Alignment does not represent an allegiance to the light cycle or the dark cycle, but is merely an ethos. Dealing with the undead is not automatically considered an evil action. Neither is dealing with the djinn. Both forms of power can, however, eventually lead to evil behavior and an evil alignment, as the actions that must be taken to increase and maintain one's power grow increasingly evil.
The closest thing that Urth has to deities are the Elemental Princes of Sand, Wind, Sea, and Flame, their sister the Lifegiver, and their father and mother: the Overlord of the Sun, and the Devourer of the Dead, respectively. The gods are not especially benevolent entities, except for the Lifegiver, but they do reward their worshippers, and their priests and servants can be quite powerful.
The cleric's ability to deal with the undead is not dependent upon alignment, as it is in standard D&D3E. Worshippers of the Lifegiver can Turn Undead. Worshippers of the Devourer of the Dead can Rebuke Undead. Worshippers of other gods can choose which ability they wish to have, but it is chosen when they gain the first level of Cleric or Paladin, and is thereafter fixed -- they cannot have both abilities or switch between them. The choice should be consonant with the particular culture and sect the cleric/paladin belongs to.
The same is true of the cleric's spontaneous casting ability. Worshippers of the Lifegiver cast cure; worshippers of the Devourer cast inflict. Others choose, as above.
This is a D&D 3rd Edition adaptation of the Sha'ir class from the Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures sourcebook.
Sha'irs are magic-users whose powers are tied to the djinn. Initially, a sha'ir is able to summon a small elemental familiar, called a gen, which is tied to one of the four elements. The gen is able to seek out and retrieve magic from the elemental planes; essentially, it "fetches" the sha'ir's spells.
A sha'ir can request any spell that he knows about -- all zero-level, 1st and 2nd level spells listed for the class below, plus any spell that appears on that list that he has previously seen someone cast (even a non-sha'ir). To request a spell, a sha'ir must have an Charisma score of 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class of a saving throw against a sha'ir's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the sha'ir's Charisma modifier.
Sha'ir gain "safe access" to spells at the same rate Wizards become able to cast a spell of a given level. Sha'ir spells of a safe level take 1d6 + 1 round/spell-level for a gen to locate. Sha'ir spells above that level take 1d6 turns + 1 turn/spell-level for a gen to locate. A gen can only look for one spell at a time, and once it is sent looking for a spell, it cannot be recalled -- the sha'ir simply needs to wait for the gen to return. The sha'ir does not know how long it will take -- the GameMaster makes this roll in secret.
When the search duration is up, the gen returns -- either with the spell, or with a report of its failure to find the spell. The Difficulty Class of finding the spell is a base 10, plus the sha'ir's Charisma modifier, plus modifications as follows:
If the gen returns successfully, it appears within 10 feet of the sha'ir, and shares the necessary verbal and somatic components with the sha'ir via a mental ("telepathic") link. It also describes any necessary material component -- but it's the sha'ir's problem to supply them.
The spell that the gen retrieves must be cast within 3 turns, or it is lost; all effects are calculated based on the number of levels of the sha'ir class that the caster possesses. The gen cannot fetch another spell until the sha'ir casts the retrieved spell, or it expires (the 3 turns pass). The sha'ir cannot simply "forget" the spell -- he must actually cast it. There is no limit to the number of spells the sha'ir can request in a given time period.
Sha'ir have a base attack bonus and saving throws identical to a Wizard of the same level, and have a d4 hit die. They have (2 + Int modifier) x 4 skill points at 1st level, and gain 2 + Int modifier skill points at each additional level. They have weapon and armor proficiencies identical to Wizards. Sha'ir cannot get Item Creation or Spell Mastery feats, but they can get meta-magic feats. Sha'ir gain the following other abilities by level:
| Sha'ir Level | Special Abilities |
|---|---|
| 1 | Safe access to zero and 1st-level spells |
| 2 | Bonus meta-magic feat |
| 3 | Safe access to 2nd-level spells |
| 4 | +1 elemental resistance bonus |
| 5 | Safe access to 3rd-level spells |
| 6 | - |
| 7 | Safe access to 4th-level spells; bonus meta-magic feat |
| 8 | +2 elemental resistance bonus |
| 9 | Safe access to 5th-level spells |
| 10 | - |
| 11 | Safe access to 6th-level spells |
| 12 | +3 elemental resistance bonus; bonus meta-magic feat |
| 13 | Safe access to 7th-level spells |
| 14 | - |
| 15 | Safe access to 8th-level spells |
| 16 | +4 elemental resistance bonus |
| 17 | Safe access to 9th-level spells; bonus meta-magic feat |
Instead of gaining a feat or a meta-magic feat, a sha'ir can elect to gain knowledge of one spell that he has not previously seen. For example, if fireball has never appeared in the game, but the sha'ir wants to be able to get this effect, he can spend a feat on figuring out how to describe a fireball to the gen and thus be able to have it retrieved in the future.
The elemental resistance bonus refers to the following: A resistance bonus to the sha'ir's AC vs. an elementally-based attack, a resistance bonus to his saving throws vs. elementally-based attacks, and a damage reduction vs. elementally-based attacks. So, for instance, at 12th level, the +3 elemental resistance bonus that the sha'ir receives means that his AC is +3 vs. elementally-based attacks (such as a fireball), he has a +3 bonus to saving throws vs. such attacks, and any damage he takes from such an attack is reduced by 3 points.
The pact that sha'ir make with djinn is incompatible with normal arcane magic. Wizards and Sorcerers can choose to become sha'ir. However, if they do so, they are unable to gain additional levels of Wizard or Sorcerer, unless they permanently lose all sha'ir special abilities (and can never advance further in the sha'ir class). Sha'ir who multi-class into the Wizard or Sorcerer classes permanently lose all sha'ir special abilities, and can never advance further in the sha'ir class.
Gens are between 8 and 12 inches tall, have an Intelligence equal to half their master's, and have an AC of 15. They have hit points equal to half of their master's current maximum, and Hit Dice equal to half their master's number of levels of sha'ir. They inflict 1d6 of damage per attack. They can be sent to do other kinds of errands besides fetching spells. When a gen is within 10 feet of its master, the sha'ir receives a resistance bonus of +2 to his AC vs. attacks based on that gen's element, a +2 resistance bonus to his saving throws vs. that element, and is protected by the equivalent of an endure elements spell vs. that element. These bonuses stack with the element-resistance bonuses that sha'ir receive.
Sha'ir, as they grow in power, are also capable of summoning and coercing more powerful djinn into their service. This is also how sha'ir are able to craft magical items. Rules for this will follow when the GameMaster figures out how this should work...