Hello,

I have been lurking here for a few weeks, and have a few questions about
starting a BR campaign. First, let me say that I have been out of
gaming altogether for about 7 years now and since I stasrted up again a
few months ago, have been really impressed with the quality of TSR's
stuff in general, and BR in particular.

I am trying to put together a campaign centered around Dhoesone in
northern Anuire. The one thing I am not sure of is how to go about
replacing NPC domains with PC domains, especially the temple domain.
None of my players have created any characters yet, so this may be a
pointless question, but when a domain lists certain religions as
operating within that area, does that limit the religions available for
the PC's operating there?

Dhoesone is home to three religions, the "Northern Reformed Church of
Sarmie (which is unavailable to PCs according the Ruins of Empire), the
Oaken Grove of Aeric, and Haelyn's Bastion of Truth. If one of my
players decides to create a priest regent, is he only open to being the
regent of one of the two listed and available temples?

Please forgive me if this sounds like a stupid question, but I haven't
found a clear answer in the rule books, and the game is so detailed I am
afraid to tinker with it too much for fear of upsetting the balance
(this is the one drawback about BR, it seems, in most other FRP realms
one can do almost anything, but all the others do lack the depth of BR,
so I guess it is a necessary trade off.)

Another question I have relates to an idea I have about fleshing out the
religious life of Cerilia. In many real life religions there are,
throughout the year, various periods of fasting and feasting. In
fasting periods (eg the Christian "Lent", or the Islamic "Ramadan")
members increase their spiritual efforts and their ascetical
discipline. While in the feasting periods, members celebrate, and relax
on some of the physical requirements of their normal practice (EG
Easter, Christmas, Passover, etc.) I have been toying with the idea of
instituting similar ideas in my BR campaign, and have wondered about
possible game effects.

My idea was for all characters, priests or non-priests, who participate
in a fast, temporarily lose one point oc Constitution, or Strength (or
possibly the just the +/-'s that go with the regular Con score could
get downgraded one). These characters would also recieve a bonus,
perhaps to saving throws, or something like that. If one set up a
related fast/feast (such as Lent/Easter), the penalty could be applied
during the fasting season, while the bonus could be applied during the
feasting season. (Perhaps priest characters could take stronger
penalties and recieve greater bonuses during these times. And Woe to
the priest who did not participate!!!) Perhaps the death of the old
gods and the birth of the new gods would work as a good fast/feast. It
would be best to make the seasons of equal length, , perhaps two to four
weeks in duration.

As an example, in the Greek or Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Lent is a 40
day period when members are encouraged to fast from all meat, dairy,
wine, and oil products. There is also an increased number of Church
services and more elaborate liturgical practices. Easter (or Pascha) is
immediately followed by a 40 day feasting period of celebration, where
discipline is relaxed somewhat, to allow members to enter into the
celebration of Christ's Resurrection.

Adding something like this to the game would help make the Cerilian
religions more realistic, and would perhaps help players see that the
gods are more than granters of healing spells, etc. Allowing
non-priests to share in these benefits and penalties would help them to
role play more rounded out characters as they would also, by choice have
(or not have) some kind of relation to the gods.

Anyway, it's just an idea, let me know what you think.

- --
Bruce G. Anderson

"History... is the place where vanished time gathers"
John O'Donohue