Wildwood Manuscripts: The Priest (WIP, Part 2)

Having noticed some of the complexities in the previous draft, I thought to boil it down to the basics. I wasn't using enough of Beyond the Wall in the design of the class, and in BtW magic is kept pretty simple. I'm a big fan of magical research, so priests are themselves casters with a pretty limited amount of spells they can draw from (which cause God's Wrath, rather than usual spell calamity rules on a failure) but their big deal is they have Blessings which are tied to Ritual Denials (which you take one at every level).

Also included: Starting Weapon, Specialty Gear, and Liturgic Item Generators. Name/Title/Order Generators. Random Verses/Psalms/Prayers to Quote Generators. And a d30 of specific beliefs, which may or may not be true, but should guide action within the sandbox.

I'm happier with this for my Dolmenwood gaming purposes. Fluff is the same, but mechanically they're sort of their own thing. A bit low powered save for certain situations, but that's how I feel most classes ought to work.

The Priest [Fluff]
These individuals are mere lay-priests, mendicant friars, and wandering pilgrims who through faith in the power of the One True God, wield the favor of the Divine and act as His agents within the mortal world. They perform holy sacraments and grant blessings to those who would act in the service of the Almighty, and their time spent in theological education has granted them arcane knowledge to the formulae of spells that run ragged between the material world and that which lingers beyond. So long as they remain loyal and devout in their ways, they may call upon a higher power to aid them. But such devotion and loyalty is always open to interpretation, and ones goodly priest is another’s fire and brimstone preacherman or zealous inquisitor.

Priests are themselves not unformidable in combat, though only those of certain theological interpretations would view it as something to actively pursue when proselytization and diplomacy are possible. Each may call upon the One True God for blessings a number of times per day, and their blessings may be invoked in a myriad of utilitarian ways. Spells are generally learned from an upbringing spent reading illuminated tomes or by making pilgrimages to various shrines and forgotten priories that subscribe to those same interpretations of the One True God and his text.

Priests must subscribe to a specific form of denial in order to preserve their union of devotion to the One True God, and those who fall from such a path must make atonement by visiting a number of holy sites equivalent to the gravity of their sin, donate all material coinage to the causes of the Faithful, and rely solely upon the bonds of friendship and charity given to them by those who are not members of the clergy.

Hit Dice: d6

Initiative Bonus: +0

The Priest

		Saving Throws					Class Feature
Level	Experience	Enchantment	Substance	Geas	Dragon Spume	Ensorcellment	Blessings
1	0	11	14	12	15	13	1
2	2,500	11	14	12	15	13	2
3	5,000	11	14	12	15	13	3
4	10,000	11	14	12	15	13	4
5	20,000	11	14	12	15	13	5
6	40,000	9	13	10	13	11	6
7	80,000	9	13	10	13	11	7
8	150,000	9	13	10	13	11	8
9	300,000	9	13	10	13	11	9
10	450,000	9	13	10	13	11	10

Class Features

Ritual Denial: All Priests must subscribe to a specific form of denial in order to prove to the One True God their willingness to go without base comforters that make life easier, as a way of proving their desire to form a union under His Grace. Such denials may include:

• Abstaining from all alcohols, save for on feasting days.
• Abstain from the consumption of all meats, save for on feasting days.
• Abstain from all pleasures of the flesh, save for the purposes of producing children.
• Abstain from collecting great wealth (100gp multiplied by one’s level), save for donating to the Church.
• Abstain from using piercing weapons against foes.
• Abstain from using blunt weaponry against foes.
• Abstain from accepting the charity of pagans, unless you are attempting to convert them.
• Abstain from dealings with fey creatures, unless they can serve the purposes of the Church.
• Abstain from the use of any intoxicating or psychedelic substances.
• Abstain from the company of the wealthy (the wealthy have at least 100gp multiplied by one’s level) unless you are there to convince them to donate a portion of it to the Church.
• Abstain from counsel with entities from other realms of existence.
• Abstain from base comforts, never wearing or wielding items not donated by the church or recovered from the hands of the wicked.
• Abstain from wearing armor of plate or chains.
• Abstain from wearing leathers as armor.
• Abstain from glory or fame, asking instead such glory be given to the Church.

Atonement: Priests lose all ability to cast spells, orisons, blessings and chastisements should they knowing and willfully indulge in one of their Ritual Denials. Should this happen, a Priest must seek atonement by undertaking a pilgrimage to a number of holy sites equivalent to their class level. They must donate all material wealth to the first church they come across (though it may be recovered once atonement is achieved), and they must rely solely upon the charity of companions and strangers to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves until they finish their pilgrimage.

Blessings: The Priest may make a number of blessings per day equivalent to their level. Priests need to be able to make a hand gesture or to brandish a symbol of the Deity (be it a book or holy item) in order to invoke the power. Priests may not bless themselves, but they may bless items for their own use. All Blessings that are not instantaneous effects (such as healing) last a number of hours equal to the Priest’s level.

Blessings may be used in the following ways.

• To hold back the Undead or Fiends, forcing them to make a morale check to attack the blessed. Priests may block any number of creatures with an HD equivalent to their class level or less.
• To bless a number of weapons equal to the Priest’s level, granting them a +1 to Hit, the ability to hit incorporeal entities, and +1 Damage against Fiends and the Undead.
• To bless water and purify it of toxins, pollution, or other negative qualities. If used against Fiends or the Undead such a weapon does 1d4+Priest’s Level in damage.
• To heal individuals 1d4+Priest’s Level in Hit Points.
• To grant an individual a single re-roll of a Save vs Substance to half the effects of poisons or drugs.
• To grant a number of temporary Hit Points equal to the Priest’s Level to an individual.
• To make an individual immune to Fear, although still allowing them to acknowledge that they should be afraid in a situation.

• To detect the broad intent of an individual, to see if they mean intentional ill-will towards the Faithful.
• To reduce the amount of rest an individual needs to recover from being Fatigued to 1d4 hours.
• To reduce the amount an individual needs to eat or drink to the point, such that a starving man would feel full after eating a single day’s meals, or that someone who skipped a day’s meals might feel content after having a single piece of rations.
• To take on the wounds of another individual, with the Priest suffering instead the damages of wounds, illnesses or poisons as they so choose rather than the original victim.

Lore-wise: Priests are educated well in the texts and studies of the One True God and the interests of His servants. Priests may identify plants and mushrooms at a rate of 3-in-6, are literate in the liturgic tongue of the faithful, and may identify the gravity and cause of wounds or ailments at a rate of 2-in-6.

Divine Spellcasting

Priests begin play with a number of spells equal to their Wisdom Modifier, chosen from the list below. Priests may learn additional spells of a divine nature or of Good or Lawful Alignment, but they must expend resources by engaging in theological research, akin in mechanics to the magical research undertaken by magic-users.

A failure on a spell-casting roll invokes God’s Wrath upon the caster, which gives them a further -1 to cast spells as well as a specific strange penalty which compounds the further on the Priest continues to tempt fate. Unlike a magic-user, a Priest can still cast spells after invoking God’s Wrath.

Priest Spell List: Alleviate Discomfort, Calm Emotions, Clarity of Speech, Commensality, Inspire Courage, Gather the Faithful Guidance, Prayer of Mending, Sense Sorcery, Enlighten Memory, and Resist Sorcery.

Spells are described in further detail, below.

 

Priest Name Generator

d20	Male Name	Female Name	Liturgic Name*	Title Part 1	Title Part 2
1	Abb	Afraig	Aeserninus	of the August	Host.
2	Aitken	Ailswaif	Ailmentus	of the Eminent	Chantry.
3	Alasdar	Beathraen	Caecilius	of the Grand	Priory.
4	Baikie	Catriona	Deiadematus	of the Great	Cross.
5	Baird	Cowrine	Delmaticus	of the Majestic	Sun.
6	Burnsbow	Dearbhail	Fortunatus	of the Radiant	Saint's Grace.
7	Callum	Ealusaide	Geminus	of the Splendid	Lord's Sword.
8	Domhnall	Eilidha	Glaucinus	of the Upright	Papacy.
9	Dugwald	Elspeth	Luscinius	of the Virtuous	Pontifex.
10	Eoghan	Fenella	Marcellinus	of the Blameless	Martyr.
11	Eoin	Fionae	Mucianus	of the Fair	Lion.
12	Fearghus	Iona	Palaemon	of the Lawful	Eagle.
13	Gille	Iosabaile	Papinianus	of the Pure	Soul.
14	Griogair	Maibe	Postumus	of the Righteous	Grace of God.
15	Lochloin	Maol	Salvidienus	of the Golden	and Unconquerable God.
16	Niall	Marsaile	Saturninus	of the True	God of Man.
17	Padraig	Mor	Serranus	of the Splendid	Saint's Devotion.
18	Roibeard	Morag	Turrinus	of the Judicious	Church of God.
19	Tormord	Rhonae	Urbanus	of the Sagely	Servants of God.
20	Uilliam	Yseult	Vitrasieus	of the Wise	and Unbroken Union.

*Liturgic Feminine names should be adapted by changing the masculine -us to the feminine -a, -illa or -ina.

Starting Gear: A weapon as determined by the Priest’s Starting Weapon chart below,  a specific piece of gear as determined by the Priest Specialty Gear chart below, a Liturgical Item determined by the chart below, a simple frock, a few feet of rope, flint and tinder, a canteen, a week’s rations (in rough wafer crackers, dehydrated beans, and fresh carrots), a personal journal, a charcoal writing implement, and 3d6+Wisdom Attribute in Silver Coins with which to make other purchases.

Priest’s Starting Weapon

d12	Starting Weapon	Provenance
1	Well-worn Walking Stick (d4)	Your master's...
2	Knotted Shepherd's Crook (d4)	...which has defended your life before.
3	Brass Rod with Cruciform Head (d6)	...which you hope you will never have to wield in combat.
4	Pitted Iron Longsword (d8)	...recovered from a fallen Crusader.
5	Antiquated Brass-Headed Spear (d6)	...kissed by a Grand Abbot before your departure.
6	Sphere-Headed Mace (d6)	...as was wielded in times past by a great Saint.
7	Forester's Axe (d6)	...with embellishments of the Angelic Host upon it.
8	Herb Paring Knife (d4)	...with embellishments of a Saint upon it.
9	Cruciform Embellished Gladius (d6)	....notched with the marks of holy sites visited.
10	Leaf-bladed Pugio (d4)	Your parent's old...
11	Fisherman's Gaff Hook (d6)	A utilitarian but useful....
12	Sacramental Cloth Sling and 10 stones (d4)	...which shall be a scourge upon the Wicked.

Priest Speciality Gear

d12	Starting Gear	Provenance
1	Fine Brass Mortar & Pestle	...which you picked up on your travels.
2	Cruciform-Emblazoned Buckler (AC+1)	...given to you before you left your home.
3	Wide Brimmed Black Hat	...of superior make and quality.
4	Illuminated Personal Documents	...given to you in a moment of doubt and weakness.
5	Urn of Ashes from the Faithful	...taken from a heathen.
6	Spectacles with magnifying lenses.	...given to you by a convert to the Faith.
7	Silver Signet Ring of the Faith	...given to you for delivering last rites to a family.
8	Brick of Fine Floral-Scented Soap	...taken from a corpse you found on the side of the road.
9	Lovely Compass of Nickel	...granted to you by a noble who thought it'd excuse him of sins.
10	Bottle of Finely Vintaged Wine	...with design work of a host of angels upon it.
11	Lovely Warm Quilt	...with design work of beautiful garden scenes upon it.
12	Fancy Candle Lamp (with 2 Candles)	...which you found beside you one morning, for some reason.

Liturgical Item

All priests carry with them a liturgical item from their time spent within the clergy, which they may use as a focus for blessings or simply as a show of their place within the Church of the One True God. To generate one’s personal liturgical item, roll a d12 to first determine the type of item and then roll a d12 two more times to determine special details. Or should it be easier, you may just as easily roll a single d12 and read the results across.

Liturgical Item

d12	Liturgical Item	Detail 1	Detail 2
1	Missale Book	Stained with the blood of a martyr	which glimmers with faint, distant candlelight.
2	Prayer Beads	Adorned with silvered filigree	which smells distinctly of myrrh.
3	Crucifix	Sealed with a wax signet mark of the Papacy	which is calming to the touch,
4	Pax	Adorned with images of the Heavenly Angelic Host	which billows smoke in the hands of the wicked.
5	Lectionary	Embellished with the crude face of a Saint	that the Fey cringe from.
6	Altar Bell	Embellished with fiendish shuddering grotesques	and radiates a sense of nostalgic purpose.
7	Purity Seal	Embossed with a blessed brass cruciform pattern	and constructed partially from the reliquary bones of a Saint.
8	Chalice	Adorned with vellum tags of liturgic blessings	which has faint accents of gold worked in.
9	Evangeliary	Embellished with images of a Saint's ascension	which has been marked by the master of your order.
10	Sanctuary Lamp	Adorned with a motif of roses and thorned vines	which carries with it a chill you've grown accustomed to.
11	Medallion	Adorned with a motif of sun beams and birds	which thrums with purpose when held aloft.
12	Rosary	Embellished with polished ivory and soft stones	which when gripped makes you feel as though you are protected.

Priest’s Spells in Detail:

Alleviate Discomfort - A number of creatures equal to the priest's level cease to feel any discomfort caused by nausea, sickness or pain.

Calm Emotions - A number of startled or frightened creatures equal to the priest's level are soothed to calmness.

Clarity of Speech - The priest or their target’s speech becomes clear and free of impediments for a number of minutes equal to the priest's level.

Commensality - The priest says a short prayer before a meal, granting all those who consume the meal within the presence of the priest to either gain 1 Temporary Hit Point, or to be healed 1 Hit Point. This spell may not be cast upon a meal that was gained through ill-gotten means.

Inspire Courage - The priest may grant a +1 bonus to Hit on one's next attack roll to a number of individuals equal to the priest's level.

Gather the Faithful - The priest invokes a sense in the patrons of the Church (within one mile per level) that the services and charity of the faithful are to be needed. This does not provide any compulsion to act in such a way.

Guidance - The priest grants a +1 bonus to Wisdom or Intelligence checks to a number of individuals equal to the priest's level for the purposes of determining the right course of action to take during a moral dilemma.

Magic Sense - The priest may sense the presence of magical influences within five feet, though they have no way to determine the spell or means of which the magic was the cast. They may read targets of failed saves against Ensorcellment, Enchantment and Geas for a number of days equal the priest's level.

Enlighten Memory - The priest grants a +2 bonus to any checks made to recall the exact appearance, wording, or meaning of an item, text or message.

Prayer of Mending - The priest mends holes, dents, scratches, or tears in small objects.

Resist Sorcery - The priest grants a +1 bonus to the next saving throw against Ensorcellment or Enchantment, so long as it occurs within the presence of the priest or a blessed item.

God’s Wrath
God’s Wrath is a table of consequences for those who are acting out of accordance with the Divine, a situation that can occur without the caster needing to do so with purpose. God’s Wrath afflicts the caster for a number of hours equal to the Priest’s level, forcing a -1 penalty to all rolls until the time expires or they perform full rites of purification and prayer which takes at least 1d4 minutes per level of the caster.  God’s Wrath triggers automatically if a spell would benefit an Evil Aligned creature, hitting both the target and the caster. An Evil Aligned creature struck by God’s Wrath takes 1d4 damage for each level of the caster, erupting their flesh in blue flame and silvery smoke.

God’s Wrath

d20	Manifestation
1	Itching and hideous boils.
2	Food tastes like ash.
3	Hallucinations of fiend's tormenting one’s body.
4	Hair begins to fall out in patches.
5	Frequently bloodied nose.
6	Cannot speak.
7	Begins speaking in tongues.
8	Can only see in monochromatic.
9	Cannot see at all.
10	Louse on one's head.
11	Louse on one's nether region.
12	Loss of all joy and enthusiasm.
13	Painful and frequent vomiting.
14	Painful and frequent coughing.
15	Fingernails fall off.
16	Hallucinations of being judged by a host of angels.
17	Coinage begins whispering sinful temptations.
18	Pestered by fleas and mites.
19	Swollen hands and tongue.
20	Painful yet beatific visions of God voicing His displeasure.

Religious Superstition/Specific Belief
Knowledge is power within a sandbox, and these following points represent a distinct and specific belief or superstition held by the priest. The truth of them is open to interpretation by the GM and the Player, but acting upon such things should be rewarded and challenged. Priests should begin play with two beliefs of this chart, picked randomly. Should you roll the same result twice, you believe this with great conviction.

Religious Superstition or Specific Belief

d30	Belief
1	Fiends cannot speak one's Liturgical name.
2	Cruciforms in silver burn the flesh of fey things.
3	Let cloth fray at the edges, so pagans may mistake it for their threads of Fate.
4	A priest who has never been made to atone, has never truly loved God.
5	It is a kindness to baptise a pagan before their execution, so they may be judged by God for their deeds.
6	Only the One True God may deal in absolutes, you must act as you best believe.
7	Cut not the rose flower, pluck but a few petals to bless one's tea.
8	Condemn not the rebel until you know how they hold God in their heart.
9	Make the symbol of the One True God if touched by a frog.
10	It is known that demons may not cross lines of salt.
11	Exorcisms may be performed using rose oil and blessed cloth.
12	The undead are a sign of the Ruination, they rise at the behest of Hell.
13	The Ruination is soon upon us, one must convert as many as they can to save their souls.
14	The Ruination is soon upon us, only by having as many children as possible can we have an army.
15	The undead are a sign of the Ruination, they shall fight fiends at the end of Days.
16	So long as you keep the One True God highest in your heart, you are bound to no bargain.
17	Mankind need not bow before any master who does not bow before God.
18	Those who hold an honor code are due respect, judgement comes when breached.
19	Mercy must be given to the prisoner, to kill the wounded is to snuff out one who could serve God.
20	It is noble to kill the children of the wicked, as they would always hold sin in their heart.
21	A priest lacks purpose if he has not toiled in sweat each day.
22	To build civilization and drive back the wild is the noble duty of all Faithful folk.
23	To Crusade is the purpose of fighting-men, to guide is the purpose of priests.
24	One must make the gesture of Faith each night or be riddled by nightmares of hags.
25	Those who abhor all evil, deny redemption to the petty crimes of man.
26	Mankind is chosen to fight against the Ruination, all others must pledge their service in time or be unwitting servants of Hell.
27	Pride is man's union with the Divine made manifest, only sinful should it denounce God.
28	Feelings of pleasure not gained by rumination upon the Divine will lead you astray to sin most quickly.
29	Courage is the lifeblood of mankind, cowards are capable of the greatest courage.
30	Those who have hurt the most are most capable of empathy and cruelty.

Random Prayer/Psalm/Passage
Should the priest ever need to flip open a prayer book and quote a passage to justify what they’ve done, roll on the following chart.

Random Prayer Book Passage or Verse

d30	Part 1...	...Part 2...	...Part 3.
1	The Psalm	of the Golden	Angelic Host of Heavens.
2	The Creed	of the Crucified	Steed's Prowess.
3	The Humilitous Verse	of the Poisoned	Mare's Grace.
4	The Courageous Verse	of the Hubristic	Fiend's Temptation.
5	The Liberating Verse	of the Wizened	Anointed Saint
6	The Pure Song	of the Grand	Humble Farmer
7	The Chant	of the Clamoring	Beguiled Witch-Finder
8	The Mercy	of the Budding	Judge of Man.
9	The Doctrine	of the Earth-Salting	Gladiator in Bonds.
10	The Path	of the Ruination and the...	Knight of Faith.
11	The Relapse	of the Flowing	Righteous Crusader
12	The Martyrdom	of the Sacrificial	Unbloodied Templar
13	The Atonement	of the Sacramental	Grand Abbot
14	The Penance	of the Celestial	Faithful Monk
15	The Geas	of the Monadic	Beatified Youth.
16	The Prayer	of the Sarkic	Heathen Unbound
17	The Fasting	of the Denier and...	Unconquered Sun
18	The Mass	of the Peacebound	One True God
19	The Choral Verse	of the Loyal Steward and the...	Chosen Pure
20	The Canto	of the Canonist and the...	Imperishable Flame
21	The Wisdom	of the Scholar and the...	Chosen Faithful
22	The Judgment	of the Blessed	Chalice of Charisms
23	The Chastisement	of the Stalwart	Sword of the True.
24	The Redemption	of the Illuminated	Saintly Sacrament.
25	The Revelry	of the Aegis of the...	Radiant Cruciform
26	The Glory	of the Cherub's Joy and the...	Shepherd of the Lowly Lamb
27	The Ascent	of the Valorous and Sacred...	True Communion
28	The Reprieve	of the Lowly's...	Parish of Loyals.
29	The Peace	of the Lion Regal and the...	Bride's Devotion.
30	The Wounding	of the Brothers and the...	Husband's Foundation.