Circular Argument

Magic resistance in AD&D is not very precisely defined, although it’s not too bad compared to some rules. It is initially covered in the Monster Manual thusly:

Magic resistance indicates the chance of any spell absolutely failing in the monster’s presence. [Discussion of chance based on caster level and saving throws]. Note also that the magic resistance of a creature has an effect on certain existing spells such as hold portal, where it indicates the probability of the magic resistance shattering the existing spell.

By Monster Manual II the text had altered slightly:

MAGIC RESISTANCE is the chance a spell might fail when cast on the monster; this chance is expressed in a percentage.[Discussion of chance based on caster level and saving throws].
A creature’s magic resistance extends only to its immediate possessions, i.e., anything carried or worn. Area-effect spells will still function if targeted on a magic-resistant creature within their area. The creature itself might not be affected, although all others in the spell area will be subject to spell effects. A fireball, for example, may wipe out a cluster of orcs, while an agathion standing in their midst might be totally unaffected. The percent of magic resistance of a creature has an effect on certain existing spells such as hold portal, where it indicates the probability of shattering the existing spell.

This leaves the question of spell-like powers to the DM but I have never met or heard of a DM who actually ran a game where magic resistance did not affect these in the same way as it did spells. The question of what level the spell-like powers were cast at was generally settled either by the monster description or by the various hints here and there that HD should be used as a surrogate for level.
So, what about paladins’ protection from evil power?

Well, what about it? Surely it’s just another spell-like power and presumably it’s regarded as being of a level equal to the paladin?

Yeah. Just like those protective circles any character can draw with a bit of chalk…er, what?

The sixth level clerical spell ’aerial servant’ introduces the idea of the magical protection circle and the DMG presents these three as options for protection from the servant:

These are presented as an alternative to casting protection from evil and no spell is apparently required. Which fits with real-world folklore. Certain symbols simply keep certain monsters out.
Similarly, we are informed by the Monster Manual that demons can be kept out by a thaumatergic circle if lesser than a type VI, and ’special pentagram’ if they are that degree or higher.

Devils are a little less clear, but magic circles are effective, but have to be ’ensymboled’ in the case of greater or arch devils.

MMII tells us that a pentagram will keep out dæmons.

Up to this point, the power of these circles has been presented as a simple “if you are facing these, then use this” proposition. There is no hint that their use involves spell casting and basically, there’s no reason to think that they don’t work as advertised.

This introduces some balance questions as regards the power of demons and devils. Any street artist could render him/herself safe from the powers of Asmodeus using a bit of chalk and an umbrella, assuming they had a flat bit of space to draw and stand on.

My interpretation of how they work has always been that they are not “magic” in the normal sense, they are somehow expressions of the fantasy equivalent of physics. Gravity causes demons and devils to fall; magic symbols can cause them to be repelled. Maybe it’s a sort of phobia or a twisting of the planer effects that allows them to manifest in a different world.

Unearth Arcana then brings in the sixth-level magic-user spell ensnarement. This details the use of magical inscriptions of this type as prisons rather than guards. The spell itself is unusual in that the saving throw is actually an Int test between the monster and the magic-user who is trying to trick the subject into stepping through a gate-like portal.

For example, if the monster being summoned is a Type IV demon with an Int of 12, and the summoner has Int 14, the monster rolls 3d6, adds 2 for the difference in intelligence and if the result is greater than 12, the demon steps through the special gateway and finds itself in the diagram prepared for it, probably a pentacle.

There is some doubt but it seems that magic resistance is not applicable as the question is whether the demon falls for the trick and thereby steps through voluntarily.

But what about the portal - what about the gate spell in general? Magic resistance “indicates the chance of any spell absolutely failing in the monster’s presence”. In this case there would be at least a 60% chance of failure if we assume that the gate-like opening appears “in the monster’s presence”.
This is where I think the slight change to the description of magic resistance in MMII comes it. Now the effect “is the chance a spell might fail when cast on the monster”. Gate and ensnarement are not cast directly at the monster and both spells become much more workable when used on the sort of beings they are intended for, which generally have high magic resistance scores.

Once the monster is in the trap, a check is made to see if the diagram is correct. This is significant as the question appears to be independent of the spell and applicable to those trying to use the diagrams as protective mechanisms.

On usage, there is a chance that the diagram fails. Firstly, there is a base chance which can be brought to zero (and no further) by expenditure.

Always be careful
where you bleed

In classic AD&D style, the logic for this is somewhat dubious. A hand-drawn diagram has a base 20% chance of failure when used. This can be reduced by 1% for each 1000gp spent in combination with an extra turn’s work on the drawing. So it takes 20,000gp to reduce this to a base zero chance of failure.

Alternatively, the magic-user may have a permanent diagram inlaid or carved somewhere. This has a base chance of failure of only 10% but taking that down to zero is extraordinarily expensive: 50,000gp and an entire month of additional work (no guide is given about the base time needed).
When some creature is snared, there is a roll to see if the diagram works (assuming it’s the right type of diagram, of course). The failure chance is equal to the monster’s Intelligence score plus its HD (or level), minus the same score for the caster, plus the final base chance.

So, the Type IV demon has an escape chance of 23% (12 Int plus 11 HD). The caster is, let us assume, 12th level and adding this to their Int score of 14 gives 26, for a score of -3. The cheapest of inlaid floors would give the demon just a 7% chance of escape, a quick chalk diagram 17%. Higher quality materials and time could easily reduce this to no chance at all.

There is an issue here with the description of how circles work. The text says that inlaid circles need only be tested on first use. But there’s no guarantee that the second occupant of the circle is not more powerful and/or intelligent than the first. It seems unreasonable that a magic-user could summon an imp to “test” a circle before using it on Asmodeus. Not having any flaw that an imp can find is not the same as being able to hide shoddy workmanship from the gaze of the Master of Hell.

So I would suggest that each test establishes that the circle is proof against the intelligence plus HD of whatever has been captured. Ensnaring a second imp will work automatically; further rolling is needed for a more powerful target which, if successfully caught, then establishes a new “high score” of what can be held within the inlaid pattern.

Be that as it may, the question of magic resistance remains well and truly out of the picture.

So, where does this fit with the spell protection from evil?

The drawing of a circle as part of the spell seems only to be indicative of the range of the protection - 3’ diameter in the case of the basic spell, and 20’ in the case of the area effect spell.

Nothing more is needed than to draw a circle on the ground, or even in the air using the material component. As such, this is mainly a somatic component not directly connected with any of these diagrams, not even the lesser magic (protection) circle. So there is no real reason to view the repulsion field, once established, like other spell and subject to magic resistance.

As an aside, it’s worth remembering that magic-users are significantly more adept at this spell than clerics, not only do they cast the spells much more quickly (1 and 3 segments casting time versus 4 and 7), but magic-users get the 10’ radius spell as a 3rd level spell rather than the cleric’s 4th level - 32,500xp earlier.

To finally bring this back to our paladin, I can’t see any reason to treat their protection from evil effect any differently from the spell as regards the magic resistance roll.

This has an unpleasant effect for the paladin since all demons and devils have magic resistance.

The Paladin’s Problems

The objection has been raised by Skalding on Dragonsfoot.org that

Paladins are meant to be exceptional figures, holy exemplars of LG conduct. So holy that they are immune to disease, can cure by touch, and can sense the presence of concealed evil. One of their special powers is a constant circle of protection.
It makes very little sense to suggest that the circle hedges out summoned beings except for demons and devils because [insert one reading among many of a particular mechanic.] Even though demons and devils can be kept away by properly chalked circles, and devils repelled by holy objects

I sympathise with the reasoning but I feel that it misses out on some advantages of the paladin’s power. Firstly it is mobile, which a chalked circle is not, secondly it is 1" radius, not 10’. But more importantly it is constantly renewed.

It is hard to read the description of magic resistance’s effect on hold portal and not feel that it should have the same effect on a normal protection from evil spell, i.e., that it should dispel it if the resistance succeeds. At the very least it should allow the monster to encroach on its target for duration of the round.

Against the paladin that doesn’t work as the effect is a continual one without any need for concentration or casting. Breaching it once means nothing more than it has been breached once.

My xp calculations place the Type I demon at level 7. With a 50% MR, against a 7th level paladin the Vrok’s effective MR is a whopping 70%.

Pausing only to note that against any other class the Type~I has a 100% chance to be able to affect the character with its powers, let’s look at what this means in practise.

Against AC -1 the demon normally needs to roll 14, so it has a 35% of striking. Add in the effect of the protection and this drops to 24½%. So the paladin effectively has +2 to their armour against each attack.

And at the start of each round of combat there is a 30% chance that the demon will be forced out of melee range (offering a free attack at it’s back, I think) and have to close to combat again, which takes a round of combat where the paladin can be doing something else (I’m assuming that the demon already used its charge option for the turn, which of course had a 30% chance of failing).

If the demon chooses to attack from range then there is no question of magic resistance affecting the protection and the normal protection from evil modifiers of +2 to AC and -2 to saving throw targets apply. Which is weaker than what has been put forward for the drawn diagrams but of course it retains the advantage of mobility.

So I think the paladin is doing all right against an equally levelled monster and, again, it’s worth remembering that none of these partial protections are available to any other class, not even clerics.
So that’s sorted, then: static diagrams are powerful but limited, mobile spells and powers are more flexible but more vulnerable to MR. Job done.

Except…

The considerate summoner
always has a host body
ready
(Art: Carlyn Hill)

We Need to Talk About Demogorgon

The Big D has a magic resistance of 95%, the highest in the Monster Manual and ignoring the odd MR mechanic of the daemons, exceeded only by the Crimson Death in MMII.

A protection from evil spell by an 11th level caster (or 11th level paladin) thus has only a 5% chance to have any effect on Demogorgon, and a 15% chance to keep Orcus at bay.

That seems fine to me. These are ultra-high level god-like monsters.

The problem comes with the magic item, scroll of protection from demons. What is its effect on Demogorgon?

If it is treated as a normal spell effect then Demogorgon’s magic resistance should penetrate it. We’re not given any guidance as to what level protections scrolls are but even if we assume an arch-mage has created the scroll, there is a 60% chance of the protection failing. And in fact there’s a substantial chance of it failing against any but the very weakest of demons - 15% against a Type I demon, for example.

This seems wrong for an item specifically stated as protecting against demon princes; it should do what it says on the tin.

One thought was that the scroll might actually create one of the diagrams perfectly. That fails on two points: firstly, a simple pentacle protects against all demons so there’s no reason for the progressive levels of protection for different powers of demons, and secondly the fact that the effect of the scroll moves with the user.

At this point I think we have to simply give up on trying to fit the protection scrolls into the magic resistance framework - they just don’t fit.

For my personal rationalisation of this I’m falling back on my old idea that there are things that can be done to the “space-time” of the PMP which can create spaces or barriers that the nature of certain foreign beings can not tolerate. In the case of the scrolls of protection from demons, protection from devils, and so forth the barrier prevents voluntary entry, but the monster can be forced in by the actions of the scroll user.

This twist in space may be created by magic but the result is not magical, in the same way that a dig spell creates a real hole (probably). As such magic resistance does not protect against the barrier.

What happens to a demon which is forced into the circle by an outside agent? That’s a DM call but I’d send them back to the abyss or wherever. But it would be like trying to get a cat into a bath, not something the creature would do willingly (presumably it’s extremely painful).

At the Table

The six types of protective circle below can be drawn by any character using various materials which may be available either at home or on an adventure. They can be used in various ways to attempt to protect a character or characters from some enemy, or to block portals. They are perhaps most useful for hiding from any detection powers or ESP employed by the relevant monsters.

In each case the base chance of failure, due to inaccurate measurements and other issues, is 20% (I assume that inscribing is not likely to be available as an option other than at home base). When the diagram is tested this chance is increased as usual by the INT and HD/level of whatever is attempting to breach the protection. Whichever character drew the diagram may subtract their own ability score from this. Furthermore, the various classes allow the artist to subtract their level or some proportion of their level from the failure chance, depending on the diagram and class:

Class	Devices	Mod
Magic-user	All	Level
Cleric	All	Level
Illusionist	Magic Circle, Thuamaturgic Triangle	Level
Druid	Pentagram, Thuamaturgic Circle	Level
Thief	Pentgram	Level-9
Paladin	Pentagram, Basic Circle	Level-8
Bard	All	Bard Level÷2
Monk	Pentagram	Level÷2

Thieves and paladins below 9th or 8th level respectively do not receive any modifier when their diagrams are tested for failure. Bards and monks round all fractions down.

In each case, “pentagram” includes the ability to produce a pentangle.

Finally, the DM may feel that an additional penalty is needed to reflect less than ideal circumstances, from 1% up to maybe 25%.

The Diagrams

Brief discussions of the devices follow, in each case the normal time to draw it is included in parenthesis.

None of this is quite by-the-book as there are inconsistencies and gaps in the book text. I’ve italicised particularly non-conformist parts of my own devising.

When referring to beings “from” a plane I generally mean native to that plane, so devils are from Hell, even though they may pass through to various other lower planes at will. The exceptions to this are the astral and ethereal planes. In those cases the diagrams block activity for any being currently on the named plane.

Pentangle

The Pentangle (5 rounds)

A pentangle may be placed on a location or object while a being not of the plane is magically held by other means within. If all exits from the prison are adorned with a pentangle, the magic effectively becomes permanent. The trapped being may not use any power or physical action in order to leave; at least one pentangle must be broken by some outside agency.

A pentangle can also be used to seal a reversed divination spell. For example, if  obscure object is cast on a magical sword and the sword placed into a case, if the case is sealed with a pentangle upon the lock(s) or bindings, then the spell effectively becomes permanent until the seal is broken. The object itself is contained by the seal and no special power or effect may be activated or utilised while it is so cloistered. Only one such item (or being) may be protected by any one case, room, or other container.

Pentacle

The Pentagram (6 rounds)

A pentagram will block the passage or attack of any creature native to planes 17 to 21 inclusive (see PHB p121). It will not block devils or arcanodaemons.

If a location, such as a room, has pentacles placed such that the outer circle touches each door-frame post, they will prevent entry by the above beings, even using teleport-no-error or such like. Similarly, sendings, detection, and all other powers will be unable to penetrate the location. Pentagrams so placed will not prevent the exit of such creatures or the effects of their powers from the room.

Protection Circle

The Basic Protection Circle (1 round)

This will block any lesser devil, and any hostile detection, sending, or similar divination power etc which is used by them or any caster of less than 6th level.

They may be used as described for pentacles for securing areas.


 

Thaumatergic Triangle

The Thaumatergic Triangle (5 rounds)

Tricky and thus slow to draw due to the uneven angles, this device prevents passage, sendings, powers etc. from beings originating in planes which are neutral - Concordant Opposition (if in use), and the Inner Planes, including the Ether, and also including alternate Prime Material Planes to the one occupied by the diagram, as well as creatures from planes 11 to 13, 15 to 17, 19 to 21, and 23 to 25.

May be used to prevent ingress as above except for beings on the astral plane of existence.

Magic Circle

The Magic Circle (2 Turns)

Blocks beings from planes 10 to 15, as well as 22 to 25, and the Astral plane.

May be used to prevent ingress as above except for beings on the ethereal plane.

Thuamaturgic Circle (2 Turns)

Blocks actions in the same way as the Thuamaturgic Triangle but is also effective against demons with less than 80% magic resistance (used here as a measure of power, not in the normal way).

Notes

Ingress blocking

The above assumes that the doors being protected are the only way into the location. If there’s a window, then that must be protected in some way too. The DM might want to allow pentagrams to be used in some way, or s/he may decide that more stringent requirements be met such as inlaying the gaps between bricks/stones/planks with lead or similar.

The object is to give a party in trouble some way to gain some breathing space. Since non-planer aid can usually be obtained by such beings which will be unaffected by diagrams, the rules above shouldn’t be too unbalancing.

What is “Extra-Planar”?

Travellers on other planes will find that a diagram meant to protect them from beings from that plane will have no more effect than a chalk circle will have on a mugger in the players’ home town.

Conversely, the players may find diagrams deployed against them as the “planer interloper”, as the DM sees fit or appropriate.

Moral Issues

While it is probably not an issue for Evil or neutral characters to use any of these diagrams, it may cause questions to be asked if a Magic Circle is used against creatures from the Upper Planes (Arcadia round to Gladsheim) by a Good-aligned character.

Gods and Wishes

Diagrams need to be limited in their power to some degree. They are vulnerable to damage by agents or other actors from the plane on which they exist as they have no effect on such beings and, for example, the cleaner might wipe away “those funny chalk marks” on the laboratory floor. But, still, it seems unreasonable that a deity would be adversely affected by them.

A wish should probably be able to destroy a diagram which the wisher can see.

Lesser deities should also probably be able to ignore diagrams they are aware of if the diagram was created by a demi-god or mortal. Greater gods should be able to ignore those created by lesser gods, demigods, or mortals.

This area is difficult as there are different conceptions of how gods should work in a gameworld; the DM must ultimately decide for themselves. Personally, however, I think that the ability to hide items using pentangles should be 100% proof against anything except very specific wishes by beings who already have a good idea where the item is hidden.

Spell: Dream Quest

Dream Quest (Alteration)

level: 7 (I), 9 (MU)	Components: V, S, M
Range: Personal	Casting Time: 6 turns
Duration: Special	Saving Throw: None
Area of Effect: Personal

Explanation/Description: The illusionist prepares for this spell by burning incense (costing 100gp) and meditating before going to sleep. During the course of the casting, any familiar within 12“ will also fall into a deep sleep. The spell may only be cast on a plane which touches the Ethereal Plane - the various material planes, the elemental planes, and any demi-plane created within the ethereal plane.

Once asleep (at the end of the casting time), the caster will find themselves lying on their bed (or whatever) on the ethereal plane and will be able to rise and move about on that plane. The only possessions they will have will be the equivalent of what they were wearing when the spell was cast. The spell can not be cast while wearing or holding enough to encumber the caster at all.

If a familiar was within range, it too will be active on the plane so long as it remains within 12“ at all times thereafter.

Magical items taken to the ether in this way are unlikely to work unless they originate from one of the Inner Planes. For each item not so sourced, the caster must make a saving throw against spells modified by their wisdom Magical Attack adjustment. Artefacts and relics will always work, although their characteristics may alter (perhaps radically) at the DM’s discretion.

Magical weapons and armour will normally operate at one plus less than normal unless cursed. Again, items from the Inner Planes will not lose their enchantment and may even gain.

The spellcaster must choose a destination as part of the casting process and the spell will take them there using the normal procedure for ethereal travel (i.e., check three times for encounters at start, middle, and end portions of the journey). However, the chance of actually arriving in the correct location depends, like teleport on the familiarity of that location:

Familiarity	Illusionist	Magic User
Very Familiar	5	5
Studied Carefully	6	6
Seen Casually	7	8
Viewed Once	8	10
Never Seen	12	16

The number indicated or higher must be rolled (by the DM) on 1d20, modified by magical attack adjustment. If a lower score is produced, then the traveller arrives in some other location. It is not possible to give exact details since the intended destination could be anywhere on any world or plane which touches the Ethereal Plane but in general the longer the journey from the caster’s location and the larger the margin of failing the roll, then the greater the error. Thus, if the spell was cast in an inn near a castle the user was intending to spy on, and which they had studied carefully on a previous occasion, a score of 3 might indicate only that they arrived in a forest near the castle. If the castle had been in an alternative reality, then s/he may have arrived on a different parallel world where it might not be initially obvious that anything had gone awry. Similarly, if the destination had never been seen by the caster, such a roll could indicate arrival almost anywhere.

Additionally, travel on the ethereal plane is akin to travelling quickly through a fog; it is not teleportation. Barriers may be erected on the plane itself to prevent “normal” ethereal travel. This may create additional, non-random, encounters, particularly at pylons or similar structures around domains if the caster's destination is within an area dominated by some powerful entity.

The caster’s perception of any plane, including their own, from the Ethereal will be of psychic impressions only - living things will appear like ghosts, with higher intellects being more life-like and animals as little more than shades of colours with little form. Spells like wizard eye or clairvoyance can be cast from the dream form to allow perception of an adjacent plane. Notice that most normal types of shielding against such spells (metal sheeting, for example) will not prevent entry of the ethereal caster.

Contact other plane may be cast from the ether, in which case any appeal to the elemental planes has half the normal chance of insanity (after Int modifiers).

By and large, however, the sights of the ethereal plane for the dreamer will be those native to it, with the addition that other dreams will be visible when near creatures engaged in sleeping and dreaming. These dream-forms may be interacted with but they will generally exhibit dream-logic and only the most intelligent such dreamer will be able to act sensibly and with planning. Even these, however, will seem insubstantial and ghostly. The only exceptions to this will be other users of the spell, certain psionic individuals, and the insane.

The dreams of the insane will always manifest in a substantial form on the ethereal. This does not apply to mild forms of insanity (see DMG p83).

Once the character has reached his or her intended destination, s/he may choose to awaken at any point or continue on to a new destination on the ethereal realm. In any other case, return from the dream state may be difficult or impossible. Any attack on the dream-self which causes damage or results in a failed saving throw (such failure may not be deliberate) will allow the character to make a roll of 3d6 to attempt to awaken - if the result is less than their intelligence score, then they succeed.

The only other way to wake up is to “die” in the dream state, but this is dangerous to the character’s mind. Being reduced to exactly zero hit points will awaken the dreamer with only a mild shock requiring bed rest for a day. Being reduced below zero causes shock akin to a psionic blast. The character must save as if the blast was at short range (with the usual modifiers, and +3 for illusionists), and if that fails they must roll for the effect as normal. However, both save and effect are made as if the character’s wisdom and intelligence total was reduced by the amount by which they went below zero hit points.

In any case, being taken below zero hit points increases the amount of bed rest needed by days equal to the excess damage, i.e., a character struck by a fireball and reduced to -6 will require a full week before being able to do anything more strenuous than walking to the privy and back (initially they will need help even with that).

No dream-damage will otherwise be reflected on the character’s real body.

Marvan the Miraculous (Int 17, Wis 13) has entered the dreamlands and there encountered a rakshasa. In the resulting fracas he is reduced to -5 hit points. His saving throw is made as if his combined score was 25, although he gets +3 to the die due to being an illusionist. On rolling a 6, he must roll on the effects table. A score of 98 causes him to awaken in a panic state for 2d4 rounds, at the end of which he collapses in a state of exhaustion and will require 6 days rest.

Any normal attempt to awaken the sleeper on their home plane will be futile, although any damage done there will be reflected in the dream-state and that may have the desired effect.

However, time on the Ethereal Plane passes differently - roll d100 each time the spell is used to find the ratio between the planes. Thus, a roll of 34 means that every 34 minutes, hours, days or whatever in the ether will represent only one such unit on the original material plane of the sleeping body.

Finally, each full (real-world) day spent in the dream state will reduce the character’s level by one (until rested) and at level zero there is a 10% chance per day, cumulative, that the physical body will die, and the dreamer with it.

The Dream Lands

The ethereal plane is inhabited by many strange beings, demons, devils, druids, forgotten or shunned gods, and travellers from unknown worlds and alternative realities. Although it is influenced by the material planes where they are close by, the nature of reality in the ether means that it may contain many strange things unbound by any material physics. Although many who pass through it view it only as a means of transport, it truely is the realm of dreams and, of course, nightmares.

Some inhabitants are entirely disinterested in the material realms, as most denizens of they are of it, and some such as the nighthags use it as a fishing hole for prey. Dream empires exist which defy comprehension, while a few insane or gifted poets have woven new hells and paradises to explore.

https://www.deviantart.com/art/Holdga-lya-k-Moongalleons-637758647

The Temples of the City State of The Invincible Overlord

Introduction

This is the first post in an experiment to see if I can convert the temples of the City State of the Invincible Overlord into the religious outline from the previous post. The version of CSIO is the second edition from 1980 so there’s a few difficulties. The first one is that this edition was part-way between LBB D&D and AD&D. So the range of deities in the city includes some from GD&H as well as ones which were included in D&DG. Indeed, the gods of the city state are an interesting mix of major and minor, multi-planar, and local with a range of characteristics which makes it an interesting challenge to fit into any single framework.

Another point is that the alignment system in the 2nd edition seems to be a 5-point system with LG, CG, LE, CE, and N only. There are hints in the text that the authors wanted this or that NPC to be, say, LN - in particular, the overlord himself - and that applies to the gods as well. I’m going to try to represent the full AD&D 9-point system in this series of posts but I’m sticking to my stance of eschewing Concordant Opposition, although I will revisit it in the future.

So let’s get started:

The Temple of the Gargoyle

This temple is an example of a Holy of Holies. Indeed, an extreme example as the god physically dwells here and nowhere else.

The Gargoyle, Arghrasmak, is a demi-god of some sort from the Elemental Plane of Earth and is only worshipped in the city and the nearby area.

All the normal clerical spells can be obtained here up to 5th level, the highest that Arghrasmak is able to grant.

Symbol is a grey sphere held in a black claw. Clerical mace heads are normally in this form.

Goals

As a chaotic, the Gargoyle dislikes the rule of law and has become a sponsor of thieves in the city. As an evil chaotic, he encourages the more aggravated cruel sorts of theft in order to increase suffering.

As an elemental his interests are in things from the ground - gold, silver, jewels, and loves to accumulate these for no more reason than he likes them.

Beyond these things, Arghrasmak has little interest in the mundane world and spends most of his time sleeping and plotting the eventual overthrow of those who forced him from his border kingdom in the Inner World, as he calls the Plane of Earth. Anything which increases his standing amongst the denizens of that place will gain favour.

He is dangerous to attempt to deal with and his word, although rarely given, is seldom honoured. He really only wants the treasures of the underworld. Worship is nice but the clergy’s main function is really as a bodyguard.

Sacrifices and Dedications

For (any number of) third to fifth level spells, the god must be awoken by three sacrifices of metal (100gp worth), magic (any item, even a scroll of a single spell), and blood (1HD animal sacrifice). The deity will then wake, spend the requisite time in mental communion with the cleric, and return to its sleep.

Magical items usable by clerics are retained as dedications, everything else goes into the pit within which Arghrasmak sleeps. His stony skin soon destroys many of the magical items, but he retains a few useful ones in case of emergencies.

Lay Members

The temple’s congregation is mostly thieves and the temple itself is responsible for the thieves’ quarter’s existence as it offers sanctuary to its laity. Normal members (casual, 0-level thieves and beggars) pay 5sp per festival, and are expected to attend at least one per year (making up for missed events by paying the shortfall).

Classed thieves are expected to pay 100gp value per level per year and for this they get the protection sanctuary and +5% to their ability to hide in shadows.

All members in good standing will (must) receive the services of an appointed litigation trickster from the guild thereof if arrested for theft-related crimes. If the member is found not-guilty of their alleged crime, the fee is half the amount they were accused of; if found guilty the fee is only a quarter of the claimed amount. Note that the issue of whether the member actually stole anything at all is not relevant here.

The Overlord has compromised with Arghrasmak on sanctuary, avoiding a direct confrontation with a being of unknown but substantial power. Arghrasmak has abandoned human sacrifice, and the Overlord recognises the boundary of the temple as beyond his reach. The entrances, of course, can be guarded as he sees fit, so long as he does not actually barricade them.

Priests and Clerics

As well as access to the spells below, the high-priest and those of priestly level are granted +4 on all saves against petrifaction (including flesh to stone) once per season.

Festivals

The first full moon after each solstice and equinox divides the Gargoyle’s year into four seasons. Missing four of these festivals in a row without good reason (DM’s decision) will result in loss of clerical status.

Special spells

Due to Arghrasmak’s nature, he can not personally grant spells without being physically present - and he has never left his pit/nest in the last 450 years - so remote shrines to him are only able to grant first and second level spells. These shrines tend to be underground caves, grottos, or platforms in high, rugged mountains where some one or other of his followers has settled down to play the role of local priest.

These require 100gp value per level. Animal sacrifice is valued at 50gp per hit die.

• Stoneskin; Level 2; V, M; 1seg.

  Otherwise as 4th level magic user spell.

• Forget; Level 1; V, M; 1seg

  Otherwise as 2nd level MU spell.

These spells are also available at the main temple in CSIO. Additionally, Arghrasmak has one each special forth and fifth level spell which can be obtained at the main temple:

Protection from Petrifaction (Alteration)

level: 4	Components: V,S,M
Range: Touch	Casting Time: 4seg
Duration: 1 turn	Saving Throw: -
Area of Effect: Creature touched

Explanation/Description: Grants immunity for ten minutes only against any magic which would turn the recipient into stone.

Stoneform (Alteration)

level: 5	Components: V, S, M
Range: Personal	Casting Time: 5seg
Duration: 1rnd per level	Saving Throw: -
Area of Effect: Caster

Explanation/Description: When this spell is cast, the cleric takes on the stony form of a gargoyle. While in this form he or she can only be struck by magical weapons and can attack either with a weapon as normal, or by using their hands (single attack routine doing 1d4/1d4 plus any strength modifiVitrificationNitrificationto normal heat or cold and against magical attacks of these forms takes half damage or none, depending on a saving throw.

Armour class is reduced to 5 or remains as it was before, whichever is best.

The form is not winged unless the target is, in which case it can fly at a rate of 12“ so long as the caster is unencumbered, 6” if carrying heavy gear, and nothing if very heavily loaded or worse. Manoeuvre class is E.

In this form, only spell casting that does not require somatic components and which can be performed with nothing more than the holy symbol as its material component may be performed.

Magic & religion together!
What could go wrong?

Fiddling With Vancian

• 1. Magic and Religion
  • 1.1. Background
    • 1.1.1. Ye Wizards
    • 1.1.2. Ye Clerics
  • 1.2. A Modest Proposal
  • 1.3. Colouring in the Cleric
  • 1.4. The Effects of (Un)Holy Space
    • 1.4.1. Physical
    • 1.4.2. Metaphysical
    • 1.4.3. Very Metaphysical
    • 1.4.4. Temporal Spaces
  • 1.5. Rough Ideas
    • 1.5.1. Levels of Holiness
    • 1.5.2. Mobile Altars, Fetishes, and Shamen
    • 1.5.3. Guardians
    • 1.5.4. Hierarchy
  • 1.6. Notes
    • 1.6.1. Logic be damned
    • 1.6.2. Jesus!
    • 1.6.3. Transgressions
    • 1.6.4. Our World and the World of Myth
    • 1.6.5. What is a cleric?

1 Magic and Religion

1.1 Background

This never happens

1.1.1 Ye Wizards

D&D is, essentially, Vancian magic and level-based classes. I know WotC think otherwise but they only have the name because they paid for it and that doesn’t give them any rights to decide what it is, just what gets marketed under the name.

Anyway, without both of these things, you’re just playing a fantasy role-playing game. It might be a very good one, but it’s not Dungeons and Dragons.

Generally this isn’t a problem as the level-based system is pretty good at simulating how heroic or action fiction of all sorts works in terms of abilities and resistance to death - there’s normal people who die in droves against something that a small group of heroes defeat.

Vancian casting is a little less universal, although not so much in the practical sense of actually casting the spells so much as the preparing them.

Obviously, Vance’s work has examples of the process of basically jamming the energy of a spell into one’s head and releasing it later, losing in the process all that stored energy and so requiring the whole ritual to be repeated before the spell can be cast.

Vance’s ideas evolved, possibly riffing off Saberhagen, but the core idea had a little bit of an impact outside of his works, notably on Terry Pratchett although that was almost certainly by way of D&D.

The system allowed for the sort of tactical decision making and resource-management which is a hallmark of early exploration games.

But there was a problem which was created by that very exploration-heavy assumed motivation - a magic-user who went exploring more than a day’s journey from home was basically stuck with having to drag their precious spell-books with them and risk their total destruction, at which point they’re in real difficulties.

Now, dragging spell-books around on an adventure is definitely not something that occurs in source material of any kind that I can think of, including all the stuff in Appendix N. It’s a major issue for AD&D magic-users and a huge disadvantage beside their fellow spellcasters, the clerics and druids.

"All right! I'll take a leaflet!"

1.1.2 Ye Clerics

Now, clerics in D&D are not priests. They’re actually holy warriors who are given miraculous powers by their “deity”. I say “deity” because this is somewhere the deep roots of D&D in mediaeval wargaming rise to just below the surface. Far from being the modern, or ancient, fantasy vision of a world full of gods and spirits, the core books of both OD&D and AD&D are very much a Christian view. Clerics are followers of Christ without the game saying so. In OD&D, the cleric’s “holy symbol” was specifically a cross. AD&D moved away from that slightly but the broad vision of the class is the Christian vampire hunter.

The practical effect of this is that God is literally everywhere - and feels like he’s everywhere - and that is one thing that makes playing a non-Christian cleric unsatisfactory.

Clerics use the same “theory of spells” as magic-users - the energy of the spell is implanted in the character’s mind and is released when needed. The difference is that instead of spell-books, the cleric’s deity gifts the energy requested, either indirectly or directly and in person.

The rules apply no restrictions on where this gifting takes place. They specify that the cleric gains them by “supplication” but, in keeping with the assumption of an omni-present god, the 15 minutes-per-level of praying or whatever form this supplication takes can be done anywhere and at any time.

This is clearly a major advantage to the adventuring cleric as compared to the adventuring magic-user struggling to find ever more secure (and un-heroic) ways of transporting their most valuable possessions across open wilderness or even into deep oceans or planes of living fire. That would perhaps be acceptable as just something that magic-users have to live with in return for their much wider range of spells and, indeed, two entire extra levels of spells. I’m not sure where that argument leaves illusionists, though. But there is a knock-on effect of this al-fresco worship which is more subtle but also much more deadly to the role-playing experience.

Because there is no requirements about place of worship, the cleric character need never enter such a place. A “high priest” can happily reach that position without the player ever having had to deal with their religious organisation, enter a temple or perform any overt act of religious ritual. The cleric trains under another cleric and, similarly, there’s no need for that training to take place in anywhere more religious than an Inn.

Similarly, there are no real rules about ritual cleansing or purification, since there is nowhere the cleric has to worry about entering while “polluted”.

All in all, this aspect of the cleric’s spell-gaining mechanic is one of the main reasons that AD&D and OD&D have a fairly notorious lack of colour. There’s pretty well no depth to the relation between a cleric and their deity, with the possible exception that many players dream of one day taking on their god, or some god at least, in combat.

For many DMs it can be hard to find experienced players even interested in playing a cleric as there’s little difference between them, and their spell mechanics means that they all cast the same sorts of spells. Once you’ve played one cleric, you’ve played them all. The odd magic-user here and there will fail to “know” fireball or even magic missile and regardless of that their spell lists will be dominated by what spells they have found while exploring. Clerics are heal-bots not just because the cure spells are fantastically useful, but because there’s no cleric anywhere who can’t cast them.

I’m going to skip over the various attempts to make a cleric’s choice of deity useful in AD&D as they were all pretty feeble. Instead I am going to discuss a cure for both this ill and the question of magic-users’ books.

1.2 A Modest Proposal

The solution to both problems is, I think, this small change to Vancian casting:

• Instead of being lost completely, a spell’s energy is drained until the caster has time to rest and meditate on it again, using the same time as is currently needed to learn the spells from the normal source (book or god).
• However, only the spells currently assigned to the “spell slots” can be recovered this way, changing the memorised spell list is impossible.

For example, Jim the magician has a rest for 6 hours and gets his spell books out. He then spends another 2 hours memorising burning hands, magic missile x2, sleep; mirror image, invisibility; dispel magic, and lightning bolt. He then heads off on an adventure with some mates, leaving his spell books at home. During the next day or two he uses both magic missile spells and the invisibility.

Jim settles down in a nice warm cave and has 4 hours kip. On awakinging, he can spend 45 minutes bringing the components of the thaumaturgical circuits back together in his mind and he’s ready to go with a full complement of his initial spell list.

Only if he found another magic-user’s spell book would he have the chance to swap out one of his memorised spells for something new (or if he returned to his base of operations).

This obviously allows magic-users to work “in the field” at the cost of what flexibility they had. What about clerics?

Well, the same change applies to clerics. Instead of being able to change their spell-lists anywhere they like, they can now only change the memorised list by spending the normal 15 minutes per spell level on hallowed ground. Put simply, they need to visit a shrine, temple, glade, grotto, or other sacred ground in order to commune properly with their deity.

A cleric of Neptune can still pray for spells while 1000 miles inland and 10,000 feet up a mountain in a desert, she’s probably going to have to make her own holy site up there first. Otherwise, she has whatever Neptune granted her at the quay-side shrine in Pompeii as she set off for the high Atlas Mountains.

"So, see the bears game last night?"
"Yeah. Those kids never stood a chance
against the bears."

1.3 Colouring in the Cleric

The change proposed above is minor for magic-users and illusionists. It gives them less flexibility in spell-casting if they take the option of leaving the spell books behind. For clerics and druids, the change is much more profound.

By requiring some specific and sanctified area in which to commune with the power which grants them their spells, this change gives clerics, PC and NPC a motivation to protect such areas, to expand them, and to bring things (living or otherwise) to them for sacrifice or dedication to their god. Plot hooks! Hurrah!

1.4 The Effects of (Un)Holy Space

1.4.1 Physical

Let’s look at the holy space idea in a bit more detail. Firstly, it has to be a physical thing. It may be as little as an altar in a defined space; some deities will not demand one or the other but the baseline is that the holy space will have at least one of these two.

Druids will have groves, some of them will be created or sanctified by the druids, but some will be the “natural” homes of dryads or similar beings. A bank by a river inhabited by a naiad, or a mountain where sylphs dwell might also do. But even druids may have altars too.

Some sort of ritual, perhaps using the ceremony spells in UA, must be carried out to gift it to the deity, and this may have various restrictions on it, such as time of year, or specific sacrifices peculiar to the thing being worshipped.

Instruction sheet from
IKEA's "Stonehenge"

1.4.2 Metaphysical

The holy space belongs to the deity; it is literally its house (one of many). The things brought there and dedicated to it belong to the deity and removing them is the same as stealing from the deity.

The same applies to spirits and souls. Regardless of alignment, the soul of a human sacrificed at a demonic altar is going to the Abyss. An Orc sacrificed at a heavenly altar is going to heaven.

The assumption is that objects have some sort of spirit and sacrificing an item by breaking it and leaving the pieces in the space for some period in some way sends a copy of the item “to the gods” as a token of esteem.

This aspect of ownership places a burden on the priesthood that is proportional to the size of the space. A simple altar overlooking a sea cliff is easy to maintain; there would be no need for a full time priest at all. But a complex like the acropolis in Athens would need guards and the guards would need monitoring, and the number of shrines, altars, and temples implies more or less full time staffing of some sort.

Notice that this is mostly about keeping the gods’ property safe. The role of the cleric is very much about serving the deity, less so the laity and even less so non-believers (or non-worshippers).

1. Wipe Your Feet
   

   Coming into the deity’s house may mean abiding by various rules. For the Greeks, as an example, entering holy ground after killing someone was forbidden, similarly people who have had sex were “polluted”. These things could be fixed in many cases by simple washing (basins were provided outside all but the smallest shrines), but other acts would require more strenuous efforts. There’s no particular reason why intent or knowledge should be involved in these rules. A person who reverses their chariot over a small boy without noticing might find themselves judged as unfit in the same way as a soldier who has just returned from the battlefield.

   Obviously, a cleric who is unclean will not be given new spells until they have done something about it.

   This gives scope for active and intelligent use of both atonement and geas spells (as well as plain old having a bath now and then).

2. Tidy Up In Here
   

   Related to this idea it also becomes necessary to look after the god’s house while s/he is off doing godly things. The area needs to be representational of the deity’s desires and goals as formed by their alignment, sphere of interest, and personality. This might mean polished marble, heaps of rotting corpses, the arms and armour of defeated foes, or garlands of flowers and a spring of fresh water.

   This, in turn, provides a means of attacking the deity’s interests (and the status of their local clergy) which may need to be defended against. Holy/unholy water is one simple way of attacking an area, but various rituals might be possible too. Once an area is desecrated in this way, it becomes unavailable for spell renewal until cleared up. More plot hooks!

pbfcomics.com

1.4.3 Very Metaphysical

As a generic motivation, looking after the deity’s house will only get you so far. More specific motivations for the different deities will need to be, well, specified. Alignment is a reasonable start.

Broadly, Good deities want to protect the world from Evil deities who want to eat it. Evil deities share an enjoyment of causing suffering and loss. Morally neutral ones don’t want that, and Good ones want there to be active elimination of it.

Within those categories the gods’ personalities and areas of interest should inform what they expect to see in their material dwelling spaces and also what actions they are expecting their clergy to carry out on their behalf in return for their blessings (i.e., their hit points, saving throws, and above all their spells).

On the ethical side of things, Lawful deities will be looking to increase the degree to which societies are organised and stable, while Chaos wants to free the individual, or just go mental.

1. Metagaming Metaphysics
   

   From various clues in the books, we can posit some metaphysical rules. We know, for example, that demons and devils can not enter the PMP at will but that devas and so forth can. There’s even rules about how long a demon or devil can stay if they do get invited or summoned.

   I suggest this: The Deities of Law and Good (top-left quadrant of the alignment graph) agreed that there should be restrictions placed to protect the PMP. Basically, the PMP is off-limits unless the rules are broken, in which case the powers of Law or Good can intervene to restore them and then return to their home plane as soon as possible.

   Lawful Evil (the devils) agreed to go along for the sake of stymieing Chaos; Chaotic Good for the sake of thwarting Evil. CN, CE, and NE go along with them (most of the time) because the Solars are the biggest boys on the block; they have no real choice. However, they did manage to at least get the various clauses in that do allow them to be called to the PMP.

   The main loophole is the sacred area which allows them to communicate directly to their clergy without breaking any access rules, since the space is by definition their property and not, in a sense, actually the Material Plane. Through this, they can maintain a clergy and have that clergy pursue their agendas by proxy (which has the additional advantage of not being personally dangerous; no arch-duke of hell wants to wake up to find Thor knocking on the door).

   So, although most deities have no great interest in 0-level worshippers (who they regard as nice pets/food, depending on alignment), they do take an active interest in classed characters because of their ability to Get Things Done™.

   Everyone knows this is a technicality but it actually suits all sides in one way or another.

1.4.4 Temporal Spaces

There’s no reason that holy spaces should be 24/7. They may only operate at certain times: when the moon is full, the spring tide is at its peak, or the stars are right and so forth.

In any case, there should be a specific necessity for clerics to make sacrifices at a holy site at least once per year. This can be handwaved as part of their monthly upkeep costs, at least in terms of what is sacrificed, but the DM should require actual physical attendance at a site. Failure will result in the blocking of any new spells until atonement has taken place.

Some deities may require more frequent attendance, but annual is a recommended minimum.

The same goes for non-clerical worshippers, but there’s no direct game mechanical effect.

1.5 Rough Ideas

1.5.1 Levels of Holiness

What’s D&D without levels?

There’s a natural instinct to think of a hierarchy of holy sites. Perhaps:

• Personal or household Shrine
• Public shrine
• Village church
• Parish church
• Cathedral
• The Vatican

Or,

• Personal or household shrine
• Public or shared family shrine
• Village temple
• City temple
• Cult centre temple

That sort of thing. At the same time there’s a couple of “natural” ways of applying the idea of levels to AD&D clerical assumptions:

• Shrine (cleric can gain 1st or 2nd level spells)
• Temple (cleric can gain 3rd to 5th level spells from intermediary spirit)
• Cult centre (cleric can gain any spell from deity)

Or, holy spaces might come in 7 levels, with each designating a corresponding spell level.

I quite like the idea of this second version as it means that lesser gods and demi-gods automatically have less impressive cult centres.

However, both of these divisions leave something to be desired when we look at the very low end and, in particular, at religions that worshipped gods and goddesses with aspects as well as hero-cults. I’d like these to be sources of small numbers of, or even single, spells specific to the aspect.

I don’t want to go “full Greek”, as it were and have cleric PCs have to do a tour of the land to stock up on the general spells from PHB. But I quite like the idea that if a party is going to go to sea, then a trip to a specific temple of Poseidon might grant the cleric a particular spell like ’calm sea’ or ’charm sea-monster’ etc. I’d also quite like to move many of the UA spells into this sort of frame-work so that players can simply play with PHB and discover new spells by asking around or exploring.

It also makes pantheons more relevant as a character has access to multiple allied deities for specific things without getting bogged down in questions of who is their “actual” patron god.

Without getting too setting-specific, here’s my idea for classifying holy precincts by “level”:

1. Simple - spells of any level but limited to 1, 2, 3, or 4 spell levels (see below).

   Requires attendance from a lay-priest.

2. Minor site - 1st and 2nd level spells

   Requires attendance by a cleric or druid of 1st level

3. Important site - 3rd, 4th, and 5th level spells

   Requires a cleric of 5th level or druid of 3rd level

4. Great site - 6th level spells

   Requires cleric/druid of 9th level

5. Holy of Holies - 7th level spells

   Requires a cleric of 16th level or druid of 14th level.

If a priest, shaman, or cleric of the appropriate type is not available to perform the main holy day rituals of a year then the site is automatically downgraded one level, with an additional level loss per each subsequent festival day which is missed. Once a site reaches level zero it has been abandoned but up to that point it can be restored simply by performing the next major ritual in the god’s calendar.

1. Simple site restrictions
   

   A simple site will have a number of spell levels available is based on the deity - 1 for cults based on spirits (ancestors, minor demons, ki-rin etc.), 2 for demi-gods, 3 for lesser gods, and 4 for greater gods.

   So a small barn shrine dedicated to a local grass spirit will offer only one 1st level spell (bless cow or some such). A small altar in the woods dedicated to Enlil will offer some mixture of spells adding up to 4: perhaps 4 first level spells, or a single 4th level spell, two 2nd level spells or whatever.

   These spells can be a mixture of general PHB spells or unique spells specific to the locale. The greater the object of worship the more likely it is that there will be general spells available.

2. Unique spells
   

   Sacrifice must me made to the value of 100gp times the level of specific spells prayed for at a site. Unique spells might be available at any site, but simple sites will always have at least one and it will related in some way to the nature of that site.

   In addition to the on-the-spot sacrifice, the character is required to return and sacrifice 10% of whatever is gained through the use of the unique spell granted. This applies to the entire party and covers anything returned to safety on an adventure where the spell is actually cast.

3. Lay priests
   

   Lay priests are 0-level NPCs who are pious enough to be allowed to perform rituals at a site. If their wisdom is high enough then they will be able to pray for and use the spells available at their site using their wisdom bonus alone.

   Since these are NPCs, their base wisdom is limited to 15, but age may increase that. So, for example, a lay priest with 14 wisdom can cast two 1st level spells; one with a wisdom of 17 can additionally cast two 2nd level spells and a 3rd level spell.

   There is no requirement that a lay priest be able to cast any spells at all, but their wisdom must be at least 9 in order to properly perform the required rites.

4. Holy of Holies
   

   The top level of sacred space is the Holy of Holies. Each deity will only have one of these on any continent or similar sized area. There will be some representation of the deity there which forms the focus for the god. These will not necessarily be anthropomorphic or representative of the appearance of the god at all, although they will usually be emblematic in some way.

1.5.2 Mobile Altars, Fetishes, and Shamen

Mobile sites are available in several forms such as the famous Temple of the Wooden Sword, or a shaman’s fetish stick or similar items.

Such basic equipment acts as a simple site but with the additional restriction that the generic spells available (i.e., the PHB ones) are as listed for tribal casters in DMG.

Ha! I don't see any guardian spirit here!

1.5.3 Guardians

Aside from the material creatures which protect a site, it is possible for guardian spirits to be assigned to one.

Such guardians will be picked from an appropriate plane and could be modrons, oliphants, devils, demons, or any creature which can be encountered on the astral plane (for druids the guardian must be able to traverse the ethereal plane instead) of a compatible alignment.

A guardian’s challenge rating is limited to the square of the site it is attached to. If the site degrades, the guardian will remain until the site is completely abandoned.

Guardians will be empowered to engage in combat, possibly from the astral or ethereal planes and possibly psionically, any trespasser who touches any of the god’s belongings without permission or good reason. The guardian will use whatever faculties it has to determine this, and potentially can be fooled.

The deity itself will act as guard for its holy of holies.

1. Making Friends
   

   Whatever ritual is used to summon a guardian, the creature must serve willingly and so the summoning (which may have similar restrictions and requirements as originally dedicating the site did) must end with a successful reaction roll from the guardian towards the summoner.

   The reaction roll is modified by charisma and the target score is based on the guardian’s alignment:

   Alignment	Target
   LG	35
   NG	50
   CG	55
   CN	60
   CE	70
   NE	65
   LE	45
   LN	40
   N	80

   These are based on the loyalty mods with the exception of the modifier for neutral (i.e., elemental) guardians which assumes, based partly on contact other plane, that they prefer not to get involved with, or are just not interested in, events on the material plane. If you don’t view it that way, or you have neutral deities involved, then 50 would seem the logical score. I would say that for druids in particular, woodland and fey creatures would be a common type of guardian.

   These are minimums; further modifiers should be applied upwards if the character is not in good standing. Penalties should be applied if the holy precincts to be guarded are not worthy of the guardian - too small for a powerful one, in disrepair, or in an inappropriate place.

The Planes of Existence (PHB)

1.5.4 Hierarchy

There is no hierarchy of temples or sites by default. An individual religion may have such but since all the higher level clerics are in communication with the deity or its servants directly, there is no need for councils or synods or similar to decide what is or is not canon law nor any reason why a priest from one site should be able to order a priest from another around, other than personal respect or strength. There may be organisational issues which need oversight, of course, but even that is not a given.

1.6 Notes

1.6.1 Logic be damned

Logically, clerics under this system should really not get any spell recovery at all unless at a sanctuary but from a game perspective that’s just too harsh and we’d be back at the point where magic-users on campaign are crippled except it would be cleric PCs getting the crappy end of the stick.

1.6.2 Jesus!

Personally, as is probably apparent from the length of this post, I’m very excited about this, really rather simple, idea. It does have a minor issue in that it is actually a poor fit with pure monotheism of the modern sort where the single deity is literally the only one. Older forms of monotheism, as found in the Old Testament for example, allowed for the existence of multiple gods but simply insisted that a particular tribe exclude all but one from their worship. That sort of monotheism is a lot less omnipresent than the later versions which started to gain ground around 400 B.C.

So if, in fact, you really do want to run a mediaeval setting, much of this idea will have to be modified, possibly to use saints instead of other deities or aspects of the single one.

1.6.3 Transgressions

One area where this system is easier on players than the book system is that clerics who transgress will still potentially have access to spells - perhaps very powerful spells - which they can continue to use. I would suggest a two-pronged attack on this possible abuse.

Firstly, if the cleric changes alignment or begins worshipping a different deity, the shock of this re-alignment of their self- and world-views simply clears their minds of all previous spells.

If this does not apply then some form of divine retribution will be forthcoming. Just as servants of a deity grant the higher level spells, so they can be sent to destroy those that abuse the power given. Deities will not personally intervene in this way. Faithful clerics may be sent in the first instance, and if a rebellious cleric is recalcitrant for any length of time then they may be anathematised so that clerics and servants of the deity will sense immediately that they are under (edict).

Entering a sacred precinct while in such a state will possibly incur the immediate attack of any guardian spirit.

1.6.4 Our World and the World of Myth

One problem with adding rules for religion (or any aspect of a fantasy world, really) is that one has to decide what it is that one is trying to simulate. Does one simulate how religion was actually performed in real life or instead simulate what people believed was going on?

This carries through into almost everything about holy spaces. People believed that the gods liked sacrifices. Yet, with the exception of killing things, it was obvious that sacrifices didn’t really do anything except lie on the altar getting rusty/rotten/tarnished/stolen.

Primitive people had to rationalise some other form of sacrifice and common examples were breaking items, burying them, or throwing them somewhere inaccessible so that the owner would never be able to use them again, making them a sacrifice in the sense of losing something. The pretence being that the owner’s loss was somehow the gods’ gain.

But in a game, what happens? Does the gold given to the temple actually vanish? If so, what the hell are the gods doing with gold coins, torcs, and jewellery?

Items are an easier fit with the idea that the sacred space is in some sense the god’s house and so can be regarded as decoration. A cthonic deity might well be happy to have things buried in the ground.

I think a playable solution is to distinguish between sacrifices and dedications.

A sacrifice is materially consumed by the deity. That means that it is transported from the site of sacrifice to wherever the deity’s home is in the inner or outer planes, where that being can decide what to do with it. What is an acceptable sacrifice depends on the deity.

A dedication is something which is given to the god but which remains in its material home where it was placed, and is available for use by those sent on specific missions from that site.

Both of these conceptions are supported by the ceremony spells in UA. They are analogous to the keeping or selling of magic items. A sacrifice is more immediately rewarding; a dedication is a long-term investment.

Historically, and indeed currently, most temples and churches have been happy to accept cash for the simple reason that the priesthood could use it (similarly with food offerings, although Akhenaten was a notable exception, insisting that food be left to rot rather than eaten).

Again, in a fantasy world the question is what to do about cash sacrifices - do they vanish or remain. I’m inclined to go with the latter for the majority of gods.

Cash can be used to expand the holy areas and maybe pay for guards and so forth. For some deities a reasonable use might be to hire mercenaries or spread corruption and gambling. So long as the earthly representatives remember that, once sacrificed, the money is their god’s and not their own then they should be okay.

1. Stop Waffling
   

   All of the above is a way of saying that sacrifices and dedications should affect the “standing” of a cleric (or any worshipper, in fact) in some way that I can not quite define.

   Characters not in good standing will not be able to renew spells until they have atoned, and if they go a long way beyond the pale, such as borrowing dedicated arms and not returning with them when they are needed for someone or something else, they may become anathamatised as mentioned above.

2. The Free Market in Worship
   

   An important word in the study of religions, particularly polytheistic ones, is “reciprocity”. This the idea that humans do something for their deity in return for the deity doing something in return.

   
   Heart-attack capital of the world

   The problem is that no deity ever actually does anything in return since they don’t exist. That means that there is nothing which fixes any sort of ratio between what is sacrificed or dedicated to the god and what the worshipper gets in return. The Aztecs got nothing more for their conveyor-belt approach to human sacrifice than the English Christians of 1316’s harvest festivals did to prevent the Great Famine

   From a game point of view, there’s nothing to hang off this back-and-forth as it simply didn’t actually exist.

   However, in a fantasy game we have living gods taking an interest in the world “below”. What each wants from that interaction should be defined, as mentioned above, by their alignment, sphere of interest, and personality. Essentially, I’m saying that each deity (and each aspect of each deity) should have it’s own requirements for being in good standing there and that the “exchange rate” will vary, possibly wildly.

   For example, a simple site devoted to a CE god of disease may offer cure disease in return for a human sacrifice while a NG god of healing might do the same thing in return for donating funds towards building a hospice within a holy site. Or in return for dedicating the head of a mummy or other disease-spreading monster.

   There’s no way to draw up a generic system for this sort of thing. In particular, I reject Gygax’s suggestion in Dragon #97 of a universal system of power-brokerage. I think that’s just the temptation to systematise every detail that many of us are vulnerable to.

3. The Negative Effect of Gods
   

   In the real world, religion develops and changes according to the needs of the worshippers. This isn’t unexpected since it was they who invented the deities, chose the sacrifices, and set the rules. Socially, this allows the religious leaders to adapt instead of condemning new ideas (an option they don’t always take).

   As M.A.R. Barker noted in his own fantasy world of Tekumel (Empire of the Petal Throne), if the gods are actually real then this flexibility goes away. Or, at least, the option resides with the deity rather than its followers. Priests and clerics are the enforcers of their gods’ views of how the world should work and if that god says that electricity is an abomination, then it is their job to hunt down anyone working on generating it and stop them. Potentially at least, progress itself becomes blasphemous.

   While this may grant the DM an in-built excuse for why their world, or some region or other therein, has never developed beyond the point at which the DM wants it to had reached, it may also give players something to fight against. Perhaps another set of plot hooks, or just a pain in the neck for the DM, depending on how they handle this.

1.6.5 What is a cleric?

In this vision of the religious character, an AD&D or D&D cleric is an active agent. To make an analogy with a temporal baron, the normal “priest” takes the place of a steward to the god while the cleric is the champion sent out int the world to take care of some business or to win some prize.

This model is a much happier and clearer fit, especially if we eliminate the whole concept of Concordant Opposition that was introduced in D&DG. Doing so leaves all clerics as having a non-neutral alignment and that means they all have a diametrically opposed alignment. Even more plot hooks!

Now, any adventure for a cleric has a purpose of some sort - at the very least to bring back great prizes or wonders to give to their god, and beyond that the chance to root out the actions of the opposing alignment(s).

The cleric is no longer a strange anomaly, a priest with no church, but an active agent in the world much more in keeping with the class description in PHB but with no mysterious questions about why they never have any religious duties. Adventuring is their religious duty. Not necessarily proselytising but certainly carrying on work which pleases their god. And back at base there’s a whole body of priests looking after the god and with whom the cleric has a reason to interact.

There are several other types of holy agent in the game, however:

1. Paladins
   

   Paladins must likewise visit holy sites in order to change their clerical spells and to dedicate or sacrifice their tithe.

2. Bards and Rangers
   

   Similarly, bards and rangers must spend time with druids in order to adjust their druidical spell lists.

3. The Demi-humans
   

   Just as human deities are interested in things on the material plane, so other races’ deities may have other spheres more relevant to them. Thus, perhaps, we have an explanation for the lack of dwarven, gnomish, and elven PC clerics - these races worship gods with no specific interest in the realms in which most adventurers travel. Thus they are unavailable for normal play.

Right, stop that! This post is far too long.
Now go away!