5, 9

You swear one of the four vows below. It grants a boon at once, a second at the fifth degree and a third at the ninth. A vow may be changed only by a Vigil of confession and an awkward conversation with your GM.

Hallowed Strike Degree 2

Once per turn, when you hit with a Strike, you may spend 1 Fervor to add 1d8 radiant damage. The mace does not glow. The target simply regrets the choice of arguments.

Unbowed Degree 3

Once per Vigil, when damage would reduce you to 0 Vigor, make a Grit check against a Difficulty of 10 plus the damage dealt. On a success you remain standing at 1 Vigor.

Penance of Growth Degrees 4, 8

Increase one virtue by 2, or two virtues by 1, at each of these degrees. No virtue may rise above 20. The Forge applies these points for you when you set your degree.

Voice Over the Field Degree 6

Allies who can hear you add 1d4 to Resist rolls against becoming Shaken. In good conditions your voice carries across a field. In bad conditions it carries anyway; that is rather the point.

Anointed Weapon Degree 7

Your mace counts as blessed. Its Strikes deal +1 damage and ignore any resistance a foe holds against ordinary weapons.

Martyr’s Crown Degree 10

Once per Vigil, when you would fall to 0 Vigor, you instead rise at half your maximum Vigor, and every ally within 30 feet gains temporary Vigor equal to twice your Oath bonus. The crown is made of flame and is visible to all. Describe it accordingly.

Leaf the Fourth

The Four Vows

A vow is the one promise your Warpriest keeps when everything else is going wrong. Each grants a numeric boon at the first degree, which the Forge adds to your sheet automatically, then a second and third boon at degrees five and nine.

Vow of the Shield The Bulwark

Degree 1, Sworn Shield. You carry a shield and gain +1 Guard.
Degree 5, Interpose. As a reaction, when an ally within 5 feet is struck, you take the blow instead, at half damage.
Degree 9, Wall of Prayer. Allies adjacent to you gain +1 Guard.

Vow of the Pyre The Cleanser

Degree 1, Banked Embers. Your Dread is 1 higher.
Degree 5, Kindled Blow. Hallowed Strike uses d10s, and the target takes 1d4 fire damage at the end of its next turn.
Degree 9, Pillar’s Heart. When you roll damage for a Rebuke litany, reroll any 1s once.

Vow of Mercy The Surgeon

Degree 1, Deeper Well. Your Fervor pool is 1 larger.
Degree 5, Steady Hand. Your Mercy litanies heal an extra amount equal to your Oath bonus.
Degree 9, Last Breath. Once per Vigil, an ally at 0 Vigor within 30 feet who hears you rises with Vigor equal to twice your Oath bonus. No Fervor is spent.

Vow of the Standard The Banner-Bearer

Degree 1, First Aloft. You carry a standard and gain +2 to Initiative.
Degree 5, Rally Round. As an action, an ally within 30 feet ends Shaken and gains temporary Vigor equal to your Oath bonus.
Degree 9, Unbroken Line. While your standard stands, you and allies within 30 feet cannot become Shaken.

Leaf the Fifth

The Ten Degrees

Vigor in this table assumes a Grit modifier of +0; add your own Grit modifier once for the first degree and once for each degree after it. Fervor assumes Faith +0. Top rank is the highest litany rank you may speak.

Mark a degree on the table

Choose a degree to mark its row and read a plain summary here.

Warpriest advancement, degrees 1 to 10
Degree	Oath bonus	Vigor (Grit +0)	Fervor (Faith +0)	Litanies known	Top rank	New in this degree
1	+2	12	1	2	I	Mace and Mantle, Fervor, Litanies, the Vow (boon I)
2	+2	19	2	3	I	Hallowed Strike
3	+2	26	3	4	II	Unbowed
4	+3	33	4	4	II	Penance of Growth
5	+3	40	5	5	III	The Vow (boon II)
6	+3	47	6	6	III	Voice Over the Field
7	+4	54	7	6	IV	Anointed Weapon
8	+4	61	8	7	IV	Penance of Growth
9	+4	68	9	8	IV	The Vow (boon III)
10	+5	75	10	9	IV	Martyr’s Crown

Leaf the Sixth

Glossary of Terms

Breath: A pause of ten quiet minutes. You recover 1 Fervor.
Branded: Marked by the Litany of the Brand: faintly lit, unable to hide, and more eager to be struck.
Dread: The Difficulty a creature must beat to Resist one of your litanies.
Down: At 0 Vigor you are Down and cannot act. At the start of each of your turns roll d20 plus your Grit modifier against Difficulty 10. Three successes stabilise you; three failures lose you to the field. A natural 20 counts as two successes, and any healing lifts you at once.
Fervor: Stored devotion, spent to speak litanies and to power Hallowed Strike.
Guard: The Difficulty to land a Strike against you.
Hold: A litany that persists while you concentrate on it. You may Hold one litany at a time. When you take damage, make a Grit check against 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher, or the litany ends.
Iron Sigil: The mace or holy symbol in your hand, required for every litany.
Oath bonus: The number that grows with your degree and joins your Strikes and your Dread.
Rank: The strength band of a litany, from I to IV. Its Fervor cost equals its rank.
Resist: A roll of d20 plus the virtue modifier a litany names, made against your Dread.
Shaken: A condition imposing −2 to Strikes and Resist rolls for one minute, or until cured.
Strike: An attack roll: d20 plus your Strike bonus, against the target’s Guard.
Vigil: Eight hours of rest, one of them spent kneeling. It restores all Vigor and all Fervor.
Vigor: Your hit points. It cannot rise above your maximum.
Winded: A condition imposing −1 to Strikes and Reflex rolls until your next Breath.

Leaf the Seventh

Remarks for the Table

Some questions arrive every time the class is used, so here are the answers once and for all. Round down always, for numbers and for sentiment. Bonuses of the same kind do not stack; take the highest. If a litany and a vow both offer a bonus to the same number, they stack only if they are of different kinds, and your GM will say which is which.

This supplement does not cover multiclassing, mounts, strongholds or lunch. If your GM allows a second class, treat the Warpriest’s Fervor and a second caster’s resources as separate pools, and expect the table to re-balance in real time. Chain and tabard set the base Guard of 14. If your game uses other armour, adjust the base and leave the rest alone.

There are no gods named here and no maps. The Warpriest is an original, independent work, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by any publisher, setting or game system. Where a rule resembles a familiar one, it is because the underlying idea, a die and a number and a bit of nerve, is older than any of us.