Arandish Arcana Part III of III – Available Divine and Arcane Classes

What follows is a list of the magic-using and clerical classes that exist on Ara; I do not yet have full class descriptions for some of these (e.g., Elementalists and Sword-clerics) and, as I have previously said, a few of these may shift around some once I get my hands on Goblinoid Games’ Advanced Edition Companion, but this will stand as definitive until I explicitly change it.

Human Classes:
1.  Cleric (as per Labyrinth Lord)

2.  Magic-User (as per Labyrinth Lord)

3.  Noffellian Sword-Cleric (a special type of undead-fighting Noffellian cleric to be described in a forthcoming post)

4.  Five types of “Elementalist,” a cleric sub-class:  Fire Elementalist, Earth Elementalist, Wind Elementalist, Water Elementalist, Cold Elementalist (all forthcoming)

5.  Druid (as per Player’s Handbook): a rare PC type in Ara, since Druids are nature-lovers and tend to live reclusive lives in the wilds, eschewing civilization and human company.

Rodian Class:
Illusionist (as per Player’s Handbook)

Magical Arts Player Characters Cannot Practice
No Arandish human magician may practice the Suhlian (rodian) magical art of illusion, nor may a rodian practice any human magical arts. 
Further, there are some styles of Arandish magic that player characters, for various reasons, cannot learn or practice.  These include:

Enchantment, which concerns itself with endowing inanimate objects with magical properties, creating such items as spell books, scrolls, enchanted weapons, armor, wands, rings, amulets, and so on.  Enchanting objects is time-consuming.  Investing even a small item with one minor power can take many weeks or months, and the more potent the magic item, the more time it takes to enchant.
The Enchanter’s guild is nestled in the hills of central Minoch, and this facility does business with nobles from the various kingdoms of Ara, as well as magic vendors in the Free City of Kaladar.  In the earliest versions of The Lands of Ara, we attempted to allow player characters to be Enchanters, but found no way to make this adventure-applicable or fun.  Now we say, “If you want a magic sword, go find one ina  dungeon or buy one in Kaladar.” 

Necromancy, referred to in previous posts on Arlon and Arandish vampires, is the art of animating dead matter and giving it limited function, creating zombies, animated skeletons, ghosts, and ghouls who mindlessly serve the Necromancer that grants them undead “life.”  The practice of Necromancy leads to the deterioration of the Necromancer’s body and spirit over time, and ultimately, to vampirism. 
It is not known how many vampires exist in Ara today, though the mere mention of the word “vampire” is enough to chill even the bravest of adventurers.  The vampire is the most feared creature in Ara, and Necromancy is by far the darkest of the so-called Dark arts.

Shadrach, another major Dark art, was formulated and used by the early Telengardians against the Achelonian summoners during the Old War.  Shadrach involves taking living beings (usually humans) and subjecting them to a complex magical/alchemical process that alters them drastically and permanently.  It is from such origins that the dwarven and ogrish races came to be.  This magical art was outlawed after the Old War; it is unknown how many individuals still practice shadrach in secret.