Preserver

Preservers are a Variant Class (technically) of Wizards from the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Dark Sun. The benevolent counterpart of Defilers, whilst Preservers also draw power from the lifeforce of Athas (or from the Cerulean Storm, or the Black, or the Gray), they do so slowly and carefully, making sure to only take what they need and working their magic in such a way that the energy left over will feed back into the planet when they cast the spell. Unfortunately, because defilers are so well-known, preservers are regarded with just as much hatred and fear.

In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Preservers and Defilers were treated as entirely separate classes. Preservers used all the normal rules for wizards and could even become specialist wizards, at least until the Revised Edition of the campaign setting retconned that there were no specialist wizards on Athas due to the long persecution of wizards. Even in the revised edition, Preservers were defined by functioning like normal wizards, whilst defilers gained levels faster but exposed themselves to danger through the destructive after-effects of their spellcasting and had their ability to successfully prepare spells tied to a randomized table mechanic. The splatbook "Defilers and Preservers" further molded the difference by presenting new rules for associated spells, with Preservers having a +15% chance to learn Abjurer and Diviner spells, but a -15% chance to learn Conjurer and Necromancer spells (Defilers were the opposite way around) and presented complicated rules for switching from Preserver to Defiler or vice versa in game-play, inspired by the Prism Pentad, in which a preserver protagonist succumbs to desperation and defiles more than once.

This inspired the future treatment of Preservers and Defilers. In both Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition and Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, Preservers are still the "normal wizard" type class, and defiling is presented as more of a temptation that preservers face; a "defiler" in the AD&D sense of the term is essentially a wizard who routinely uses the edge that defiling gives them, whilst a preserver avoids it until and unless they feel they have no choice.

Kits

Dragon Magazine #231 ran an article called "Defilers and Preservers", which offered an array of new kits specific to the wizards of Dark Sun. It offered six kits in total; the Grey Chasseur (Huntsman) and Protector for Preservers, the Pale and the Slayer for Defilers, and finally the Obscure and the Relic Seeker, which could be taken by both.

Gray Chasseurs are anti-necromancers, preservers specifically trained and focused on hunting and killing the powerful undead creatures native to Athas. Described as a combination of occult scholar, paranormal investigator and undead executioner, the Gray Chasseur is a rarity amongst wizards in that they are actually welcomed (well, tolerated) amongst most communities. Gray chasseurs are nomadic, even by Athasian standards, constantly seeking out both ancient lore that could hold the key to locating and defeating the undead, as well as undead creatures themselves. Basically, they exist because Dark Sun undead are supposed to be played up as unique and powerful individuals, similarly to Ravenloft undead.

Base Class: Preserver

Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: Yes

Available Races: Any Preserver capable (Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Aarakocra)

Ability Score Requirements: Constitution 13, Wisdom 11

Weapon Proficiencies: As per Wizard

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Ancient History and Undead Lore as Bonus, Religion Required, Recommended are Agriculture, Bribery, Etiquette, Fire-building, Planes Lore, Survival, Teaching

Special Benefits:

Priestly Pact: So long as a gray chassuer pays homage to the elemental powers in a similar manner to an elemental priest, they gain access to both four priestly spells (Invisibility to Undead - Air, 4th level, Cure Disease - Fire, 6th level, Negative Plane Protection - Water, 8th level, Dispel Evil - Earth, 10th level) that they can cast 1/day each, and the ability to Turn Undead as if they were a cleric of (current level-3) level.

Tolerated: Gray chasseurs are tolerated amongst the villages and communities of Dark Sun similarly to elemental priests.

Deathslayer: From 9th level, any weapon a gray chasseur wields counts as a +1 weapon if the wizard is attacking an undead opponent.

Study Undead Target: By spending time studying a particular individual undead creature and successfully making an Undead Lore Check (Wisdom), a gray chassuer learns useful information about that creature. Each full day spent in studying reveals one of the following details: how many powers the creature has, a single specific power it has, a single possible weakness it has. This check suffers a -1 penalty, with a further -1 penalty per Hit Dice the target's HD is higher than the gray chasseur's level.

Special Hindrances:

Keep the Pact: A gray chasseur must make homage to an elemental power within 24 hours of using its priestly spells. This is done by making an offering to that element, such as setting something free to honor air or burning something to honor fire. If the gray chasseur fails to make an appropriate offering, they lose access to that element's granted spell-like ability as well as to their turn undead ability. Nothing explicitly lets them regain this favor, but you can probably treat it the same way as an elemental cleric seeking redemption.

Enemy of the Undead: If a gray chasseur reveals their occupation in the presence of an intelligent undead, or fails their Study Undead Target check, that creature has a 55% chance to dedicate itself to eradicating the gray chasseur.

Obscures are Shadow Mages specialized in espionage, investigation and defense. Most work alongside the Veiled Alliance, but others have taken up the cause of protecting and aiding all manner of groups or powerful individuals. They typically tend to be cold, distant, and devoted to the concept of balance. They favor a mixture of divination spells, spells relating to stealth and concealment, and spells that manipulate light and shadow, but avoid darkness spells, since shadows are cut off by the absence of light.

Base Class: Preserver or Preserver-turned-Defiler

Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: Yes

Available Races: Any Preserver capable (Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Aarakocra)

Ability Score Requirements: Constitution 15, Wisdom 16

Alignment Requirements: Any Neutral

Weapon Proficiencies: As per Wizard

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Planes Lore Bonus, Path Lore Required, Recommended Astrology, Bribery, Etiquette, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Meditation, Mental Armor, Reading/Writing, Spellcraft

Special Benefits:

Shadow Transmutation: At 3rd level, 20% of the obscure's body turns into living shadow. At each level, a further 5% transmutes, until 50% of the shadow wizard is pure shadow. The obscure can also cast Chill Touch 1/level each day by touching others with their shadow-flesh.

Shadow Form: From 7th level, an obscure can assume a Shadow Form (as per the psychometabolic science) as a granted ability. They can take Shadow Form for a total number of turns per day equal to their level.

Mystical Armor: From 9th level, an obscure's base AC becomes 5 against non-magical weapons.

Special Hindrances:

Fickle Power Supply: An Obscure must make a Power Gathering Check, like a Defiler. Due to the extraplanar nature of their power source, they roll a D10 to determine the "terrain type" portion of that table; 1 = barren, 2-4 = infertile, 5-7 = fertile, 8-9 = abundant, 10 = lush. Basking in shadow when doing so grants +1 to the roll.

Disturbing: An obscure suffers a -1 reaction penalty that increases to -2 at 4th level, -3 at 7th level, and -4 at 10th level. If other characters see the shadow stain gained at 3rd level, they must save vs. petrification or flee in terror.

Shadow Fueled: If the obscure has no access to shadows, such as due to being enveloped in total darkness, they must make a Constitution check at -2 or suffer 1d4 damage. They must also cast spells through the standard method of being either a preserver or defiler, depending on their base class, until they regain access to shadows.

Spiritual Strain: A shadow wizard must make a Constituion check whenever they gather power to fuel their spells; if they fail the check, they take 1d2 damage (if the "in play" power gathering method is used) or 1d6+1 (if the "off-stage/when memorizing" method is used). In the latter case, the shadow wizard fails to memorize their spells unless they repeat the process, which requires a second Constitution check; if this fails, then the shadow wizard cannot attempt to memorize spells for a 24 hour period.

Patron's Whims: An obscure almost always has some kind of patron outside of their adventuring group, who will generally have 1 espionage-related mission every 2 months.

Protectors are the Athasian equivalent of bladesingers; they are elfin warrior-wizards who use a combination of martial talents and magical spells to better defend their tribes. Almost all protectors are Athasian elves, but a smattering of Half-Elf protectors, usually devoted to the protection of their former slave tribe. Protectors are the elites of elfin society; they run at the head of the tribe in a special place of honor, provide consul to the chief and the tribal elders, trains the tribe's lesser warriors, and generally sets themselves up as the tribe's first line of defense. Armed with relic weapons (+3 Bone Long Swords, often with further enchantments, typically a heightened ability to kill a specific monster such as thri-kreen or the undead), protectors are not as sedentary as their bladesinger counterparts, often roving far ahead of their tribes to winnow out threats preemptively or simply build up their skills. Their arsenal of spells typically prioritizes offensive spells first, defensive spells second, and divination spells third. Protectors who somehow survive the destruction of their tribe become Avengers; they maintain their abilities, but dedicate their lives to destroying whatever slew their people.

Base Class: Multiclassed Preserver/Fighter

Race Restriction: Elf or Half-Elf

Requirements: Strength 13, Constitution 12, Intelligence 14

Weapon Proficiencies: Any, Long Sword mandatory

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Survival Bonus, Tracking Required, Recommended Direction Sense, Armorer, Blind-Fighting, Weaponsmithing, Mental Armor

Special Benefits:

Protector-in-Training: From 3rd level, a protector in training is formally recognized; they gain a +1 Bone Long Sword and must spend 1 month per level training with their tribe's fully fledged protector.

Fully Fledged: From 5th level, a protector is officially able to claim the rank, if the existing protector of the tribe is willing to step down or has died. Once this happens, the protector receives the +3 Bone Long Sword that signifies their rank.

Pouch of Communion: At 5th level, a protector is given an enchanted pouch that lets them sense if danger is threatening their tribe, so long as they are within 10 miles of their tribe.

Bonus Spells: A protector gains +1 1st level spell slot, followed by a 2nd 1st level spell slot bonus at 6th level, a bonus 3rd level spell slot at 10th level, and a second bonus 3rd level spell slot at 13th level.

Special Hindrances:

Protect the Tribe: A protector is expected to aid their tribe's defense. If they ignore summons from their Pouch of Communion, they will be stripped of their rank.

Relic Seekers are the arcane scholars of Athas, adventurers in the classic sense; they'll go anywhere, brave any danger, to recover a relic, learn a new bit of information, or discover an ancient secret. They look for anything and everything that might grant them insight into the mysteries of the past. They typically favor a lot of divination and abjuration spells.

Base Class: Preserve or Defiler

Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: Multiclassed Wizard/Thief

Available Races: Any that can become Wizard

Ability Score Requirements: Intelligence 12 Wisdom 11

Alignment Requirement: Any Lawful

Weapon Proficiencies: As Wizard

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Ancient History, Ancient Languages Bonus, Reading/Writing Required, Recommended Appraising, Bribery, Etiquette, Direction Sense, Rope Use, Somatic Concealment, Teaching

Special Benefits:

Foundational Trinket: A relic seeker starts play with a single minor magical items.

Hoardbuilder: A relic seeker gains +5% experience for each magical item or ancient relic they collect.

Identification: A relic seeker can attempt to identify if an item is either genuine or magical in nature with a 5% chance of success per level.

Thief Skills: Starting at 3rd level, a relic seeker gains access to the Thief skills Open Locks, Find Traps, Climb Walls and Read Languages. They start with 0% in all of these, except for Read Languages (10%); 3rd level gives them 15 points to divvy up, and they gain thief skill points per level.

Special Hindrances:

Curiosity Killed the Mekilot: Whenever a relic seeker picks up a rumor concerning a worthy item for their collection, they must succeed on a Wisdom check to avoid rushing off to find it at the first opportunity.

Unearthly: A relic seeker suffers a -2 penalty to Initiative in the first round of combat, and is always surprised by combat unless in a ruin or while on a relic hunt.

Forbidden Skillset: Remember; literacy is illegal in many places of the Tablelands, and the relic seeker often carries ancient relics of writing. They had best be careful not to give themselves away when in Urik or Nibenay.