Complete Guide to Templars: A 3.5e Dark Sun Sourcebook

Rules 3rd Edition D&D or Pathfinder
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I’ve spent years on this, on and off, restarting from scratch more than once. It’s called the Complete Guide to Templars, and it’s now available as a free PDF and HTML.
What’s in it:

Part One: Lore — Seven chapters covering everything from the source of templar power and the conduit to city-by-city breakdowns of every templarate in the Tyr Region. Recruitment, training, internal politics, the mask system of Raam, Dregoth’s dray templars, the works. Most of the 2e lore is preserved and expanded.

Part Two: Rules — Full 3.5e base class (Charisma-based spontaneous divine caster, d8 HD, two domains from your sorcerer-monarch’s portfolio). Five alternative class features. The Warlock Templar base class with 11 new invocations. Full epic progressions for both templar and warlock templar. The Secular Authority system — a complete mechanic for wielding institutional power, from requisitioning slaves to judging nobles. Full templar spell list with descriptions. Feats.

59 pages, available as HTML and PDF.

Why it’s not on Athas.org:

The current Athas.org team is restricted from modifying base classes, which makes a proper templar class impossible under their charter. This guide fills that gap.

Links:

HTML: Complete Guide to Templars — Dark Sun 3.5e Sourcebook
PDF: http://dnd35tools.top/Complete_Guide_to_Templars.pdf

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To produce this document, I relied on a truly massive AI extraction of all the Templar lore from all of the 2E products. The AI extraction may be useful to people wishing to extract information from the document, either manually or by AI. The document is linked below on OneDrive.

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The PrC is named after a 3.5e/4e/5e class?

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I’m not sure what you mean. The Templar is a 1 to 20 level base class, and the Epic Templar continues the progression, albeit in an epic way.

I just updated it to correct a few lore errors. It should be absolutely solid now.

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“Five alternative class features. The Warlock Templar prestige class with 11 new invocations. Full epic progressions for both templar and warlock templar.”

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I’m sorry, what in the heck are you talk about?

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That’s what I get for using AI for the announcement. Lol.

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That is the case. The reason given was that players and DMs rely on the stability of these long established rules, and no overhauls to base classes was made explicit.

Whether the announcement was made here or over on Discord, I do not recall.

EDIT: Version 2 is up. Some minor lore cleanup, corrected phrasing, and deleted repeated sentence.

EDIT: Version 3 is up. Verbiage clean up and clarity edits.

EDIT: Version 4 is up. Clarity edits.

EDIT: Version 5 is up. Removed false claim about arena matches.

EDIT: Version 6 is up. Major: - Warlock eldritch blast progression: 7d6 added at 14th level (table was missing the level-14 entry)
- Sigil section: removed redundant explanations, restructured so the misconceptions about sigil power lead into the truth at the end
- Gulg dagadas: expanded with the education structure — capability testing at every level, two-year specialisation period, subordinate ranks for those who fail to advance, High Gulg language instruction
- Borys of Ur Draxa: rephrased to emphasise his power ranking — feared even by the other sorcerer-monarchs, though they could likely defeat him together
- Kaisharga: numbered and rostered — 25 total on Borys’s inner council, eight named (Lord Warrior, Lord Vizier, Lord Templar, Chamberlain, Herald, Lord Scribe, Lord Guardian, Lord Assassin), seventeen unnamed. The detail about kaisharga dreaming of unseating the Dragon is framed as a deranged fantasy, not a credible threat.
- Minor prose tightening: Rampholon’s death now matches the 2e source phrasing; “no few troubadours” replaced; Secular Authority contest numbering cleaned up.
- EDIT: Version 7 is up. I left something out of the psionics section and now its there.
- EDIT: Version 8 is up. Dregoth’s templar entry expanded. Relations with undead section created.

9

The templar class in athas.org’s DS 3.5 is a solely unquine(ish) class using the Favored Soul as a skeleton.

That said, I’ve skimmed your material and from what I read so far, looks really good.

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It should! The core idea of the Templarate Training class feature is yours! I unearthed the class feature in ancient forum posts. At the time it was your intention to update the templar, but for whatever reason, it never happened. That inspired me to recreate the templar.

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I remember mostly! I’d love to re-read that discussion. Initially I just reskinned the Templar using the Favored Soul, but there were so many dead levels after 4th.

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That is what I tried to fix. Fill the dead levels so something is always happening, and set the templar to around tier 2 as it goes in the optimisation forums (high floor, low ceiling). With the various ACFs, the templar now fills all the roles that the 2E Original Boxed Set claims that they fill.

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I kinda went the opposite way with my Templars. The reason it was so dead level wise was that Templar was an introductory class to the city-state specific PRC. I also opened the PRC to psions and wizards, allowing some of that progression with a few other minor changes.

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It looks like there was a bit of an omission in my work. All of my Sorcerer Monarchs have the War domain. That means that each monarch must have a favoured weapon under 3.5e rules for templars that select the War domain. I did not assign these weapons. What 3.5e weapons are the favoured weapon of each Sorcerer Monarch?

15

Draj I think would be the macuahuitl, the obsidian sword.

Raam would probably be a dagger, preferably in the back. :wink:

Tyr? I would lean towards an iron sword.

Urik probably be an obsidian spear.

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I like the ideas, not sure we can specify materials though for the War domain.

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Tell you what. You go tell Hamanu he doesn’t get a say in it. I’ll stand over here to write down what he says. :wink:

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I like those. I was going to suggest macuahuitl for Tectuktitlay.

Andropinis - short sword? (Presumably a gladius-like one)

Lalali-Puy … something hunting related. If Hamanu claims spear, maybe shortbow?

Nibenay … I can see two ways to go with this one. Either something sneaky and concealable to go with the “Shadow King” idea, or large and powerful to go with his more draconic form in PP, like a greataxe or something.

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I got hold of a full list of deities and their favoured weapons, so I’ve got a good idea about what it looks like.

Here is an AI analysis:

A Comprehensive Analysis of D&D 3.5 Deity Favoured Weapons

with Recommendations for Dragon Kings Sorcerer-Monarchs

  1. Source Data

The analysis draws from a community-maintained Google Sheet containing 687 deities across all official D&D 3.5 sources (PHB, Complete Divine, Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Greyhawk, Dragon Magazine, and many more). Each deity has: name, alignment, domains, favoured weapon, sourcebook, setting, pantheon, and portfolio. Of the 687 entries, 597 have known, non-null favoured weapons.

The full dataset has been downloaded and archived for reference.

  1. Overall Favoured Weapon Frequency

Among all 597 deities with known weapons, the most common picks are:

Top 15 overall:

  1. dagger — 50 (8.4%)
  2. quarterstaff — 49 (8.2%)
  3. longsword — 49 (8.2%)
  4. short sword — 27 (4.5%)
  5. warhammer — 25 (4.2%)
  6. scimitar — 24 (4.0%)
  7. spear — 18 (3.0%)
  8. shortspear — 17 (2.8%)
  9. greatsword — 17 (2.8%)
  10. battleaxe — 17 (2.8%)
  11. heavy mace — 17 (2.8%)
  12. trident — 13 (2.2%)
  13. sickle — 12 (2.0%)
  14. longbow — 11 (1.8%)
  15. greatclub — 10 (1.7%)

The top three (dagger, quarterstaff, longsword) together account for nearly 25% of all deities. Dagger and quarterstaff are simple weapons used by tricksters, nature gods, and magic-users. Longsword is the weapon of warrior-gods.

  1. Weapon Type Breakdown

Categorising all 597 known weapons by type reveals a near-even split:

Simple
• Count: 282
• Percentage: 47.2%

Martial
• Count: 270
• Percentage: 45.2%

Exotic
• Count: 35
• Percentage: 5.9%

Unclassified
• Count: 10
• Percentage: 1.7%

Almost half of all deities favour simple weapons — but this is heavily skewed by non-combat deities. When we split by War domain, a very different picture emerges.

  1. War Domain vs Non-War Domain

This is the key comparison for Dragon Kings, since all Sorcerer-Monarchs have War domain.

Martial
• War domain: 83 (68.0%)
• Non-War domain: 187 (39.4%)

Simple
• War domain: 30 (24.6%)
• Non-War domain: 252 (53.1%)

Exotic
• War domain: 8 (6.6%)
• Non-War domain: 27 (5.7%)

Unclassified
• War domain: 1 (0.8%)
• Non-War domain: 9 (1.9%)

War domain deities overwhelmingly prefer martial weapons. The ratio is almost exactly inverted: 68% martial for War vs 53% simple for non-War. This makes intuitive sense — gods of war carry proper weapons, not staves and daggers.

The favourite simple weapons among War deities are the heavy hitters: heavy mace, greatclub, shortspear, morningstar, spear — the ones that hit hard. Not a single War deity favours a dagger, sickle, or sling.

  1. War Domain — Specific Weapon Detail

Of the 122 War domain deities with known weapons:

Top 15 War domain weapons:

  1. longsword — 22 (18.0%)
  2. battleaxe — 8 (6.6%)
  3. warhammer — 8 (6.6%)
  4. greatsword — 6 (4.9%)
  5. greataxe — 5 (4.1%)
  6. longbow — 5 (4.1%)
  7. short sword — 4 (3.3%)
  8. monk weapon — 4 (3.3%)
  9. greatclub — 4 (3.3%)
  10. bastard sword — 3 (2.5%)
  11. shortspear — 3 (2.5%)
  12. heavy mace — 3 (2.5%)
  13. flail — 2 (1.6%)
  14. halberd — 2 (1.6%)
  15. khopesh — 2 (1.6%)

Longsword absolutely dominates at 22 — nearly triple the next contender. It is the canonical War domain weapon.

War domain by alignment axis:

  • Good War (LG/NG/CG, 35 deities): longsword (31%), warhammer (11%), longbow (9%)
  • Neutral War (LN/TN/CN, 40 deities): longsword (13%), battleaxe (10%), warhammer (8%)
  • Evil War (LE/NE/CE, 47 deities): longsword (13%), greatsword (9%), greataxe (6%)
  • Lawful War (49 deities): longsword (25%), greatsword (8%), battleaxe (6%), warhammer (6%) (1/3)
  • Chaotic War (38 deities): longsword (18%), greataxe (8%), longbow (8%), battleaxe (8%)

The longsword is universal across all alignments. Greatsword skews evil. Greataxe skews chaotic/evil. Longbow is good/lawful-good aligned surprisingly often.

  1. Weapons Disproportionately Associated with War Domain

These weapons are “War-coded” — favoured by War domain deities at a much higher rate than their overall frequency would predict:

Monk weapon
• % of users with War domain: 80%
• Interpretation: Almost exclusively War domain

Greataxe
• % of users with War domain: 62%
• Interpretation: Strong War association

Battleaxe
• % of users with War domain: 47%
• Interpretation: Nearly half are War

Longbow
• % of users with War domain: 45%
• Interpretation: Half are War

Longsword
• % of users with War domain: 45%
• Interpretation: Half of all longsword users

Greatclub
• % of users with War domain: 40%
• Interpretation: Primal War

Bastard sword
• % of users with War domain: 38%
• Interpretation: Specialised War

Greatsword
• % of users with War domain: 35%
• Interpretation: Over a third

Warhammer
• % of users with War domain: 32%
• Interpretation: Nearly a third

Conversely, these weapons are anti-War-coded — deities that use them almost never have War domain:

Trident
• % with War domain: 0%
• Why: Water/sea deities only

Sickle
• % with War domain: 0%
• Why: Agriculture/nature gods

Unarmed strike
• % with War domain: 0%
• Why: Monk/philosophy gods

Dagger
• % with War domain: 2%
• Why: Rogues, assassins, tricksters

Quarterstaff
• % with War domain: 4%
• Why: Magic-users, nature gods

Scimitar
• % with War domain: 4%
• Why: Elven/dexterity deities

  1. Alignment and Favoured Weapons

Broken down by nine-alignment grid, each morality axis shows distinct preferences:

  • LG (59 deities): longsword (19%), warhammer (10%), unarmed strike (7%), longbow (7%)
  • LN (52 deities): longsword (12%), light mace (8%), quarterstaff (8%), dagger (8%), flail (8%)
  • LE (51 deities): greatsword (8%), whip (6%), dagger (6%), shortspear (6%)
  • NG (71 deities): quarterstaff (14%), scimitar (9%), dagger (9%), heavy mace (9%)
  • TN (91 deities): quarterstaff (19%), warhammer (9%), dagger (7%), spear (5%)
  • NE (59 deities): dagger (14%), longsword (10%), quarterstaff (7%), trident (5%)
  • CG (57 deities): quarterstaff (9%), dagger (9%), longsword (7%), scimitar (7%)
  • CN (43 deities): dagger (16%), battleaxe (12%), short sword (9%), longbow (7%)
  • CE (65 deities): longsword (11%), dagger (8%), scimitar (6%), short sword (6%)

Key takeaways:

  • LG deities like longsword + warhammer — disciplined, heavy. Lawful good is the paladin alignment and it shows.
  • LE deities favour greatsword — big, dramatic, evil. Zarus, Bel, Typhos, The Lord of Blades.
  • TN deities love the quarterstaff — neutral nature/magic gods. Obad-Hai, druidic figures.
  • CE is more chaotic in weapon choice — no single weapon dominates. Longsword edges ahead but barely.
  1. Notable War Domain Deities and Their Weapons

A selection of well-known War domain deities with their favoured weapons, sorted by alignment:

LG:

  • Heironeous — longsword
  • Tyr — longsword
  • Moradin — warhammer
  • Athena — shortspear
  • Clangeddin Silverbeard — battleaxe
  • Dol Arrah — halberd

LN:

  • Red Knight — longsword
  • Nike — light mace
  • Ramman — khopesh

LE:

  • Hextor — flail
  • Zarus — greatsword
  • The Lord of Blades — greatsword
  • Sargonnas — greataxe
  • Dispater — heavy mace

NG:

  • Sovereign Host (pantheon) — longsword
  • Onatar — warhammer

TN:

  • Zuoken — nunchaku/unarmed strike (monk weapons)
  • Xan Yae — falchion
  • Kelanen — any martial sword

NE:

  • Ilneval — longsword
  • Maglubiyet — battleaxe or warhammer (2/3)
  • Al-Ishtus — whip

CG:

  • Corellon Larethian — longsword
  • Thor — warhammer
  • Anhur — falchion
  • Solonor Thelandira — longbow

CN:

  • Tempus — battleaxe
  • Garagos — longsword
  • Uthgar — battleaxe

CE:

  • Gruumsh — spear
  • Yeenoghu — flail
  • Kostchtchie — maul
  • Thrym — greataxe
  • Graz’zt — bastard sword
  1. Recommendations for Dragon Kings Sorcerer-Monarchs

For the Dragon Kings 3.5 Edition, each Sorcerer-Monarch needs a favoured weapon that their templars can wield. Based on the data:

The Canonical Choice:

  • Longsword — 22 War domain deities use it (18%). Universal across all alignments. No one questions it. If you want a default, this is it.

The Strong Alternatives (all well-represented in War domain):

  • Battleaxe — 8 War deities. Tempus, Clangeddin. Aggressive, chopping, feels like a tyrant’s weapon.
  • Warhammer — 8 War deities. Moradin, Thor. Authoritative, dwarven-coded, visually striking.
  • Greatsword — 6 War deities. Zarus, Hextor, Bel. Big, dramatic, evil-coded. Perfect for the nastier SMs.
  • Greataxe — 5 War deities. Sargonnas, Thrym. Brutal, raw power.
  • Longbow — 5 War deities. Solonor, Silver Flame. For the distant, regal archer-monarch.

The Distinctive Picks (less common but flavourful):

  • Bastard sword — Graz’zt, Mayaheine. Versatile (one or two hands), feels special.
  • Khopesh — Ramman, Re-Horakhty. Egyptian flavour, very monarch-coded.
  • Falchion — Anhur, Xan Yae. Curved blade, exotic-looking.
  • Heavy flail or Flail — Hextor, Yeenoghu. Cruel and distinctive.

Avoid for SMs:

  • Dagger (only 1 War deity — Mictlantecuhtli, death god)
  • Quarterstaff (Joramy, Panzuriel — not monarch weapons)
  • Scimitar (Corellon ACF only, not a primary War weapon)
  • Unarmed strike, sickle, trident (zero War domain users)

Proposed weapon assignments by city-state flavour:

Tyr
• SM: Kalak
• Suggested Weapon: Longsword
• Rationale: The classic. Fits a dragon-tyrant.

Urik
• SM: Hamanu
• Suggested Weapon: Battleaxe
• Rationale: Warrior city. Hamanu is a Lion — brutal and direct.

Draj
• SM: Tectuktitlay
• Suggested Weapon: Macahuitl (longsword) / Spear
• Rationale: Mesoamerican flavour. Spear is canon.

Nibenay
• Suggested Weapon: Longspear or Quarterstaff
• Rationale: Scholarly, distant. A staff suits the Shadow King.

Gulg
• SM: Lalali-Puy
• Suggested Weapon: Shortspear or Scimitar
• Rationale: Jungle queen. Quick, elegant weapons.

Raam
• SM: Abalach-Re
• Suggested Weapon: Heavy mace / Flail
• Rationale: Crushing, cruel. Fits the Witch Queen.

Balic
• SM: Andropinus
• Suggested Weapon: Rapier or Short sword
• Rationale: Senatorial, precise. Fits the Dictator.

Eldaarich
• SM: Daskinor
• Suggested Weapon: Bastard sword
• Rationale: Weird, versatile. Fits the insane mind-lord.

Kurn
• SM: Oronis
• Suggested Weapon: Longsword or Warhammer
• Rationale: Reformed dragon. Noble, clean.

Ur Draxa
• SM: Dregoth
• Suggested Weapon: Khopesh or Greatsword
• Rationale: Undead dragon god-king. Needs something dramatic.

  1. Final Notes

The dataset is comprehensive but not exhaustive — it omits some 3rd-party and homebrew deities that may be relevant to Dragon Kings. The recommended approach:

  • Assign each SM a favoured weapon that reflects their personality and city-state culture
  • Ensure the weapon is martial (not simple or exotic) unless there’s a strong flavour reason otherwise
  • The weapon should be reflected in the city’s iconography, templar uniforms, and military doctrine.
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The ones I’d strongly disagree with from that are:

  • rapier for Andropinis (not a “classical” weapon at all, and I’m not sure rapiers even exist on Athas),
  • bastard sword for Daskinor (again, IMO that’s too late-era a weapon for Athas),
  • heavy mace for Abalach-re (she’s not a brute-force-first type),
  • greatsword for Dregoth (I’m not sure I’d pick greatsword for anybody on Athas, honestly, too much metal)

Also that says Dregoth rules Ur Draxa.

If the greatsword was supposed to go with Borys the Dragon instead of Dregoth, maybe … Ur Draxa is a little more of a relic of prior times … But I still don’t think so. Draxan templars “carry short swords and spears on duty” (from VODAF “Men, Draxans” MC entry) so one of those. Yeah that would probably be duplicating one of the Tyr Region SKs, but I think it’s enough of a canon connection to use anyway.

If Dregoth of New Giustenal was intended, I’d suggest longsword instead … Dregoth’s special kalin rider templars use longswords according to City by the Silt Sea.

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