The usual approach for a "new" class would be to write it up in full. Add more rules, contradict existing rules, and add to the overall bulk of the game. I want to avoid that so I'm going to try to work with what's there and add, remove, or change things only when necessary.
Let's start with the base class. I think the Bene Gesserit is closest to the Cleric so we'll start there. This means we've already covered all the XP, Hit Points, Saving throw and so on, and don't need to restate any of that.
Now there are some differences from a Cleric and we'll do that by changing the spell list a bit.
- Replace 'Light' with 'Charm Person', duration: concentration -- This is 'The Voice'
- Cure Light Wounds (et al), this are all personal only -- This is 'Prana-Bindu training' and 'Internal organic-chemical control'
- Detect Evil, with the 1 hour duration replaced with 6 x 1 turn durations per "casting" per day. -- This is the 'Truthsayer' ability
- Purify Food and Drink, instead of working for 12 people it's personal but with 12 uses per "casting" per day. -- More 'Internal organic-chemical control'
- Unarmed attacks do d6 damage -- This is 'Prana-bindu training and the weirding way'
We want to encourage them to disdain armor so we'll also include:
- Unarmored AC Adjustment: +3 -- More Prana-bindu and weirding way
We restrict the class to Women, and everything else we can use "as is". Even turning the undead - we can say they're using 'The Voice' against the undead.
Comparing this to our previous version of the Bene Gesserit the new philosophy gives us something much more streamlined, and usable:
Bene Gesserit Sisterhood
Cleric Sub-Class
Unarmed Attacks: d6 damage
Unarmored AC Adjustment: +3 [-3]
Changes to Cleric Spell List
Replace 'Light' with 'Charm Person' with duration: concentration
Cure Light Wounds (et al) only affect the caster
Detect Evil 1 turn duration but can be used 6 times
Purify Food and Drink only affects the caster but can be used 12 times
Special Weapon
Gom Jabbar - No Damage, Save vs Poison
Edit: Forgot to add in the detail about Charm Person's duration!

17 comments:
Oh, great idea! I've long been a fan of Herbert's Dune. Recreating Dune for S&W is an interesting prospect...
Now the Mentat...
Short & sweet. I would use Suggestion rather than Charm Person, with a range of speaking distance, duration concentration. How did you settle on Charm Person?
@Johnathan: Thanks! :)
@Richard: It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. ;-)
@Vincent: That's how the Vampire works in Swords & Wizardry. I looked at Suggestion but it's a 3rd level spell and you get one "suggestion" per casting.
This is really interesting - I'm happy I stumbled across your blog today while scrolling through people's blog lists.
I don't play S&W, but I'm a big fan lately of going for "rules-light" approaches to gaming. And I love Dune.
Thanks for posting this - I'm definitely going to be following this style for making new classes I think.
http://daddyrolleda1.blogspot.com
I thought she was an abomination, not a Bene Gesserit?
@Martin: Thanks - glad you like it. I posted the Mentat this morning. :)
@C'nor: True. I went with the Alia picture because she is "newer and smaller" than the picture I used last year for my original take on the class. :D
Nice work, Stuart. :)
Oh, and perhaps they could recite the Litany against Fear to give a bonus on will saves?
Arggh.. Oops. It seems I didn't actually post my first comment. It was some thing about the fact Jessica taught a Prince of one of the houses the Bene Gessert techniques in Children of Dune, and that I wanted to be sure you know that with the restriction to women for the class. Also, that I had nothing against you leaving that out if you did know, but that I wanted to be sure you knew.
The Litany against Fear works really well for PCs...they don't need to make morale check. :)
NPCs can also be put together differently than PCs, so I think you could have characters like Paul Atreides having some Bene Gesserit and Mentat training, while most characters wouldn't be able to combine them in that way.
Makes sense. Thanks for clarifying!
I like this as a very nice example of class design.
Added to Links to Wisdom Stuart under cleric.
This is how it should be done.
A nice usable class & some overall advice I can take away & rethink with.
Nice! You realise of course, you have now warped my sense of how to make custom classes?
Very nice. I like avoiding wheel reinvention as a principle.
Not only do I like how you've written up this class, I also like the basic approach to adding classes without actually adding classes.
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