“You have abused the gifts of Tem-Et-Nu by using the rivers to make war upon her people. I am sent by the high priestess to put a stop to your depredations. So, to answer your question, that thrashing you hear from the bowels of this vessel is the sound of an enraged crocodile tearing a hole in the bottom of your war barge.”

—Karlott, a scion of Tem-Et-Nu

Paladins of the temple of Tem-Et-Nu are sometimes selected to become the guardians of the rivers. The waterways of the wastelands are sacred to the river deity, and the source of life and livelihood for the plains people. It is given to you to enforce the deity’s laws and ensure that those who misuse the river are punished. To that end, you can draw upon your ever-increasing martial skills, but you must also learn the many ways of the river, its strengths, and how to tap those strengths when you need its power most.

BECOMING A SCION OF TEM-ET-NU

The paladin class is the most straightforward path to becoming a scion of Tem-Et-Nu; Diplomacy is a class skill, and the base attack bonus requirement keeps many classes out until they reach at least 7th level. However, you need not have all of your levels devoted to paladin; there is just enough wiggle room to take a level in another class, such as cleric. Strength and Constitution (for combat) and Charisma (for your spells and interpersonal skills) are key abilities for you.

PLAYING A SCION OF TEM-ET-NU

Your top priority in any mission is to ensure that no mortal agency does damage to the waterways or preys upon those who depend on the rivers. Beyond that, you are free to wander far and wide, though you need to be cognizant of your duty to your deity and make sure that your adventuring does not interfere with that duty. If possible, enlist your allies to help you. Strike a bargain, if necessary, to aid them in their adventuring if they help you achieve your greater goal of serving Tem-Et-Nu.

Even though you might be the only one in your group who serves Tem-Et-Nu, you need not play the loner; the wise warrior knows when to seek the aid of friends and allies. Of course, the cult of Tem-Et-Nu would prefer that you work with those who worship the river deity, but it is willing to overlook such a small matter—provided none of your allies are evil.

Combat

Although paladins of Tem-Et-Nu have a reputation for straightforward combat tactics, this reputation is undeserved, and scions of Tem-Et-Nu drive that point home. You might agree to meet an enemy alone in single combat, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t planned for a betrayal on the enemy’s part.

Most of the features of the scion of Tem-Et-Nu class are not designed to improve your combat prowess, but rather to increase your versatility. The ability to walk upon water (gained at 3rd level) allows you to approach vessels on the river while wearing full armor. The ability to raise and lower water (gained at 6th level) allows you to aid or hinder the movement of boats, or perhaps to expose aquatic enemies to one’s nonswimming allies. Finally, the 9th-level ability to temporarily divert an entire river allows you to direct water where it is needed most (for crops and such), and also to beach enemy ships.

Advancement

Your advancement is in the hands of the clerics of TemEt-Nu; you are their servant. Initially, you travel up and down the river, visiting farms and fishing villages, helping them where and how you can. When you take your first level in the scion prestige class, you act as a river marshal, not only helping out but also actively taking part in the communities you visit, as though each one were your home. As time passes, you are expected to teach and organize these communities so they can operate without your direct supervision. The goal is to eventually select a likely community in which to build another temple to Tem-Et-Nu, thus spreading the river deity’s influence even further.

Resources

Your best resource as a scion of Tem-Et-Nu is the temple of Tem-Et-Nu. Although the temple cannot provide everything for you, its clerics can bless your armor (helping you maintain your buoyancy class feature), provide you with information (both on current events and ancient lore), and heal your injuries (and those of any individuals aiding you) free of charge. So long as you adventure close to Tem-Et-Nu’s riverside temples, you always have a place to rest for the night without worrying about being ambushed by wandering villains. If you travel upon the river, you can always borrow passage on one of the temple’s river barges—though they only make stops at other temples. So long as your companions are not evil, and you vouch that they are assisting your work in some way, these resources are also available to them.

SCIONS OF TEM-ET-NU IN THE WORLD

If the PCs adventure on or near a major waterway in the waste, they will eventually encounter a scion of Tem-EtNu. Such individuals are potentially helpful allies (or at least temporary resources), assuming the PCs are not evil; evil PCs can expect to be treated with suspicion or outright hostility. They might be asked to move on or simply be attacked, depending on how powerful they are (or appear to be).

Organization

Scions of Tem-Et-Nu usually work alone or with a small group of allies, but if they are operating on a waterway, other scions are not far off. The scions report their activities and investigations at every temple of Tem-Et-Nu they come across, and the temples impart that information to the other scions who visit. This passing of information might include a call for reinforcements. Such a call generally garners 1d3+1 other scions, arriving at a rate of one per day; these other scions are of a level comparable to the scion who requested their aid.

A typical scion of Tem-Et-Nu is Karlott, who specializes in coming to the aid of other scions. Though she puts in a requisite amount of time helping farmers with irrigation issues and tracking down smugglers on the river, Karlott is far more interested in rumors of scions seeking additional comrades-in-arms. She drops everything to rush to the scene and pledge her blade to the cause. Other more experienced scions think of her as something of a loose cannon, but they cannot fault her performance in combat.

NPC Reactions

The average law-abiding citizen who lives or works on a waterway is generally quite happy to see a scion of TemEt-Nu; the scions are always ready to lend a hand and frequently pass out gold coins as a gesture of charity (a practice the scions call “cutting loose the ballast”). Nobles are a little less happy to see scions, because while a visit from a scion might be merely a courtesy call, it could also be a request for funds or some other costly form of aid. A noble’s refusal to provide such aid—even on perfectly legitimate grounds—almost always leads to an uncomfortable silence during which the noble suspects that the scion is using her powers to determine whether or not the noble is refusing out of evil intent (through the medium of detect evil). Some nobles—perhaps those with guilty consciences—have spoken out against this practice, and in response the scions generally deny subjecting nobles to divination spells without their permission; the scions claim they are merely remaining silent while considering an alternate form of persuasion.

Although scions of Tem-Et-Nu are a kind of law unto themselves as far as the rivers are concerned, they do not consider themselves apart from the law. For one, they have no prison facilities; anyone they arrest must be handed over to the normal authorities. In fact, most appointed officers of the law see the scions as a type of “citizens’ watch” group, and they trust the scions’ scrupulous adherence to the law and their care for the welfare of the community. Authorities often consult with the scions regarding crimes committed on or across rivers (though most scions have no particular ability to track down clues, in the water or anywhere else).

The only real clashing point is jurisdiction. The scions believe it is in their mandate to confiscate illegal goods found in or on the water, and then give them to the temples to sell (or in some cases destroy) to raise funds. Since most authorities earn their living by levying fines, they see the scions’ policy of confiscation as taking food out of their families’ mouths. The scions relent, giving up some of what they have confiscated, when there is too much for them to carry themselves, but otherwise they refer the authorities to the temples—at which point most law officers simply give up. The clerics are notoriously difficult to convince once the treasure is locked up in their vaults.

SCION OF TEM-ET-NU LORE

Characters with Knowledge (religion) can research the scions of Tem-Et-Nu to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs when a higher result is rolled.

DC 10: The scions of the river deity are guardians of the river. They keep the waterways clear of smugglers and pirates, and they’re never too busy to help mend a dam or rescue livestock from the water. They sometimes even hand out money, if they think you need it.

DC 15: The scions of Tem-Et-Nu travel from temple to temple, reporting on conditions along the river and looking for news of trouble spots. They generally travel on boats or barges, but some of them have mounts.

DC 20: The scions have a strict code of honor, and that applies to how they fight, as well. One rarely turns down a challenge to single combat, even if it’s clearly a trap. Only if a life is in danger elsewhere or a scion is engaged on an important mission will she turn a challenger away; even then, she usually comes back to the challenge eventually.

DC 30: Characters who achieve this level of success can learn important details about specific scions of Tem-Et-Nu in your campaign, including notable allies and companions.

PCs who try to establish contact with a scion of Tem-EtNu usually must visit the nearest temple of the river deity and inform the clerics there. Word will eventually reach the scion in question. If the PCs are trying to enlist the scion’s services, give them a +2 circumstance bonus on the check if the mission involves a waterway, and another +2 bonus if the PCs make a suitable donation to the temple.

SCIONS OF TEM-ET-NU IN THE GAME

Scions of Tem-Et-Nu aren’t particularly invasive—they’re almost monklike in their single-minded devotion to their duties—so adding them to a campaign should be relatively easy. The scions could have been around all along: They were those friendly river marshals the PCs saw helping farmers and fishers.

This prestige class appeals to players who appreciate the paladin lifestyle but want to take it in a more specific direction. A DM with a scion of Tem-Et-Nu in his campaign should try at least some of the time to play to the scion’s strengths. The DM should set adventures on or near rivers so the scion can use her powers. A DM should feel free to occasionally remind the scion’s player that temple accommodations extend to the scion’s companions as well—meaning free room and board in a safe environment so long as the party sticks close to the rivers and waterways.

Adaptation

The scion of Tem-Et-Nu is built around the idea of protecting important waterways. If the campaign has such regions, the scion is an excellent fit. Otherwise, simply alter the focus of the class to another vital feature of the setting. For example, a scion of Fharlanghn might protect frequently used roads in the campaign, and a scion of Moradin might protect key mountain passes. Abilities that focus on water need to be altered slightly to take the new terrain element into play. Buoyancy might instead be called sturdiness and provide the scion of Moradin a +4 bonus on Balance checks in mountainous regions. Likewise, river mastery might become plains mastery, providing the scion of Fharlanghn a +1 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls against plains-dwelling creatures.