I probably should have posted this sooner, but my last post was pretty long so I figured the technical stuff should come in a different post for clarity. Besides, I didn't have the last of the DCCRPG versions of the clerics and their duties finished until a couple of days ago; for the last session I was “winging it” for the cleric of Elyr based on past experience. Now that my test game is in full gear, I thought I should take the time to post the write-ups for the clerics of Ormazd, Elyr, and Gorhan; as well as the write-up for Aristemis as a wizard patron. These all (except for the Patron) existed in my games prior to the DCCRPG, but I've modified them to the new format.
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Ormazd the sun God L-G
The Sun God is one of the oldest of the Gods and was being worshiped by the Sphinx and Naga races long before the arrival of the Dragon Kings. His worshipers can be found everywhere that the Sun shines, but the center and cradle of the church of Ormazd is within the vast southern deserts. The Sun God is locked into an eternal struggle against his Twin Brother Ahriman, the Lord of Darkness.
You can always recognize a cleric of the Phoenix Lord, during the day they sparkle & have no shadow. At night they radiate light based on level. The minions of Ahriman are easy to distinguish due to their lack of pulse and the fact that they are still moving about. Any folk who use, study, or sell such knowledge are also considered minions of Ahirman, but are usually given a chance to repent of their evil. Additionally the clerics of Ormazd are charged with clearing away the shadows, literally, figuratively, intellectually, and spiritually. To that end they have been given several powers.
1. All clerics of Ormazd are granted a nimbus of light radius = 10ft/ level. Its brightness is equal to 1 torch per level, though there is no harm or penalty to gaze upon the cleric. At 2nd level the cleric may impose a -1 penalty / level upon all who gaze upon them; willpower save vs. DC= 8+cleric level to overcome this radiance. This penalty applies to anyone attempting an action that requires looking at the cleric. At 3rd level the light counts as actual sunlight for all purposes. At 4th level they gain the ability to provide warmth when it's cold, or shelter folks from the suns harshness. At 5th level they gain the ability to gather their auras into a bolt that may be hurled at a foe. They get +5 to hit, and the bolt does 5d4 damage. This power may be invoked up to 1x / level/ day; for 1 round (starting when the bolt is thrown) the cleric has no aura of light and thus no benefits for others.
2. Sun Phase Magic: the ebb and flow of the sun over the course of the seasons has an effect upon clerics of Ormazd. Their power is at its zenith on the Summer Solstice (July 14) and at its lowest ebb on the Winter Solstice (Winterheart 28). The progression is as follows:
· January 2, to February 14 clerics of the Sun God are at -1 to their caster level.
· From the festival of Kindle Hope (Feb 15) to the end of Spring on May 21 there is no adjustment to the caster level
· From Beltane (May 22) to July 12 the clerics gain +1 to effective caster level
· On the day before and after the Summer solstice (July 13, & 15) the clerics gain +2 to effective caster level
· On the day of the Summer Solstice the cleric gains +3 to effective caster level
· On July 16 the clerics effective caster level returns to +1 and stays that way until the end of August (28)
· September 1st is the festival of Harvest bless and makes the start of Autumn, the clerics caster level is normal until the 7th of December.
· The 8th of December is the first day of Winter and the cleric applies a -1 to caster level until the 26th of Winterheart.
· On the day before and after the Winter Solstice (Winterheart 27 & January 1st) the clerics of the Phoenix Lord have a -2 to caster level
· On the day of the Winter Solstice, the Cleric is -3 to caster level.
3. Clerics of Ormazd may add their Luck bonus (if positive) to all attacks and damage to undead
as well as turn and turn results.
4. Clerics of Ormazd always know what time of day it is in relation to where the sun is (dawn,
noon, dusk)
Ormazd is married to Shul Goddess of the Moon, but the vigilance against the Great Enemy requires that they spend most of their time circling opposite to each another. Shul gathers the radiance of her husband and reflects it into the night to harass the minions of Ahriman. Only on the days of the solar eclipses (2) are they allowed to meet. Known as “the time of the lovers,” Clerics of Ormazd are often asked to perform weddings on these auspicious days. The Sun & Moon have 2 children Gorhan the Valiant, & Delvyr the Explorer. The clergy of Ormazd has no authority over the clerics of Gorhan or Delvyr, but can usually expect mutual aid when asked.
Holy Days: the first day of each new season, the solstices & equinoxes, and the days of the 2 yearly solar eclipses.
Favored Weapon: Morning Star
Knowledge base: they have studied: the rituals & history of their order; the Minions of Ariman and how they might be overcome, Prophecies of Áereth two in particular:
Gorhan the Valiant- the Helmed Vengeance [L-G]- The Valiant One, He who fights first is the patron God of those who fight against the lawless & corrupt; he also acts as executioner when required by his wife Justica. Gorhan doesn’t bother to heal anyone who hasn’t proven themselves to be honorable, brave, or innocent. Usually this means that the recipient of the healing has just survived a battle, or are the peasants caught on the battlefield. Those who are killed in combat are His to judge. If the soul is found honorable, or innocent then they are granted a pleasant after-life; if judged corrupt, then the soul is obliterated. The clerics of Gorhan are divided amongst two sects; one that is male only and one that is open to all stouthearted folk who hear the Valiant Lords call to battle. The clerics of the male only sect are paired off with clerics of the female only sect of Justica’s clergy. They live their whole lives within the Temples of Law and function as the Imperial Judicial system. The open order is generally known as the Ordo Militantis they spend levels 1-3 as battlefield troops or helping the Clerics of Thormyr with securing the Empire from harm. In this capacity they are mostly responsible for; escorting members of the wandering order of Justica, hunting the undead, & as bounty hunters serving Sentence on those who have fled Justica’s merciful decrees. All clerics of Gorhan radiate a zone of courage = 10ft / level that grants +1/ level on saves verses fear. Preferred weapon is the Longsword.
Duties of the clergy:
The Ordo Militantis is exactly what it sounds like… When acting within the borders of the Empire, they are basically the national guard. They show up in force when the clerics of Thormyr are out matched. The Ordo Militantis are the ones who show up to deal with local incursions of Orcs or Goblins that are too large for the local militia, but too small to bother mustering an army, or any other such situations. Kinda like a combination of bounty hunters, S.W.A.T., and the Fire Department… D&D style.
One of the duties of the clerics of Gorhan is to hear the petitions of those seeking justice. Anyone may approach them and ask for the cleric to hear their petition for justice. If traveling alone, the cleric of Gorhan decides whether to send the case to a cleric of Justica, or they can offer to engage in trial by combat with a champion for the opposing council. In the case of petty crimes, the intimidation factor of having to face a cleric of Gorhan in combat is usually enough to get the guilty party to confess.
Clerics of the Ordo Militantis are charged with subduing the evil and the wicked for trial. If the targets give up willing they may be brought to the courts for judgment, but if the targets resist… well… that means they have opted for trial by combat. Because the battlefield is the purview of Gorhan and he has the power to decide justice there. Clerics of Gorhan have a reputation for being a little over-zealous sometimes in their persecution of Evil, so the people of the Empire treat them with respect.
The Clergy of Gorhan Are not really all that keen on festivals and such, but they do honor the parents of their deity on the solar eclipses and on the equinoxes.
Elyr- Goddess of Healing [C-N (g)]- She believes that life should be sustained at all costs & is worth any risk. She is also one of two Gods who can remove Corruptions (makes you invaluable to wizards). Clerics of Elyr function as the doctors of this society. Low levels (1-3) clerics wander the world bringing aid to those in need, during this time they tend to develop specialty skills. At 4th level they decide whether to stop wandering and live out their lives in the hospital/temples, or continue their wandering ministrations: this choice is permanent.
Elyr is an ardent pacifist, but has a particular hatred for demons, devils, & aberrations and grants her clerics powers and abilities to deal with these creatures. Elyr’s hatred for these creatures is rooted in the story of her creation. Elyr was the last of the Gods born prior to the creation of Áereth. As the Gods were fleeing into the refuge of the Dreaming realm provided by Oae, the Great Enemy stretched out its talons and nearly killed Ildavir as she was stepping into the portal. The chunks of flesh and blood that fell to the ground in side the Dreaming became the newborn Goddess of Healing. She grew to maturity within the Dreaming, and so her POV on the universe is idealistic and a touch naïve. The trauma of her beginnings is the foundation of her philosophy of preserving life at all costs. All clerics of Elyr are limited to weapons that do no more than 1d4 damage and are not allowed to kill unless fighting aberrations, demons, devils, undead, etc. They are free to paralyze, maim, or cripple an opponent in the defense of others.
Elyr feels that even evil creatures have a right to exist, Evil is as much a part of the designs of the Gods as the concept of Good. Her clerics will even heal them, but along with that healing comes a compulsion to run away and re-evaluate their lives {evil creatures roll willpower save Vs DC= cleric PER bonus+ Level+ number of points of damage healed, or they flee the scene to rethink their lives. Said evil creature may eventually return to their evil ways; but that is their choice, and the clerics of Elyr can only strive to heal and defend the weak and the vulnerable from those who would do them harm. This belief was very influential in helping the Goddess Justica formulate her theory of the redemption of evil.
Knowledge base: clerics of Elyr know all there is to know the history of their order, and are experts at comparative physiology and the healing arts. They know a little about animals as well -3 on healing checks, and if they were a healer prior to entering service the cleric gains +2 on all healing check rolls from the extra training and experience. These clerics also know the science of alchemy, but only with respect to the healing arts… no bomb making, etc.
Clerics of Elyr study old tomes of lore to better recognize their extra planer enemies:
Devils are fairly easy to recognize unless they are possessing someone. Their natural skin tones of red and orange, horns, and lawyer like demeanor are classic hallmarks of a devil. However, devils rarely manifest upon the material plain, choosing instead to possess a normal creature. The clerics of Elyr may identify possessed creatures with a healing check (INT bonus+ cleric level) but the DC will vary by situation. A cleric of Elyr can use their lay on hands ability to exorcise the devils from a possessed creature. A result of 1 die / 3HD of the devil is needed to exorcise the devil from the possessed creature. Should a cleric of Elyr encounter a devil, they are free to use as much violence as the can to destroy its physical form. The cleric of Elyr’s most powerful defense Vs devils is that they can use their turn undead ability against devils.
Demons are easy to spot most of the time, their chaotic nature lends itself to odd physiognomies; like tentacles and tri-partite symmetries; or normal features misplaced, rearranged, swapped for animal parts, etc. They don’t usually bother with possession, their motives are as alien as their physiology. A cleric of Elyr is likewise free of constraints upon the use of force as with devils, but they gain +1/ cleric level to hit, & +1d4/ cleric level to damage when fighting demons. If the cleric knows the demons name or gains access to the info on the summoning ritual, they may attempt to banish the demon back to its plain of origin by rolling 1d20+PER bonus+ level Vs DC= 5+the number of HD of the demon. Success sends the thing spiraling back into the abyss.
Aberrations are the hardest to determine, as they may not always manifest outward signs to advertise their presence and are sometimes confused with demons. Almost all aberrations derive from wizard experiments whether upon natural creatures to create creatures with more heads then normal, to hybrid animal/elemental monstrosities, or upon the wizard directly. In this latter case, the wizard has either succumbed to patron taints or voluntary corruptions from adopting powers/traits from their familiars. A wizard who has accumulated 4+ involuntary corruptions also counts as an aberration. Dealing with Aberrations is difficult. First they must be identified, and that takes a healing check (1d20+INT bonus +level) Vs DC= 20 - the number of corruptions and taints. The hardest part is determining if the wizard or creature can be saved. If the wizard is sane then they can decide they are done with their evil ways and abandon their evil patrons, then the cleric of Elyr will use lay on hands to remove 1 taint or corruption /2 dice of the result. If the wizards oath be false and they return to their evil ways, then the taints and corruptions return instantly.
Presence of Elyr: They radiate a zone of purity with R= 10ft / level that grants all within it range +1 / level of cleric bonus to saves. Furthermore, this aura allows a cleric of Elyr to help those who have already failed saves Vs diseases, unless that failure occurred within the Presence of Elyr. In other words, if someone fails a save while they are within an aura of purity, they can’t then leave the aura and get a new save when they return. This aspect of the ability is for situations for when the cleric walks into a village and a lot of folks are already ill.
Duties of the clergy:
After taking their vows, the Clerics of Elyr never cut their hair again. You can always tell the rank of a cleric of Elyr by the length to their braids and the gray in their hair.
Any healing that the cleric does for the party is subject to the -1 penalty per application (game balance) but when clerics of Elyr are traveling, they may not deny care to any one who asks it of them and they must stop in every town and village to ask if anyone needs healing. In these cases the cleric may heal 5+their stamina bonus people for every -1 of penalty to their cleric abilities to represent the strain of channeling so much healing energy.
Holy Days: Elyr is more interested in healing people than organizing worship for specific events, but in general the first day of Spring and the festival of Kindle hope mark the return of life to the world after winters dreariness and death. During the festival, or wherever they may be, they must spend an hour/level in ritual observance of the returning life force contemplating the nature of life, how the cleric has helped others & planning how they will maximize there efforts for the coming year.
Preferred weapon: Elyr deplores violence, even though she recognizes its role in Nature and that others my not feel the same way. She prefers that her clerics use light hammers, or staves as they are also useful as tools.
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The fact that your wizard character managed to think his way through this dungeon environment has impressed the Goddess Aristimis and she has sent to you a Spirit guide in the form of an old feather quill. This tattered but surprisingly functional writing instrument has the ghostly spirit of a once faithful wizard (long dead) attached to it. It’s arrival was as odd as the quill itself; having been bundled up with a piece of parchment (Patron Bonding spell) When you cast it you got an 18
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
which grants you the Invoke Patron Spell 1x / week; of which the quill is an integral component. {But if you choose to burn 2 points of luck this result will change to 20, which allows you to cast Invoke patron up to 2x/ day; or you can roll it for yourself when we get to the table.}
Furthermore your wizard is marked as one favored by Aristemis: the back of one of your PC’s hands now sports a stylized arrow tattoo and casts the Invoke Paton Spell at +1. You may not cast the Patron Bonding spell on others, and after you finish the successful casting, the spell fades from your memory and the parchment; but at least you have a nice piece of parchment now. The Spirits name is Thob, and the character communicates to the spirit via written questions by the wizard that are then wrapped on a summoned arrow and launched into the air. The responses are inscribed and returned in the same manner with any answers and the arrow lodges in the brainpan of the wizard, which stings a bit as 2 points of stats are burned (players choice) as the information/ service requested (etc) is communicated telepathically. The arrow fades leaving no evidence of a wound.
The wizard may summon forth an arrow and fire it as if using a long bow. This acts as a normal arrow fired from a normal bow, but no bow is required and the wizard uses their standard attack bonuses. The wizard must have the tattooed hand free to cast (not tangled or holding something) and be able to see the target per the normal targeting rules. Using this ability takes the place of a normal spell casting, and his daily quiver of arrows is = Intelligence score. This ability will even function within an anti-magic zone if the wizard is willing to stat burn 1 point for each arrow… this can even take the wizard beyond his daily maximum of arrows.
Invoke Patron results table:
1- Fail: no taint, but the wizard must make a reflex check for half damage vrs the arrow. Arrow summoning ability is suppressed for the rest of the day and for the next 1d4 days…
2-11 Fail and arrow summoning ability is suppressed for 1d24 hours…
12-14 Success: Thob will either answer 10 questions on any given subject; though there is no real way of knowing what he might or might not know. Or the summoned arrows function as +1 arrows for the next 1d6 hours; or, the wizard is granted +2 on all diplomacy checks for the next 1d6 hours.
15-17 Success: Thob will answer 15 questions; or, for the next 2d3 rounds all summoned arrows fired by the wizard will split into 3d3, +1 arrows. Each is rolled separately. The wizard may choose instead to gain +2d3 on any diplomacy or “fast talking” attempts for the rest of the day.
19-22 Thob may be summoned to chat for 60 minutes; or, the wizards arrows are +2 for the rest of the day and for the next hour they may be charged with 2d4 elemental damage (fire, acid, electricity, sonic). Or the wizards voice is charged with arcane energies such that their voice functions as a charm person spell (with this result level) but with a radius = 10ft / wizard level.
23-26 Thob may be summoned to chat for 2d3 hours; or, the wizard’s arrows are +2 for the rest of the day and for the next 3d3 rounds they may be charged with 2d4 elemental damage (fire, acid, electricity, sonic) and each arrow is split into 2d3 arrows. Or the wizards voice is charged with arcane energies such that their voice functions as a charm person spell (with this result level & +2 save DC) but with a radius = 20ft / wizard level.
27-29 Thob may be summoned to chat for 3d3hours; and, the wizard’s arrows are +3 for the rest of the day and for the next 2d3hrs they may be charged with 2d8 elemental damage (fire, acid, electricity, sonic); and the wizards voice is charged with arcane energies such that their voice functions as a charm person spell (with this result level & +2 save DC) but with a radius = 20ft / wizard level.
30-31 Thob may be summoned to chat for 1d4 days; and, the wizard’s arrows are +4 for the rest of the day and for the next 2d4hrs they may be charged with 2d8 elemental damage (fire, acid, electricity, sonic); additionally for the next 2d10 rounds each arrow will split into 3d3 arrows; and the wizards voice is charged with arcane energies such that their voice functions as a charm person spell (with this result level & +3 save DC) but with a radius = 30ft / wizard level.
32+ Thob may be summoned to chat for 2d3+1 days; and for 1d3 days the wizards arrows are +3 and charged with 2d8 elemental damage (chosen once; fire, acid, electricity, sonic); additionally for the next 2d3 days the wizard may invoke arrows to split into 4d3 arrows for up to 4d3 rounds; and the wizards voice is charged with arcane energies such that their voice functions as a charm person spell (with this result level & +3 save DC) but with a radius = 40ft / wizard level.
Thob Summoning: most of the time this takes the form of the wizard writing down the question and then letting the quill scribe the answers, but the wizard may ask him to cast one of the 3 patron spells on the wizards behalf. Invoking this ability costs the wizard another point of spell burn for each level of spell that Thob casts; and the service ends any communication with him for the rest of the day.
Level 1:
Determined Locomotion
Name: Determined Locomotion
Level: 1
Range: self or others
Duration: varies
Casting Time: 1 action
Save: none, or willpower
Manifestation:
General: Aristemis is one of the children of Gorhan and valor flows through her veins; but unlike her father, she is willing to take a realistic look at the battle. She recognizes that there is no shame in retreating before a more powerful enemy. Therefore she grants this spell for those times when the tide of battle has turned against the wizard and diplomacy has failed. Then it is time to run… this spell may only be used for running away from combat or danger that cannot be overcome by the means at hand.
1-5: spell lost
6-11: Success, the spell grants the target +5ft of move rate & +1 on all physical checks related to movement. Duration is 2 hours / level of wizard.
12-17: Success, the spell grants the target +10ft of move rate & +1 on all physical & mental checks related to movement. Movement speed now applies to swimming. May activate the spell for up to 1 additional person per INT bonus. Duration is 2 hours +1 hour/ level of wizard.
18-19: Success, the spell grants the target +10ft of move rate & +2 on all physical & mental checks related to movement; +1 on AC and saves. Movement speed now applies to swimming & climbing. Duration is 3 hours +1 hour/ level of wizard.
20-23: Success, the spell grants the target +15ft of move rate & +2 on all physical & mental checks related to movement; +2 on AC and saves. May now activate the spell for up to 2 persons per INT bonus. Duration is 3 hours +2 hours/ level of wizard. Plus 1 point of spellburn.
24-27: Success, the spell grants the target +15ft of move rate & +3 on all physical & mental checks related to movement; +2 on AC and saves; +1 Attacks and damage. Movement speed now applies to swimming & climbing, and flying. Duration is 4 hours +2 hour/ level of wizard. Plus 2 points of spellburn.
28- 29: Success, the spell grants the target +20ft of move rate & +3 on all physical & mental checks related to movement; +3 on AC and saves; +2 Attacks and damage. Movement speed now applies to swimming & climbing, flying, & burrowing. May activate the spell for up to 3 persons & 100# of cargo per INT bonus. Duration is 6 hours +3 hour/ level of wizard. Plus 3 points of spellburn.
30-31: Success, the spell grants the target +25ft of move rate & +4 on all physical & mental checks related to movement; +3 on AC and saves; +3 Attacks and damage. May activate the spell for up to 5 persons & 10,000# of cargo per INT bonus. Duration is 1 day +1 day/ level of wizard. Plus 4 points of spellburn.
32+ Success, the spell grants the target +30ft of move rate & +5 on all physical & mental checks related to movement; +4 on AC and saves; +4 Attacks and damage. Movement speed now applies to swimming & climbing, flying, & burrowing. The wizard may now teleport to any spot they can see within 5x move rate. May activate the spell for all persons & 100,000# of cargo within a radius = INT bonus x 25ft. Duration is 2 days +2 days/ level of wizard. Plus 5points of spellburn.