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Old 10-31-2022, 11:03 AM   #1
Shostak
 
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Default Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

This one-point IQ 9 talent represents the skills, knowledge, and recognition one has as an average member of the clergy for a given religious group (Theologian represents higher status). According to the talent description on ITL 38, the only interactions Priest has with game mechanics are limited to job rolls and vague suggestions for small, rare, and unreliable dice modifiers representing divine intervention. However, elsewhere, we are told that there is no chance to make an untalented Priest roll, and that priests might enjoy an occasional +1 reaction bonus among some groups.

Overall, Priest as described by RAW underwhelms, offering little for the precious talent point at character generation, or for the 500 XP to gain it later during the course of play. Nevertheless, I have chosen to take this talent twice since the Legacy Edition's release, and have enjoyed playing the memorable characters immensely by making Priest central to the entire concept for both characters and how they interacted with the game world.

Conversation Starters
  • How often do you see Priest being taken by players in your games?
  • Does religion play a large enough role in your game world to make Priest worthwhile?
  • Do you buff up Priest by giving it more influence over TFT's mechanics?
  • Do you require Priest for wizards?
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Old 10-31-2022, 01:14 PM   #2
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

A church can make an interesting alternative to the Wizards' Guild.

Wizards who don't take either Priest or Streetwise (Some have both) tend to have very short careers in these settings.
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Old 10-31-2022, 06:02 PM   #3
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

I'm still a newb when it comes to TFT, so Shostak's priest (whose brief life he summarized elsewhere) is my only PC Priest.

I don't know how much tangible in-game benefit he enjoyed, but I thought that he had interesting stories. He had a certain social cred (though Anthony played him as a kind of overly enthusiastic rube) and was a lot of fun. The less said about the Prootwaddle wedding, however, the better.

So I have to say that the Priest talent really just allows for good roleplaying opportunities if the church or temple is an explicit part of the setting. I had only halfway developed the Pagan temple but there were still some good (I think) storylines because of his choice of character.

Whether there should be more tangible benefits in-game is a good question. Only a player who's really interested in developing a character concept will choose Priest as it stands now. Those who are more interested in maximizing their stats, number of spells or useful talents will shun the priesthood. But I don't see many options for real benefits for a priest, aside (of course) from reaction roll modifiers unless one wants to make godly benefits an explicit part of the game. And personally, I prefer the gods to be a bit remote and to leave open the question of whether or not they actually meddle in the affairs of man.

I guess, in sum, I treat all the religions in Cidri with an agnostic touch. Let the churches squabble on whose Gods are real and whose aren't. The believers will be confident in their faith, but I ain't putting a thumb on the scale of this god or that or even in favor of all competing theistic realms.

And given that's how I like the world to be (that faith requires, you know, faith), it's hard to give priests any benefits other than the social kind.
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Old 10-31-2022, 07:32 PM   #4
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

I'm not sure who--it might have been Joe Tippetts--who suggested that Priest might confer some benefits to the understanding of the undead, sort of like Naturalist. That alone could make it more attractive to the power gamer.
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Old 10-31-2022, 08:08 PM   #5
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
I'm not sure who--it might have been Joe Tippetts--who suggested that Priest might confer some benefits to the understanding of the undead, sort of like Naturalist. That alone could make it more attractive to the power gamer.
Oh, yeah, I remember that. Yeah, that would be a reasonable way to give Priest a practical bonus.

By the way, Shostak, I do like this series of weekly posts. I loaded the page today wondering if I had to complain that this week's offering was late, but there it was.
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Old 10-31-2022, 08:47 PM   #6
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
I'm not sure who--it might have been Joe Tippetts--who suggested that Priest might confer some benefits to the understanding of the undead, sort of like Naturalist. That alone could make it more attractive to the power gamer.
Actually, that was Henry's idea.
https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?p=2431489
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Old 10-31-2022, 09:07 PM   #7
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
This one-point IQ 9 talent represents the skills, knowledge, and recognition one has as an average member of the clergy for a given religious group (Theologian represents higher status). According to the talent description on ITL 38, the only interactions Priest has with game mechanics are limited to job rolls and vague suggestions for small, rare, and unreliable dice modifiers representing divine intervention. However, elsewhere, we are told that there is no chance to make an untalented Priest roll, and that priests might enjoy an occasional +1 reaction bonus among some groups.

Overall, Priest as described by RAW underwhelms, offering little for the precious talent point at character generation, or for the 500 XP to gain it later during the course of play. Nevertheless, I have chosen to take this talent twice since the Legacy Edition's release, and have enjoyed playing the memorable characters immensely by making Priest central to the entire concept for both characters and how they interacted with the game world.

Conversation Starters
  • How often do you see Priest being taken by players in your games?
  • Does religion play a large enough role in your game world to make Priest worthwhile?
  • Do you buff up Priest by giving it more influence over TFT's mechanics?
  • Do you require Priest for wizards?
I think Priest Talent and Theologian Talent should actually be Mundane Talent: 1 IQ point Priest and 2 IQ point Theologian.

All the data mentioned in Priest talent and Theologian can still be interpreted for the Mundane talent.

This allows Priest to be gotten as a possible free background and you won't have to feel upset that it does nothing.

----------------------------------

Or,

Make Priest Talent effective. If not the counterpoint to Magic, then have it be the nemesis of magic.

And Priests aren't just for The Gods; there are animistic and metaphysical directions that priesthood could take: along with elementals for the former and spirits for the latter.

I would go so far as to create a parallel metaphysical psychic flow for them just as the wizards have. Let them do miraculous things. Just don't use magic mechanics.
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Old 10-31-2022, 09:20 PM   #8
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

I've submitted to Evil Stevie an adventure for an agnostic priest wizard whose most devastating power is Taunt Undead. (Not a typo, unfortunately.)
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Old 10-31-2022, 09:27 PM   #9
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

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Originally Posted by TippetsTX View Post
Good idea, Henry!
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Old 10-31-2022, 09:35 PM   #10
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Default Re: Talent/Spell of the Week: Priest

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Originally Posted by phiwum View Post
By the way, Shostak, I do like this series of weekly posts. I loaded the page today wondering if I had to complain that this week's offering was late, but there it was.
Thanks! I can’t take credit for the idea, though—I nicked it from the GURPS forum.
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