Holy Warriors and Religious Ritual Skill

[jeremy]

Hi everyone,

My group is using a Holy Warrior template. The skill Religious Ritual is required; reading about the skill on p. 88 of Adventurers brings up some questions.

The write-up looks focused on Clerics and Druids. The skill requires specialization, but there's only the Druidic specialty. Should Holy Warriors make a specialty based on their faith/god/dess? Or leave the specialty blank because anyone can use the skill to Taunt and Bluster?

As well, can Holy Warriors use the options in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs of the skill (blessing, identify rituals, pray for enlightenment) – perhaps by the statement on p.26 re: Holy Warrior template: "...where they mention Power Investiture, substitute Holiness" [and substitute Holiness for Clerical Investment also]?

Thanks!

[Black Leviathan]

The skill seems to deliberately single out Power Investure and Clerical Investment for the paragraph 2 & 3 uses. I'd say your Holy Warrior just has the Taunting chant ability and the opportunity to assist a Cleric in their Religious Ritual rolls.

[evileeyore]

Religious Ritual is also used to answer questions about Divine Magic (recognizing spells as they are being cast and those written in books or on scrolls), lead a group prayer for aid, spend 4 hours to pray over (and thus fully recognize*) Blessed items, and perform religious rituals (such as marriage, burial rights, etc, though to have them be Sanctified, the ritualist needs Clerical Investment).

And I allow Holy Warriors to buy Clerical Investment, thus expanding their repertoire of useful abilities in (and out of) the dungeon.


Also keep in mind that Theology defaults to Religious Ritual at -4, so if it is 5 or more higher than the HW's Theology it can sub in as that skill.


* The actual rule says "A cleric can take four hours to pray for the full details by making a Religious Ritual roll" however I don't personally require it to be a Cleric, just someone with Holiness (thus Holy Might or Power Investiture).

[jeremy]

Thank you, evileeyore and Black Leviathan – your insight is very helpful.

[Black Leviathan]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

And I allow Holy Warriors to buy Clerical Investment, thus expanding their repertoire of useful abilities in (and out of) the dungeon.

I'd be interested in hearing more about how well this works out as a house rule. I was a little surprised that Holy Warriors didn't seem to have a "Laying on of Hands" like their D&D counterpart the Paladin. I feel like Dungeon Fantasy could use a bit more variety when it comes to healing.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Black Leviathan

I'd be interested in hearing more about how well this works out as a house rule.

It means there is a little less reason to have a Cleric (slightly less, a CLeric is still an incredibly useful profession due to the superior access to healing).

I was a little surprised that Holy Warriors didn't seem to have a "Laying on of Hands" like their D&D counterpart the Paladin. I feel like Dungeon Fantasy could use a bit more variety when it comes to healing.

Ahem:

"The Holy abilities below are typical of holy warriors. You may also buy all of those described for clerics – but where they mention Power Investiture, substitute Holiness."

Clerical Ability: "Faith Healing"


They do have it, it's just not a required ability of the profession. So a HW of of a War God can skip the healing and go for smiting, where a HW of the God of Healing can skip the smite and take Faith Healing.