Ravenloft in GURPS

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Post by HuManBing »

Magic: Spell-based casting

This is the standard system, where spells are learned as skills and powered by an energy internal to the caster.
  • The caster must first have the Magery advantage at 1 or better (allowing them to manipulate mana).
  • The caster learns individual spells in the same way as you would learn a skill. Most spells are Hard skills, and some are Very Hard.
  • To cast a spell, the caster rolls against their skill in that spell. Failure means it fizzles. Regardless of success or failure, the spells cost Fatigue points or Energy Reserve (which costs the same as Fatigue but can only be used for magical purposes and nothing else).
  • Most of Ravenloft is low-mana, meaning that the effective skill level is at -5. Note also that this may actually increase the casting time or the Energy Reserve cost of the base spell, because any effective skill of 9 or less requires more intricate casting and may increase the energy cost.
  • The caster's Thaumatology skill level acts as a maximum cap for all the spells he knows. Thus, a caster who knows Thaumatology at 18 cannot learn any spell at greater than 18. (This is from GURPS Thaumatology p.40-41, under Skill-based spell limits.)
GURPS does not have a spell-slot system. Instead, the caster uses Fatigue Points or Energy Reserve to cast spells, then when they're all used up, they have to use HP to cast spells (making it a pretty Faustian endeavor). The caster gets to cast any spells he knows until all his points are depleted. To get around this, you can use Powerstones (which are like a "magic battery" in that they give you points to use instead of your own). I never liked the Vancian magic system, which requires a load of guesswork on the part of the player to see what he'll need to memorize, so this is a welcome change.

The rules for using Energy Reserve instead of Fatigue to cast spells can be found in Thaumatology p. 50 or Powers p. 119. I make this distinction because Fatigue Points are also used for feats of strength and endurance. Wizards have a great incentive to buy lots of points so they can cast lots of spells, but it would make no sense for them to be better joggers, weightlifters, etc. than fighters are. Energy Reserve points cost the same as Fatigue Points, but can only be used to power spells and magic items, thus removing the weird idea of "bodybuilding Gandalf".
Last edited by HuManBing on Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:57 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Magic: Ceremonial casting

This system allows casting magic using other people's Fatigue or Energy Reserve. It requires much more time and more participants, but is capable of achieving much more powerful effects than a quick casting by Spell-based casting (above). The contributed energy increases the chance of success, and also the effects of the spell if successful. The basic rules for this are on B238.
  • The ceremony must have a leader. The leader must fulfill all requirements to cast the spell normally (e.g. must have Magery, must know a spell, etc.) but must also know the spell to be cast at 15 or better.
  • The leader must also know the skill Group Performance (Ceremony). Right before the die roll for casting the spell, the leader must make a Group Performance (Ceremony) roll. This may have penalties or bonuses, depending on whether the casting is lengthy, how many people are taking part, and how intricate the performance is (chanting is easier than singing which is easier than dancing).
  • Each other participant may contribute energy in the form of Energy Reserve or Fatigue as they wish. Casters at 15+ can contribute without limit. Casters at 14 or below, or noncasters who somehow know the spell at 15+, may contribute 3 points. Every unskilled spectator supporting can contribute 1 point, up to a max of 100 from all supporting spectator. Same mechanic for opposing spectators.
  • Total energy makes the spell more likely to succeed, if it exceeds spell requirements. 20% gives +1, 40% gives +2, 60% gives +3, and 100% gives +4, with a further +1 per full 100% thereafter.
  • Casting time is increased by a factor of 10. This is somewhat balanced out by the fact that the cost for maintaining an ongoing spell may now be shared among the participants, and some may leave and rejoin the ceremony without disrupting the spell.
This is much more important in Ravenloft than in most other areas, because of the low-mana setting. It's hard to overcome the -5 penalty unless you spend a lot more points to learn the spell to very high levels. So ceremonial casting is a way of trading speed for higher success rate. As long as a caster knows a spell at 15+, he can lead a ceremony (at -5 low mana down to 10) and then boost its chances of success higher by bringing in other casters. Outside of combat, most mages in the "Central" cultures of the Core (Darkon, Barovia, Hazlan, etc.) will likely want to band together and cast things this way in order to ensure better success rates. This gives rise to cooperative effects, including "colleges" of magic in Hazlan and Darkon, as well as the more informal but equally effective sisterly casting by the Three Hags of Tepest.

Ceremonial casting is not a separate magic system, per se. It is merely a way of allowing multiple people to slowly pool their magical power while casting. It's fully compatible with Spell-based casting, above.
Last edited by HuManBing on Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:27 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Magic: Ritual casting

This is a significant departure from Spell-based casting.
  • GM must group spells into colleges, and assign each spell a complexity rating. (By default GURPS sets this as equal to the number of prerequisite spells, but that's uneven at best.)
  • PC must have Magery. They must learn the skill Ritual Magic (Very Hard) and this skill determines their casting cap.
  • PCs must then learn each "college" as a separate Very Hard skill. Once they do this, they may then cast any spell from that college.
  • Each spell has a penalty depending on its complexity. Coupled with Ravenloft's inherent low-mana setting, this is likely to make most spells very difficult to successfully cast unless the caster has some benefits to outweigh the penalties.
  • The caster may use Ceremonial Magic (see above) to boost their chances of success. The GM may also assign bonuses for casting if the caster has some material component, time component (midnight of Halloween), or other significant roleplaying bonus.
This simplifies the initial mathematics of learning the spells (you now just buy "Nature college" instead of a load of separate nature spells) but complicates the mathematics when you come to cast it (GM must assign a fixed penalty per spell based on complexity, and PC can then try to counteract the penalties by acquiring some sort of benefit through roleplaying). Given the already significant penalty of Ravenloft's low mana at -5, this is likely to make Ritual Magic heavily dependent on gaining as many bonuses as possible (eye of newt, adder's tongue, hair of the dog that bit you, etc.).

Flavorwise, it's best suited to a style of magic that isn't very academic, and which benefits greatly from significant times, material components, and other symbolism. I think it would be a good way to handle Vistani magic and other forms of casting that don't really come out of studying a book.

Ritual casting cont. - worked example: Vistani Magic
  • In order to be a Vistani spellcaster, you must have Magery: Vistani, which is incompatible with standard Magery. This costs -30% for Ceremonial Only (you must cast spells slowly at 10x casting time), and Solitary Ceremonial (you are allowed to cast it by yourself, unlike most ceremonial magic).
  • Magery: Vistani has a few special traits about it. First, the "mana" level for Vistani magic is not the same as mana for standard arcane spellcasting. Exactly how this mana is distributed geographically is for the GM to decide, but it would make thematic sense for Core domains near the Mists of Ravenloft to grant normal mana, and for non-Eastern-European domains to grant lower mana levels than the Gothic Core. Barovia itself may grant high mana for Vistani, making Strahd's favor a valuable asset for any Vistani spellcaster. Secondly, Magery: Vistani slowly reduces. For each day the Vistani spend in the same location, the mana level depletes, resulting in a cumulative -1 to casting per day. After five days, it's enough to drop the relative mana level from high to normal, normal to low, or low to very low. Any Vistani who allows their level to drop five points from Very Low loses all spellcasting power permanently, becoming a "mortu" outcast. In order to replenish the mana level, the Vistani need to make a substantive change in location. This clears all accumulated penalties.
  • Vistani Magic is learned the same way as Ritual Magic. You must buy skills in Ritual Magic (Vistani) and each spell college, all as Very Hard skills. The effective skill is the lower of Ritual Magic (Vistani) or the spell college skill.
  • To cast the spell, modify skill level for spell complexity and any situational bonuses.
I've put down spoiler tags, not because of secrecy, but because this will be a very vertically long post otherwise. The spoiler tags allow you to open and close the lists as though they were menus in a computer list.

Vistani Nature (VH) - custom magic college: mostly survival, wilderness, and animal spells
VIEW CONTENT:
Purify Air -1
No-Smell -2
Odor -2
Beast Soother -1
(Animal) Control (must specify) -2
Master -2
Beast Summoning -2
Beast Link -3
Beast Speech -3
Repel (animal) -3
Beast Seeker -3
Ignite Fire -1
Extinguish Fire -2
Smoke -2
Warmth -2
Test Food -1
Seek Water -1
Purify Water -2
Coolness -2
Vistani Puppeteer (VH) custom magic college, body and mind control spells
VIEW CONTENT:
Itch -1
Touch -1
Perfume -1
Spasm -2
Stop Spasm -2
Hinder -2
Tickle -2
Rooted Feet -3
Tanglefoot -3
Might -3
Vigor -3
Grace -3
Frailty -3
Clumsiness -3
Debility -3
Retch -3
Fumble -3
Strike Blind -4
Strike Deaf -4
Hunger/Thirst -4
Resist Pain -3
Hold Breath -2
Ambidexterity -4
Reflexes -5
Balance -3
Cadence -3
Strike Numb -2
Choke -4
Paralyze Limb -5
Total Paralysis -6
Strike Barren -5
Alter Voice -3
Alter Visage -4
Alter Body -5
Keen (sense) -1
Dull (sense) -1
Alertness -2
Dullness -2
Fear -2
Panic -3
Terror -4
Bravery -3
Berserker -4
Daze -3
Disorient -3
Fascinate -3
Forgetfulness -4
Sleep -3
Command -4
Madness -5
Lure -3
Charm -5
Ecstasy -5
Nightmare -4
Suggestion -5
Vistani Kenning (VH) custom magic, communication/divination spells
VIEW CONTENT:
Sense Foes -1
Sense Emotion -2
Persuasion -2
Truthsayer -2
Dream Viewing -3
Dream Sending -4
Borrow Language -2
Mind Reading -4
Mind Search -5
Mind Sending -4
Borrow Skill -4
Compel Truth -3
Insignificance -2
Soul Rider -5
Control Person -6
Possession -7
Dispel Possession -5
Alarm -1
Find Direction -1
Mist Vision -3 (variant of Air Vision)
Detect Magic -1
Sense Mana -2
Arua -3
Identify Spell -2
Mage Sight -2
Know Location -3
Pathfinder -4
Seeker -4
Trace -2
History -3
Remember Path -4
Divination - all styles possible
Predict Weather -4
Sense Spirit -2
Death Vision -1
Vistani Safekeep (VH) custom magic - protection and warding spells
VIEW CONTENT:
Scryguard -2
Scrywall -3
Repel Spirits -4
Sense Danger -2
Detect Poison -3
Mystic Mist -4
Vistani Mistwalker (VH) custom magic - teleportation/movement spells
VIEW CONTENT:
Lighten Burden -1
Long March -2
Quick March -3
Dancing Object -2
Manipulate -2
Teleport -5 base (spell has own modifiers)
Beacon -6
Last edited by HuManBing on Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:30 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Post by HuManBing »

Spirit Assisted Magic (Black Magic)

GURPS Magic has a type of magic called "Black Magic" which derives from the concept of pacts with dark demons and devilish powers.
  • Caster must find a spirit. (In Core Ravenloft, this is almost always going to be an evil force, although in East Asian lands this might be neutral or even beneficial - as long as the spirit is properly propitiated.)
  • Caster must negotiate a contract with the spirit. If the spirit is evil, this could be very Faustian. GM must hammer this out ahead of time.
  • Caster then pays for skill points in the spells he wants to cast. He gets to buy these at double effectiveness, because the spirit is assisting the endeavor. These Black Magic spells are incompatible with normal magic spells, which must be learned separately at full cost.
  • Whenever the caster casts a spell, the spirit is the one paying the Fatigue points or Energy Reserve cost, not the caster. This allows for some very dramatic spellcasting.
  • The catch: at the end of every day that the caster has used Black Magic, they must roll vs. {Will+Magery}, penalized by however many Fatigue points or Energy Reserve of magic the spirit has cast for them.
  • Failing the Black Magic roll will give one level of Spiritual Distortion per 10 points (or portion) of margin of failure. Spiritual Distortion is a penalty to cast any non-Black Magic spell. Once you start down the Black Magic path, it gets harder to free yourself.
  • At Spiritual Distortion level 10, the caster has become a transformed being overwhelmed by the spirit. He will start losing points from Advantages, or start gaining Disadvantages.
In Ravenloft, the theory goes, there are magicks so evil and destructive that one never finds them "just through study" but has to make a pact with a corrupting spirit to use them. Strahd and Azalin are excellent examples of spellcasters who have done this.

Effectively, Spirit Assisted Magic gives you a cheap way of casting spells, but it ties you to dependence on the spirit. One minor benefit of Spirit Magic is that it bypasses the usual system of spell requisites, so the GM can make spells selectively available as the plot demands. He may even give spells to people unable to cast spells normally.

Some spells will feature in both normal magic and Spirit Assisted spell lists, to allow characters a "virtuous path" and a "vicious path" to learning them. However, there will also be a number of spells that are only available through Spirit Assisted casting. Examples of this will probably include the Lich spell (so it is impossible to become a lich in Ravenloft without risking some control over your soul) and most Necromancy spells (because doing anything with undead and bringing souls back means a direct challenge to the Dark Powers).

This style of magic might be better suited to Ceremonial Magic. There are some instances of immediate-effect spells, but by and large the trope seems best suited to the idea of a petitioner engaging in long ceremonies to summon the spirit's help. I may work in something where if a caster uses a spell often enough, he can cast it normally like an instant-effect spell. Some fiends may also allow this, probably in return for a higher upfront cost in services or character Disadvantages.

Possible spirits include: Inajira (bargaining and contractual exchanges), the Gentleman Caller (seduction and charm, and spirit patron for its spellcasting offspring), Malistroi, the Serpent, and Gwydion.

Inajira, "When All Else Fails"
VIEW CONTENT:
Manifestation: a terrifying presence of fangs, fur, and the primal growl of untamed ambition, oozing from the shadows and permeating the darkness. Inajira occasionally manifests as an inky-black vaguely humanoid shape, with a head that's far too elongated to be human. Those who continue to gaze on him see a dull yellowish pair of eyes, reflecting the light as they shift in the cloud. A bestial animal stench accompanies his spiritual presence. It's said if he reveals his true self, it will shake the sanity of any who see him.

Magical domain: Inajira's primary aspect is forcing order onto entropy. His main phylactery is a great tome, symbolizing the contracts forged in strict accordance with process. His spells grant limited control over luck, fate, and happenstance. If you're facing a specific trial, and things seem hopeless, Inajira has just the right combination of spells to warp reality sufficiently to help you clear that obstacle. It's said that Strahd himself once petitioned Inajira for help, prior to a great battle. Inajira arranged matters so Strahd would win through victorious, although at a heavy cost. (Of course, Inajira knew Strahd would have won anyway - but he conveniently omitted that detail in their negotiations. When an insecure mortal will offer you something in return for doing nothing, why turn him down?) On other occasions, when even the nature of your imminent ordeal is unknown to you, Inajira will offer you a wide range of humble services, each with its own hefty price tag. He shall be quite offended if you mistake his evident happiness for any mean-spirited mirth at your expense... of course he is merely pleased and delighted to help you.

Demands: Inajira may provide an upfront alteration to reality in your favor, imposing his will on the vicissitudes of Fate. However, it's really you who are paying for it, in time. Inajira exacts a toll on your rationality and mental order, leaving you with increasing levels of Spiritual Distortion. Once your Spiritual Distortion reaches a certain level, your character starts gaining negative mental traits, and it becomes increasingly difficult to cast spells not granted by Inajira. [Note that this is the "standard" mechanic in GURPS for the spirit's effect on the caster.] Strahd von Zarovich devoted his natural life to studying magic, but did not make much progress until after his unnatural conversion - quite possibly because as a living man, Strahd had such a high Spiritual Distortion level that he could not cast non-Inajira magicks reliably.
The Serpent, "Whispers in the Dweomer"
VIEW CONTENT:
Manifestation: a bright, gilded, scintillating pattern or weave in the shimmering haze, as of the hide and scales of an immense serpent viewed through water. The voice of the Serpent is a dry, echoing rustle, punctuated by the faintest hint of a sibilant, wordless song in the distance.

Magical domain: the Serpent was the quiet source of Vecna's magical power, and it shared its secrets with him to aid him in absorbing the power of Iuz the Old and escape Ravenloft. [See Die Vecna Die!, 2nd ed.] The Serpent can teach valuable spells for moving people and materials that would normally be impossible under the control of the Dark Powers. Whether this is done in defiance of the Dark Powers, or with their secret approval, is unknown. The Serpent will also teach powerful combat spells to help the caster overwhelm enemies in violent confrontations.

Demands: In return, the Serpent requires sacrifices of ever-increasing value - Vecna himself escaped Ravenloft only after sacrificing Iuz to the Serpent. The Serpent grants both Combat spells (to help the supplicant kill sacrifices) and Teleportation spells (unaffected by Ravenloft's physics) so that the supplicant may somebody escape Ravenloft and continue dedicating sacrifices to the Serpent. In order to win the highest levels of teleportation spells and leave, however, it's very likely something of near-godly power must be sacrificed - this would be a darklord or similarly powerful being.
Gwydion, "The Twilight" or "The Dusklord Entombed"
VIEW CONTENT:
Manifestation: A lurking horror just beyond the threshold between dimensions, the extraplanar creature known to the fey as "Gwydion" is a dimly-perceived mass of writhing tentacles, hooks, claws, and a single enormous eye glaring from the dusk. Tendrils of inky blackness and chilling otherworld cold creep across the mind as barbed hooks unfurl in the near void with an ominous, insinuating chittering. The darkness is both the Twilight's domain and its prison. When it manifests to outsiders (non-fey) it usually takes the form of a terrifying nightmare, first to cow and subjugate the victim, and then to tempt the victim with promises of power over his fellow men.

Magical domain: Charm, enchantment, mind-control. Gwydion is materially sealed in the Obsidian Gate, and its direct powers are canonically limited specifically to the fey that surround it in the Shadow Rift. However, a GM interested in a Lovecraftian "Ancient One" type of challenge could extend the Twilight's power to neighboring domains, where its powers of insinuation and mental control can win it followers to do its bidding (willing or otherwise). Likewise, in canon, several powers are selective in their targets (fey or humanoid) but a GM interested in increasing the Twilight's reach can tweak this to allow a greater role. At higher levels, the mental manipulation effects could even circumvent closed domain borders, or overwhelm darklords' mental defenses.

Demands: The Twilight's powers to affect the world directly are limited while it is sealed in the Obsidian Gate. It may be able to circumvent this restriction by influencing a mortal agent. The Twilight's agent will be granted several low-level magicks, first to incur enough spiritual distortion that they begin to manifest changes, then granted more powerful magicks to help them secure the artifacts, life essence, and magical rituals necessary to open the Obsidian Gate and free Gwydion.
Last edited by HuManBing on Mon Mar 19, 2012 10:01 am, edited 9 times in total.
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Magic: Threshold-Limited casting:

A significant departure from standard spellcasting. Applicable to priests in Ravenloft. Instead of using one's own Fatigue or ER to power spells, you borrow energy from a divine Threshold limit. Going over this limit risks divine retribution and makes the cleric "stand out" to magically-savvy observers.
  • Priest must have Power Investiture advantage and be in a location of at least Very Low sanctity (analagous to Magery and mana for wizards).
  • GM assigns the caster a Threshold limit, an invisible tally of points.
  • When the caster casts or maintains spells, GM adds to the tally by the same number of points the caster would have had to spend under the standard casting method.
  • The caster can cast up to the invisible points threshold with no ill effects, but going over will risk progressively greater backlashes and malfunctions.
  • GM assigns the caster terms of Recovery, which determine how often and how much his tally reduces per unit time.
The standard suggested threshold limit is 30 points. In Ravenloft, this is reduced by -5 with the low-sanctity areas, -10 for very low sanctity, and set at 0 for no-sanctity areas. So they might be entirely separate in terms of location, but work in the same way. Say Darkon has areas that are cosmopolitan enough to give "very low mana" levels (e.g. Martira Bay, etc.), but the Eternal Order is nonetheless strong in the area, hence although the mana level is at -10, the sanctity level for the Order could be merely "low" for -5. Once you go over the Threshold, you must make Calamity Checks every time you continue to spend points over the threshold, modified at +1 for every full mutiple of 5 over the max. If the Calamity Check comes up 11 or higher, then something bad happens. For anything higher than 40, the cleric is completely consumed in the calamity. (Note that in order to even reach this high, you'd need to roll an 18 on the check after racking up a tally of 110!)

The standard suggested recovery limit is 8 tally points per day in normal-sanctity areas, 4 per day in low-sanctity, and 2 per day in very-low sanctity areas. In Ravenloft, normal-sanctity areas are very rare, limited largely to temples of that faith in its home territory. This means that native Ravenloft faiths such as the Eternal Order or Zhakata may have normal-sanctity areas in its temples in their home domains, but most non-native faiths will be at low-sanctity in their temples, and very-low sanctity outside of them. Clerics who bed down for the night would be wise to do so in their holy places, to restore 4 tally points. To cut outside faiths a break, a GM might designate one single temple (usually the faith's first temple in Ravenloft) as being normal sanctity. This temple would very likely attract a great deal of clerics as they reforge the link to their outsider deity.
Last edited by HuManBing on Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:36 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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Threshold-Limited Magic cont.: Clerical Magic

Clerical spellcasting works under the Threshold-Limited Magic system above. There are a few other traits specific to a cleric too.
  • The GM assigns a spell list for the cleric's deity, and also the religion's spell progression system. The cleric may learn any spell on this list as a skill, but observes the religion's spell progression system instead of any wizardly spell prerequisites.
  • The GM decides on the Threshold limit for each religion, and the recovery rate for their tally. Most faiths in Ravenloft will be subject to relatively low recovery rates.
  • The GM must assign appropriate disadvantages to reflect the strictures of the faith. The Sense of Duty, Vow, and Disciplines of Faith disadvantages lend themselves well to customization per faith. Creative GMs can come up with strictures of faith to add roleplaying color.
  • The GM must also choose a skill that caps the maximum effective spellcasting rank. This should be a skill that adequately reflects the deity's best-known function. Most organized faiths will have Theology plus one other skill, and the cleric's max spell rank cannot exceed the lower of those two.
For each religion, the GM must determine which spells are available and what level of Power Investiture is required to acquire them. Priests with higher Power Investiture levels are more favored by their deity, and thus can access more spells. This is a similar mechanic to "leveling up" in d20, but the GM exercises much greater control over the prerequisites and the player can choose which to buy with points as he wants.

The Threshold limit is usually 30, modified by sanctity levels. The recovery is 8 per night, although GMs can definitely modify this for sanctity or just because they like a different feel for the religion. A cleric with high threshold but low recovery can cast many small spells or a decent number of big ones, but then must go many days without reliable magic or risk catastrophe. A cleric with low threshold but high recovery cannot cast really powerful spells safely, but can cast many low-cost spells very often.

Threshold-Limited Magic and Ceremonial Magic

Priests have uses for Ceremonial casting, too, but in this case the participants' contributions raise the Threshold level for that spell. Thus, if a priest of Paladine really needs to cast a powerful spell, but his personal threshold would not accommodate that without some terrible backlash happening, he can bring a few of his fellow clerics of Paladine around and lead them in a ceremony. This would allow his cohorts to contribute their energy (as per the above formula under Ceremonial Casting) with each point of energy raising the threshold level for the spell. The concept of this would be similar to supplicating before the deity (possibly in another plane) and preparing the request for the deity in a way that would maximize its successful granting.
Last edited by HuManBing on Fri Aug 26, 2011 1:07 am, edited 6 times in total.
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Clerical Magic: worked example - Eternal Order

Following the example from GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics, I have statted up the Eternal Order religion in Darkon, below.

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. All magic tempts disaster, but sometimes magic is the only thing that can save humanity.

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 it is already physically inside Darkon. 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.

Sphere of Influence: Almost solely within Darkon, as Azalin established it as a state religion.
  • High Sanctity: the Black Vault, where the Xenoregnus Source is imprisoned, and the Grim Fastness above it. Anybody knowing an Eternal Order spell can cast it, and tally recovers at 16 per midnight.
  • Normal sanctity: all Eternal Order temples in Darkon. No penalty to casting, recovery at 8 tally points per midnight.
  • Low sanctity: the rest of Darkon. -5 to casting and threshold, recovery at 4 per midnight.
  • Very low sanctity: neighboring domains to Darkon. -10 to casting and threshold, recovery at 2 per midnight.
  • No sanctity: domains not neighboring Darkon, plus the Shadow Rift (where human religions are irrelevant). No casting, zero threshold, no recovery.

Priesthood: Three levels of priesthood are observed.
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Sentinels: Those without any divine spellcasting powers. They serve a role similar to knights templar or paladins. No Power Investiture.
  • Lightbearers: The lower levels of priests have basic spellcasting powers, and 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. Power Investiture 1 and 2.
  • Beacons: The top echelon of priests 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. Power Investiture 3 are trained to be effective propagandists and social controllers. Power Investiture 4 are made aware of certain truths about the religion, and receive powerful dark spells as a result.
Faith-based Advantages:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • 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. Much of the Eternal Order's true agenda is kept secret, shared only with the top echelon of PI4 priests.
  • 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:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • 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, possessing magical weapons, practising magic, 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:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • 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 PI4, 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: all dead bodies must be buried within before nightfall if practical; don't use magic items without appropriate clerical approval; don't disrespect the dead; protect the interests of Darkon and Azalin against the scheming Gray Realm, etc.
Skills: Theology and Hidden Lore (Grey Realm) are mandatory for any spellcasting priests. They are not necessary for Sentinels, unless they want to eventually cast spells too. Other common skills include Religious Ritual, Propaganda, Psychology, and Group Performance (for Ceremonial Magic).

Spellcasting: 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.

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: The Order clearly has an interest in Necromantic, as well as Light/Darkness, Protection/Warning, and (given that the Order itself is founded on less-than-stable theological grounds) Mind Control colleges.

Power Investiture 1: First rites, last rites, minor boons.
VIEW CONTENT:
  • No-Smell (enbalming the dead)
  • Resist Pain
  • Might
  • Vigor
  • Sense Life
  • Sense Foes
  • Shape Earth (burying the dead)
  • Resist Cold
  • Test Food
  • Preserve Food
  • Body Reading
  • Final Rest
  • Stop Bleeding
  • Stop Paralysis
  • Dream Viewing
  • Light
  • Sleep
  • Bravery
  • Haste
  • Sense Danger
  • Watchdog
  • Purify Water
Power Investiture 2: Greater boons, anti-magic, seeds of leadership.
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Truthsayer
  • Presence
  • Purify Food
  • Monk's Banquet
  • Remove Contagion
  • Resist Disease
  • Cure Disease
  • Dream Sending
  • Know Illusion
  • Sense Mana
  • Detect Magic
  • Recall
  • Dark Vision
  • Flash
  • Blur
  • Dispel Magic
  • Strengthen Will
  • Materialize
  • Block
  • Hardiness
  • Silence
  • Great Voice
Power Investiture 3: Fruits of leadership, anti-magic.
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Persuasion
  • Sense Emotion
  • Hide Emotion
  • Retrogression
  • Insignificance
  • Simple Illusion
  • Complex Illusion
  • Illusion Disguise
  • Dream Projection
  • Identify Spell
  • Seek Magic
  • Suspend Mana
  • Fear
  • Forgetfulness
  • Loyalty
  • Command
  • Emotion Control
  • Suggestion
  • Summon Spirit
  • Solidify
  • Affect Spirits
  • Entrap Spirit
Power Investiture 4: Deception, misdirection, and harm. The true powers of the Eternal Order.
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Hide Thoughts
  • Mind Reading
  • Mind-Search
  • Mind-Sending
  • Perfect Illusion
  • Pain
  • Choke
  • Total Paralysis
  • Strike Barren
  • Deathtouch
  • Entombment
  • Burning Death
  • Darkness
  • Scryguard
  • Madness
  • Nightmare
  • Steal Energy
  • Steal Vitality
  • Skull-Spirit
  • Zombie Summoning
  • Mass Zombie
  • Evisceration
  • Rotting Death
  • Soul Jar
Observances:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • 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: the ghost of 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 on Fri Feb 03, 2012 10:27 am, edited 12 times in total.
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Clerical Magic: worked example - Church of the Morninglord

Concept: Sunrise and the light of day are holy events, and the Light of Good will someday burn through the Mists of Evil - if only the priests can protect and guide the laity long enough till then. Even in midwinter, celebrations of daybreak keep the faith alive. Each church is fairly autonomous and specific practices and dogma may vary - but each tends to have a focus on helping the poor and deifying the sunrise. The holy symbol is a stylized sunrise, and the weapon of choice is a spear, stylized to appear like a golden sunray.

Divine Source: Andral, the rarely-named deity of the Morninglord religion, is able to express divine power into Ravenloft. It is likely that Andral is native to Barovia, as his clergy can attain higher levels of Power Investiture than most other deities and suffer milder penalties to casting. (Even more than the Eternal Order, which though native to Darkon, admittedly draws its power from a less-than-divine source.)

Sphere of Influence: Primarily Barovia, though the positive social message is popular enough in neighboring domains. Because the Morninglord's faith originated in Barovia, there are fewer penalties to casting. Priests can still attempt to cast spells anywhere in the Core (albeit at a penalty). Inside a Church, or within Barovia, they may cast at no penalty. In the First Church, the faith is still strong and "miraculous" spellcasting by laymen has been known to occur.
  • High sanctity: the Sanctuary of Blessed Succour in Village of Barovia (pre-3E), later the First Church in Krezk (post-3E). All casting done at +5, recovery at 16 tally points per sunrise. Some non-spellcasting members of the priesthood have been known to successfully cast spells here as long as they remain in the temple. (Basically anybody who knows a cleric spell may cast it, even without the Power Investiture advantage. This usually means a deacon or other well-schooled layman who deeply understands the rites, texts, and doctrines of the central church. When this happens, they are often elevated to priesthood and receive a Power Investiture level.
  • Normal sanctity: all Morninglord Churches, anywhere in the Core. No penalty to casting, recovery at 8 tally points per sunrise.
  • Low sanctity: Barovia, outside of a Church. -5 to casting and threshold, recovery at 4 per sunrise. Or outside of the Core but in a Church.
  • Very low sanctity: outside of Barovia but still in the Core. -10 to casting and threshold, recovery at 2 per sunrise.
  • No sanctity: non-Core domains, plus the Shadow Rift (where human religions are irrelevant). No casting, zero threshold, no recovery.

Priesthood: The priesthood is no longer stratified formally, although records show there once was a "Most High Priest" who died long ago. Most Churches will make do with anybody who is faithful and can cast spells. Usually, the Power Investiture is done at the First Church in Krezk, but there have been enough spontaneous promotions of laymen to spellcasting priests that this is not a strict rule. Many far flung Churches will elevate a priest with minimal formality as needed. Power Investiture up to 6 levels is possible.

Faith-based Advantages:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Blessed.
  • Clerical Investment.
  • Power Investiture - max. 6 levels, as the Morninglord is an established deity.
  • True Faith. Most undead who formerly lived in Barovia also would have an Aversion to the Church - this is completely separate and increases the effectiveness of the priesthood. (Other realms' undead, such as Darkon, would be too remote for the Church to be a significant source of Aversion.)
Social Advantages:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Ally.
  • Claim to Hospitality: this rates at a 5 but only in Barovia, where the Church is widespread.
  • Contact Group/Contact.
  • Reputation: everybody in Barovia has heard of the Church and knows it's a powerful and benevolent organization.
  • Status.
  • Tenure.
Disadvantages:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Charitable.
  • Compulsive Generosity.
  • Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism): the priests usually observe good conduct and purity rituals (including daily bathing - a tradition originating from an unusual conversation). The sunrise is especially important, symbolically, as are many dates on the calendar related to the sun and seasons.
  • Duty: Serve your village, from highest to lowest. Be the comfort to the weak, be the guide to the wavering, be the voice of conscience to the strong. Stand between your flock and any dangers of the night when necessary. (Costs as standard, but in particularly dangerous areas, can be at -5 for Extremely Hazardous.)
  • Honesty.
  • Selfless.
  • Truthfulness.
  • Vow: generally help those who need it.
Skills: Theology and Religious Ritual are mandatory for any spellcasting priests. Other common skills include Group Performance (for Ceremonial Magic), Esoteric Medicine (Holy), Exorcism, First Aid, Hidden Lore (demons, spirits, or undead), Public Speaking, Teaching, Meditation, Savoir-Faire (High Society). Spear is useful too.

Spellcasting: threshold-limited and skill-based. The effective casting skill level for any Church priest is equal to their Theology or Religious Ritual skills, whichever is less, plus their Power Investiture level.

Required Spells: PI1: Light, Awaken. PI2: Sunlight, Bravery. PI3: Continual Sunlight, Cure Disease. PI4: Major Healing, Relieve Madness. PI5: Neutralize Poison, Bless. PI6: Great Healing, Regeneration.

Spell lists: The Church's spells tend towards Light, Protection/Warning, Healing, and Fire.
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Power Investiture 1: Aura, Bright Vision, Detect Magic, Final Rest, Ignite Fire, Lend Energy, Lend Vitality, Recover Energy, Resist Cold, Resist Fire, Sense Spirit, Share Vitality, Shield, Warmth, Watchdog.
  • Power Investiture 2: Clean, Command, Continual Light, Find Direction, Glow, Heat, Light Jet, Might, Minor Healing, Remove Contagion, Resist Disease, Seeker, See Secrets, Silence, Stop Bleeding, Tell Position, Test Food, Turn Spirit, Turn Zombie, Vigor, Wall of Light, Warm.
  • Power Investiture 3: Affect Spirits, Armor, Astral Vision, Cleansing, Command Spirit, Detect Poison, Dispel Possession, Flaming Weapon, Flash, Hawk Vision, Know Location, Magic Resistance, Oath, Purify Air, Relieve Sickness, Repel Spirits, Resist Pain, Resist Poison, Strengthen Will, Sunbolt, Truthsayer, Umbrella, Wisdom.
  • Power Investiture 4: Astral Block, Banish, Body-Reading, Compel Truth, Create Food, Dispel Magic, Divination, Great Voice, Predict Weather, Purify Food, Purify Water, Relieve Madness, Relieve Paralysis, Resist Lightning, Restore Memory, Restore Sight, Suspend Curse, Vigil.
  • Power Investiture 5: Darkness, Essential Food, Gift of Letters, Gift of Tongues, Neutralize Poison, Regeneration, Remove Curse, Resist Pressure, Restoration, Restore Hearing, Restore Speech, Silver Tongue, Stop Paralysis, Suspend Mana.
  • Power Investiture 6: Bind Spirit, Burning Touch, Drain Mana, Instant Neutralize Poison, Instant Regeneration, Instant Restoration, Pentagram, Resurrection, Sanctuary.
Faith Power:
Morninglord's Sacrifice [15]: Once per day, the priest of the Morninglord can elect to shield one individual within a short range from any attack that would reduce them to 0 HP or less. The priest suffers full damage from that attack, and must be conscious and aware of the attack in order to use this ability. This power is granted early in the priest's ordination and is paid for with points normally at character creation.
VIEW CONTENT:
Healing (Emergencies Only, -30%; Empathic, -50%; Faith Healing, +20%; Injuries Only, -20%; Limited Use, 1/day, -40%; Ranged, +40%; Reflexive, +40%; Power modifier -10%) [18]
  • Emergencies Only covers the ability only working when an ally is harmed in combat, never just sitting around the campfire.
  • Empathic transfers the injury to the cleric instead of a FP cost.
  • Faith Healing lets the cleric's god decide what races/things get healed, which may well be more than just members of the cleric's own race.
  • Injuries Only addresses the fact that this gift doesn't cure anything but HP.
  • Limited Use is per the original description.
  • Ranged allows the Healing to work on anybody in sight.*
  • Reflexive enables the Healing to work instantly, without concentration.*
  • Healing requires an IQ roll, and Reflexive gives -4 to this . . . which means that with the range modifier for Ranged, the ability is only reliable at very short distances.
  • -10% power modifier, too. That would bring the final cost to 15 points.
Last edited by HuManBing on Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:16 am, edited 24 times in total.
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Post by MadStepDad »

HuManBing wrote: It always bothered me a little that DnD characters could get to the point where a series of point-blank rifle shots wouldn't kill them.
I stopped reading right about here, so forgive me if the rest of the post follows along with your typically humourous slant. But the simple answer is "miss points". Cinematically, all those hits are actually sword clashes, and bullets fragmenting tables around you and stuff like that. So ultimately you CAN have that one 1d6 arrow hit your Diety-PC in the achilles tendon and kill him. Just my interpretation, because I agree with you.
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc4mBjj_yt4&feature=youtu.be

Conjunction
http://madstepdad.proboards.com/board/19/grand-conjunction

"BCCW" by MSD
http://madstepdad.proboards.com/board/33/broken-city-championship-wrestling-madstepdad
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Post by HuManBing »

Clerical Magic: worked example - Church of Ezra

Concept: The mortal prophet Ezra, Our Guardian of the Mists, ascended to unity with the Mists and keeps a watchful eye over humanity. Different branches of the faith spread throughout the Core, and the religion has several splinter sects with varying interpretations of Ezra's nature and mission.

Divine Source: The Mists answer the prayers of the faithful. It is unknown whether this is Ezra's work or that of the Dark Powers or some other being in the Demiplane.

Sphere of Influence: Northern and Western Core. Generally more influential near the mists - this is not an urban sect.
  • High sanctity: the founding Ezra Church of your sect. Thus, the Darkonian Ezrite Church is not high sanctity for the Borcan sect. Casting at +5, and does not need Power Investiture. Recovery at 16 tally points per sunrise.
  • Normal sanctity: all Ezra Churches. No penalty to casting, recovery at 8 tally points per sunrise.
  • Low sanctity: not in a church, but within a sight of the Mists. (Or some other GM-assigned distance from the Mists.) Casting at -5, recovery at 4 per sunrise.
  • Very low sanctity: in any domain that borders the Mists. -10 to casting and threshold, recovery at 2 per sunrise.
  • No sanctity: in any domain not bordering the Mists. No casting, zero threshold, no recovery.

Priesthood: Four sects are known - the Home Faith in Borca is concerned primarily with harboring the faithful, the Evangelical Ezrites in Cosabel also seek to convert others, the Mystical Ezrites in Marésotes believe Ezra was originally a demigoddess who came to human form, and the Deliverance Ezrites in eastern Darkon believe humanity is doomed and only the converts will be spared. Ezra is native to the Demiplane, so all six levels of Power Investiture are open to Ezrite priests.

Faith-based Advantages:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Blessed.
  • Clerical Investment.
  • Power Investiture - max. 6 levels, as Ezra is an established deity.
Social Advantages:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Ally.
  • Claim to Hospitality: this rates at a 5 but only where the Church is widespread.
  • Contact Group/Contact.
  • Reputation: people in the northwestern Core have heard of the Church and knows it's a benevolent organization.
  • Status.
  • Tenure.
Disadvantages:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Charitable.
  • Compulsive Generosity.
  • Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism): the number five is symbolically significant, hold prayers and sermons every fifth day at noon, pray for spells every sunrise.
  • Duty: Serve your village, from highest to lowest. Be the comfort to the weak, be the guide to the wavering, be the voice of conscience to the strong. Stand between your flock and any dangers of the night when necessary. (Costs as standard, but in particularly dangerous areas, can be at -5 for Extremely Hazardous.)
  • Honesty.
  • Selfless.
  • Truthfulness.
  • Vow: generally help those who need it.
Skills: Theology and Religious Ritual are mandatory for any spellcasting priests. Other common skills include Group Performance (for Ceremonial Magic), Esoteric Medicine (Holy), First Aid, Hidden Lore (Mists), Public Speaking, Teaching, Meditation. Sword is the faith's weapon, and Area Knowledge and Navigation (Mists) are both useful in their role as guides.

Spellcasting: threshold-limited and skill-based. The effective casting skill level for any Church priest is equal to their Theology or Religious Ritual skills, whichever is less, plus their Power Investiture level.

Required Spells: PI1: Fog. PI2: Body of Fog (as per Body of Wind, but with the Fog effect instead of the whirlwind). PI3: Cloud-Walking. PI4: Mystic Mist. PI5: Mistwalk(*). PI6: Misty Prison (as Entombment, but lost in the Mists instead of underground).

Custom Spell: Mistwalk: this is identical to the teleport spell, with a -2 to the energy cost. It functions only if one of the origin or destination points is in mist. The spell can create mist (as per the Fog spell) momentarily in one place if it isn't already there: add the cost of the Fog spell (2) to the cost of the spell. (This effectively makes the Mistwalk spell identical in power and cost to the Teleport spell - except messier, as there is Fog rolling around at one of the two points.)

Spell lists: The Church's spells tend towards Air, Healing, Movement, Protection/Warning, and Weather.
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Power Investiture 1: Aura, Air Vision, Create Air, Detect Magic, Lend Energy, Lend Vitality, Lighten Burden, No-Smell, Odor, Recover Energy, Resist Cold, Sense Foes, Share Vitality, Shield, Thunderclap, Warmth, Watchdog.
  • Power Investiture 2: Air Vision, Bravery, Clean, Command, Concussion, Find Direction, Might, Minor Healing, Purify Air, Remove Contagion, Resist Disease, Seeker, See Secrets, Silence, Slow Fall, Stop Bleeding, Tell Position, Test Food, Vigor, Warm.
  • Power Investiture 3: Armor, Blink, Cleansing, Detect Poison, Hawk Vision, Iron Arm, Know Location, Magic Resistance, Predict Weather, Purify Water, Oath, Relieve Sickness, Resist Pain, Resist Poison, Strengthen Will, Truthsayer, Umbrella, Wisdom.
  • Power Investiture 4: Banish, Compel Truth, Create Food, Dispel Magic, Divination, Flight, Great Voice, Purify Food, Relieve Madness, Relieve Paralysis, Resist Lightning, Restore Memory, Restore Sight, Suspend Curse, Vigil, Weather Dome.
  • Power Investiture 5: Essential Food, Gift of Letters, Gift of Tongues, Neutralize Poison, Regeneration, Remove Curse, Resist Pressure, Restoration, Restore Hearing, Restore Speech, Silver Tongue, Stop Paralysis, Suspend Mana, Teleport Other (mist-based).
  • Power Investiture 6: Drain Mana, Instant Neutralize Poison, Instant Regeneration, Instant Restoration, Lesser Geas, Pentagram, Resurrection, Sanctuary (mist-based), Storm.
Faith Power:
Shield of Ezra [15]: Once per day, for one minute, the priest can summon a protective effect, which varies depending on sect.
  • Cosabel Evangelists: DR 10 vs. metal (50 -80%) [10]
  • Borca Home Faith Ezrites: DR 5 vs. all physical attacks (25 -60%) [10]
  • Marésotes Mystics: DR 10 vs. magical attacks (50 -80%) [10]
  • Darkonian Deliverance Ezrites: Mind Shield x4 (16 -40%)[10]
Last edited by HuManBing on Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:33 am, edited 24 times in total.
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{Reserved for other faiths}
Last edited by HuManBing on Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:37 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Post by HuManBing »

Turning Undead

The True Faith advantage holders to keep undead at bay (no roll needed) but doesn't actively harm or scatter them. Thus, using your own symbol is a purely defensive measure - and it takes Concentration too. This still works in Ravenloft as a defensive "come no closer!" ward.

To drive off the undead, a few extra rules apply.

Vs. Mindless Undead:

In GURPS Ravenloft, this effect works automatically against mindless undead. They simply cannot approach. This applies equally for mindless undead that are unguided, as for mindless undead under the control of an intelligent living or undead creature. However, where a mindless undead is directly possessed by something else, ignore the mindless undead and analyze the situation based on the possessing creature instead.

Vs. Intelligent Undead:

This effect may also work against intelligent undead, but in this case they have a Quick Contest of Will roll to avoid the effects. This is modified by the Cleric's level of Power Investiture, if any, and local circumstances.

The check must be made using a symbol of relevance to the undead's own faith. This requires the PCs to do some background digging on the undead's living culture and history. The undead doesn't need to have been a strict adherent to the faith to be vulnerable to it - merely acknowledging the power of that god in life would be enough, such as receiving healing from a priest of that god.

If the cleric is also a member of the same religion as the undead, his bonus from the Power Investiture level is doubled. Thus, a self willed undead rarely stays for long in the presence of a cleric who's a potent practitioner of the same faith, because the average amount of shock it suffers will usually be close to the maximum of -4.

If the undead fails the Quick Contest, it must take immediate action to get itself and all its body parts out of line of sight of the symbol. Merely covering or averting its own eyes will not do. The undead can still stay in the area, but if any of its body parts is exposed to the symbol, it suffers a considerable penalty treated as shock (equal to the margin of defeat) to all relevant actions.

There are a few details to this. Some undead never acknowledged the power of any religion while they were alive. If this habit has continued after death (as is very likely), then they are considered immune to any faith's symbolism and cannot be turned in this way. They may still be held at bay by a cleric using the cleric's own symbol, but there is no symbol that will affirmatively drive them away.
Last edited by HuManBing on Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:54 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Post by HuManBing »

Powers (and Psionics)

D&D Ravenloft has plenty of forbidden and Gothic powers. It also has some psionics - usually in tucked-away lands like Bluetspur. Both of these aspects are handled by the Powers system of GURPS.

GURPS uses a basic system for calculating inherent powers (of which psionics are a subcategory). Each power has abilities (Advantages), modifiers (Enhancements and Limitations), and finally a talent that indicates the user's skill at using them. With these functions, the GM and PC can make fairly complex inherent gifts and powers. The GURPS Basic Set: Characters book already has outlines for how to make powers and some psionics. The GURPS Powers and Psionics supplement books add immensely to that list.
  • Each power has a thematic source - mostly for descriptive purposes. E.g. A Darklord has the power of their land.
  • Each power also has a thematic focus - the sort of things it works on. E.g. A Darklord's powers can work on people in his land, or on himself while he's in contact with the soil of his land.
  • Each power has abilities drawn from the Basic Set's Advantages list. Unlike the master list I cite above, these can use Exotic and other Advantages. After all, powers are supposed to be exotic. E.g. A Darklord has the power of Unkillable while in their land (a passive power) and Mind Control of anybody in their land (an active power).
  • Each power then has modifiers, whether they're enhancements or limitations. For example, "melee only" would be a limitation for an advantage that could normally be done at range. But it might be an enhancement for an advantage that could normally only be done while grappling. E.g. the Darklord's power to Mind Control somebody is imperfect and requires the Darklord to concentrate for an hour-long ritual.
  • Finally, each power has a talent associated with it (defined by the GM) that influences the dice rolls made when the user attempts to use the power. E.g. An adolescent changeling dread doppelganger trying to use its mind-reading or shapeshifting abilities for the first time might have a talent with some negative modifiers. Strahd von Zarovich may have a massive positive modifier when using his Powers of the Land.
Here, we'll try to stat out the power of that standard horror movie creature, the Brain in a Jar. This will have some sort of broad psionic ability to detect sentient creatures nearby. Then it will have a narrower ability to sense their thoughts. Then it will also have a narrow ability to seize control of people to act as its eyes, ears, hands, etc.

Brain in a Jar
  • Thematic source: Psionic. The Brain has been deprived of stimulus for so long that its powers have begun to manifest themselves as psionics.
  • Focus: Sentient minds. The Brain can't influence the world around it physically, so its powers manifest more as manipulating other people as pawns.
  • Ability: Sense Sentience. Detect (sentient beings - common) [20] with limitation: Psionic -10% and enhancement: Precise +100% for [28]. Also Acute Sense (Detect) +3 [6] with limitation: Accessibility: Detect only -10% for [5]. This ability allows the Brain to try a Perception roll to notice when a sentient being comes within range. It gets a +3 to the roll, meaning it can "see" a sentient mind out to 50 meters without any range penalties. It can pinpoint the direction and distance to the sentience. This power is psionic in nature, meaning that anything that "jams" psionic powers will also jam this one. The entire ability costs [33] points.
  • Ability: Scan Sentience. Mind Reading [30] with limitation: Psionic -10% for [27]. Also Mind Probe [20], also with limitation: Psionic -10%, for [18]. This ability allows the Brain to try to read the thoughts of sentient beings around it. Note that it doesn't have a bonus to the range because there is no Acute Sense bonus. The Brain can also probe a single mind at a time, effectively giving it the chance to force a single answer to any given question at a time. The entire ability costs [38] points.
  • Ability: Seize Sentience. Mind Control [50], with limitation: Psionic -10%, and enhancement: Extended Duration (30x) +60% for [75]. The Brain can seize mind control of anybody within range, and can attempt to mind control them. This lasts as long as it concentrates, and then for a significant number of hours afterwards (the duration multiplier). This ability costs [75].
  • Talent: Psychocerebral Manipulation (just a fancy name for "the skill that controls all the above powers"). 2 levels [10]. This gives the Brain in a Jar a +2 to all rolls associated with these abilities - very handy for the opposed rolls when it needs to overcome a victim's defense rolls. This applies to all the above, so the Sense Sentience would be at +5 (it stacks with the +3), and then all the "offensive" style powers would be at +2, with the Brain rolling against its IQ and the victim rolling against their Will. These powers will not work against constructs, and if the GM wants them to be ineffective against undead as well then he can add a limitation: not against undead which would probably be priced at around -10% too.
Last edited by HuManBing on Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by HuManBing »

Local rules:

Society and culture by domain:

These domains are listed in the order they appear in the 3rd ed. Gazetteers. (Partially because I've renamed a few pun-heavy ones, so doing it alphabetically won't work.)

Each domain will have summary data to help with PC creation. These will include cultural milestones such as Tech Level, Culture, Languages, Religions, and Control Ratings. For interpersonal relations, entries exist for levels of Wealth, Status, and Rank. Finally, social norms such as Duty, Reputation, Sense of Duty, Social Stigma, and Unusual Background may be listed.

(Note: See Social Engineering p. 14 "The Arithmetic of Rank" for a numerical assignment based on people commanded.)

Gazetteer I domains:

Barovia:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Tech Level: 3.
  • Culture: Central.
  • Languages: Baloch.
  • Religions: Morninglord. Minor: Hala, Ezra.
  • Control Rating: CR4. Strahd von Zarovich rules through burgomasters. He has suppressed the writings of Rudolph Van Richten, and has extensive networks of informants among the Vistani and other groups.
  • Wealth: Standard by TL: $1,000 as Average.
  • Status: Tied partially to Wealth (+1 free Status if Wealth is "Wealthy" or better), so even some non-hereditary social climbers (e.g. respected guild members) can get a leg up just by their wealth. Primary noble families are around Status 4, minor noble families Status 3, and so forth. Strahd's own status is 8 as the monarch, and his personal servants and ministers (such as Vasili von Holtz) may assume Status 6 or 7 while acting as his representatives.
  • Rank: Officers in the Barovian Army have Military Rank, maximum 6; judging from the numbers of citizens involved, and the relative rarity of war, most military will likely be ex-military: change the Rank to a Courtesy Rank. Civic leaders usually have open Status as well as Administrative Rank - burgomasters at 3, etc. Guild leaders also have Merchant Rank, usually up to 3. The only faith to have significant Religion Rank is the Morninglord, up to 6; all others would be 4 (Ezra, Hala) or less.
  • Duty: none are universal, but duties based on membership to an ethnicity (especially minorities), religion, and occupation (merchant protector, mercenary, soldier) are all possible.
  • Reputation: people are still superstitious, so known magic users suffer a -1 penalty, or greater (if they have been seen to use harmful magic).
  • Sense of Duty: none are universal.
  • Social Stigma: demihumans have their usual -2 to reactions. Vistani have a -1. Known "monsters" such as calibans, therianthropes (were-creatures) and the like have -3.
  • Unusual Background: half-Vistani [1] (allows character to purchase Vistani Ritual Magic spells)
Barovia-specific attributes:
  • Fanaticism is possible, especially given the Barovia/Gundarak war. Intolerance is common.
  • Illuminated (and its dark cousin Delusions) can apply for PCs who know about occult secrets of Barovia - these include facts about the von Zarovich family, the Vistani, the holy artifacts of the Morninglord, and secret societies in Barovia (including foreign groups like the Kargat).
  • Possible Phobias: Darkness at -15 (almost all Barovians have this phobia, at least insofar as going out at night is concerned), Death and the Undead at -10, Magic at -10, Monsters at -15. Fear of Strahd or other organs of state may count as a phobia or it may count as Paranoia.
Last edited by HuManBing on Fri Jul 13, 2012 2:13 pm, edited 21 times in total.
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Gazetteer II domains

Darkon:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Tech Level: mostly 3 for inland, 4 for western coast and major cities such as Il Aluk. Non-human territories may be closer to TL 2.
  • Culture: Darkonian, though sizeable diasporas of other cultures may exist.
  • Languages: Darkonian, plus diasporas.
  • Religions: Eternal Order (state religion), Ezra, the Overseer. Various minor.
  • Control Rating: CR 4, 3 in some places. Azalin is the theoretical final arbiter of law; in practice, civic rule is largely left to the barons (and their reeves), and police enforcement is left to the Kargat, which reports directly to Azalin. CR varies by baron, but usually CR 4 - significant number of laws, mostly for the benefit of the state. Police can search and seize with little civilian recourse; taxes are high and often unfair. Some rural areas under lax baronial oversight may be CR 3. Non-human areas may be CR 1 or even 0 (anarchy). Depending on the time period of the campaign setting, magical items may count as Legality Class 2 or lower (meaning that they are essentially illegal to for civilians to own). Magic is generally LC 3 or 4, depending on College - the types that deal damage would be LC 3 (need a license from the mage organizations that supervise this and which report back to Azalin), most others might be LC 4 (as Azalin wishes to encourage the study of magic in his realm).
  • Wealth: Standard by TL: $1,000 or $2,000 as Average.
  • Status: Tied partially to Wealth (+1 free Status if Wealth is "Wealthy" or better), so even some non-hereditary social climbers (e.g. respected guild members) can get a leg up just by their wealth. Barons are usually around Status 5, primary noble families are around Status 4, minor noble families Status 3, and so forth. King Azalin traces a lone orbit at Status 8 as the longstanding absolute monarch - a small elite coterie of personal servants and ministers may assume Status 6 or 7 while out and about on official business in his name.
  • Rank: Officers in the Darkonian Army have Military Rank, maximum 7. Officers in the Kargat police have Police Rank, maximum 7 (usually around 3 or 4 for the types that commonly interact with the public). Civic leaders usually have open Status as well as Administrative Rank - barons are at Administrative Rank 5, mayors at 4, aldermen of city districts at 3, etc. Guild leaders also have Merchant Rank, usually up to 4. The only faith to have significant Religion Rank is the Eternal Order, up to 7; all others would be 5 (Ezra, Overseer) or less.
  • Duty: none are universal, but duties based on membership to an ethnicity (especially minorities), religion, and occupation (merchant protector, mercenary, soldier) are all possible.
  • Reputation: because Darkon is so varied, most reputations are earned on one's personal actions rather than generalizations about race, gender, etc. The one exception to this is the Social Stigma for demihumans (see below) which is still nonetheless much less severe than in other areas of the Core. Some of the worst reputations possible are either being affiliated with Falkovnia, or being in league with the undead - both of which are likely to result in open hostility.
  • Sense of Duty: none are universal, but see Duty above. Some native Darkonians seek to "adopt" newcomers ("Mind-lost") who are disoriented from their memory loss - these can run the range of extremes from charitable organizations to ruthless press gangs.
  • Social Stigma: demihumans usually have a -2 to reactions across the human-majority Core. Darkon is a notable exception; here demihumans only have a -1. Also, Darkonians of Falkovnian origin have a significant penalty at -3 if their skin markings are uncovered. All undead are at a -3 as well. (For this reason, all self-willed undead in Darkon keep a very low profile, with no exceptions.) Calibans are treated halfway between the two; at a -2 normally (although some Calibans are less frightening and others may be as gruesome-looking as an undead).
  • Unusual Background: most of these will be 0-point features, such as "raised by wizards" or "looks Asian".
Darkon-specific attributes:
  • The broad variety of races, cultures, homeworlds of origin, ethnicities, and religions allows for the following: High TL (although the memory-drain tends to eliminate most of this knowledge); Broadminded. Conversely the antisocial traits include Fanaticism (uncommon in the form of patriotism, but more likely towards or against Falkovnia specifically, and possibly towards or against faiths/ethnicities/races); Intolerance.
  • Darkon has many secret societies, including the Kargat, Eternal Order, and so forth, which hide occult knowledge. People who dabble in this knowledge qualify for Illuminated (potentially including Hyskosa, Alanik Ray, and Rudolph van Richten); Delusions (if the PCs stumble across a truth that the majority in Darkon are unable or unwilling to accept); and even possibly Zeroed (if a PC is newly arrived in Darkon and has no record of his existence there, or possibly after they have erased their entry from the Book of Names).
  • Darkon's memory draining can be handled in several ways. Canonically, after three months at the longest, Darkon drains all memories of your previous life and gives you memories of a native one. This is treated as an Unusual Background, as you have no benefit from your previous life. If the GM wants to tone down the effects, he can give the PCs Flashbacks, Nightmares, and partial or full Amnesia to represent some negative aspects - the GM can also give Reawakened for a more benign treatment.
  • Possible Phobias: Darkness at -15, Death and the Undead at -10, Magic at -10 (although this may be at a significantly improved self-control roll, given that magic in Darkon is relatively common), Monsters at -15. Fear of the Kargat, Azalin, the barons, the Eternal Order, or other organs of state may count as a phobia or it may count as Paranoia.
Falkovnia:
VIEW CONTENT:
  • Tech Level: 3.
  • Culture: Central.
  • Languages: Trecht.
  • Religions: None. Outward signs of religion automatically brand the bearer with a reaction penalty.
  • Control Rating: CR 5 to 6. Drakov's ministries control most manufactured goods for sale, especially those requiring metals (slave labor provides almost all mined products). They enforce numerous laws and regulations, including the private ownership of weapons, and they do so heavily - with corporal punishment the order of the day (from branding to maiming to the death penalty). They are especially tight on control of communication technology: the army controls the mail, and the state patrols the skies with falcons to bring down carrier pigeons so their messages can be read. Because of its fertile soil, Falkovnian grain production is very high and is not controlled by the state.
  • Wealth: Standard by TL: $1,000 as Average.
  • Status: Independent of Wealth, but heavily tied to Military Rank, as the Falkovnian Army (Falkkomiss) controls all social positions of relevance. Primary noble families are around Status 4 or 5, minor noble families Status 3, and so forth. Vlad Drakov's own status is 8 as the monarch, with a rank of 8 as the head of the army. Close members of the Drakov family line enjoy Status 7, and far-flung members enjoy Status 6. Any positive Status means membership in the "favored" class (regierungstreu). A Status of 0 (the vast majority of Falkovnians) means membership in the "uncertain" class (unbewiesen). A negative Status, usually reserved for political criminals and people the establishment arbitrarily dislikes, means membership in the "enemy" class (feind).
  • Military Rank: Officers in the Falkovnian Army have Military Rank, which usually comes with Status of two levels lower (i.e. they start accumulating Status at Rank 3). The Status must be bought separately: standard Falkkomiss soldiers have a Rank of 0 (Soldat - private), 1 (Fähnrich - standardbearer or sergeant, commands up to 5 soldiers), to 2 (Korporal - commands up to 20 soldiers). These Falkkomiss positions make up the majority of foot soldiers, armed with halberds and plate. At Rank 3 and above, the soldier must be indoctrinated into the Noble Corps (Edelkorps) - this comes with a mount, improved equipment, and discreet access to eligible fertile women to breed future soldiers. It also comes with increased Status, as the officer begins his climb into noble circles (Status of 2 less than his military Rank). At 3 (Ritter) the officer commands 100 foot soldiers (Hundertschritt - lit. "hundred steps"), at 4 (Rittmeister) the officer commands a Kompanie of 500 soldiers, including a mix of cavalry. Higher posts, at Rank 5 and above, usually entail strategic military duties which spill over into Administrative - by this point the soldier is usually increasingly involved in the function of the ministries. At Rank 5 the soldier's title may vary from ministry to ministry, but in the military field is usually universalized to Hauptfach (commanding up to 2,000 staff or soldiers), and at Rank 6 the soldier is usually an intermediate level ministry decision-maker as a Falkoberst (10,000 under their command). Rank 7 is reserved for the ministry heads, who are labelled Falkfuhrers and can command up to 50,000 individuals. Alone at the top of the military dictatorship he established, Vlad Drakov holds the sole Rank 8 title as Konigfuhrer - The King Commander.
  • Police Rank: Drakov maintains an elite cadre of police officers, drawn from those soldiers who have displayed superior loyalty and talent. These "Talons" (Falkkrallen) also have a separate Police Rank, and usually have high Status as well. They are often tasked with bringing wayward military officials back into line. Although they have no actual authority over a military officer of equivalent rank, their police status implies heavily that they hold the ear of Drakov or his inner circle, making it unlikely for a soldier to ignore them. The Talons are occasionally deployed as an elite battlefield unit, too - when so deployed, they wear characteristic spiked armor and bird-of-prey helms... both to shake their enemies, and to "inspire" their fellow troops.
  • Non-military positions are rare, but some such positions will usually have some Administrative Rank, with enough Courtesy Ranks in the military to bring them up to the level of authority needed - burgomasters at 3, guild leaders at 3, etc.
  • Duty: All Falkovnians swear an oath of service to Vlad Drakov and the Falkovnian state - specifically, the army. As a result, the army wields disproportionate power over civilian life. Quite aside from the licensing powers, taxation powers, and various civilian functions which the Falkkomiss has appropriated, any soldier automatically is presumed to have authority to issue procedural commands to a civilian... and to have them obeyed. Although grievously extreme demands risk the soldier's punishment by higher-ups, the army has significant leeway in leaning on civilians. Requisitions of goods or quarters is common, as is the automatic assumption that soldiers get right of way and preferential service in most situations. Regardless of the severity of the demand, most civilians will usually understand that an upfront refusal automatically weakens their case in any subsequent investigation.
  • Reputation: Soldiers who have survived the Dead Man's Campaigns get a Reputation reaction bonus of 1 to 2. The Talons get an extra 1, based on their supposed close ties to Drakov.
  • Sense of Duty: none are universal, although some (sheltered) Falkovnians do buy into the social dogma of army-as-savior and genuinely view it with gratitude.
  • Social Stigma: demihumans have a -3 to reactions. Any clearly non-Falkovnian full human has a -2, although given the ethnic mix of Falkovnians, a light-skinned visitor may be able to pass provided they have matching clothing and sufficient Trecht language skills. Undead have a -3. Clear membership in any religion carries a variable penalty: an unfamiliar religion is at -1, with religions from neighboring domains at -2. Eternal Order (Darkon) and Hiddukel/Hiteh (Krynn: Ansalon/Taladas respectively) both have -3, as Drakov is personally and implacably opposed to them.
  • Unusual Background: any magical ability is a [1].
Falkovnia-specific attributes:
  • Fanaticism is common, and Intolerance even more so.
  • Most Falkovnians are illiterate [-3] or at best semi-literate [-2] in their native language of Trecht. Nobles are an exception - most are semi-literate to literate.
  • The regular Falkkomiss army training and Edelkorps sometimes turns out soldiers who have these disadvantages: Bad Temper, Berserk, Bloodlust, Bully, Callous, Hidebound, Megalomania, Overconfident, Post-Combat Shakes, Sadism, Selfish, Stubbornness, and Wounded. There is a painkiller herb called "abfalduz" that many Falkkomiss recruits become addicted to, so Addiction (abfalduz) is common - treat as a cheap, highly addictive drug which is socially accepted (much like cigarettes or snuff).
  • Falkkomiss and Edelkorps also turns out soldiers with these advantages: Claim to Hospitality, Combat Reflexes, Common Sense, Danger Sense, Enhanced Defenses, Favor, Fearlessness, Fit, High Pain Threshold, Military Rank, Outdoorsman, Patron, Single Minded, Social Regard (feared), Striking ST, Trained By A Master, Very Fit, Weapon Master.
  • Possible Phobias: Death and the Undead at -10, Magic at -10. Many civilians have phobias about the military or shows of violence, which could be handled as a -15 point Phobia, or as Paranoia, for those who suspect the state is tracking them.
Last edited by HuManBing on Fri Jul 13, 2012 2:27 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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