RELIGION Divine Revelations

Morality (& Ethics)

Morality, seems only to make sense in terms of the opposing viewpoints expressed by a few of the dominant churches (Larani/Peoni/Siem? - Agrik/Morgath). In AD&D terms it can be described as a line from LG to CE and is thus actually less useful than the AD&D alignment system (which makes it a pretty sad attribute). The problem of ethical outlook is certainly not one or even two dimensional. In fact it is closer to infinite dimensions, as each individual sees the world in their own way.

The Morality attribute can safely be ignored for PC's, and used only as a quick & dirty reaction check for NPC's. This is the recommended approach. However this leaves the GM with the difficulty of determining the degree to which a character is following the teachings of his religion or of a particular life outlook. Such problems are best handled by an ethical code used as a measure of behavior. Such codes are discussed in several of the individual articles in GoH and under development by the HRT.

Examples:

The Ljarl       Sarajin's Warrior Code

Chivalry        The Lady of Paladins Code

GM's should use these behavior codes in lieu of the Morality statistic as a measure of a PC's behavior. In turn, behavior will impact the character's piety score.

Piety Management (Sin)

Transgression     Piety Penalty



Minor                   10

Intermediate            20

Major                   30

The GM may also wish to adjust a characters morality score based upon actions over time. If the adherents morality lies outside the deities acceptable range, the character’s piety score should be reduced to zero until the behavior changes appropriately.

Piety Options

Improving Ritual

Training/Instruction

Study of Holy Scriptures

e.g. Jamys the devout has a ritual of 56 and finds a Laranian text rated at III/15. Jamys studies the tome for almost a month making 15 of 28 development rolls (280 hours of study), raising his ML to 72. Further study of that particular work will be of no further benefit as he has already mastered the material. Had the text been rated only at II/15, he could have only used it to increase his ML 4 points to 60.

Divine Revelation

Using Ritual

Counseling

Sermons

Calls for Divine Intervention

Ritual Invocations

Hierarchal Advancement

Communing

Divine Revelation

Learning Invocations

Power Level  Target ML

I                26+

II               41+

III              61+

IV               76+

V                86+

VI               96+

VII             106+

Note that this may limit the number of invocations a priest can learn. It is recommended that learned invocations be recorded in the spell section of the character record. Partially learned invocations suffer an ML penalty of 5 times the number of unmade development rolls.

Divine Will

The subconscious mind however is not blind to the intent of the invocations use. The GM has ultimate authority over the final EML used in the ritual call. There are a variety of factors that may be used to enhance EML for a ritual call (holy symbols, consecrated ground, holy days, etc.) but little guidance on reducing EML. The GM should feel free to use discretion to modify ML's by as much as doubling EML for a highly appropriate call by an unpious worshiper to reducing EML to 5 for a highly in-appropriate call (i.e. the Peonian Primate invoking Peoni to call in the four horsemen. etc.)

Disciplines

Holy Symbols

• Just clasped hands would constitute class I.
• A pair or triad of bells would be class II.
• A medallion sized copper coin with Halea's name inscribed upon it in gold would be class III.
• A long oaken staff with two brass, ruby encrusted bells mounted on a ring on the tip would be class IV.

Note also that statuary, censers, tapestries or other holy objects may constitute symbols of this type. When two or more objects are used to benefit Ritual EML, use the better of the two for the actual effect.

The process of creating a holy symbol has basically two steps; actual creation of the mundane object itself, and consecrating it. The priest usually has little to do with the mundane part of the process. This step will determine the basic class to which the object belongs, but not the class to which it will finally belong.

The consecration requires the performance of a ritual, the success or failure of which will determine the final level of the object, as follows.

CF:	The object is either actually destroyed through divine disfavor (10%) or merely worthless in the eyes of the god.
MF:	The object becomes holy, but is now of one class lower than its materials would normally dictate. Thus, an MF when trying to consecrate a simple wooden Sarajinian whale-symbol makes it effectively worthless.
MS:	The object is now holy, and is of the class normally dictated by its materials.
CS:	The object is now holy, and is of one class higher than its materials would normally dictate. Thus, very mundane things could possibly be made to be very powerful symbols. Also, roll again against Ritual ML, with no modifiers. If the result is another CS, the object may (at GM's discretion) be a holy artifact withsome sort of holy powers, often permanently embodying some invocation (again at GM's discretion).

Consecrated Ground

Holy Days

Holy Scriptures

level                max ML

I               40

II              60

III             75

IV              85

V               95

VI              105

VII             --



Value        Description

1d6     A short passage of scripture, a lost verse to a song, prayer, etc.

2d6     A short parable or song, a page or two of scripture, etc.

3d6     A (short) book or scroll, a family of parables or songs, etc.

4d6     A collection of books or scrolls. A treatise of theology, etc.