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~~HuManBing~~ · 12-22-2009, 07:45 AM

Clerical magic:

I have bought the Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics add-on, and it has helped me immensely by laying out various sample clerical spell lists. As an acclimatization practice, I am looking at making a similar statting for the Eternal Order religion in Darkon.

The Eternal Order

Concept: The restless dead and the Gray Realms inhabitants are constantly trying to overcome the land of the living. The living can take various steps to forestall their invasion, ranging from propitiation to defiance. The religion ostensibly offers a nihilistic view of death triumphant, but presents itself as the only barrier between oblivion and the living world.

Divine Source: The religion itself is purely a tool for societal control, and is based on two essential falsehoods. First, it lionizes Azalin as a mortal ruler who has sacrificed much to protect humanity from the Gray Realm. Second, it draws its own divine power from the Xenoregnus source - a grotesque necrotic alien being of immense power shut away in Azalin's Black Vault. Xenoregnus is weaker than an actual deity, but because it is already physically inside Darkon, its followers within the domain may use their spellcasting power with no penalty. (This makes Eternal Order priests even more effective than most mages, who suffer the -5 to casting skill from the Low Mana.) Order priests outside of Darkon lose this benefit and are at -5 once more to casting spells - or even -10 if they are in an Enlightened culture area. Order displays of religious power usually involve putting down a staged undead attack, thus reaffirming the religion's power. Higher level priests know that the Order itself actually commands the undead. Only a select few know that Azalin himself is undead and none apart from Azalin know of the Xenoregnus source.

Operations: Almost solely within Darkon, as Azalin established it as a state religion.

Priesthood: Three levels of priesthood are observed. Those with few divine spellcasting powers are the Sentinels, and they serve a role similar to knights templar or paladins. The lower levels of priests have basic spellcasting powers, and are the Lightbearers. The Lightbearers are generally ignorant of the Order's true death-controlling powers - they are only given access to the spells that reaffirm the Order's deceptive facade of good. The top echelon of priests are called the Beacons and they are most obvious among the spellcasters, frequently using their divine magic in displays and rituals. The Beacons coordinate the Order's true agenda, which is populace control and a network of informants. They also work behind the scenes to stage undead incursions, and then to put them down publicly.

Faith-based Advantages: Blessed (Heroic feat variant) - Xenoregnus does not grant the visions usually associated with this advantage, but it can grant zeal and singleminded determination. Clerical Investment - only works in Darkon, but that's usually a big enough demographic to be worthwhile. Medium - the Order serves Azalin, and Azalin commands all undead in Darkon, so most spirits are willing to work with the Order. Power Investiture - max. 4 levels, because Xenoregnus is not a true god (but this is balanced by the fact that within Darkon, the priests don't have a -5 to casting). True Faith - most low-level priests will have the spells to repel undead, but they often have this advantage too; most warriors will need this advantage; higher-level priests may know enough to be skeptical and they therefore lose this advantage (note that some undead in Darkon may have an Aversion to the Order - this is completely separate).

Social Advantages: Ally. Claim to Hospitality - this rates at a 5 but only in Darkon, where the Order is widespread. Contact Group/Contact. Legal Immunity - 5 pts, where the Order member is allowed greater leeway in mostly social situations, e.g. mentioning the subject of death, questioning another's faith, etc. Legal Enforcement Powers - 5 pts for the Sentinels, which gives them the right to carry a weapon and to perform limited searches etc. Rank. Reputation - everybody in Darkon has heard of the Order and knows it's a powerful organization. Status. Tenure.

Disadvantages: Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism) - the priests are not necessarily ascetic (though they certainly can be) but they all observe rituals to cow and sway the public. Duty - the Order is powerful in Darkon but the entire power structure is geared towards efficient populace control, so a priest's work is rarely finished. Fanaticism - not mandatory, but frequently seen among the Sentinels and lower level Lightbearers (note that because the higher ups are aware that this is a false faith, a Fanatic priest rarely rises into the ranks of Beacons). Secret (up to -30) - at higher levels, priests become more and more aware of incongruities and falsehoods in the faith's structure, and must protect them or risk collapsing the faith and ending up before a lynch mob. Vow (various possibilities).

Skills: Theology and Hidden Lore (Grey Realm) are mandatory for any spellcasting priests. They are not necessary for Sentinels, unless they want to cast spells too. Other common skills include Religious Ritual, Propaganda, Psychology, and Group Performance (for Ceremonial Magic).

Spellcasting: I am applying two mechanics to the spellcasting power from GURPS Thaumatology: threshold-limited, and skill-based. The effective casting skill level for any Order priest is equal to their Theology or Hidden Lore skills, whichever is less, plus their Power Investiture level. Note that within Darkon, Order priests do not suffer a -5 to casting their spells, because all of Darkon counts as normal sanctity.

The threshold level is determined by adding the caster's effective Theology skill level, Hidden Lore skill level, and their Power Investiture level. The calamity check is 3d plus 1 for every full multiple of Power Investiture exceeded.

Required Spells: PI1: Sense Spirit or Final Rest. PI2: Turn Spirit or Turn Zombie. PI3: Repel Spirits or Repel Zombie (custom spell - deduce it from Repel Spirits). PI4: Command Spirit or Control Zombie.

Spell lists: Almost any college's low-level spells are fair game, but for specialized focus, the Order clearly has an interest in Necromantic, as well as Light/Darkness and Protection/Warning colleges too. Given that the Order itself is founded on less-than-stable theological grounds, Mind Control college access would be justified too.

Observances:

Certain terms for "death" are off limits to mortals. Don't want to tempt fate.
Heroes' Wakes: Those who were particularly wealthy, loved, or active in their communities might have especially extravagant funerals conducted by the priests of the Order. These supposedly promote their souls to be spiritual "warriors" who help hold back the undead invasion. In practice, the Order does this just to earn a tidy commission on the burial. Theologically speaking, there's a certain very large number of hostile undead in the Gray Realm gone before, but if everybody from here to eternity born is faithful, then the number of Heroes' Wakes will aggregate and may eventually even outweigh the faithless dead precursors.
Another religious rationalization for a practice of societal control: somebody who has been publicly tortured to death will then go on to communicate its fear of the living to the other dead, thus further forestalling the invasion. (These are the "Messenger Spirits" for they bear the message to the dead that the living are defiant.) This means that the Order meets less resistance for publicly flogging a miscreant to death, because the community literally believes "better one should die and save the many".
In rural areas, a high birth rate of faithful serves the Order very well, as it ensures a greater flow of tithes and influence over increasing flocks. Thus, families are encouraged to have as many children as possible to bolster the ranks of the living. Family planning and any form of birth control are frowned upon, and barren individuals are made to feel deeply ashamed (and may even resort to allowing their spouse to have sex with another person or some similar arrangement just to have a child in the house).
The current living generation is "tainted" and will never be pious enough to resist the dead, but the coming generations may yet be saved because they are not yet living and thus death has no fear for them. The only way to ensure this is to make sure as many as possible are inducted into the priesthood, the church, and are buried in Heroes' Wakes as possible.
King Azalin is a powerful ally indeed, but the Grey Realm is jealous of him because he has found a way to infinitely delay his own death through magic and will never abandon his people. But even the greatest champion is just one person, and King Azalin needs his people to repay his love and protection by taking on the mantle of resistance themselves - to all pitch in with faith and their strength. Some day when the number of Heroes or Messenger Spirits on the other side outweighs the existing vengeful dead, humanity can rest in peace, knowing that the invasion will be forever forestalled by the church's practices.
Magic, being the means of mortals to transcend death, automatically attracts the vengeful dead's attention. One must be as strong in the ways of Magic as King Azalin himself to successfully hold them at bay. Each time Azalin weaves his magicks for the good of all people, he places himself in terrible risk of the vengeful dead, who plot and scheme to one day claim him. Be glad that such a brave heart beats with lifeblood in the kingdom! If you or anybody you know is dabbling in magic, they are in great danger and may have attracted a vengeful shade already. They should report to Azalin's police as soon as possible so the King can send help immediately.

12-22-2009, 07:45 AM	#114
~~HuManBing~~ Banned Join Date: May 2008 Location: TIE pilot aboard the ISD Butterball	Re: Newcomer seeks advice: Ravenloft in GURPS? Clerical magic: I have bought the Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics add-on, and it has helped me immensely by laying out various sample clerical spell lists. As an acclimatization practice, I am looking at making a similar statting for the Eternal Order religion in Darkon. The Eternal Order Concept: The restless dead and the Gray Realms inhabitants are constantly trying to overcome the land of the living. The living can take various steps to forestall their invasion, ranging from propitiation to defiance. The religion ostensibly offers a nihilistic view of death triumphant, but presents itself as the only barrier between oblivion and the living world. Divine Source: The religion itself is purely a tool for societal control, and is based on two essential falsehoods. First, it lionizes Azalin as a mortal ruler who has sacrificed much to protect humanity from the Gray Realm. Second, it draws its own divine power from the Xenoregnus source - a grotesque necrotic alien being of immense power shut away in Azalin's Black Vault. Xenoregnus is weaker than an actual deity, but because it is already physically inside Darkon, its followers within the domain may use their spellcasting power with no penalty. (This makes Eternal Order priests even more effective than most mages, who suffer the -5 to casting skill from the Low Mana.) Order priests outside of Darkon lose this benefit and are at -5 once more to casting spells - or even -10 if they are in an Enlightened culture area. Order displays of religious power usually involve putting down a staged undead attack, thus reaffirming the religion's power. Higher level priests know that the Order itself actually commands the undead. Only a select few know that Azalin himself is undead and none apart from Azalin know of the Xenoregnus source. Operations: Almost solely within Darkon, as Azalin established it as a state religion. Priesthood: Three levels of priesthood are observed. Those with few divine spellcasting powers are the Sentinels, and they serve a role similar to knights templar or paladins. The lower levels of priests have basic spellcasting powers, and are the Lightbearers. The Lightbearers are generally ignorant of the Order's true death-controlling powers - they are only given access to the spells that reaffirm the Order's deceptive facade of good. The top echelon of priests are called the Beacons and they are most obvious among the spellcasters, frequently using their divine magic in displays and rituals. The Beacons coordinate the Order's true agenda, which is populace control and a network of informants. They also work behind the scenes to stage undead incursions, and then to put them down publicly. Faith-based Advantages: Blessed (Heroic feat variant) - Xenoregnus does not grant the visions usually associated with this advantage, but it can grant zeal and singleminded determination. Clerical Investment - only works in Darkon, but that's usually a big enough demographic to be worthwhile. Medium - the Order serves Azalin, and Azalin commands all undead in Darkon, so most spirits are willing to work with the Order. Power Investiture - max. 4 levels, because Xenoregnus is not a true god (but this is balanced by the fact that within Darkon, the priests don't have a -5 to casting). True Faith - most low-level priests will have the spells to repel undead, but they often have this advantage too; most warriors will need this advantage; higher-level priests may know enough to be skeptical and they therefore lose this advantage (note that some undead in Darkon may have an Aversion to the Order - this is completely separate). Social Advantages: Ally. Claim to Hospitality - this rates at a 5 but only in Darkon, where the Order is widespread. Contact Group/Contact. Legal Immunity - 5 pts, where the Order member is allowed greater leeway in mostly social situations, e.g. mentioning the subject of death, questioning another's faith, etc. Legal Enforcement Powers - 5 pts for the Sentinels, which gives them the right to carry a weapon and to perform limited searches etc. Rank. Reputation - everybody in Darkon has heard of the Order and knows it's a powerful organization. Status. Tenure. Disadvantages: Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism) - the priests are not necessarily ascetic (though they certainly can be) but they all observe rituals to cow and sway the public. Duty - the Order is powerful in Darkon but the entire power structure is geared towards efficient populace control, so a priest's work is rarely finished. Fanaticism - not mandatory, but frequently seen among the Sentinels and lower level Lightbearers (note that because the higher ups are aware that this is a false faith, a Fanatic priest rarely rises into the ranks of Beacons). Secret (up to -30) - at higher levels, priests become more and more aware of incongruities and falsehoods in the faith's structure, and must protect them or risk collapsing the faith and ending up before a lynch mob. Vow (various possibilities). Skills: Theology and Hidden Lore (Grey Realm) are mandatory for any spellcasting priests. They are not necessary for Sentinels, unless they want to cast spells too. Other common skills include Religious Ritual, Propaganda, Psychology, and Group Performance (for Ceremonial Magic). Spellcasting: I am applying two mechanics to the spellcasting power from GURPS Thaumatology: threshold-limited, and skill-based. The effective casting skill level for any Order priest is equal to their Theology or Hidden Lore skills, whichever is less, plus their Power Investiture level. Note that within Darkon, Order priests do not suffer a -5 to casting their spells, because all of Darkon counts as normal sanctity. The threshold level is determined by adding the caster's effective Theology skill level, Hidden Lore skill level, and their Power Investiture level. The calamity check is 3d plus 1 for every full multiple of Power Investiture exceeded. Required Spells: PI1: Sense Spirit or Final Rest. PI2: Turn Spirit or Turn Zombie. PI3: Repel Spirits or Repel Zombie (custom spell - deduce it from Repel Spirits). PI4: Command Spirit or Control Zombie. Spell lists: Almost any college's low-level spells are fair game, but for specialized focus, the Order clearly has an interest in Necromantic, as well as Light/Darkness and Protection/Warning colleges too. Given that the Order itself is founded on less-than-stable theological grounds, Mind Control college access would be justified too. Observances: Certain terms for "death" are off limits to mortals. Don't want to tempt fate. Heroes' Wakes: Those who were particularly wealthy, loved, or active in their communities might have especially extravagant funerals conducted by the priests of the Order. These supposedly promote their souls to be spiritual "warriors" who help hold back the undead invasion. In practice, the Order does this just to earn a tidy commission on the burial. Theologically speaking, there's a certain very large number of hostile undead in the Gray Realm gone before, but if everybody from here to eternity born is faithful, then the number of Heroes' Wakes will aggregate and may eventually even outweigh the faithless dead precursors. Another religious rationalization for a practice of societal control: somebody who has been publicly tortured to death will then go on to communicate its fear of the living to the other dead, thus further forestalling the invasion. (These are the "Messenger Spirits" for they bear the message to the dead that the living are defiant.) This means that the Order meets less resistance for publicly flogging a miscreant to death, because the community literally believes "better one should die and save the many". In rural areas, a high birth rate of faithful serves the Order very well, as it ensures a greater flow of tithes and influence over increasing flocks. Thus, families are encouraged to have as many children as possible to bolster the ranks of the living. Family planning and any form of birth control are frowned upon, and barren individuals are made to feel deeply ashamed (and may even resort to allowing their spouse to have sex with another person or some similar arrangement just to have a child in the house). The current living generation is "tainted" and will never be pious enough to resist the dead, but the coming generations may yet be saved because they are not yet living and thus death has no fear for them. The only way to ensure this is to make sure as many as possible are inducted into the priesthood, the church, and are buried in Heroes' Wakes as possible. King Azalin is a powerful ally indeed, but the Grey Realm is jealous of him because he has found a way to infinitely delay his own death through magic and will never abandon his people. But even the greatest champion is just one person, and King Azalin needs his people to repay his love and protection by taking on the mantle of resistance themselves - to all pitch in with faith and their strength. Some day when the number of Heroes or Messenger Spirits on the other side outweighs the existing vengeful dead, humanity can rest in peace, knowing that the invasion will be forever forestalled by the church's practices. Magic, being the means of mortals to transcend death, automatically attracts the vengeful dead's attention. One must be as strong in the ways of Magic as King Azalin himself to successfully hold them at bay. Each time Azalin weaves his magicks for the good of all people, he places himself in terrible risk of the vengeful dead, who plot and scheme to one day claim him. Be glad that such a brave heart beats with lifeblood in the kingdom! If you or anybody you know is dabbling in magic, they are in great danger and may have attracted a vengeful shade already. They should report to Azalin's police as soon as possible so the King can send help immediately. Last edited by HuManBing; 12-22-2009 at 07:48 AM.