Priesthood

The lack of a priesthood in Powers & Perils is a problem. This is due to the fact that priests have abilities that wizards do not, the ability to perform exorcisms for example. Without Priests, Shamans are the party's only defense against possession and other supernatal ills. Wizards and Sidh Magicians can do nothing against them. Also, the parties potential resources against poisoning, disease, etc., are restricted more than they would be with an active Priesthood. For this reason, I plan to add rules for Priests in Heroes. This issue will define the types of priests and their place in society. They also cover the basic abilities possessed by each class and other parameters of interest. In the next issue I will cover Priestly magic and other factors that you need to know to explore the full potential of the priesthood.

I hope that you will find these rules to be of value. I am sure that they will add a new dimension to your game if you choose to introduce them in your campaign.

Urigallu

COST TO LEARN = 200

The Urigallu are the administrators, executives and main celebrants of the faith. They celebrate masses, administer temple lands and see to the welfare of the faith. Only male characters are allowed to become Urigallu priests. Exceptions may be made for female characters who roll Native Will x 3 or less on D100. (In Clima and L'p'nth only females are Urigallu and no exceptions are ever made.)

VESTMENTS - The normal vestments of an Urigallu class priest are white and purple. Depending on rank, the percentage of the costume that is white increases. At the highest rank, the Urigallu Mah (High Priest of the Temple), they are white with a thin purple border.

STARTING SKILLS - Urigallu Priests receive a Starting Level as a Scholar in the Cosmology of their chosen alignment plus Starting Rank non-combat skills with a cost to learn greater than 35. They may choose any skill of sufficient cost that is artistic, creative or scientific in nature. They may also use it to gain any appropiate (Referee discretion) language. They may never practice any form of magic other than the rituals they gain through the Priesthood. In addition to the knowledge above, Urigallu Read and Write their native tongue at their maximum. EL. If they learn any languages with their starting knowledge, they Read and Write that language at their maximum EL at no additional cost.

NOTE - While supernatal language knowledge is not mandatory, progress to high rank (Ranks 8-10) is impossible unless the Urigallu speaks the tongue of his deity.

MAGIC KNOWLEDGE - Starting Urigallu know Purification, Summoning and a number of alignment spells equal to their Rank. The Summoning rites known are for creatures of the Priests'alignment. The spells must be spells that benefit from being cast with the language of the Priest's deity with a Base Mana Cost less than or equal to the Priest's Starting Rank.

EXAMPLE - A player wishes to start an Urigallu of Inanna. His Starting Rank is 2. He may learn two general or law spells with a Base Mana Cost of 2 or less that are benefitted when used with the Tongue of Light (see Page 50, Book 2 of Powers & Perils). His possible choices are Divination, Detection, Cure Disease, Healing Sanity, Sustenance and Wakefulness.

WEALTH - In additon to any wealth purchased, Urigallu priests have Rank squared GC as starting wealth. These funds represent savings from the priest's salary. The basic salary of an Urigallu is (Rank + 1) squared GC per month. It is only received when he serves full time at a church or major temple. It is for personal upkeep and religious projects not directly supported by the faith.

EXAMPLE - At Rank 0 an Urigalu receives 1 GC per month. At Rank 4 his salary is 25GC per month and at Rank 10, the highest possible rank, he gets 121GC per month.

Kalu

COST TO LEARN = 150

The Kalu priest is a master musician. His duties revolve around the use of music in major rituals, feasts and daily worship. In most societies Kalu priests are male, though this is not a strict bias. (Females roll maximum EL as Musicians x 10 for an opportunity to gain acceptance as Kalu priests.)

VESTMENTS - The robes of the Kalu are yellow in color. The higher the rank, the deeper the shade of yellow.

STARTING SKILLS - Kalu Priests gain Rhetoric at a starting EL one artistic or creative skill with a cost to learn greater than 35 and a maximum EL as a Musician in a number of instruments equal to his Rank + 1. They gain Read and Write as specified for the Urigallu.

MAGIC KNOWLEDGE - The magics employed by this class are covered in Powers & Perils. The next article provides this information.

WEALTH - No additional starting wealth is gained. The salary of a Kalu priest is (Rank + 4) squared CC per month. It is intended solely for personal upkeep and he is not held accountable for it.

Ashipu

COST TO LEARN = 200

The Ashipu priest is the temple excorsist. He is responsible for protecting the faithful from hostile supernatural forces and inimical powers (disease, injury, etc.). He is the religion's primary warrior against supernatural enemies. All Ashipu priests are male. In some faiths (L'p'nth's faith is an example) this specialty does not exist because of sexual bias.

VESTMENTS - Ashipu vestments are red. The higher the rank, the deeper the shade worn.

STARTING SKILLS - Ashipu Priests gain a Starting Level as a Healer and in the tongue of a hostile supernatal force. They are also trianed as Herbalists and in the tongue of their drity to their maximum EL. They Read and Write their Native Tongue and their deity's tongue at no extra cost.

MAGIC KNOWLEDGE - All Ashipu start with knowledge of Exorcism (see Shamanic spell of the same name), Purification, Protection (enemy alignment) and Dispell/Banish (enemy alignment). They also know Rank -1 other spells, benefitted by their god's tongue, with a Base Mana Cost less than or equal to Starting Rank x 2.

WEALTH - In addition to any other starting wealth, Ashipu priests get Rank squared SC. Their salary is Rank + 2 GC per month. They only receive this stipend when they work at a temple. At other times they support themselves by charging for their services as an exorcist and healer. They may not refuse anyone service because he cannot pay their fee. (The average fee is Station squared CC.)

Mashmashu

COST TO LEARN = 275

Mashmashu are temple wizards, trained in spells derived from their deity and some priestly skills. They may not learn magic of another alignment or magic derived from a deity who is hostile to theirs. Within these restrictions, they are the same as any other Wizard and obey the same rules. Their main duty in the temple is to combat magical threats and, in some areas, to destroy enemies of the faith, i.e. heretics and servants of enemy forces.

VESTMENTS - The robes of the Mashmashu are orange and black. In most faiths the higher the rank, the greater the percentage of orange. In Chaos faiths, the reverse is true. In either case, only a Mashmashu is allowed to wear solid orange or black.

STARTING SKILLS - Mashmashu gains Rank + 1 creative or scientific skills, as specified for the Urigallu and the supernatural tongue of his deity at his maximum EL. He may Read and Write as specified for the Urigallu.

MAGIC KNOWLEDGE - Mashmashu are trained wizards with 1D3 + Rank General Skills, excluding Divination, and Rank + 3 alignment spells.

WEALTH - As for the Urigallu except in SC instead of GC for both starting wealth increase and salary. These funds are for personal maintenance and magical research.

Baru

COST TO LEARN = 175

Baru priests specialize in Divination. Either sex has access to this specialty. In general, they are only found in heavily populated areas. Their duties are to divine the will of the worshipped deity, deal with the faithful and perform placatory rituals when the gods are angry. They are important functionaries in major temples.

VESTMENTS - Baru priests wear blue. The higher the rank, the lighter the shade of blue worn.

STARTING SKILLS - Baru priests have one Scholar skill and Rank + 1 other skills, as defined for the Urigallu. They can read and write any language that they can speak.

MAGIC KNOWLEDGE - Baru priests are trained in Divination, Purification, Knowledge and the tongue of their deity. Their starting EL in their spells equal their rank or the maximum possible for them, whichever is lower. They have a maximum EL in the tongue of their deity. They may not start with any other magical knowledge.

WEALTH - As for the Mashmashu. No starting weatlh increase is gained.

Qadishtu Mah

COST TO LEARN = 200

The Qadishtu Mah are the female equivalent of the Ashipu. They are temple healers with some training as exorcists. In faiths where both specialties exist, the Ashipu specialty stresses exorcism and this one stresses healing. Where Ashipu do not exist, both functions are stressed in this class. Except for Vestments, all other factors are as specified for the Ashipu.

VESTMENTS - The robes of the Qadishtu Mah are red and green. If Ashipu exist, the higher the rank the greater the percentage of green worn. If not, those who stress exorcism increase the percentage of red, those who stress healing increase the green.

Qadishtu

COST TO LEARN = 150

This class specializes in the use of music and dance in the practices of the faith. The class is restricted to female members. Males who wish to enter it, rather than become a Kalu, roll their maximum EL as a Dancer x 5 on D100. All factors except vestments are as specified for the Kalu except the entertainment skills gained are not restricted to knowledge of musical instruments. In all cases, the first entertainment skill selected must be Dancer.

VESTMENTS - The robes of the Qadishtu are varying shades of brown, especially tans. The higher the rank of the member, the lighter the robes and the finer the material they are made of.

Tariti (Allani*)

COST TO LEARN = 200

The Tariti are specialists in sacred temple rites, ritual eroticism and other skills. All members are female. In certain societies (L'p'nth and Clima for example) they rule the temple and the Urigallu are little more than clerks and administrators. In others (Shurikal and Kacili) they are unimportant sacrificial victims. In general, the more Patriarchal a society is, the less important this class is.

* In Chaotic temples this class is called the Allani instead of the Tariti. The title Tariti is derived from thc Law Goddess Taritu. The title Allani is from the Chaos Goddess Allatu.

VESTMENTS - Members of this class are robed in white. The higher their rank, the purer the shade of white worn and the finer the material used, i.e. the Tariti Ai wear a coarse white linen that is almost gray, the Tari Mah wears pure white vestments of the finest silk.

STARTING SKILLS - Eroticism plus the skills listed for the Qadishtu. Members of this class may not practice any form of wizardry. They may not learn rites of exorcism.

MAGIC KNOWLEDGE - The powers available to this class will be described in the next article.

WEALTH - Their starting wealth is not increased. Their salary equals Rank squared+ Appearance CC per month in societies where their function is not dominant. In other societies, it is as specified for the Urigallu and Urigallu income is decreased by 90%, i.e. a Rank 10 Urigallu gets 12GC and 1SC per month instead of 121GC.

Magic For Priests

Unless specified otherwise above, a Priest's Starting EL in any magic spell that he knows equals his Starting Rank divided by 2, rounded down. His Starting MEL is based on Current Will for all classes except Mashmashu (Intelligence), Qadishtu Mah (Empathy) and Tariti (Eloquence+ Empathy)/2.

Setting Up A Nation's Faith

The underlying rationale that drives a nation's religious belief is generally, in early societies, found in how they interact with their environment. This includes their most important survival methods, the way they interact with other peoples and internal social dynamics. To judge which gods in a given court are dominant, these factors should be weighed.

An example of this is the Fomorian Empire, specifically the island of Fomoria. They worship the Court of Ashur. Because the pre-eminent facet of their culture is their control and utilization of the sea, for protection and trade, their great god is Enki. Because they built their empire through violent expansion, and are a major military power, they also have large temples worshipped Inanna, her secondary gods (T'aritu and Mushru) and Vahagn. Their emphasis on legal action and devotion to the law are the center-point of their worship of Ashur, though he is also a god of power and war. The needs of their people for food and other goods gives them increased incentive to worship both Inanna and Taritu. On a mountainous island with ready access to the seas and little arable land, the fertility and optimum utilization of what arable land is present is critical. This is especially true among the common people.

Thus, on the island of Fomoria we find that Enki is the god all worship while Inanna, Ashur and Vahagn (in that order) are worshipped extensively by various fractions of the population. Inanna is most favored by soldiers and the common people. Ashur is the god preferred by those in government, tbe legal profession, officers and most intellectuals. Vahagn finds a good deal of support by individuals, across the spectrum of society, who are concerned with power and adventure. His most common worshippers are mercenaries, sea traders, high-risk merchants and the more active and forceful followers of Ashur. The other gods of the court find their importance in their relationship to these four major gods. They receive worship as mucb for their connection to a greater godhead as they do for their own divinity, in the society as a whole. Each has a certain strata of society that considers them to be patrons or protectors and therefore grants them worship. None are worshipped with the pageantry and emphasis that is given to the "big four".

Ranks Of The Priesthood

Priests are ranked from Rank 0 (the lowest) to Rank 10 (the highest). This applies to all faiths. The meaning of the various ranks are:

Rank	Title	Equivalent	Special
0	Ai	Acolyte	Acolytes are restricted to their temple, and the surrrounding area. This restriction is often relaxed for the Cai rank.
1	Bana
2	Cai
3	Dama	Priests	Lesser priests who serve as in major temples or as priests in rural areas. Those with potential and Fama rank usually serve in major temples.
4	Ea
5	Fama
6	Hora	Senior Priests	Important priests who serve as major temple leaders, important missionaries or as the Abbots of monasteries in villages. small cities or rural areas.
7	Inai	Senior Priests
8	Kah	Bishop	A major leader of the class. Often in charge of training, temples of minor gods, small cities or rural districts.
9	Lama	Archbishop	Among the chief elders of the class. Rarely found outside of major temples or monasteries.
10	Mah*	Cardinal	The leader of the class in the nation, i.e. the single most important churchman of that type. Only found in the largest temple of the faith in the nation.

* The Urigallu Mah of a faith is its spiritual leader. His title is Sangu Mah. In faiths where the Taritu dominate, the Taritu Mah rules the faith as Sangu Tari Mah or Sangu Alla Mah depending on the type of faith.

EXAMPLE - The titles listed are appended to the class name. Thus, a rank 9 Baru priest is a Baru Lama, a rank 2 Kalu is a Kalu Cai, a rank 6 Ashipu is Ashipu Hora, a rank 7 Qadishtu Mah is a Qadishtu Ma'Inai, etc.

EXCEPTIONS - The Mashmashu only use their full name when they refer to the class as a whole. For personal rank the term "Mashu" is used, i.e. a rank 4 Mashmashu is a Mashu'Ea, rank 10 is Mashu'Mah.

A rank 10 Qadishtu Mah is THE Qadishtu Mah. All other ranks append the rank title to the word Mah, dropping the "h", to get their full title, i.e. rank 2 is Qadishtu Ma'Cai, rank 8 is Qadishtu Ma'Kah.

Finally, at ranks 6 and up, the Tariti delete the "ti" from their name in forming their title. Thus, a rank 7 Tariti is Tari Inai and rank 9 is Tari Lama. The same is true of Allani, i.e. a rank 7 Allani is an Alla Inai.

Station And The Priesthood

Historically, advancement in the priesthood had a great deal to do with the power and station of a priest's family. The sons of noble houses rapidly achieved high rank. Others, possibly more deserving, spent their lives as village priests despite their ability. The following rules reflect this factor:

Initial Statlon Table

	Level Of Class*
	Acceptance Modifier			Promotion Modifier
Station	I	II	III	I	II	III
0	-30	-15	-10	+4	+2	+1
1	-20	-10	-5	+2	+1	0
2	-10	-5	0	+1	0	0
3	5	0	5	0	0	-1
4	0	5	10	0	-1	-2
6	5	10	15	-1	-2	-3
10	10	15	20	-2	-3	-4

* The level of the various classes varies with the basic alignment of the faith. For LAW religions the levels are:

Urigallu
Ashipu, Baru, Qadishtu Mah and Tariti
Kalu, Mashmashu and Qadishtu

For CHAOS religions the following levels apply:

Urigallu or Allani*
Ashipu and Mashmashu
All others

* If the nation is matriarchal, the Allani rule and the Urigallu are level III. If the nation is strongly patriarchal, the Urigallu rule and the Allani are level III. If neither applies for a Chaos nation, the table is used as is.

ELDER religions use the following levels:

Urigallu, Qadishtu Mah and Ashipu
Kalu, Mashmashu, Qadishtu
Baru and Tariti

Certain KOTOTHI faiths (Shurikal for example) vary from standard Elder practice as follows:

Urigallu and Mashmashu
Ashipu and Baru
Kalu Qadishtu Mah, Qadishtu and Tariti

Acceptance Chance

The chance of being accepted into the priesthood equals: (W+ (Em/2) + Acceptance Modifier

Where the class you wish to enter concentrates on magic or healing, Will may be replaced by Intelligence. Where it requires dancing or musical skill, Agility or Dexterity may be used in the place of Will. These are the only modifications allowed.

If your attempt to enter fails you may try at a lower class level. You may never attempt to enter at the same or higher level as your failure. If your final failure is at the third level, your character may not start as a Priest. His only option is to win favor in play and be admitted for training as a result.

Starting Rank

A Character's Starting Rank in the priesthood is determined as follows:

W+ Em	Rank	W+ Em	Rank
3-25	-1	81-120	2
26-50	0	121+Up	3
51-80	1

To the rank above, add Station/3 rounded down. This is your final rank. If it is less than zero, you were admitted but failed to become a priest because of incompetence, poor attitude or some other reason. They bounced you.

Promotion

A Character's rise in the ranks of the Priesthood is determined with a yearly roll of 2D10. This roll is modified by the basic promotion modifier and the modifiers listed below:

Promotion Modifiers	Yes	No
1) Has been actively performing his duties (at least one week a month spent on church business).	0	+3
2) Has come to the attention of higher ranking priests, favorably.*	-2	0
3) As 2 except to his disfavor.*	+2	0
4) Has been a driving force behind a major victory for the faith.*	-3	0
5) Held responsible for a major defeat for the faith.*	+4	0
6) Popular with the people.	-1	+1
7) Popular with secular rulers of the area.**	-2	0
8) Disliked by the secular rulers of the area.**	+2	0
9) Noted for piety, dedication and/or combatting the enemies of the faith.*	-1	+1
10) Possesses secondary skills that are of value to the faith, i.e. skills not gained through the priesthood.	-1	+1
* These factors continue to the Character's benefit or detriment, for 1D6 years after they are earned, at 1/2 the value above rounded up.
** These factors apply at full value as long as the Character is in the area and the feelings of the local rulers remain the same.
NOTE - Determination of when these factors apply is left to the Referee and is based on the Player's use of his Character in play.

To determine whether a Character is promoted add all of the applicable promotion modifiers to his Next Rank times TWO. The result is a number that he must roll HIGHER than with 2D10.

EXAMPLE - Laran Shovan is a Mashu'Lama of Ashur in the city of Pelara. During the year he has gained a net modifier of -3. His personal modifier is -2. To be promoted to Mashu'Mah he must roll, 20+ ( -3+ -2), higher than 15 on 2D10.

After a promotion is received, new promotions are less likely for a period of 6-Original Station years, or one, whichever is greater. During this period, the next rank is multiplied times THREE in the formula above instead of two.

EXAMPLE - An Ashipu Bana was just promoted. His original station was three. For the next three years he will triple rank in attempting to become an Ashipu Cai. The base number is 9 instead of 6.

IMPORTANT - Character's do not automatically have a chance to be promoted. Beyond Rank 4 there must be a vacancy to be filled or a new posting, requiring additional rank, that he is being considered for. The chance that a Character can be promoted is determined rolling 1D10. If the roll is greater than or equal to the New Rank+his Promotion Modifier for original station, he has a chance.

Regardless of modifiers, if the roll of 1D10 is a 10 the Character is automatically considered for promotion. There is always a chance, even if you were born a serf.

Multiple Training

A starting character with sufficient rank to be considered a Priest (rank 3 or higber) can train as a member of another class, serving a lesser god than his primary god. This requires the following:

Sufficient rank.
Existing skills that would be worthwhile to the class of Priests you wish to join in the performance of their duties.
An acceptance roll with 1/2 the normal chance of acceptance before the acceptance modifier is added.
Enough expertise points to buy the skill.

If all the above is done, the character will start with 1/2 the rank determined for his primary priest class, rounded down. If he is not accepted, he may not have more than one class.

NOTE - In general it is best to refrain from trying for multiple specialties until the character is established and has made connections within the temple. It is more fun to win something in play than to simply throw dice for it.

This article concludes the series on the Priesthood which began in the last issue. It covers the basics of Priestly magic and adds more definition to the basic Priest types introduced in the last issue. I strongly suggest that Priests be included in your P&P campaign. Their are a substantial improvement in the game. Their powers fill holes in the current system, providing players with better weapons to defend against poisoning, possession, demonic attack and other perils. Their inclusion will also provide a more balanced society for your campaign to base itself in. Enjoy.

General Rules

The general rules in Powers & Perils for trained magic use apply for all Priests when they draw power from their Casting Ability. When they draw the power of a spell from their Energy Level, the rules for Innate Magic apply.

The maximum EL a Priest can attain in Priestly magic equals: W+Em+MEL divided by 15, round down.

If a Character has Supernatural Will and Empathy he is a Natural Priest. All rules applying to Natural Magicians apply in his use of Priestly magic.

Basic Powers

The spells listed in this section are those that all priests can use after they have completed their training. They are listed using the same format used in Powers & Perils for magic spells.

Basic Powers Table
Roll	Spell	Mana Cost	Source
01-20	Bless	1	CA
21-40	Healing	1	CA/EnL¹
41-60	Insight	2	CA
61-75	Detect Evil²	2	CA
76-90	Presence	2	EnL
91-100	Purification	2	CA
¹ Priests of the types devoted to the Healing Arts may have special healing powers that are drawn from either Casting Ability or Energy Level. These will be covered in the appropriate section of this article.
² Evil as defined by Priests equals the enemy alignment. For Law: it is Chaos, and vice versa. For Elder it is the Kotothi, if Sidh oriented or whichever force is the greatest danger in the area. The Referee must determine that for the area.

Basic Spell Descriptions

The descriptions that follow detail the six basic spells that all Priests can use. Variations to these rules may occur based on the Priest's type. Where such is the case, the rules listed for the type have precedence over these basic descriptions.

Bless

When a Priest lays a blessing on an individual he may grant a temporary increase to a characteristic or give combat advantages for attack or defense. The amount of improvement to the blessed's OCV or DCV equals the Priest's EL+1. His advantage for blessing a characteristic equals his EL+1 times TWO. The duration of the Priest's blessing is a number of days equal to his EL+1. To bless a person the Priest must touch him and the person must be willing to accept the blessing.

If a Priest pays double the normal mana requirement, he can lay conditions on his blessing. This lets him limit the use of the blessing to uses that are in the interest of the faith. He may also pay double mana to double the duration. Per increase cost paid, the number of days the person is affected is doubled.

EXAMPLE - An EL4 Priest blesses a soldier with Strength, +10. This lasts five days and costs nine mana. If he pays eighteen, it lasts ten days. Twenty seven points gets him twenty days. If he chooses to limit the blessing with conditions, he doubles the amount paid for the duration given. If he grants the blessing for twenty days, cost twenty seven, the total cost of the blessing is fifty four mana.

Healing

As for the Wizardry spell listed in Powers & Perils.

Insight

This spell is a limited form of Shamanic Soul Sight combined with an Elf's ability to perceive the intent of others. Successful use of the spell gives the Priest the following information:

The basic attitude of the person.
The person's orientation, i.e. Law, Chaos, etc.
Whether the person has supernatural powers of any kind and, if so, the orientation of those powers.

A Priest who uses this power successfully gets the information above. In addition, he may add twice his EL+1 to his Influence Chance in talking to this person if the person is not hostile to him.

Detect Evil

As for Mana Reading in Powers & Perils. The Priest must be actively searching for Evil. When he is, he finds that which is within his range and gets an indication of how strong it is.

Presence

Presence has two effects. First, it grants the Priest an increased chance to influence others (EL+1) and an increased DCV in physical combat (EL+1 divided by 3, rounded up).

Second, successful use of presence has a chance to repel enemy aligned forces. The maximum MDV that can be affected by this equals the Priest's EL times 5. Those who can not be affected ignore the spell. Others use their MDV to resist it. The BL on the Magic Table equals the Caster's EL + one half his MEL, rounded up. Success means that the target affected cannot approach within BL inches of the caster. If he is already within that range he must flee out of the radius of effect. While doing so, he can do NOTHING else. He must move directly away as fast as possible.

EXAMPLE - An MEL8/EL6 user of this spell affects a Demon. The Demon must stay at least 6 inches away from the Priest for the entire duration of this effect. If he was within 2 when the spell succeeded, he must flee immediately.

Duration:

EL+MEL in turns.

Purification

Priestly Purification grants the advantages specified in P & P. It also repels supernatural forces hostile to the caster's alignment. The rules specified for Presence apply here as well. Those forces who are too strong to be repelled are infuriated. They will go to any lengths to defile the blight on their land and slay its creator.

Range:

EL+1 inches (A diameter with the caster created focus at its center.)

Urigallu Magic

In most societies, Urigallu are the masters of the temple. As the administrators and main celebrants of the faith, their magic is dedicated to the greater rituals of the faith. As they are also masters of temple forces and church law, they wield powers to 6nd truth and administer church law. They are the Master Shepherds who give faith and justice to their flock.

In the spell table below, spells are marked with an R or a C. Spells marked with an R are ritual spells that require preparation and the proper environment. Spells with a C are castable using the normal rules for casting magic.

Urigallu Spell Table
Roll	Spell	Cost	Type
1	Blessed Thruth	2	C
2	Ceremony	8	R
3	Curse	6	R
4	Judgment	4	C
5	Command	3	C
6	Hidden Truth	5	C

Spell Descriptions

Blessed Truth

Unlike other Truth spells to be found in Powers & Perils, the person affected by this spell remains completely aware. He is not compelled to speak truth in any way. However, if he lies, he can be in BIG trouble.

There are two forms of this spell that the Priest can use. The first, cast at the cost above, grants him a chance to tell when someone is lying to him. This chance equals: The Priest's WILL+ (EL x 5).

If the roll succeeds or partials, the Priest is aware of the lie. If it fails, he believes the lie to be truth.

This spell can also be cast at TRIPLE normal cost. When this is done, the Priest can impose a minor curse on the affected person. In this case, whenever the person lies the curse strikes him. This automatically occurs with any lie the person may tell. The types of curses that can be tied to this spell are nervous twitches, boils, minor disease symptoms (vomiting, sneezing, etc) and other such things. In all cases, the curse ends when the spell ends and leaves no lasting damage.

Blessed Truth can only be cast in the second manner described above when the Priest is on ground purified for his alignment by Priestly magic. It is not usable in any other situation.

Ceremony

The term Ceremony defines basic forms of ritual worship that a Priest engages in. All such rites require preparation of materials, purification and a prepared altar and/or sacted ground. The forms a ceremony can take are:

WORSHIP - Worship of the deity to give praise. Rites used vary from simple prayers to complex festivals.
PLACATION - Rites intended to appease the anger of the deity and renew the ties between the deity and the people.
DEDICATION - Special services dedicating a person, place or thing to the service of the deity. These ceremonies are the holiest rites of the church. They are always performed with the greatest care. Good examples of such ceremonies in our culture are Marriage, Ordination of a Priest, Confirmation and Baptism.
HOLY OBSERVANCES - Major rituals celebrating high holy days and other periods of significance. These ceremonies always require the services of other types of Priest in addition to the Urigallu present.
FUNERALS - In a fantasy world, with evil spirits under every rock and twig, giving the fallen a proper funeral is very important. Basic funeral rites are done by a single Priest. More complicated rituals, appropriate for heroes and the society's elite, require the aid of other types of Priests and elaborate preparations.

The relevance of ceremonies depends on the significance that the Referee places on the supernatural and religion. In all cases, the effect of a given ceremony varies with the power of the Priest celebrating it. The base chance that a benefit is gained, if one is requested, equals the caster's EL x 5. The benefit granted is determined by the Referee. The factors of importance, each weighted from +20 to -20, in deciding what is done are:

How fitting is the request?
How frequently does the person who will benefit ask for aid from the Gods of that court?
Does the Priest perform the ritual correctly?
What environmental factors, if any, predispose the god to a friendly or unfriendly response?

Fitttingness is a measure of the desires of the deity. Where the request asked is a function, interest or power of the deity, the deity will be more likely to grant the request. Where it runs counter to the deity's power, function or interest, the deity will be more likely NOT to grant the boon asked.

Frequency is a measure of how dependent the Character is on divine intervention. The more a deity is asked for aid by a given individual, the less likely that the deity will grant the request.

If the Priest rolls SUCCESS on his spell roll, the full EL x 5 benefit is gained. If the result is PARTIAL SUCCESS the benefit equals the Priest's EL + His Rank. If a FAILURE results the Priest's EL is subtracted from the chance of success.

For environment, the more sacred a place is to a deity, the more likely that deity is to hear a request. The more it is opposed to the deity, the less likely that deity will respond.

EXAMPLE - Jeina of Asidan wants a blessing before going to A'Korchu. She seeks aid from the Priests of Inanna in the city of Fomoria. As she states her willingness to serve, they perform a ritual of Confirmation on her in the Temple of Inanna and beseech the goddess' aid for her newest warrior. Jeina is a hithful worshipper of Inanna who frequently asks for aid and is sometimes offensive when it appears that she will be refused. The factors weigh out as follows:

FITTINGNESS - Granting aid against servants of Abaddon's court is fitting. (+10)
FREQUENCY - Jeina often asks for aid and can be a petulant child when the goddess withholds it. These factors are bad. Her attitude and her tendency to lean on divine intervention make this factor a minus. (-20)
PERFORMANCE - The ritual is performed by a rank 5 Urigallu (MEL7/EL3). In this case, he achieves a Partial Success for a small plus. (+8)
ENVIRONMENT - The ceremony is performed in Inanna's most sacred temple. She is more likely to grant the request because of this. (+20)

To determine the chance that the request is granted, total the factors assigned. The result is the percentage chance that the deity bestows the benefit requested. In our example, this is an 18% chance of a boon being granted.

As Referee, you may modify the final chance determined as the campaign situation demands. The rule above is a guideline to give you an idea of the probability of success. You may wish to modify it and indude other negative factors.

EXAMPLE - Gods have a tendency to be temperamental. To reflect this, a request roll that fails by more than 50 can result in angering the God. The effect of this can be anything from no further help from that God for a substantial period of time to a bolt of lightning between the eyes. The response in this case is varied by the nature of the God who is angered and the game situation at the time.

Curse

Curses cast by Priests are generally meant to affect the victim in the afterlife. An example is Excommunication. Where a Priest desires a more immediate effect, he must cast this spell at double its normal casting cost. If this is done, he can achieve any effect as specified for Curses under Permanent Magic in Powers & Perils.

Judgment

This spell is intended for use in church trials. If it succeeds, the caster becomes aware of EVERY crime that the person affected has committed against the God that the Priest calls on. Cast at double cost, it grants this awareness for the God's entire court. Cast at triple cost, the knowledge is gained for the God's entire alignment.

For this spell to operate, the victim must be willing OR prevented from resisting. The rites demand that he be relatively motionless while his Judgment is read. In most societies where this spell is used to any great extent, refusal to undergo the rite is the same as an admission of guilt.

Command

With this spell the Priest uses his power to force a person to perform an action the Priest wishes him to do. Unlike other spells of this nature, the victim has a choice under this spell. If he makes a Will roll, the victim may flee rather than obey the command.

Targets who worship the God called on by the Priest have a +20 chance of the spell working on them and a -20 subtracted from their Will if they choose to resist the order. The commands possible with this spell are limited to things that can be performed immediately, i.e. with ten seconds of effort or less. If desired, the spell can be cast to have a greater effect. In this case, it must be cast on purified ground and the target must be willing or restrained. When this is done, the casting cost is tripled and no Will roll is allowed to resist its effect. Success at this level places a Geas on the victim as specified in Powers & Perils.

Range:

EL (If the EL is zero, the Priest must touch his target.)

Hidden Truth

A Priest who successfully casts this spell on himself can't be lied to easily. His chance to detect the unstated truth behind any statement equals his Em+(ELx5) if the speaker makes an Influence roll to conceal the fact that he has hidden something. If the speaker does not succeed on this roll, the Priest automatically learns the full truth.

This spell does not place the Priest or any speaker in any kind of trance. Both are fully aware for its entire duration.

Range:	EL+1 (The minimum distance between the speaker and the Priest.)
Duration:	(EL+1) x 10 (The number of minutes that the spell remains in effect.)

Ashipu And Qadishtu Mah Magic

These Priests are the guardians of the faith and the faithful. Their purpose is to heal the faithful and destroy their enemies. Their magics center around advanced healing arts, exorcism, rites of banishment and powers of both defense and attack. Against their enemies, they are a force to be feared. They are the Shield and Sword of the Faithful.

Ashipu/Qadishtu Mah Powers

The table below lists the major powers available to Priests of this class. They are divided, in the table, between Offensive Powers and Healing Arts. The section following the spell descriptions explains the relevance of this distinction.

Ashipu/Qadishtu Mah Spells
Healing Powers
Spell	Mana Cost	Source
Healing Hand	3	EnL
Dispell/Banish	3	CA
Regrowth	5	CA
Energy	6	CA/EnL
Negate Poison	6	CA
Negate Magic	7	CA
Exorcism	8	CA
Offensive Powers
Spell	Mana Cost	Source
Repel Evil	2	EnL
Paralyze Enemy	3	CA
Purifying Lance	5	CA
Inner Revelation	5	CA/EnL
Absorption of Evil	8	CA
Dispersion	10	CA
Damnation	15	CA¹
¹ This spell requires a complex ritual and other items to be used. It is not usable in day to day adventuring.

Spell Descriptions

Healing Hand

This spell is a special power of these classes. It heals 1D10+ EL hit points when a success occurs. A partial success, using the rules for normal skills, heals EL hit points. All persons who are affected by this spell are immune to infection for 48 hours. They also have the normal benefits to future Healing rolls, as specified for the Healing spell in Powers & Perils.

Under no circumstances can the Priest use this spell on himself. It may only be used on those aligned with his alignment or those with no alignment. If it is attempted on persons who are tainted with evil, as viewed by the Priest's alignment, both the Priest and the person to be affected suffer damage equal to the number of hits that would have been healed by Success.

Dispell/Banish

As listed for the spell of the same name in Powers & Perils. This spell may only be used on supernatural forces of the enemy alignment.

Regrowth

This spell is used to cure permanent physical damage of many kinds. The basic cost specified is used when the spell is used to heal permanent losses to a Character's characteristics. Per success, a number of characteristic points equal to the Priest's EL+1 are healed.

In campaigns where the Referee allows permanent, debilitating Injuries, i.e. hst arms, eyes, etc, this power can be used to heal the damage suffered. The Casting Cost is tripled. Each attempt to use the spell in this way takes one day per normal phase required to cast the spell. If the spell succeeds, the injury is cured if the Priest rolls ten times his EL+1 or less on D100. Per additional successful attempt, if this roll fails, this chance is doubled. If the person to be affected is tainted with evil, as viewed by the Priest's alignment, the spell can't succeed.

EXAMPLE - An EL3 spell is cast to regrow an arm. The Casting Cost is 33 (11 x 3). The Priest has a Casting Speed of 4. After nine days working this spell, there is a 40% chance that the arm is regrown. If it is not, another nine days of effort will yield an 80% chance.

Energy

This spell is used to return lost energy to others. Cast from the Casting Ability, it returns 2D6+ EL points to the affected person. Cast from the Energy Level 2D10+ EL points are returned with a minimum gain equal to the EL cast times two.

This spell has the use restrictions specified for Healing Hand above when it is used from the Energy Level. If it is being used from the Casting Ability, the Priest may heal himself but must obey all other restrictions. Damage suffered as a result of misuse of this spell is a number of points subtracted from the Energy Level of the Priest and his intended target.

Negate Poison

Success or Failure will negate the effect of any Poison with a BL less than or equal to (EL+1) x 2. If the BL is higher than this value, a Success must result for the poison to be negated. If it is, it has no further effect but any effects suffered to that point are retained until normal recovery occurs. When Success is required, the Poison is allowed to use its BL as for MDV in resisting negation.

Negate Magic

This spell operates against evil magic, as defined by the religion, only. It can be used to negate a spell being cast if the Priest's Casting Speed is at least equal to that of his enemy. The effect, in this case, adds the EL x 2 PLUS the Priest's MDV to the enemy's roll for success. If Success does not result, the spell is negated completely.

EXAMPLE - A Wizard is casting Lightning at a Priest's bodyguard. The Priest (MDV20) responds with EL3 Negate Magic. He succeeds with this spell. This requires the Wizard to add 26 to his roll in addition to the MDV of the bodyguard.

Exorcism

As specified for the Shamanic spell of the same name in Powers & Perils.

Offensive Powers

Repel Evil

The Priest has the power, when concentrating on doing so, to repel forces of the opposite alignment. To be affected the enemy must be within range and have an MDV less than or equal to that determined with the MDV Limit formula. If either case is untrue, the spell has no effect. Use of this spell is obvious. While it is being employed the caster has a certain radiance about him, the greater the EL, the greater the radiance exhibited.

Persons repelled by the spell must flee from the Priest for a set number of phases. After this period ends, they can't enter his radius of effect as long as his spell remains in force. Those whose MDV's are too high to be repelled must add the Priest's EL to all attacks that they attempt, magical or physical, while they are in his effect radius.

MDV Limit:	(EL+1) x 3
Radius of Effect:	EL (If the EL is zero the effect applies if the enemy tries to touch the Priest.)
Duration of Flight:	(EL+2) x 2
Duration of Effect:	(EL+1) x 3 (The number of turns the power remains in effect. Can be recast, without chance of failure, at full cost. This will increase the duration by 1/2 the duration above, rounded down.)

Paralyze Enemy

To use this power the Priest must touch his enemy. If he does, and the enemy is of the enemy alignment, he is paralyzed by success. See Paralysis in Powers & Perils for details.

After casting the spell the Priest has a number of phases equal to his EL+1 to touch the enemy chosen. He must score a hit or better in combat to do so. If the victim does not have a shield, a shield hit counts as a hit.

Purifying Lance

The effect of this spell is intensely variable. In essence, the Priest forms and casts a lance of his deity's power into the soul of his adversary. If the spell succeeds, a roll must be taken on the Combat Table using the EL x 2 as the attack line, i.e. EL2 is line +4, EL7 is line + 14. The Referee will ejudicate its affect using the table below:

Hit Type	Effect Of Power
Deadly	Target killed, converted or taken by the god, depending on the god's nature.
Severe	Target suffers major damage, is dazed or has a curse laid on him.
Hit	Target takes minor damage or fights under tactical disadvantage for a while.
Shield Hit	The spell has very little effect. Inflict subdual damage equal to the Priest's EL on his enemy.
Miss	As for a Shield Hit. If the roll exceeds the Priest's Hit Chance by more than 25, he suffers the subdual damage instead of his target.

Inner Revelation

This spell is akin to the Knowledge spell. It may only be applied to gain Priestly spell knowledge or Scholarly knowledge associated with the Priest's faith. The effect of this is as for the Knowledge spell in Powers & Perils. When the caster has access to purified ground, and a subject who is willing or confined, he may use this spell on others to gain knowledge about them. Used in this way, the Casting Cost is tripled. If the spell succeeds, the Priest learns EL x 20% of what there is to know about the target. At EL5 and up, he learns all there is to know about that person's life history. In addition, he can gain some knowledge of his goals, subconscious fears, etc. At EL10 and higher, he gains all of this and can also learn something of his soul's past lives or other arcane knowledge. This can be a very powerful spell in the hands of a skilled practioner.

Absorption Of Evil

The Priest sets himself as a barrier against evil. All evil magic or beings that enter his radius of effect are diminished by his power. He absorbs their vile essence into himself to preserve others.

The number of mana or energy points that the Priest can absorb in any one turn (four phases) equals his EL x 2. When this value is exceeded, he can absorb additional amounts each phase equal to his EL+1. All points absorbed at this level reduce his Energy Level by the amount absorbed. If his Energy Level reaches zero, he dies. Any that are absorbed beyond his limit are applied to the death chance set below. The power remains in force for the Duration set below. It must remain in force for the entire period and can't be dispelled. It will affect any evil creature who enters its radius of effect. The Priest must take something from all such creatures.

IMPORTANT - - In absorbing, active mana is taken before energy unless the target uses magic naturally. If the target is a normal wizard, the Priest must drain his Casting Ability before he can atttack his Energy Level.

Maximum Drain:	EL+1 (The most that can be taken from any one individual.)
Minimum Drain:	EL/2, round up (The minimum amount that must be taken from each enemy in range.)
Radius of Effect:	EL+1

NOTE - Instead of taking energy or mana, the Priest can use the power to inflict subdual damage. If he does so, no armor counts against the damage caused. However, the effect specified above is reduced by 50%, rounded down. Finally, in draining mana, mana being cast into a spell is always drained before dormant mana in the Casting Ability.

Dispersion & Damnation

The spell descriptions for Dispersion and Damnation were missing from the original article. They have been added here.

Mashmashu Magic

Mashmashu are trained wizards who use their power for the good of the faithful. They learn their wizardry and gain advantages where the powers used are drawn from the essence of their chosen god. They are the Lance that drives through the heart of the faith's magical enemies. Their purpose is to vanquish the magics of evil for the good of all.

Magic, as done by the Mashmashu, is wizardry. They have the basic powers listed for all Priests previously. In addition, they may learn any spell of their alignment and wizardry general skills. For those spells that are drawn from the power of the God that the Mashmashu serves, the following special rules apply:

The Priest casts the spell at one EL higher than his current EL at no additional cost, i.e. if a Priest has EL2 he casts the spell at EL3 paying the cost normal for EL2.
Casting Speed for all spells derived from the God is as specified for Natural Magic users (MEL+EL). If the Priest is a Natural Magic user or Priest, his casting speed is twice that normal for Natural Magic users, in this case only.
No abysmal failure is possible when using these spells UNLESS the Priest is in disfavor with his God for some reason.

God Spells

The spells derived from a given God's power can be derived from the attributes given him in the Site Book in Perilous Lands, a Powers & Perils supplement. Final ejudication of which spells receive the benefits above is left to your discretion. The example below, for Inanna, should give you an idea of how to go about making this decision.

EXAMPLE - The attributes of the Goddess Inanna are described, in the Site Book, as: INANNA - The Star of Lamentation, Courtesan of the Gods, Patron of Priestesses, Lady of Resplendent Light, Goddess of Battles, Mistress of Fertility and Sterility, Lady of Beauty and Charm, She who commands fear in men, She who brings to life and sends to death, Mourner in the Winter, the Questing Goddess, The Warrior Queen.

Given this description, it can be seen that Inanna is a very powerful Goddess. Her main powers lie in Light and Life. She grants Mashmashu increased effect with Light Powers, Revivification and Resurection. She may also grant a bonus for Might because of her position as a Goddess of Battle. At the Referee's discretion, favored servants could gain Luck in battle, increased Appearance, Eloquence and Empathy and enhanced abilities in Tracking when they are on a Quest in service of Inanna. There are many possibilities with a Goddess of this power. As Referee, in this case, you may assign disadvantages in the winter or other problems based on the darker side of her nature.

Baru Magic

Baru priests seek to divine the will of the gods for the good of the faith. They have great powers of Divination and magics that grant them a degree of Prescience. They are the Eyes of the Faith, finding its path into eternity with their rites.

Baru Spells

Baru magics are not intended for combat. The sole purpose of this Priest is to divine the will of his gods and assist in seeing that their will is done. They are mystics, not combat-oriented Priests such as the Ashipu and Mashmashu. Their spell knowledge reflects this fact.

Baru Magic Table
Spell	Cost	Source
Awareness	1	EnL
Questing Sight	2	CA
Divination	3	CA
Knowledge	3	CA/EnL
Divine Vision	6	CA
Vision Trance	8	CA/EnL

Spell Descriptions

Awareness

Baru Priests receive training that, through meditation and other metaphysical skills, seeks to make them one with the world around them. Mastering this is important to any future prowess they may have in the arts of divination. To understand why this is important, realize that in many forms of divination the diviner is responding to signs and portents that exhibit themselves in the world around him. This given, his ability to develop a feel for his immediate environment is critical to his success at divination.

To use this talent the Priest must state that he is doing so. Per HOUR he is doing so, he expends 12-EL energy points. When the power is used in this way, the a Priest increases his Empathy by (EL+1) x 5. He will also have a chance equal to this increase times two to detect ambushes and other surprises that can give detectable clues before they strike. This allows him to give warning or react to the threat.

EXAMPLE - A Priest has EL3 in this. One hour of its use costs him nine energy points. While affected his Empathy is increased by 12 and he has a 24% chance of detecting surprise occurrences before they strike, i.e he hears the twig snap under an ambusher's foot, he senses the minute crack in the ceiling above that indicates a deadfall trap, etc.

Use of the power as specified above does not entail any casting cost, the wish to do so is sufficient. Regardless of EL, the minimum cost to attune oneself in this way is one energy point per hour.

This spell can also be cast from the Energy Level in the conventional method. When this is done, the Priest places himself in a trance after stating to the Referee what specific influence he is sensitizing himself to. The influence chosen must be a specific dass of thing, i.e. mana, animate life, supernatural beings, etc. While the spell remains in effect, the Priest is automatically aware of anything within his radius that fits within the class chosen. He will remain entranced for the minimum duration stated below. The maximum duration, in all cases, is ten times this minimum. Per minute, or less, that the Priest remains in this trance he must pay the casting cost for the spell.

IMPORTANT - As Referee, you may evolve other uses of this talent. Those above are only basic applications. Others can be mastered as you feel they are necessary or appropriate. For a use form to fit within this spell it must be something that heightens the Priest's awareness of his surroundings through meditational practices. The possible uses of this are virtually endless.

Range:	(EL+ 1) x 3 (The Priest's range in hexes or inches.)
Minimum Duration:	EL+1 turns

Questing Sight

Use of this power allows the Priest to key himself to discover the whereabouts of a specific person or thing. To use this spell, the Priest must know the precise appearance of the person or thing or he must have something that has been in contact with the target sometime in the last EL+1 weeks. If either is the case, he will see the precise whereabouts of his target, i.e. its immediate surroundings, and learn how far away it is and in what direction it lies. The Referee will tell the player distance and direction and describe the surroundings. It is up to the Player to take it from there. Should the Player choose to do so, he may cast this spell at up to FIVE times its normal casting cost. Each increase of 100% taken doubles the range yielded.

EXAMPLE - A Priest uses EL2. His first attempt shows that his target is outside of his range. He casts the spell at five times normal cost, increasing his detection range from nine miles to forty-five miles. He sees his subject lost in the forest fifteen miles to the north.

Maximum Distance:

(EL+1) squared miles

Divination

As for the spell of the same name in Powers & Perils. Priests using this spell may subtract their Awareness EL in addition to the normal ELmodifier.

Knowledge

This spell is one of the most important powers of the Baru Priest. His expertise gain varies with how he uses the power. The following categories apply:

1) Used To Master Baru Skills: When this spell is used to increase the Priest's ability in Baru Magic, Meditation or Scholarly skills associated with Divination he gains 2D6+EL expertise with each success.
2) Used For Other Priestly Knowledge: When the spell is used to gain knowledge from other classes of the the Priesthood, the normal expertise (1D6+EL) is gained.
3) Used For Any Other Purpose: If the spell is used to gain knowledge outside of that shown in the sections above the expertise gain equals the caster's EL. Except in emergencies, such use of the power is felt to be somewhat gauche by most Baru Priests.

At your option, you may allow other uses of the power when the Priest reaches higher levels of mastery. Examples are use of Knowledge as a more precise means of Divination, use of Knowledge to give expertise to others (if this is allowed, only knowledge that fits in category three above can be givee in this way), etc.

All other parameters for this spell, include the restriction on the frequency of use, are as specified in Powers & Perils.

Divine Vision

This spell is only used on purified ground, preferably in a temple with other Priests monitoring the affair. In casting the spell the Baru Priest concentrates on a problem of importance and opens himself to the will of the gods, hoping to gain a solution to the problem. It is used to determine the best means of placating an angry god, how to overcome deadly adversaries of the god and, otherwise, for reasons of major importance. Use of the power frivolously can lead to the Priest's death. To determine the effect, determine the amount that the Priest makes or misses his roll on the Magic Table by and consult the table below:

Vision Effect Table
+50 and up	The god is completely open with his knowledge about the question asked. The Priest will get a definite response and the god is likely to give him some support in acheiving his goal
+21 - +49	The god favors the Priest and gives him a good responce. He may, in the course of the mission, give the Priest signs to keep him from straying too far off his path.
-20 - +20	The god respons. His answer is couched in riddles but, properly read, does contain knowledge of benefit to the Priest. At this level the god gives no other aid.
-21 - -40	The god is mitted. If he is whimsical, he may mislead the Priest to teach him a lesson. If he is deadly, or very peeved, he may visit some temporary disability or insanity on the Priest to teach him some manners.
-41 or less	The god is furious with the Priest. Depending on his attributes, the god will badly mislead the Priest, give him a permanent disability or strike him dead. When this result occurs there is no restriction on the severity of the response.

NOTE - A positive value on the table above indicates a roll less than or equal to the number the Priest needs to roll. A negative value is a number greater than the roll required.

Vision Trance

This power is used only in very serious instances when the Priest must have a precise view of the future for himself or some other individual. In casting the spell the Priest's enters into a trance in which he is comatose. While the trance lasts, he travels the future in spirit form. Per day in the future, ten minutes pass in the present. While in the future, he sees what is occuring for the person in question. The Referee gives this knowledge. It is up to the Player to determine a course of action based on the information gained.

Days Forward:	(EL+1) x 2 (The number of days into the future that the Priest can travel before he must return to the present.)
Energy Loss:	20-(EL+1) per day travelled

NOTE - Spells that give the ability to see future time can be disruptive in play because of the parallexes that they create, the pressure they place on the Referee and some Players tendency to use them as a crutch. In the case of this spell, the encounters are seen. Roll them out so the Player knows. However whatever the vision of the future seen, the Referee is under no compulsion to stick to it or change it unless the Players take meaningful, realistic action to avert their fate. Keeping this in mind will help you Referee and will compell Players to continue to play their role. They must use the vision in play, it is not a free ticket.

Qadishtu And Kalu Magic

These Priests primarily assist other Priests to perform their most sacred duties. Through the power of music, dance and song, they enhance the effectiveness of their brothers. In addition to this function, these Priests have unique powers of their own that can be used to some effect. They are the Voice of the Faith who sing the beauty of the divine for all to hear.

Basic Powers

The major rites of these Priests are used in association with other specialists. The table below shows the basic spells available:

Qadishtu/Kalu Spells
Spell	Mana Cost	Source
Spirit Blessing	2	CA/EnL
Blessed Sphere	3	CA
Ritual Music	5	CA
Punish/Satire	7	CA/EnL¹
Sacred Bane	10	CA
¹ Only Sidh oriented or Druidic Priests may cast this spell through their Energy Level. They may only draw it from within when they are dying, as a last curse, or when they are damaged through some improper breach of hospitality.

Spell Descriptions

Spirit Blessing

This spell has the effect of Healing Light for replacing energy lost to disease, poison or soul-draining attacks of any kind. The amount gained is divided evenly among all persons within the effect area. Any fraction resulting is rounded up.

If the target loses Energy as a result of an attack by a creature from the enemy alignment, he gains TWO energy points for every point of benefit received, i.e. if he gets four points of the effect he regains eight energy.

All parameters for range and effect are as specified in Powers & Perils for Healing Light. This spell, however, will NEVER grant any benefit to a member of the enemy alignment.

Blessed Sphere

The roll to affect enemies with this spell is taken each phase that it remains in effect. The spell creates an area that is hostile to the enemy alignment. This area will affect all supernatural members of that alignment each phase that it succeeds against them. It will also affect non-supernatural members to a lesser degree.

Supernatural members, those with a Contact Level, are affected by both Energy Loss and Damage. Other members are only affected by Energy Loss. While the spell remains in effect the Priest may not move and may not take ANY other action. His entire being is concentrated into his song.

Range:	EL+1 (The effect radius)
Damage:	EL/2, round up (Hit point damage taken by affected targets. This damage is only reduced by armor that is dedicated against Priestly magic.)
Energy Loss:	EL+1 (The number of energy points lost each time the target is affected.)

Ritual Music

This power is used to enhance the performance of allied Priestly magic that is used within the Priest's effect area. The diameter of this area equals the Priest's (EL+1)x2. The modifier granted to the other Priest equals EL+1. This spell may only be used to support other classes of Priests in performing their magic. It may not be used to enhance Qadishtu/Kalu magic.

Punish/Satire

This spell is the most potent and rarely used ability of the Qadishtu/Kalu class. To use this power the Priest must be trained as both a Musician and a Singer and, after casting, must succeed with both entertainment skills. (For a success to be recorded the Entertainment Table result, using the target's MDV/2 rounded up as the Audience Type modifier, must be a sixteen or less. For the spell to succeed the Priest must succeed with all three rolls.

The possible affects of this spell are infinite. To help handle this, follow the procedure below when it is used:

The Priest states the EXACT effect he wants AND what crime, known to the Priest, is his reason. (The fact that a target is known to be evil is insufficient. The Priest must personally know, or been affected by, an evil action that his target did. It can't be cast otherwise.)
The Priest must define what conditions, if any, will lift the affect of the spell. If it can't be lifted through proper action, increase the target's effective MDV by five.

After the Priest delineates his spell, the Referee determines the effectiveness required for it to take effect. Effectiveness is determined by adding the amount the spell succeeded by to the amount that the Entertainment skills succeeded by times five.

EXAMPLE - The Priest is MEL5/EL2. His spell roll is a 31 against an MDV of 10. He thus succeeds by 13 with the spell. He is EL6 with Music and Singing. He rolls a 17 (effectively 16) and a 9 (effectively 8). He succeeds by zero and by eight for, 8 x 5, 40. His total effectiveness for the spell is 53.

This number determined, consult the table below. If the effect desired is greater than that allowed by the resulting effectiveness, the spell fails unless the Referee chooses to allow it to have a diminished effect.

Punish/Satire Effects
Effectiveness	Desired Results
0 to 10	Minor malady, inconvenient physical or mental problem, target is hardly impaired.
11 to 25	Non-fatal illness, slight physical or mental problem, target is slightly impaired.
26 to 50	Significant mental or physical problem, target is impaired.
51 to 80	Lingering illness, major mental or physical problem, target is severely impaired.
81 to 120	Fatal illness, disabling mental or physical problem, transmutation, target is completely impaired.
121 and up	Anything the Priest wishes is possible.

This spell must be cast in the presence of the target to be affected. It may not be used unless the Priest has a Significant reason for doing so. It is primarily used as a spell of last resort to punish those who need it or who may profit from a lesson. It has no effect on non-intelligent (INT rating for species 4 or less) creatures or supernatural forces (creatures with a Contact Level). The range for the spell equals the Priest's EL+1.

Sacred Bane

This spell places a bane on the target which has the following affects:

The victim suffers damage as for the Blessed Sphere spell if he enters ground purified for or sacred to the Priest's alignment.
All members of the Priest's alignment may add the bane's EL+1 to any damage scored on the target. (This is affected by armor.)
All supernatural members of the Priest's alignment who encounter the victim attack with uncontrollable Battle Fury.

The range of this spell equals the Priest's EL+1. Once it succeeds, a Negate Curse spell is required to remove it. It is also dispelled with the death of the victim cursed with it.

MDV Limit:

(EL+ 1) x 5 (The maximum MDV that the Priest can affect with this spell.)

Tariti(Allani) Magic

These Priestesses are important in many major rituals of the faith. In areas where they are dominant, they have the powers listed here plus the powers listed for the Urigallu. This is especially true in the nations of L'p'nth and Clima. The powers of the Tariti(Allani) center around love, fertility and the emotions. They are quite powerful in these areas. They are the Soul of the Faith.

Basic Powers

Tariti(Allani) powers are subtle influences that affect the mind and soul of their targets. Where they apply to the areas of Love and Fertility, they have little bearing over the majority of a campaign. Therefore, the precise spells of this type are omitted from this article.

Tarriti(Allani) Magic
Spell	Mana Cost	Source
Master Emotion	1	CA/EnL
Sublime Peace	2	CA/EnL
Inflict Emotion	3	CA
Destroy Emotion	5	CA
Soul Search	8	CA
Empathic Union	12	CA

Spell Descriptions

Master Emotion

Cast from the Energy Level, this spell allows the Tariti to control her emotions. Using her Casting Ability, she may lessen another person's response to an emotion. With success, the person affected ignores the effect of the emotion specified for the duration of the spell.

If a person is affected by a spell that forces extreme emotion on him, this spell negates the effect. In doing so, it operates as specified for Immunity in Powers & Perils. If her EL is greater, the enemy spell is negated. If not, it is ignored for the duration of her spell. When her spell ends, the enemy spell resumes at a reduced EL. When the spell is cast in this way it is always cast against the MDV of the spell and the person it is cast at is considered to have an MDV of zero for influencing the chance of success.

EXAMPLE - A person is affected by MEL7/EL5 (for a spell MDV of 12) Silent Terror. A Tariti Priestess casts EL2 versus Terror. She succeeds. While the duration of her spell lasts, the person ignores terror. When her spell ends, the Silent Terror spell starts again at EL3.

Range:	EL (The range the person to be affected must be within.)
Duration:	(EL+1) x 2 turns

Sublime Peace

An enhanced version of the Peace spell that is cast at a single person. Affected targets are incapable of any hostile emotion and may not initiate combat for any reason. In addition, they have a heightened sensitivity to pleasant stimuli and cannot feel pain (other than magical pain whose EL is higher than the EL of this spell). It is an important spell, often used to aid Healers and perform certain sacred rites. To affect anyone with this spell the Priestess must touch them.

When the Tariti uses this spell on herself, twice the normal Casting Cost is subtracted from her Energy Level. Used in this way, the spell has the range specified for Peace in Powers & Perils in addition to having the effect specified above on the Priestess and everyone within its radius of effect.

Duration:

EL+1 squared minutes

Inflict Emotion

As for Master Emotion above except this use of the spell increases the degree to which the target is affected by the specified emotion and the Priestess has no ability to cast it from her Energy Level. All other factors remain the same.

Destroy Emotion

A person smitten by this spell is no longer able to experience the emotion that the Priestess attacks. To use this spell the Priestess must touch the target. If she does, and the spell succeeds, the victim loses the emotion. Once success occurs, the spell remains in effect until it is cured by a Negate Curse spell. Cast at three times normal cost, the spell can eliminate only part of the chosen emotion, i.e. the emotion as it relates to a specific person, place or thing (love of a woman, hate for an enemy, etc).

Soul Search

This spell allows the Priestess to determine what the major motivations and desires of the target are. In play, this increases her Influence Chance with that person by (EL+1) x 5 and makes it extremely difficult for him to dislike her or to ever consider doing her harm. To cast this spell, the Priestess must be within one hex of the person. If she is actually touching him, increase her EL modifier by ten.

Empathic Union

This spell is cast to do many things. The Priestess must touch the person to be affected. Cast at half normal Mana Cost, the spell enables her to sense the CURRENT emotions of her subject and get an impression of what is causing those emotions. At normal cost she gains this knowledge and may use Master Emotion or Inflict Emotion (if she knows those spells) to modify emotions read. When used with this spell, the Emotion spell automatically succeeds. The Emotion spell may only be used to Influence the strongest emotion the target is feeling (the Priestess may exclude feelings the target may have for her IF she chooses to do so).

Cast at twice normal power, this spell reads the emotional history of the person's recent past and can modify emotional memories (all factors are as for Forgetfulness in Powers & Perils).

At three times normal cost the Priestess unites with her subject. This yields perfect understanding of all that that person is and grants the same understanding of the Priestess to her target. Both feel what the other is feeling as well as what they are feeling themselves. Neither are truly aware of themselves while they are affected by this spell. They become one.

After the Union, the Priestess retains perfect knowledge of the emotional foundation and personality of her partner. Her partner will retain only flashes of insight about her.

This spell can be cast at five times cost to forge a permanent Empathic Bond between the Priestess and ONE other person. If this is done, both retain awareness of their individuality while gaining the ability to feel the emotions of their partner when they choose to. When one experiences extreme emotion, such as in combat, under torture, etc, the other is allowed a Will roll to keep those emotions from affecting them as well. If the roll is a success, they are not affected. A partial success means they are visibly affected and a failure forces them to react to the emotion as if it was happening to them.

Emotional Union at this level is a permanent spiritual tie between two beings. Though they remain seperate, they are one. This grants the following benefits:

Either can track the other no matter how far apart they are.
If physical damage, energy loss or illness afflicts one, the other can minimize its effect by taking half the effect on themself.
The MDV of each is increased by half the MDV of the partner with the highest MDV when that partner is in range.
If either suffers an attack on their soul, both suffer equally.

EXAMPLE - A Priestess (MDV15) and her husband (MDV20) are united. Both increase their MDV by 10 and may choose to take injury and pain from the other. If either is struck by a soul-draining creature, both are affected, i.e. a Lamia bites the husband taking 40 energy. He and his wife both lose 20 energy and are subject to the Lamia's will (though the Lamia may not be aware of this fact).

These are the basic attributes of the spell. The last two forms must be cast on purified ground. Neither may be cast on an unwilling target. Both require a good deal of Ritual and specific environmental influences (referee discretion) to succeed. If an Abysmal Failure occurs in either case, the spell may never be tried on that target again. The less powerful forms are usable without these restrictions.

Duration:	EL+ 1 squared minutes
MDV Limit:	(EL+ 1) x 4 (This limit applies when the target is not willing to be affected by this spell.)
Transfer Range:	EL (The maximum distance, in hexes, that a united pair can be seperated and still use the full attributes. If the range is zero, they must touch to use this power.)

Richard Snider,
Heroes, Vol. I, No. 2 & 3