At 1st level, a Cleric and a Paladin gain an Aura which can be detected via the relevant Detect [Alignment] spell.
Looking at a variety of Prestige Classes advancing Divine spellcasting, however, I found no mention of specifically increasing the power of this Aura. Even obvious examples which thematically seem like they should increase the power of this Aura are not noted to:
- Contemplative (Complete Divine, p. 30), who "devote their lives to cultivating a greater closeness with their deities",
- Radiant Servant of Pelor (Complete Divine, p. 52), who has both Radiance and Aura (of Warding).
It seems therefore possible to take a single level of Cleric, then advance spellcasting via Prestige Classes, and have 9th level Cleric spells while still only registering only a Moderate Aura when a 5th level Cleric would already register with a Strong Aura.
Did I miss any rule specifying that Prestige Class levels augmenting a Cleric would count toward Cleric levels as pertain the Detect [Alignment] line of spells?
I checked both the Cleric entry and the generic Prestige Classes section of both the SRD and Complete Divine without finding any such thing.
Otherwise, would following the Caster Level scaling of items and spells for the character make sense?
Or has anyone implemented a house rule for this?
Note: There is a very cool effect that characters exuding an Overwhelming Aura can pull off, they can stun anyone casting the appropriate Detect [Alignment] who has too few character levels (not HDs). Otherwise, a stronger aura is mostly a liability.