Ben-Hadar any evil act, they instantly and irrevocably lose access to the spells he
provides.
The Prince of Good Water is served primarily by water elementals, but
(Prince of Good Water Creatures, the also calls upon bzastra, nereids, spitters (elemental vermin), undines,
Archomental of Good Water, the Glittering Surf, ungulosin, water drakes, water fundamentals, and water mephits. He is not
the Boor) known to display pleasure or displeasure to his Prime Material followers,
although they regard the discovery of heretofore unknown places of great
Near Power of the Elemental Plane of War, NG watery beauty as a sign of his favor.
PORTFOLIO: Elemental water, currents, solitude, quiet
ALIASES: None The Church
DOMAIN NAME: Elemental Water/Coral Reef of Ssesurgas
SUPERIOR: None CLERGY: Clerics, specialty priests, shamans, wizards
ALLIES: Ahto, Eadro, Persana, Sunnis CLERGY’S ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG
FOES: Blibdoolpoolp, the Elder Elemental God, Olhydra TURN UNDEAD: C: Yes, SP: No, Sha: No, W: No
SYMBOL: Circle of coral with currents within it CMND. UNDEAD: C: No, SP: No, Sha: No, W: No
WOR. ALIGN.: LG, NG, CG
All clerics, specialty priests, and shamans of the Prince of Good Water
The most isolated of the Princes of Elemental Good is Ben-hadar (ben hah- receive religion (Ben-hadar) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. As Ben-
DAR), the Archomental of Good Water. An arrogant and boorish entity, hadar is only a near-power, he can only grant 3rd-level spells to his
he relishes solitude and the natural beauty of water, even to the point of followers on the Prime; if he appears in person, or for those on the
dismissing other forms of beauty. Elemental Plane of Water, he is able to grant 4th-level spells as well.
Ben-hadar resides within a fortress hidden in one of the many coral One of the smallest archomental cults on the Prime Material Plane,
reefs that float about the Plane of Elemental Water. This fortress is a large, Ben-hadar's faith is mostly found among the merfolk and locathah, where
quiet place filled with tunnels and chambers that channel the currents in it is regarded with suspicion but not hostility. In these and other aquatic
gentle and pleasing manners, creating beautiful dappled light patterns and communities, it is usually considered strange that an individual would
soft musical sounds. The palace is a beauty to behold, but few outsiders choose to worship a foreign power rather than Eadro, the creator of each
ever see it, as Ben-hadar dislikes visitors disturbing him; only his followers race. Similar attitudes hold among tritons and sea elves as well. At this
are ever truly welcome. In the rare event that some visitor manages to time, the cult has not spread into the communities of merrow, koalinths,
secure an audience with the Prince of Good Water, they have found him sahuagin, and other evil races, with the possible exception of a handful of
with few manners and quite provincial. He speaks bluntly and is malenti communities who reject the evil of their heritage. Among surface
unconcerned with how his words are received; in his arrogance he sees dwellers, cults tend to maintain secrecy out of fear of being mistaken for
little point in politeness or niceties, as he sees all others as his lesser. that of the better known Olhydra or other evil watery deities. They are
The origin of the Prince of Good Water is rumored to be connected to found almost exclusively among races that live on or near large bodies of
the Elder Elemental God, but the truth, as with most of his archomental water.
brethren, is obscure. Further, the common story portrays him as the No cults of the Prince of Good Water have become large enough to
offspring of a union between the Elder Elemental God and the Sea Mother construct temples thus far, but it is likely that any who would do so would
Blibdoolpoolp. In the telling of such tales, his arrogance and brusque follow the aesthetic styles of their communities. They consider any
manner are inherited traits from his parents, while his disgust with their location of great watery beauty, such as undersea grottos, coral reefs, and
methods drove him towards good. Regardless of the truth, Ben-hadar has high waterfalls, to be sacred to their patron. They will often create small
clearly sided with the forces of good and cares for the well-being of his shrines in these locations, typically consisting of beautiful shells or corals
followers even if his rude manner and lack of interest beyond the plane's in a circular arrangement. They do not consider such locales to be theirs
borders makes it difficult to form and hold alliances. He manages to exclusively and are happy to work with other faiths to protect them, so long
maintain tenuous relations with other powers of good and neutrality on the as they are willing to share the beauty as well.
plane, but just barely; beyond the borders of the plane his only ally is fellow As yet, all cults devoted to Ben-hadar have unique hierarchies and
Archomental of Good, Sunnis, and this alliance is maintained entirely by titles; no formal organizations have spread amongst them. This is due in
her efforts. He has long-standing feuds with Chan and Zaaman Rul, the large part to the Prince of Good Water having done nothing to create such
other two Archomentals of Good, neither of whom can stand what they a hierarchy among his followers on Elemental Water, and such material
refer to as his arrogant and parochial viewpoint. The Matriarch of Stone issues are not a concern of his followers who travel to the Prime Material
does what she can to shift his attitude and concerns but has had no success Plane to spread his faith. Specialty priests, known as gyres, are currently
so far. only found among these followers on the Plane of Elemental Water. These
Ben-hadar has little interest in activities that take place outside of the specialty priests make up a small portion of the priesthood (3%); shamans
Plane of Elemental Water; as such he has not been known to make any (64%) are the most common on the Prime Material Plane, with a relatively
voluntary excursions to the Prime Material Plane. This has left the building large contingent of clerics (28%) and the remainder being wizards (5%).
of his faith on that plane entirely to his followers; his lack of interest is The faith of the Archomental of Good Water is most commonly found
such that he has neither encouraged nor forbidden it. among the merfolk (24%) and locathah (19%), while humans (17%) have
a fairly significant cultic presence; the rest consist of selkies (10%), sea
elves (6%), tritons (5%), water genasi (3%), nixies (3%), sea sprites (2%),
Ben-hadar’s Form (20-HD Water Elemental) malenti (1%), and other aquatic races (koalinths, merrow, sahuagin, scrags,
Ben-hadar appears as a tall, gangly humanoid figure of sparkling blue- etc.; 10%).
green water. His eyes scintillate like sunshine reflecting off a crashing Dogma: Water is necessary for life; without it lands dry out and die
wave, while his emotions roll across his face like a storm-tossed sea when and no creature can survive without. It is powerful; able to knock down
he is angry. His long arms end in large lobster- or crab-like claws. Full walls and put out raging infernos. But it also contains immense beauty.
details of his physical form can be found in the PLANESCAPE Monstrous Relish the quiet grottoes and the high waterfalls, the crashing surf and still
Compendium Appendix III. Should Ben-hadar become a demipower or lakes. Protect these areas and those who live in harmony with them.
more powerful, he is likely to continue to use a modified version of this Day-to-Day Activities: Followers of Ben-hadar work to maintain the
form for some time. beauty of natural watery places. They despise exploitation and overfishing
of such locales and work subtly to stymie activities that they view as
Other Manifestations harmful. Only if such actions fail to drive off plunderers do they act openly
and hostilely. They have no issue with those who only take what they need,
Ben-hadar has never manifested his power on the Prime Material Plane, however, and if some individuals cause unintended damage, they will
nor does he offer any guidance to his followers. He does grant spells, attempt to warn them about their activities before taking any overt action.
however, so he does not entirely neglect them. Should a follower commit
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: The faithful of the Archomental based magic (but not ice or cold), including magic that drowns or
of Good Water have not yet created any widespread holy days. They harms through water pressure. They suffer an additional +1 point of
typically tie their local observances to watery phenomena, such as tides, damage per die from electrical or lightning attacks, however.
monsoon seasons, or regular spring flooding. Sacrifices are common • At 10th level, gyres can summon 1d4 water mephits or 1 bzastra who
during these ceremonies, usually taking the form of artistic creations with serve faithfully, even laying down their lives, for 6 turns. The creatures
a watery theme or objects that will add to the natural beauty of a locale. appear anywhere designated within a 30-yard radius on the round after
Major Centers of Worship: No widely recognized holy sites are the summoning. This summoning can be performed once per week.
known to the church of Ben-hadar besides his palace on Elemental Water. • At 16th level, gyres can summon a 16-HD water elemental once per
Cults in contact with each other often share places of particular beauty, week. The elemental is utterly loyal, and control cannot be wrested by
however, and as the cult spreads, such locations may eventually take on another spellcaster. The elemental serves for one turn per caster level,
greater religious significance. until dismissed by the caster, or until dispelled by the appropriate
Affiliated Orders: Ben-hadar's faith is not large enough to sponsor magic.
any martial or monastic orders.
Priestly Vestments: The particular garments worn by followers of the
Archomental of Good Water vary from race to race, but they always consist
Ben-hadaran Spells
of a medium blue like cyan fringed with white, representing the foam of 1st Level
cresting waves. The holy symbol used by the clergy is either a naturally Splash (Pr 1; Invocation/Evocation)
formed circle of coral or a disc engraved with a symbol representing a Sphere: Elemental Water
circle of coral. Range: 5 yds./level
Adventuring Garb: Piercing weapons are favored by members of Components: V, S
Ben-hadar's cult, although the specific forms of weapons and armor Duration: Instantaneous
typically depend on the make-up of the cult and its location. Casting Time: 4
Area of Effect: Special
Specialty Priests (Gyres) Saving Throw: Special
REQUIREMENTS: Constitution 12, Wisdom 12
PRIME REQ.: Constitution, Wisdom With this spell, the caster can cause a volume of liquid to splash out of an
ALIGNMENT: NG open container. In the case of small volumes, such as that found in a glass
WEAPONS: Dagger, knife, net, spear, trident, underwater or mug, the effect is typically no more than to empty the contents onto any
crossbow creature holding it. For larger containers, of a volume equal to that of a
ARMOR: Any aquatic armor typical bucket or greater, the caster can choose to uniformly splash the
MAJOR SPHERES: All, animal (aquatic only), astral, charm, elemental liquid on all creatures within six inches of the container per caster level, or
(water), healing, summoning, weather they can direct the splash to arc at one single target up to one foot away
MINOR SPHERES: Elemental (air, earth), guardian, plant (aquatic per caster level. This can be a great tool for extinguishing a torch or similar
only) flame. Any liquid can be splashed in this manner, such as water, wine, or
MAGICAL ITEMS: Same as clerics acid. Any creatures or objects splashed are affected based on the liquid
REQ. PROFS: Survival (sea or aquatic) type; for example, a splash by acid will cause damage as the splash of a
BONUS PROFS: Swimming (if a non-aquatic race) or direction vial of acid, while the directed arc would act as a direct hit by a vial of acid.
sense Fiery creatures splashed by normal water suffer damage equal to an
equivalent splash or direct hit by acid.
• Gyres can be of any race capable of becoming priests, although most Creatures within the area of a general splash are allowed a saving throw
are genasi or tritons. Until Ben-hadar becomes a true power, only those versus breath weapon to avoid the splashed liquid entirely. Those targeted
trained by another specialty priest or those who travel to the Elemental by the arcing splash are allowed a saving throw versus breath weapon with
Plane of Water to train directly with him or his servants can become a a −2 penalty to avoid the splash, while unattended or stationary objects are
specialty priest. automatically splashed. This spell has no effect on liquids within sealed
containers. The total volume that can be expelled from a container is one
• Gyres are not allowed to multiclass.
gallon per level of the caster.
• Gyres take twice as long to drown as normal and can withstand
underwater pressure to twice their normal depth. They gain a +2 to any
saving throws versus spells that operate on water pressure or have a 2nd Level
chance to drown a target, as well as any spells that deal damage from Holding Current (Pr 2; Alteration)
water (but not ice or cold). Sphere: Elemental Water
• Gyres may use magic items related to water and the sea regardless of Range: 30 yds.
class restrictions. Similarly, they are unable to use any items related to Components: V, S
fire. Duration: 1 rd./level
• Gyres can cast wizard spells from the school of elemental water as Casting Time: 5
described in the Limited Wizard Spellcasting section of “Appendix 1: Area of Effect: 1 creature
Demihuman Priests” in Demihuman Deities. Saving Throw: Neg.
• Gyres can cast create water (as the 1st-level priest spell) or still water
(as the 1st-level wizard spell) once per day. By means of this spell, the caster creates a powerful water current around
• At 3rd level, gyres can cast holding current or wave (as the 2nd-level a single target. A targeted creature is allowed a single saving throw versus
priest spells) once per day. spell (modified for Dexterity) to escape the current as it is forming,
• At 5th level, gyres can cast carrier current (as the 3rd-level priest spell) otherwise the current is such that any attempt made by the creature causes
or wall of water (as the 3rd-level wizard spell) once per day. it to be pushed back into the center. When created, the current starts about
• At 7th level, gyres can cast control fluid (as the 4th-level wizard spell) a foot away from the creature, creating a column that only allows the
or enhance water creature (as the 4th-level priest spells) once per day. creature to swim up or sink down; it stays with the creature in such a way
Currently, this power is limited to those gyres who operate on the that they cannot swim out of the columnar current above or below it. Only
Elemental Plane of Water; should Ben-hadar eventually become a creatures of Size L or smaller can be affected; the current is not powerful
demipower, this and the other powers listed hereafter will become enough to create a full circle around larger creatures. This current creates
available. no suction or whirlpool effect, so it can be cast on a creature on the surface
• At 9th level, gyres can withstand underwater pressure to four times and has no risk of pulling them under.
their normal depth and are completely immune to all harmful water-
This current, while strong, causes no injuries to the creature it contains.
However, it does offer a degree of protection against missile or melee
attacks that pass through it. All melee attacks made through the current are
made with a −2 penalty, while all small missiles passing through suffer a
−4 penalty to their attack rolls.
3rd Level
Carrier Current (Pr 3; Alteration, Conjuration/Summoning)
Sphere: Elemental Water
Range: 60 yds.
Components: V, S
Duration: 3 rds. + 1 rd./level
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: 30-ft.-radius globe
Saving Throw: None
When this spell is cast, all affected creatures feel a current flow around
them, moving them faster. They all move at 150% (round fractions up) of
the MV rate of the fastest swimmer among them. All those in a carrier
current must remain within a 30-foot radius, the fastest in the lead with all
others swimming in her wake.
If this speed is more than twice an affected person’s normal speed, such
characters suffer a −6 Dexterity penalty against dodging any obstacles
while under the effects of a carrier current. If the lead swimmer stops
moving, the carrier current ends prematurely, but any other person under
its effects can cancel its effects merely by swimming outside the area of
effect. The maximum number of characters affected is equal to the caster’s
level.
Thus, four surface dwellers (MV 6), two locathah (MV 12), and a
mermaid (MV 18) would now all move at a movement rate of 27 (18 × 1.5
= 27), though only the mermaid has any real maneuverability and does not
suffer the −6 Dexterity penalty.
