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Phil Masters · 02-10-2017, 11:34 AM

Characters, Cont.

Clerics, Druids, and to a lesser extent Holy Warriors present a problem for Dungeon Fantasy games which aim to preserve a definite Discworld feel. Individuals who fit in at least the first two categories definitely appear in the novels, but they don't display some of the crucial features of the Dungeon Fantasy types; in particular, they don't do much in the way of spell casting. (Although Discworld druids do prove capable of some large-scale magical engineering, including flying giant lumps of rock around the scenery.) Any supernatural powers which Discworld priests do employ are mostly provided directly by their deities, who treat them as sometimes-valued employees meriting some fire support, but who are notoriously casual and unreliable, and often motivated by vanity.

Unfortunately, though, clerics really are a crucial element in dungeon fantasy, because they provide healing effects, which are often needed to keep reckless dungeon delvers alive. Moreover, granting wizards access to healing spells seems inappropriate, because Discworld magic has a worrying, eldritch aspect that means that you don't really want it inside your body; see the Discworld RPG, p. 207.

So Discworld dungeoneering priests (and their kin) need powers that look like direct divine aid rather than "granted spells". (This is still more than is often seen in the novels, but greater divine interventionism might well be be plausible in the Disc's sword and sorcery era.) The Holy Abilities granted to Dungeon Fantasy Clerics and Holy Warriors go some way to covering this, but are somewhat limited; still, Holy Warriors built around those powers might well be very useful. (Few warriors seen in the novels are terribly devout or saintly, but maybe there used to be a few around.) They can even gain healing abilities if they can scrabble together 33 points, though Faith Healing is a bit restricted.

Fortunately, a working solution to this problem appears in Pyramid issue 3/36, with the idea of "Dungeon Saints", which in turn builds on GURPS Powers: Divine Favor. For a Discworld-appropriate dungeoneering cleric, use the Cleric template with the Saint lens; this gives you a priest who gets direct divine aid, from an immanent deity, with a wide variety of options. The healing abilities involved still have the restrictions built into Faith Healing, but this may encourage roleplaying and a bit of careful resource management.

Holy Warriors with the Warrior-Saint lens might also be plausible, though a Discworld warrior who spends too much time talking to his gods is going to look a little odd; sticking with the Holy Abilities option may work just as well. Druids are more of a problem, but aren't really so much of a necessity; if you want one anyway, build a Cleric with the Saint lens and some appropriate choices of Learned Prayers, switch weapon skills to something appropriate for sickle swords and daggers, juggle some other skills around to more closely match those in the Druid template, and call them a druid. It might also be worth taking the time to build some new druid-style blessings such as "Flying Obelisk", "Friendly Wolf Pack", or "Entangling Vegetation".

To Be Continued...

02-10-2017, 11:34 AM	#33
Phil Masters Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: U.K.	Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld Characters, Cont. Clerics, Druids, and to a lesser extent Holy Warriors present a problem for Dungeon Fantasy games which aim to preserve a definite Discworld feel. Individuals who fit in at least the first two categories definitely appear in the novels, but they don't display some of the crucial features of the Dungeon Fantasy types; in particular, they don't do much in the way of spell casting. (Although Discworld druids do prove capable of some large-scale magical engineering, including flying giant lumps of rock around the scenery.) Any supernatural powers which Discworld priests do employ are mostly provided directly by their deities, who treat them as sometimes-valued employees meriting some fire support, but who are notoriously casual and unreliable, and often motivated by vanity. Unfortunately, though, clerics really are a crucial element in dungeon fantasy, because they provide healing effects, which are often needed to keep reckless dungeon delvers alive. Moreover, granting wizards access to healing spells seems inappropriate, because Discworld magic has a worrying, eldritch aspect that means that you don't really want it inside your body; see the *Discworld RPG,* p. 207. So Discworld dungeoneering priests (and their kin) need powers that look like direct divine aid rather than "granted spells". (This is still more than is often seen in the novels, but greater divine interventionism might well be be plausible in the Disc's sword and sorcery era.) The Holy Abilities granted to Dungeon Fantasy Clerics and Holy Warriors go some way to covering this, but are somewhat limited; still, Holy Warriors built around those powers might well be very useful. (Few warriors seen in the novels are terribly devout or saintly, but maybe there used to be a few around.) They can even gain healing abilities if they can scrabble together 33 points, though Faith Healing is a bit restricted. Fortunately, a working solution to this problem appears in Pyramid issue 3/36, with the idea of "Dungeon Saints", which in turn builds on *GURPS Powers: Divine Favor.* For a Discworld-appropriate dungeoneering cleric, use the Cleric template with the Saint lens; this gives you a priest who gets direct divine aid, from an immanent deity, with a wide variety of options. The healing abilities involved still have the restrictions built into Faith Healing, but this may encourage roleplaying and a bit of careful resource management. Holy Warriors with the Warrior-Saint lens might also be plausible, though a Discworld warrior who spends too much time talking to his gods is going to look a little odd; sticking with the Holy Abilities option may work just as well. Druids are more of a problem, but aren't really so much of a necessity; if you want one anyway, build a Cleric with the Saint lens and some appropriate choices of Learned Prayers, switch weapon skills to something appropriate for sickle swords and daggers, juggle some other skills around to more closely match those in the Druid template, and call them a druid. It might also be worth taking the time to build some new druid-style blessings such as "Flying Obelisk", "Friendly Wolf Pack", or "Entangling Vegetation". To Be Continued... __________________ -- Phil Masters My Home Page. My Self-Publications: On Warehouse 23 and On DriveThruRPG.