| Ability Requirements: | Strength 12, Intelligence 15, Wisdom 13, Constitution 10, Charisma 12 |
| Prime Requisites: | Strength and Intelligence |
| Races Allowed: | Human |
A Seeker who has a Strength and Intelligence of 16 or more gains a 10% bonus to experience points earned.
The Seeker of the Truth is a unique subclass of paladin and is always of Lawful Good alignment. Should he change alignment either deliberately or inadvertently then he loses all special powers - sometimes only temporarily and sometimes forever. He can use any non-magical weapon and wear any armour.
A Seeker is a specialised paladin of the campaign's god/goddess of truth and justice. Where paladins are symbols of goodness, Seekers are the epitome of truth and are rare - only about 25% of this deity's paladins are Seekers. In the hierarchy of the deity's church and in the world itself, a Seeker is a law unto himself. He answers to no one but respects the law of the land. Seekers have a deep respect of other lawful good religions and even pay tribute to them occasionally. Seekers are well respected by those who know of them and never interfere with a Seeker's quest for the truth. Above all, Seekers are inquisitve and intense, always seeking the answers to problems that face them, and destroying lies wherever they find them.
The Seeker's intense aversion to lies makes him immune to certain magic. A Seeker is completely immune to all illusions cast or used by someone of twice his level/HD or less. He will see illusions as non-corporeal images and know them for what they are. This includes invisibility, displacement, illusions of the senses other than sight, phantasmal creations, and other such similar magic. Seekers have a similar resistance to other mind affecting spells, such as enchantments and charms. The Seeker has a +1 bonus per level to saves and a base 25% magic resistance, with +5% per level, against these magical effects.
Seekers may heal three points per level per day by the laying on of hands, but have no other paladin-like abilities. Seekers also possess a specific weapon called the Sword of Truth. The Seeker will always find this weapon before reaching fifth level. This sword is similar in ability to a Sun Blade, but may be any type of sword and not just a bastard sword. The sword works on the Seeker's anger, acting as a +4 weapon against evil creatures, and doing double damage against undead and demons, the ultimate lies and banes of truth, respectively. For any non-paladin, this is just a +2 sword. The Sword of Truth can never harm an innocent regardless of the wielder.
At fifth level, the Seeker gains a special ability similar to the spell tongues. This allows the Seeker to understand and speak all languages with perfect fluency and accent. This power is granted so that no language barrier can prevent the Seeker from obtaining the truth. Note however that the Thieve's Cant is not a language and as such this ability does not give the Seeker any better understanding of talk involving Thieve's Cant usage.
At seventh level, the Seeker becomes a High Seeker, an extremely rare occurrence that grants the Seeker with his final ability, true seeing. This permanent and powerful ability, granted only to the most powerful and noble Seekers, is the same as the priest spell of the same name. The sight penetrates normal and magical darkness. Secret doors become plain. The exact location of displaced things becomes obvious. Invisible things become visible. Illusions and apparitions are obvious. Polymorphed, changed, or enchanted things are apparent. Even the aura projected by creatures becomes visible, so that alignment can be discerned. Furthermore, this ability can be focused to see into the Ethereal plane or the bordering areas of adjacent planes. This significant rise in power is marked by the colour of the Seeker's Sword of Truth. Upon reaching seventh level, the Seeker's blade becomes white, symbolizing purity, and when drawn emerges with a white-hot hiss, the purging heat of truth.
Seekers can never call for a bonded war horse, turn undead, or cast spells. Nor does he have an aura of protection or a +2 bonus to all saves. Seekers do not project a circle of power when wielding the Sword of Truth, and are denied this ability as they may not ever wield any magical weapon other than the Sword of Truth. Despite being able to heal, the Seeker cannot cure diseases and neither is he immune to them.
A Seeker can never voluntarily lie under any circumstances. Should he do so he will immediately and irrevocably lose all his Seeker abilities, his Sword of Truth will shatter and he is ever after a fighter of equal level and his experience points adjusted accordingly. In all ways he is treated like a paladin who has knowingly performed an evil act. If the Seeker lies while enchanted or controlled by magic then, similar to a paladin who has committed an evil act under the influence of magic, he must abide by the restrictions placed on the paladin until the act is atoned for. Additionally if the Seeker possesses a Sword of Truth then it's magic is curbed and functions merely as a +2 sword. Regaining his original status as a Seeker is as per the paladin and should involve a dangerous quest or important mission. No experience points are gained until the atonement is complete.
The magic of the Sword of Truth can be harmful as well as beneficial. When the Seeker slays an opponent who is not totally evil, i.e. demons and undead are considered completely evil as are many other creatures, the sword's magic rips back into the Seeker with it's strength multiplied many times over. This imparts a magical pain brought on by intense guilt. The sword shows to the wielder everything that the wielder hates or dislikes about himself, drumming it into his mind so that he may see his faults. More importantly, however, the sword reveals everything about the slain, with a huge emphasis on all that was not evil. The Seeker sees every speck of goodness multiplied a hundred fold and feels a deep routed sorrow for having killed the creature or person.
A Seeker who does not make one of three wisdom checks during the first times he uses the sword, cannot overcome the pain of guilt and does not have what it takes to be a Seeker, and from that point on advances as a regular fighter and is unable to use the Sword of Truth. Seekers need to overcome their blame of themselves to survive as a Seeker and see that slaying may not always be the answer, but it is often a necessary to preserve the truth. Even if a Seeker passes the test, the magical guilt is always there though the Seeker learns to accept it. This is why Seekers sometimes cry during battle. It is not a sign of weakness, but one of understanding and strength.
