Sepsis
11-12-1997, 10:00 PM
Greetings,
All this talk about Priests and their spells raised a question. Do *all*
Priests get the ability to cast spells? A church, and particularly a
network of them across a Province, must require a substantial clergy.
Even if 99% of them are just 0-level they still have the potential to
eventually cast spells. Within a few years you would end up with an
inordinate amount of spellcasters. Particularly if a Regent pushed
training all of them. Some of the most basic spells available to most
Priests give fantasy characters a distinctive edge over their real-world
counterparts. I know this *is* a fantasy, but by making this Clerical aid
to commonplace we risk cheapening some of the more common threats that
can make this setting so interesting(plagues, starvation, drought, etc.).
In order to keep the number of spellcasting Priests down, there should be
something besides just a Stat requirement to separate them from standard
run-of-the-mill clergy. In order to cast spells a Priest should have to
perform some exemplary task to prove his/her faith, and even then this
should not guarantee that they will be granted spells(aka "become
Ordained"). Perhaps this situation will be covered in the BoP, but I have
yet to see it. So until I see if(and how)it is covered in there I have
come up with the following solution: When a 0-level Priest accumulates
enough Exp. to become 1st-level(I use 1d4+1 years of Training, at the end
of which he/she must make a Wis. check or they must repeat the Training
and roll again. Each time after the first he/she gets a cumulative +1
bonus to the roll. Success means he/she becomes 1st-level.)they have the
chance to become "Ordained" and be able to cast spells. A Priest can only
be "Ordained" by a Priest Regent who uses the following Realm Spell.
Anoint
Regency: Special Sphere: All
Gold: 1 GB Req'd Holding: 1
Duration: Permanent Character Level: 1
This ceremony allows the Regent to beseech his/her Diety to consider a
newly raised Priest for the boon of spellcasting. Not all Priests will
recieve this blessing. Many will continue their service to the clergy
without the benifit of spells, but virtually all Priests undergo this
ceremony at one time or another to see if they will be chosen by their
Diety to perform miracles in his/her name. Please note that this ceremony
is only nessecary for non-Blooded Priests, Blooded Priests can always
cast spells.=20
Before the spell is actually cast the aspiring Priest must undertake an
act of extreme faith. This could be anything from a quest, or pilgramage,
to a form of utter abasement. The nature of this task will be determined
by the codes of the specific religion (in other words, the DM will
decide), but the act should take anywhere from 1-6 months to complete.
After this act is completed the spell may then be cast. If cast before
the task is done it automatically fails.
The spell can only be cast on 1 Priest at a time, and a Priest can only
undergo the ceremony once in his/her life. If it fails the Priest becomes
a 1st-level Priest and can continue to progress as a Priest in levels,
but cannot cast any spells, Turn Undead, or use any other spell-like
ability granted by the Diety. If the ceremony succeeds then they become
1st-level Priest and are able to progress normally gaining all abilities
due them.
The actual nature and length of the ceremony again depends upon the
requirements of the religion (again the DM will decide), but no matter
the specifics of the ceremony a Priest Regent may only cast this Realm
Spell once per a Domain Turn. Once cast the aspiring Priest must add
his/her Wisdom and Charisma scores together, this gives a base percentage
chance of success. This base chance can be modified by the casting
Regent, for every RP the Regent puts toward the spell the chance is
increased by 1 percent.=20
Example: Arnof is ready to become a 1st-level Priest, and he has just
completed a pilgrmage as he was instructed by his faith. Arnof has a 12
Wisdom and a 9 Charisma. This gives the ceremony a base chance of 21% to
succeed. The casting Regent has high hopes for Arnof so he puts 15 RPs
into the spell, raising the chance of success to 36%.
Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net (ICQ:3777956)
"War is a matter of vital importance to the State;
the province of life or death;
the road to survival or ruin.
It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."
-Sun Tzu,(The Art of War)-=20
BR Netbook: http://webpages.metrolink.net/~veleda/birth.html
All this talk about Priests and their spells raised a question. Do *all*
Priests get the ability to cast spells? A church, and particularly a
network of them across a Province, must require a substantial clergy.
Even if 99% of them are just 0-level they still have the potential to
eventually cast spells. Within a few years you would end up with an
inordinate amount of spellcasters. Particularly if a Regent pushed
training all of them. Some of the most basic spells available to most
Priests give fantasy characters a distinctive edge over their real-world
counterparts. I know this *is* a fantasy, but by making this Clerical aid
to commonplace we risk cheapening some of the more common threats that
can make this setting so interesting(plagues, starvation, drought, etc.).
In order to keep the number of spellcasting Priests down, there should be
something besides just a Stat requirement to separate them from standard
run-of-the-mill clergy. In order to cast spells a Priest should have to
perform some exemplary task to prove his/her faith, and even then this
should not guarantee that they will be granted spells(aka "become
Ordained"). Perhaps this situation will be covered in the BoP, but I have
yet to see it. So until I see if(and how)it is covered in there I have
come up with the following solution: When a 0-level Priest accumulates
enough Exp. to become 1st-level(I use 1d4+1 years of Training, at the end
of which he/she must make a Wis. check or they must repeat the Training
and roll again. Each time after the first he/she gets a cumulative +1
bonus to the roll. Success means he/she becomes 1st-level.)they have the
chance to become "Ordained" and be able to cast spells. A Priest can only
be "Ordained" by a Priest Regent who uses the following Realm Spell.
Anoint
Regency: Special Sphere: All
Gold: 1 GB Req'd Holding: 1
Duration: Permanent Character Level: 1
This ceremony allows the Regent to beseech his/her Diety to consider a
newly raised Priest for the boon of spellcasting. Not all Priests will
recieve this blessing. Many will continue their service to the clergy
without the benifit of spells, but virtually all Priests undergo this
ceremony at one time or another to see if they will be chosen by their
Diety to perform miracles in his/her name. Please note that this ceremony
is only nessecary for non-Blooded Priests, Blooded Priests can always
cast spells.=20
Before the spell is actually cast the aspiring Priest must undertake an
act of extreme faith. This could be anything from a quest, or pilgramage,
to a form of utter abasement. The nature of this task will be determined
by the codes of the specific religion (in other words, the DM will
decide), but the act should take anywhere from 1-6 months to complete.
After this act is completed the spell may then be cast. If cast before
the task is done it automatically fails.
The spell can only be cast on 1 Priest at a time, and a Priest can only
undergo the ceremony once in his/her life. If it fails the Priest becomes
a 1st-level Priest and can continue to progress as a Priest in levels,
but cannot cast any spells, Turn Undead, or use any other spell-like
ability granted by the Diety. If the ceremony succeeds then they become
1st-level Priest and are able to progress normally gaining all abilities
due them.
The actual nature and length of the ceremony again depends upon the
requirements of the religion (again the DM will decide), but no matter
the specifics of the ceremony a Priest Regent may only cast this Realm
Spell once per a Domain Turn. Once cast the aspiring Priest must add
his/her Wisdom and Charisma scores together, this gives a base percentage
chance of success. This base chance can be modified by the casting
Regent, for every RP the Regent puts toward the spell the chance is
increased by 1 percent.=20
Example: Arnof is ready to become a 1st-level Priest, and he has just
completed a pilgrmage as he was instructed by his faith. Arnof has a 12
Wisdom and a 9 Charisma. This gives the ceremony a base chance of 21% to
succeed. The casting Regent has high hopes for Arnof so he puts 15 RPs
into the spell, raising the chance of success to 36%.
Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net (ICQ:3777956)
"War is a matter of vital importance to the State;
the province of life or death;
the road to survival or ruin.
It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."
-Sun Tzu,(The Art of War)-=20
BR Netbook: http://webpages.metrolink.net/~veleda/birth.html