Of Gods and Magic: deity detail and spellcraft.

[Spearmint]

I appreciate players will have a wide knowledge of various pantheons used across a multitude of D&D worlds. However I am trying to keep things simple with a limited pantheon of deities that are worshipped and will detail them below.

Clerics and Druids. All priests of any faith will know completely and have access to on a daily basis, the entire list of spells appropriate to their level. These are printed in the player's handbook. Please list them on your character sheet in the 'known spells' tab.

Each day at sunrise, clerics and druids are divinely gifted a certain number of spells of their choice from the list of spells they know, to be memorized and prepared in advance of any expected casting. (Choose wisely). Please list those you choose in the memorized section.

Each deity uses the same basic spells but to give certain distinguishing features between gods, I will provide new spells as gifted from the domain or basic tenets of each unique faith. These are bonus spells that you may add to your known list.

I expect priestly characters to actually roleplay their vocation. This is important as higher level spells are not just memorized from s standard list but as you act piously, pray, fast, give alms to the poor, tithe, establish new shrines, baptize converts, defeat undead, cast out demons ... then your character will meet divinely appointed prophets, elders, angels, who will minister the ability to cast those spells to you. So piety, sacrifice and devotion is an element of your character I will note. If you want God to answer your prayers, you need stay in his favour. Incur his wrath with unrighteous acts and see your spells unanswered and you may be called to do penance to restore the relationship.

I will add to this deities section as more new prayer-spells and information on cults become known.

[Spearmint]

Religion, faith and the Gods

Old Gods and New: Anganach and Futurus
The Ancient Ones, called 'The Anganach' by the people of the region, represent the elder gods. Wether they pre-existed in the forests, swamps and streams of the old land or wether they came with the first vestiges of civilization, few can tell. The humans who founded Ironguard Motte, Helix and Bogtown (called the second settlement by the sages), found protection in the worship of Silvanus (the Green Man), Herne the Hunter,Cromm Cruach, Impurax and to a lesser extent the death cult of Nergal. Through respect and reverence for the wilderness and its deities, the burgeoning human settlements survived and expanded. Now centuries later, especially with the evangelical advance of new god's from the civilized East, the worship of the Anganach is in serious decline.

Even Moradin, who chose to separate himself solely to be the ancient Forge Father and creator of the Dwarven kin, has lost much in continued reverance and awe. A revival is needed before their names are just faded pages in the times of history. Most temples and shrines to these gods are in ruin, abandoned or in disrepair.

The New gods, called The Futurus, include the sainthood worship of St Cuthbert, the ordained religion of St Ygg and the arcane new age deity of Arcantryl. There are also a sprinkling of occultic sects though little is known or spoken of them in the Duchy.

The clerics of St Ygg have been particularly militant and triumphalistic in converting Duke Aerik and his family and establishing a great marble cathedral in the Motte citadel. Their influence is growing and they have a small chapel consecrated in Helix.

The Anganach

Herne the Hunter, (also called 'The Horned God').

Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Symbol: An antlered man or stags head.

Worshippers of Herne are often equipped with a favoured weapon, a shortbow or staff made from Elkhorn. Clerics of Herne may use the shortbow.

Clerics of Herne may cast the druidic spell 'Pass without trace' once per day.

Herne is one of the Anganach though largely displaced as a focus of worship in urban communities. However in rural areas the faith is still strong.

Prohibition: Clerics are expected to hunt or fast rather than buy their meat provisions and to offer portions of each kill as a burnt offering in thankful praise.


Silvanus (god of nature, freedom and balance).

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.
Symbol: A face made up from laurel leaves or an olive branch.

Predominantly, followers of Silvanus are largely Elven. They have no ordained clergy but an eldership of appointed apostles and patriarchs and itinerant ministers. The elven racial bonus of a longbow or longsword 'to hit' proficiency stems from this worship.

Clerics of Silvanus wear decorative wreaths of laurel on their heads in lieu of traditional religious garb. They may cast the druidic spell 'Shillelagh' once per day. Acolytes of Silvanus use a quarterstaff as a favoured weapon and may attack twice with this weapon each round due to their blessed proficiency. This weapon is considered as 'silvered' in the context of enabling damage to certain creature types.

Silvanus is one of the Anganach and often communicates to his followers through speaking animals or birds. With no formal temples, the worship takes place in secluded groves.

Prohibition: Clerics are expected to root out 'unnatural abominations of nature' such as those who suffer the blood curse of lycanthropy or undead. Disciples of Silvanus are not buried but cremated.

Cromm Cruach (demi-god of strength and battle).

Alignment: Chaotic Good.
Symbol: A crown over a snow capped mountain.

Predominantly worshipped by barbarians, fighters, rangers, half-orcs and farmers. Daily worship takes place within the house as it is quite patriarchal with an expectation for 'men to be men', espousing doctrines of hard work, respect, endeavour and fortitude. Prayers are said or sung at sunrise and sunset and the foundation of new buildings are often consecrated. They have a motto of 'No mountain high enough', widely spoken to remind followers they may overcome as conquerors every challenge they face.

Clerics of Cromm minister in stone built chapels, erecting permanent structures never a temporary one. They use a Warhammer as a favoured weapon and gain an ability to stun opponents that they successfully hit with a % roll equal in value to the damage they deal plus 1% per level. Clerics may interpret constructions and masonry just as a dwarf does from his racial ability.

Cromm Cruach clerics work in the community they serve rather than minister full time, often in masonry or construction trades. Digging a well is often a rite of passage into ordination. Ministers will build wayside shrines or construction little rock cairns as a focus for their prayers.

Prohibition: Clerics must fast once per week and commit at least a tithe to their community resources.

Impurax (god of pestilence and decay)

Alignment: Neutral Evil.
Symbol: A rotting birds head or vulture.

Little is known about this member of the Anganach. As an evil aligned deity, it is not playable as a player's cleric choice. It is thought any remaining devotees are hags and warlocks living on the wilderness fringe. They manifest strange powers over creatures and tend to be surrounded by flocks of black ravens or poisonous croaking toads.

Clerics of Impurax are rumoured to be immune to poisons and can even shape shift into voracious drooling beasts.

Moradin (the Forge Father).

Alignment: Lawful Neutral.
Symbol: Hammer and Anvil.

Almost exclusively worshipped by dwarves and their near kin (gnomes, halflings). Clerics of Moradin are covenanted to remain by the forge they minister at which explains why no dwarven cleric adventurers exist.

Clerics of Moradin are able to imbue blessings and enchantments upon traditional dwarven arms such as hammers and axes or shields. The have a permanent 'Resist Fire' aura that they radiate about them.

Prohibition: only via a quest or under divine unction would a cleric ever leave his forge hearth.

The Futurus

St Ygg (demi-god of righteousness and might. Light over darkness).

Alignment: Lawfull good.
Symbol: A red cross upon a white field or a trusted gauntlet.

One of the New Gods and one with a definite heirarchy of ordained priests and military templars or paladins. The majority of followers are humans. The religious focus is righteousness and repentance, a salvation through good works and devotional adherence. It is a militant faith and very influential in Ironguard Motte.

Clerics of St Ygg may cast 'Light' once per day and have a bonus +1 to any saves stemming from the necrotic touch effects of undead, wether a paralyzing touch, poison, charm, fear or level drain. They have a favoured weapon of a Morningstar, with which they can strike against any undead opponent for a bonus to the damage dealt, +1 to hit & damage, (does not count as 'magical in terms of overcoming certain undead being invulnerable to non-magic weapons).

Prohibition: Clerics must destroy undead without mercy.

Arcantryl (new age god of knowledge, magic and illusion)

Alignment: Lawful neutral.
Symbol: An interlocking star or All-seeing eye in s pyramid.

One of the new gods and gaining a following among the scholarly academics and rogue guilds. Followers come from all races. Many 'shamans' and 'medicine men' actually come from this faith.

Clerics of Arcantryl may cast 'Read Magic' and may learn to cast mage spells subject to Intelligence restrictions on ability % to know and learn a spell. If they learn a mage spell they may add it to their list of known spells and may subsequently choose to memorize it each day. They often use foci such as orbs, crystals, wind chimes, bone pipes to facilitate their spells.

Clerics of Arcantryl use no favoured weapons however every weapon but are able to imbibe their 'pact' weapon (a personal favourite weapon, often decorated with runes and sigils), enchanting it with the ability to cast 'touch' spells as part of any attack. So for example hitting a target in melee with a mace may also at the clerics choice, deal damage as a Cause Light Wounds.

Any 'touch' spell may be simultaneously cast in this way.

Prohibition: Must tithe back to the Collegiate Arcanium the value of any magic items they receive and keep as an offering. The 'first-fruits' gift is a devotion of the first magic item they receive per level though in making the offering, the giver receives an appropriate XP reward in return.

[Spearmint]

Spellcraft and schools of wizardry.

House rules for mages:

Each mage or illusionists character may start the campaign knowing Read Magic & Detect Magic as 0 level cantrips that they may cast once per day from memory without needing to meditate hours to study their arcane formulae.

At 1st level you may pick rather than roll endless macros, choosing enough spells to equip you to the minimum number of known spells available to your mage according to his intelligence stat ability. (See page 10 phb).

I am not using the % roll check vs learning a spell from the PHB.

In the Mage Class description it details how many spells you may cast daily. However at 1st level that is one spell per day. Already penalised with armour and weapon restrictions and low hp, it can be very discouraging to play a mage. So I use this House Rule to encourage folk to play this class.

Mages study and meditate to memorize all the spells they know. Once memorized they are committed to memory until cast. If you don't cast a spell one day, it is not lost but stored in your memory, rolled on to the next day. It takes one hour plus 15 mins of study per level of the spell to commit it to memory. So in two hours of study you may memorize 4 x 1st level spells or 2x 2nd level or 1 x 4th level. You cannot memorize what you can't cast though. Study must be unbroken in order to be effective.

Secondly you may cast any spell you have memorized. Once cast, any spell has a chance of still bring retained in the memory and not erased.

After casting a spell and before you cast another spell or take another action, mages may make an immediate intelligence skill check. This is a difficult task [4d6] modified by a further +1 penalty per level of spell cast. Success means the spell is retained and you may cast it again. Fail the check and the spell is erased until memorised again through study. Each subsequent casting incurs a further +1 retention penalty so eventually the spell will be erased and the mage will need study periods to regain the particular spell knowledge.

(so for example Red Eric the mage has 16 intelligence which means he can pick a minimum of 7 spells to know from the mage list, plus the two cantrips. He chooses Magic Missile as a spell to learn. After studying the time needed to commit those 7 to memory, in this case 2 hours 45 mins, he goes adventuring. Meeting a zombie he casts his magic missile, rolling the damage. Then as the zombie crumples, Red Eric rolls to discover if he has retained or lost the spell from his mind bank. He rolls [4d6+1] vs his intelligence 16. He scores a 14 and thus the spell is retained, just in time for him to cast it again at the next zombie shuffling down the corridor and repeat the process.

guys let me know how this sounds as a rule.

Transcription: Or, the Subtle Art of Spellomancy as used to great effect in the Lab Lord NM campaign.

In order for a magic-user to memorize a spell, they must have access to that spell in a spellbook carried on their person.

There are four avenues that a spellcaster can follow to add another spell to his or her books:

1. Transcribe from Another Spellbook

Spells written in another spellcaster's book are completely useless to you, until they have been transcribed into the magic-user's own magical idiom. To transcribe spells in this way, translating the necessary symbols and formulae into a new spellbook, requires the Read Magic spell, one spell book. It takes two days, and 100gp in materials and study costs per spell level. These days must be spent with uninterrupted access to the source text but the end result is automatic success in transcribing the spell.

2. Transcribe from a Scroll

This process is identical to 1, above, except that instead of a spellbook, a scroll of the spell is needed. It takes the same amount of time and resources, and the scroll is consumed in the process of transcription.

3. Research (Arcane Science!!!)

This process requires a spellcaster to have equipped laboratory facilities and a library in which to work. The spellcaster can elect to attempt to re-create a spell that they are aware of (or have heard about), or one they have seen in action, or try to create an entirely new effect, without texts to work from.

The basic needs are: 1000gp value laboratory facilities and library; gold; time.

The spellcaster describes to the GM what effect they are attempting to research/create, and the GM decides what spell level this will be. Then, the spellcaster devotes one week of research time per spell level along with consuming 100gp per spell level in raw experimental materials. (In terms of 'one week' we accept a 40 hour, five day week. Weeks of study may be split up so that research can take place over several months rather than one fixed lump sum of dedicated time).

At the end of this time period, the spellcaster rolls a 6d6 impossible check vs Intelligence to determine success, with the following modifiers:
-1 per level of the PC.
-1 per apprentice involved in the research.
-2 for Mentor or Tutor involved in the research.
-d6 modifier per full 5k gp value of library, material components, equipment and laboratory used.
-1 per previous unsuccessful attempt to research this spell.
+1 per indicated spell level

If the final modified roll equal or less to the mages intelligence score then the research is successful and the proposed spell may be added to the spellcaster's spell book. The mage also is credited with bonus XP commensurate with the spell level.

If the roll on the die is a failure. Roll 3d6 and determine random results of spell miscalculations.

3: Conflagration! The spellcaster takes 3d6 points of damage from a fireball explosion.

4-5: Mishap! The spell caster receives some arcane backlash which results in a physical injury or deformity. (Blind in one eye, turns albino, gains reptilian eyes, gains webbed feet ...)

6-8: Oops! Memory erased. Lose a spell permanently from your memory of an equal level spell.

9-12: Forgetful. Lose temporary memory of all spells known

13-15: Tapped Into Something. The spellcaster gains a new and unusual feature somehow connected with the effect being researched.

16-17: Opened a Gateway. Despite failure you gain a d6 modifier to your next research attempt.

18: Accidental Eureka moment: create a spell but one totally different from the research tried.


---

Scribing a Scroll

A spellcaster can create a spell scroll of any spell they current know (this includes clerics), at the cost of one sheet of parchment, two days and a financial cost of 100gp per spell level, in addition to the cost/sacrifice of any special casting components that have unique prices or rarities. Scrolls created this way by character rather than arcane sages or clerical Patriachs are only cast at the level of the scroll reader or the minimum level to cast such a spell normally.

Laboratory Equipment - A Reference Guide

Presently only available at the Arcanium in Ironguard Motte or by arrangement with Mazzah in Helix.

Prices included below are base for these item types of laboratory quality, and can vary depending on quality and location of purchase.

An aludel, for condensing vapors - 50gp
A still, for refining and fermenting substances - 75gp
A selection of hermetically-sealed containers (4) - 25gp, 25gp, 50gp, 75gp based on size
An alembic, for distillation of liquids and essences - 250gp
A ceramic retort, for simple distillation of dry substances - 50gp
A mortar and pestle, for grinding dry substances - 25gp
A small crucible, for reducing substances by fire - 50gp
A large brazier, for heating larger substances and compounds, and reduction or large elements by fire (if used with an appropriate container) - 250gp
A set of silver razored medical dissection tools - 100gp

[Spearmint]

Mages and Armour

I appreciate that mages are pretty much 'nerfed' at low levels. The key trio of reasons are low HD, no armour and minimal weapons. This certainly puts any human mage at a disadvantage until he can surpass the other class-limited races. There are hardly any pure Elven mages or Gnomish illusionists. Simply because you can adventure as dual class fighter/mages and wear any armour and use all weapons, whereas single class arcanists are penalised.

So I am going to trial another house rule which may benefit human mages.

You may wear armour and cast spells but face a caveat which is that prior to successfully casting any spell, you must roll a concentration check as follows depending on the armour type you wear.

Light armour: (leather, padded, hide, studded leather. Anything AC 9 - 7) roll a 4d6 modified by a +1 for each spell level vs your intelligence score. Success means the spell may be cast and effects narrated. Failure means the spell is mis-cast and you lose it from your memory without any effects being actioned.

Medium Armour (Scale, Ring, Chain, Banded. Anything AC 6 - 4) roll 5d6 modified as above.

Heavy Armour (Platemail. AC 3 or lower) roll 6d6 modified by spell level.

Shields may not be worn as mages need both hands free to semantically gesture their spell formulae.

Magic Armour is still armour and treated as one of the three types.

let me know also how this plays out, if it works well or breaks the wizard class.

[Spearmint]

I am adding this addendum to clarify my houses rules for spell acquisition, retention and casting.

I have hopefully explained the process for Mages and Illusionists above.

Spell Acquisition for Clerics & Druids:

At 1st level, clerics and druids are assumed to have been gifted with a knowledge of all the 1st Level spells from their class lists. They may cast a certain number of spells each day according to their experience level, (see table in phb), any extra spells gifted by higher wisdom ability and also any specific domain spells relevant to each deity.

So a cleric will start with 12 known spells and maybe an extra one related to their particular faith. Each day in your devotion and rituals you commit to memory any number of spells that you prepare in advance of the need for their use. You may petition the deity for several different spells or just one spell that may be cast repeatedly according to the spell castings number.

Domain spells gifted to clerics are exempt from this restriction, you may cast them once per day. (But you may request through prayer, other like spells as part of your daily allocation. Light for instance).

Study takes one hour of personal preparation and prayer and then 15 mins per level of spell. Once committed to memory, spells are retained until cast when they are erased from any memory bank and further study or prayer is needed to regain the divine favour to cast it again. Unused spells may be retained over to a new day or replaced by different ones through the daily divine allocation.

So 'Pastor Mick' prays for 2 1/2 hours. After that he may gain 6 x 1st level spells, or 3 x 2nd level spells or 1 x 6th level or any combination that fits in with the time. Study time may be split and accounted cumulatively so that more spells may be memorized. But each period of study requires a compulsory one hour of devotions outside of spell level time periods

At 2nd level in experience, clerics will be given knowledge of the spells from the list but subsequently, 3rd-5th level spells are taught individually through agents of the deity such as elders, bishops, prophets and higher level spells, 6th level plus, are gifted by divine revelation only.

[Spearmint]

I am adding an amendment to all cleric classes:

Detect Evil, this 1st level cleric spell will now be gifted to each Lawful or Good aligned cleric as a mantra or cantrip that they may be able to cast once per day rather than a spell they have to choose to be allocated with.

This balanced with mages receiving Detect Magic as an automatically memorized daily cantrip rather than a daily spell choice they have to study for.

Please adjust your character sheets accordingly.