Learned Prayers standing in for Clerical Spells

[Dammann]

I use Divine Favor for Clerical Magic in my DF campaign. I don't use any clerical spells at all. I would like to make sure that clerics can still occupy their niche, though, so I seek to have Learned Prayer analogues for spells that clerics might have in a stock DF template. Some of this is pretty straightforward, but I want to make sure I am not missing anything important.

I want to make a list of spells and see if I can identify Learned Prayers that approximate the same effect. I intend to edit and update this list as substitutions occur to me or as they are posted by others. I hope other posters will suggest core spells that I have neglected, and post suggestions for Learned Prayers that might stand in for clerical spells.

For Healing focused clerics, I'd say the central spells are:
Cure Disease -> LP Lay on Hands (Enhanced) (DF12)
Detect Poison -> LP Detect Poison (DF5) described in second post
Great Healing
Lend Energy
Lend Vitality
Major Healing -> LP Lay on Hands (Enhanced) (DF12)
Minor Healing -> LP Lay on Hands (DF8)
Resurrection -> LP Resurrection (DF16)
Share Vitality -> LP Lay on Hands (DF8)
Stop Bleeding?*

For Support focused clerics,
Agonize -> LP Agony (DF5) described in second post
Armor -> LP Armor (DF7) described in second post
Continual Light -> LP Continual Light (DF4) described in second post
Hush
Itch
Lend Energy
Mage Stealth
Missile Shield
Pain
Purify Air
Recover Energy
Sensitize
Shield -> LP Shield of Faith (DF8) described in second post
Silence
Sound
Spasm
Stun


*IIRC, Dungeon Fantasy encourages GMs not to use bleeding rules. I don't use them, anyway. I am not sure why this is among the spells listed in DF1 for clerical spells, but for the sake of those GMs who do use bleeding, I listed it here.

[Dammann]

**post reserved to list new Learned Prayers and their components**

Detect Poison
Minimum Reaction: Neutral
Learned Prerequisite: Divine Favor 5
Learned Prayer Cost: 4

The paragon can detect a poisonous substance even if he cannot perceive it with the five ordinary senses. This requires one second. The GM will indicate the direction and distance to the poison, and an indication of how much is present.
A subsequent IQ roll will provide more details. The better the result, the more information.

Statistics: Detect (Poison, Occasional) (Divine, -10%; Cosmic, no die roll required, +100%) [19]

Shield of Faith
Minimum Reaction: Good
Learned Prerequisite: Divine Favor 8
Learned Prayer Cost: 9

This Prayer protects the paragon from frontal attacks, applying DR before the attack reaches armor, eyes, etc.

Statistics: Damage Resistance 10 (Divine, -10%; Directional, front, -20%, Force Field +20%) [45]

Agony
Minimum Reaction: Neutral
Learned Prerequisite: Divine Favor 5
Learned Prayer Cost:4

With this Prayer, a paragon can seize an opponent and cause them debilitating agony (Basic, page 428). The opponent resists with a HT roll.

Statistics: Affliction (Agony, +100%; Contact Agent, -30%; Divine, -10%) [16]

Armor
Minimum Reaction: Good
Learned Prerequisite: Divine Favor 7
Learned Prayer Cost: 7

With this Prayer, a paragon can touch an ally and grant Damage Resistance of 5, as if the subject were wearing armor.

Statistics: Affliction (Advantage, Damage Resistance 5, +250%; Contact Agent, -30%; Divine, -10%) [31]

Continual Light
Minimum Reaction: Neutral
Learned Prerequisite: Divine Favor 4
Learned Prayer Cost: 3

This prayer allows the paragon to cause an object to emit light, eliminating darkness penalties out to 2 yards from the object, and reducing visibility penalties to -3 out to 6yards.

Statistics: Affliction (Advantage, Accessory: Lantern [1], +10%; Extended Duration (Permanent), +150%; Malediction, +100%; Melee Attack (Reach C, No Parry), -35%; Only Works on Inanimate Objects, -40%; Divine, -10%) [15]

[Dammann]

post reserved to list more new Learned Prayers and their components

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Dammann

*IIRC, Dungeon Fantasy encourages GMs not to use bleeding rules. I don't use them, anyway. I am not sure why this is among the spells listed in DF1 for clerical spells, but for the sake of those GMs who do use bleeding, I listed it here.

Not quite. It suggests that you only use Bleeding for special monsters that cause extra bad bleeding damage. In which case Stop Bleeding is occasionally useful.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Dammann

For Support focused clerics,
Agonize
Armor
Continual Light
Hush
Itch
Lend Energy
Mage Stealth
Missile Shield
Pain
Purify Air
Recover Energy
Sensitize
Shield
Silence
Sound
Spasm
Stun

There are surprisingly few "defensive" prayers in Divine Favor. Ghost Shirt grants the cleric various Injury Tolerances, but doesn't actually block any damage, while Fireproof is of course limited in application. That said, it shouldn't be hard to build various DR-boosting miracles (as long as you don't try to replicate Missile Shield's ∞ DR). Likewise with Pain and Agony; these seem to be pretty straightforward Afflictions of irritating / incapacitating conditions. Recover Energy is doable via Fit, though isn't nearly as important sans the FP-fueled standard magic. Continual Light could be done with Create Light, but that's probably overkill; an Accessory perk could handle it well enough, IMO.

[Dammann]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Not quite. It suggests that you only use Bleeding for special monsters that cause extra bad bleeding damage. In which case Stop Bleeding is occasionally useful.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for reminding me. I've though about employing bleeding for cutting damage, and maybe impaling or piercing damage, but haven't in the interest of simplicity

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

There are surprisingly few "defensive" prayers in Divine Favor. Ghost Shirt grants the cleric various Injury Tolerances, but doesn't actually block any damage, while Fireproof is of course limited in application. That said, it shouldn't be hard to build various DR-boosting miracles (as long as you don't try to replicate Missile Shield's ∞ DR). Likewise with Pain and Agony; these seem to be pretty straightforward Afflictions of irritating / incapacitating conditions. Recover Energy is doable via Fit, though isn't nearly as important sans the FP-fueled standard magic. Continual Light could be done with Create Light, but that's probably overkill; an Accessory perk could handle it well enough, IMO.

I am noticing, re: defensive Learned Prayers! Fortunately, the new prayer rules seems pretty straightforward, and the wealth of existing prayers help illustrate how to handle different effects nicely.

Altering Fireproof to make a Shield equivalent seems like a no-brainer. Afflictions will get me the rest of the way there, I hope. It is too bad about Missile Shield, but then, I guess in my own campaign, cheating is the Wizard's niche.

I first thought the same thing about Recover Energy, but Lay on Hands (Enhanced) has some FP costs, and I am sure that there must be a few other cases. A paragon who wants to go to a village and heal all the children suffering from polio might need a Recover Energy prayer before it is all over!

Anyway, I thought if I was going to work up more Learned Prayers, I might as well share them as I do, and perhaps have someone else catch my mistakes. I only have one player who is likely to check my work. The rest are pretty solid on "roll against..." means three dice. Otherwise they take my word for it, which means I am a little nervous about getting things right.

[Dammann]

question: There was a Pyramid article by Sean Punch that dealt with changing skills or spells into advantages, I think. Does anyone recall which issue that was? Am I making this up?

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Dammann

question: There was a Pyramid article by Sean Punch that dealt with changing skills or spells into advantages, I think. Does anyone recall which issue that was? Am I making this up?

"From Skills to Advantages", from Pyramid #3/44. I must admit I haven't done much with it yet, though it looks interesting.

[mlangsdorf]

Aren't several of the defensive spells covered by "Auras of Power" (Pyramid 3.19 p4) and "Dungeon Saints" (Pyramid 3.36 p8), especially in combination as detailed in Dungeon Saints? I grant that the Armor spell is not a 1:1 correspondence with an Aura of Protection prayer, but it's definitely in the same ballpark.

[Dammann]

That is really good enough for my own purposes. I'll look those over and include them on my list as I read up. I am sort of doing my homework publicly, with a winsome willingness to have anyone who feels like it tackle part of the work or make suggestions. I appreciate the help!