[DF/Ars Magica] The power to Excommunicate

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by malloyd

If it's a purely social ability, with no supernatural effects, then you don't pay anything extra for it over and above your Religious Rank. Being able to demote or fire your inferiors, possibly with the agreement of your superiors, possibly on your own decisions, is a pretty central feature of Rank in that organization, and that's all this is as a social ability.

IIRC, it required more rank in the Catholic hierarchy to excommunicate a high-ranking noble, or even excommunicate an entire country.

For social excommunication, it might make sense that the clergyperson doing the excommunucation must have more levels of Religious Rank than the target has levels of Status (and for multiple slightly lower Rank clergypeople to be allowed to act together to ecommunicate someone of slightly higher Status).

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by Anthony

No it isn't. Fundamentally, it's the power to kick someone out of an organization that normally provides status and temporal power. As such, it's a social ability. There could be a sealing spell of some sort, but it's not needed for any powers with a Holy power source unless you don't have the agreement of the god.

Are you at all familiar with GURPS Dungeon Fantasy?

b-dog is specifically referring to a Disadvantage that appears in DF1, Social Stigma (Excommunicated), which has clear supernatural effects. Anyone trying to use Cleric magic on someone with the disad is at a penalty.

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

Are you at all familiar with GURPS Dungeon Fantasy?

b-dog is specifically referring to a Disadvantage that appears in DF1, Social Stigma (Excommunicated), which has clear supernatural effects. Anyone trying to use Cleric magic on someone with the disad is at a penalty.

Yeah, I was curious how much it would cost to have a cleric who can give another person Social Stigma (Excommunicated).

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen

b-dog is specifically referring to a Disadvantage that appears in DF1, Social Stigma (Excommunicated), which has clear supernatural effects. Anyone trying to use Cleric magic on someone with the disad is at a penalty.

It's still a social stigma -- it's not actually a penalty to be healed, it's a penalty on divine casters that they are at -3 to heal excommunicates. Priests of a god which doesn't respect the religion that excommunicated the character won't have a penalty, and might get a bonus.