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Temple Quarter: Ceremonies and Rituals

by JD Wiker
Editing: Brian Cotrijo with Marc Schmalz
Art: Toren Atkinson

Ceremonies and Rituals is a free publication offered in promotion of Temple Quarter: A City Quarters Sourcebook, the second volume in the ENnie-winning City Quarters series. Every aspect of the setting is created with the larger city of Liberty in mind, but designed so that GMs can pick and choose which elements to include in their own campaigns. This document presents new mechanics for the high rituals and ceremonies of religious orders, as well as several examples from the Liberty pantheon, which appear in Temple Quarter. These ceremonies grant certain spell-like effects to those who participate, and those who wish to partake of the benefits must actively worship.

Temple Quarter has been nominated in two categories for the 2005 Gen Con EN World RPG Awards: Best Cartography and Best Supplement. If you enjoy the material in Temple Quarter, we'd really appreciate your support in the ENWorld Online Voting Booth.

Introduction

The churches of Liberty grow in power as the size of the congregation grows, and the churches grow their congregations by performing ceremonies. These ceremonies grant certain spell-like effects to those who participate: those who wish to partake of the benefits must actively worship. Gaining the benefits of a given religion's ceremonies is often an incentive for the less devout to become more diligent in the practice of their faith, or for the worshippers of other faiths to convert (see Temple Quarter, Introduction, Conversion for details).

Ceremonies

Each religion has its own ceremonies particular to the tenets of their deities. For example, the church of Lod regularly conducts ceremonies to grant their congregation abjuration effects, because one of Lod's domains is that of Protection. The effects are generally minor, comparable in power to orisons, although longer, more elaborate ceremonies may generate effects as powerful as 1st-or even 2nd-level divine spells. The more powerful the effect of the ceremony, however, the more difficult it is for the divine spellcaster to perform it.

Churches only perform ceremonies on particular holy days. These holy days are delineated in each temple's description (see Temple Quarter, Chapter Two: Places).

Who May Perform Ceremonies

Performing a ceremony requires a divine spellcaster of an appropriate level, as indicated on the chart below. This person is known as the primary caster. Other divine spellcasters of the same faith may assist with the skill checks involved, using the rules to "aid another" (see the PHB, Chapter 4: Skills). If a divine spellcaster's level is more than two levels lower than the level required to perform the ceremony, he may not assist with the ceremony, though he may act as a secondary caster (see below).

All casters involved in a ceremony must have the clerical domain listed in the ceremony's description.

Preparing the Ceremony

To begin the ceremony, the primary caster, usually the highest-ranking cleric (or druid, in some religions) must spend ten minutes preparing the material components of the ceremony and focusing his mind, then succeed at a Knowledge (religion) check. The DC for this Knowledge (religion) check is listed in the ceremony's description; the primary caster may take 10 or take 20 on this check. Failing this check does not mean that the ceremony cannot commence, or that material components are lost--only that the primary caster must take more time to prepare.

Performing the Ceremony

Once the ceremony has begun, the primary caster for the ceremony must make a number of Concentration checks equal to the number of participants--including other clerics or druids--divided by 10 (round down). Each check thus represents the benediction placed upon ten worshippers. The DC for these Concentration checks is equal to half the DC of the Knowledge (religion) check made to commence the ceremony (rounded down). The primary caster may take 10 on this check, but may not take 20. Success means that the ten participants involved are affected by the benediction; failure means that they receive no effect at all. In addition, if the primary caster fails any of these checks, the DC for each subsequent check increases by +2. Penalties from multiple failures stack.

Components of the Ceremony

Most ceremonies require components, not unlike spells: verbal, somatic, focus, and material components. The value of these components is listed in each ceremony's description, as are substitute components. Using inferior or substitute components adds +5 to the DC of the Knowledge (religion) check (the Concentration DC increases appropriately as well). If, for example, a cleric of Lod attempts to perform the Lod's Blessing using ordinary bullseye lantern or a pint of oil instead of the requisite special ritual lantern and continual flame, the Knowledge (religion) DC increases by from 30 to 35, and the Concentration DC increases from 15 to 17 (half of the new Knowledge DC).

Secondary Casters

Some ceremonies require the aid of additional divine spellcasters of the same faith. These secondary casters may be of any level, provided they are capable of casting divine spells and possess the appropriate clerical domain. They may not assist with Knowledge (religion) or Concentration checks using the aid another option, but their presence is required for certain aspects of the ceremony nonetheless. If a ceremony requires some other skill check, any of the secondary casters can make that check if they have a higher skill modifier than the primary caster. Even if they are not a required caster of the spell, a secondary caster can step in and make other checks, if they are better at the relevant skill than the actual caster.

Duration of the Effect

The effect of a ceremony lasts for 1 day for the most mundane ceremonies, and up to 1 year for the more powerful ceremonies. Many effects of ceremonies end as soon as they are applied (such as with those ceremonies that grant a bonus to a check made by the worshipper). The more powerful effects apply throughout the duration.

Effects of ceremonies also end immediately if the recipient ceases to be a worshipper of the religion that performed the ceremony, possibly through conversion to another religion, or through a change of alignment (to an alignment outside of the deity's purview).

Rituals

Each religion also carries with it a number of rituals that either produce minor effects or prolong the effects of ceremonies. Worshippers usually perform rituals on a daily basis, or whenever performing a certain action (such as departing on a journey, preparing a meal, and so on).

Who May Perform Rituals

In most cases, the head of a household or the recognized leader of a group performs a ritual. This person need not be a spellcaster, divine or otherwise, but must have participated in a ceremony and still be benefiting from its effects at the time he performs the ritual.

Other members of the household or group may assist in the ritual, if they are of the same faith, though they provide no particular bonuses by doing so.

Preparing the Ritual

To begin a ritual, the leader must spend two minutes preparing the material components of the ceremony and focusing his mind, then succeed at a Wisdom check; the DC for this check is listed in the ritual's description. The leader may take 10 or take 20 on this check. Failing this check does not mean that the ritual cannot take place, or that material components are lost--only that the leader must take more time to prepare.

Performing the Ritual

Rituals generally take less than one minute to complete. Each person involved may make a Will save (DC 5) to benefit from the ritual. Success means that the person involved benefits from the ritual; failure means that he receives no effect at all.

Components of the Ritual

Most rituals require components, not unlike spells and ceremonies: verbal, somatic, focus, and material components. The value of these components is listed in each ritual's description, as are substitute components. Using inferior or substitute components adds +5 to the DC of both the Wisdom check and Will saves.

Duration of the Effect

The effect of a ritual lasts for 1 hour in most cases, up to 1 day for some few rituals, and even longer in rare cases. The effects of rituals end as soon as they are applied (such as when the participants complete the task for which they performed the ritual) in most cases.

Effects of rituals also end immediately if the recipient ceases to be a worshipper, possibly through conversion to another religion, or through a change of alignment (to an alignment outside of the deity's purview).

The Church of Lod

Vamdrin Adamantheart, High Priest of Lod, with Solamara, his assistant

Lod is the god of storms and mountains, of law and of battle. His titles include the Master of Thunder, the Ageless, and, among dwarves, the Warlord, but he is most often called the Father of the Gods, for legends tell that he created the other gods. Lod formed the world and gave it to his divine children to shape and color and populate with all manner of beings. His domains include Air, Law, Protection, and War, and his favored weapon is the flail. Lod's holy symbol is a lantern with a blue light, usually depicted as a blue lightning bolt inside a gold circle, which is framed and partially overlapped by a gold rectangle.

Lod's clerics must pray for spells by lantern light (even if the light is magically created, so long as it emanates from a lantern). On the first day of each month, a cleric of Lod gains access to one additional domain spell at each spell level he can cast. These spells need not all be from the same domain.

The ceremonies and rites of the church of Lod usually focus on Lod's domains of Air, Law, Protection, and War. As the Father of the Gods, Lod is particularly mindful of the special significance of being a father, and so his male worshippers undertake a rite upon the birth of their first children.

Lod's ceremonies and rites are described below.

Ceremony: Lod's Blessing

Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]

Knowledge (religion): DC 30; Concentration Check: DC 15; Domain: Law; Components: V, S, M; Duration: 1 month.

Once each month, on the last day of the month, the priests of Lod offer a benediction to the faithful, in the form of a sense of calm that comes over the faithful in moments of stress, negating the effects of conditions such as cowering, frightened, panicked, and shaken. This sense of calm occurs only once: the next time the subject is affected by one of the listed conditions before next receiving Lod's Blessing, the condition affects the subject normally.

Only one cleric is required to confer this blessing on up to 50 subjects. Additional subjects require secondary casters.

Secondary Casters: 1 required for every additional 50 subjects.

Material Components: Performing the Lod's Blessing ceremony requires a bullseye lantern crafted especially for the purpose of this ceremony, with a value of 25 gp. A cleric must also cast continual flame inside the lantern to provide the "light of Lod" shined on each subject during the ceremony. (Casting continual flame has a material component cost of ruby dust worth 50 gp.)

Substitute Components: An ordinary bullseye lantern may be substituted for the specially crafted one, at a cost of 12 gp. Additionally, a pint of oil may be used to light the lantern, at a cost of 1 sp.

Ritual: Rite of Fatherhood

Wisdom Check: DC 14; Components: V, S, M; Duration: Special (see text).

Within one day of the birth of a child, the new father may ask Lod for a special blessing to protect the child from sickness. Each time the child makes a saving throw against disease effects, the father may also make a saving throw; the child uses whichever saving throw is higher.

The father can use this ability once for each disease that afflicts the child, until the child reaches the base age of adulthood for his or her race: 15 years old for humans, 40 years old for dwarves, and so on. (See the PHB, Chapter 6: Description.)

Material Components: Performing the Rite of Fatherhood requires a cup of fine wine (sipped by the child, then finished by the father) with a value of at least 1 gp. (Fathers generally begin saving for this ritual well in advance of the birth of their children.

Substitute Components: Cheaper wine may be substituted for the fine wine, at a cost of 1 cp.

The Church of Ilaia

Ilaia is the goddess of swiftness, of roads, and of rivers. Her titles include the Divine Wind, the Lady of the Rivers, and the Queen of the Endless Path. After Lod created the world, Ilaia raced around it, filling pits and gullies with water, the essence of her being. As she ran, her great speed leveled stretches of the world under her feet, forming the first roads. Her domains include Air, Destruction, Travel, and Water, and her favored weapon is the nunchaku. Ilaia's symbol is the hurricane, usually represented by spiraling lines.

Clerics of Ilaia may only prepare their spells while on a road or a river (though kneeling in a patch of road dirt or river water is acceptable). On the day before the new moon, a cleric of Ilaia may cast her Air or Travel domain spells as though they were prepared using the Quicken Spell feat (without the normal increase in spell level).

The ceremonies and rites of the church of Ilaia deal with Ilaia's domains of Air, Destruction, Travel, and Water. Ilaia being the goddess of swiftness, her rituals tend to grant speed of limb or of wit, though her worshippers also perform her rituals before making journeys, in hopes of a swift and safe arrival at their destinations.

Ilaia's ceremonies and rites are described below.

Ceremony: Ilaia's Grace

Transmutation

Knowledge (religion): DC 30; Concentration Check: DC 15; Domain: Travel; Components: V, S, M; Duration: 1 month or until discharged (see text).

As the worshippers of Ilaia prize agility and quick reflexes, their monthly ceremony (held at sunrise the day before the new moon) stresses these qualities. Participants gain a +1 insight bonus to all Dexterity-based checks (including ranged attack rolls, attack rolls made with Weapon Finesse, and Reflex saving throws). They may also act normally (as though affected by freedom of movement) one time during the month, for up to 5 rounds, after which all effects of the ceremony wear off.

Only one cleric is required to perform the ceremony for up to 50 participants. Additional participants require secondary casters (see below).

Secondary Casters: 1 required for every additional 20 participants.

Material Components: Performing the Ceremony of Ilaia's Grace requires one drop of mercury for each participant, at a cost of 1 cp each.

Ritual: The Single Step

Wisdom Check: DC 14; Components: V, S, M; Duration: 1 day or until one-way journey ends.

Before embarking on a journey, worshippers of Ilaia perform the Ritual of the Single Step, placing a small amount of dirt from their home in their shoes (or rubbing it on their feet). Those who participate in the ritual may hustle for two hours that day, rather than the usual one hour (see Overland Movement in Chapter 9: Adventuring, in the PHB).

Material Components: Preparing and performing the Single Step requires a handful of soil from the participant's home.

Substitute Components: The participants may substitute a handful of soil from the place the participant is departing from, so long as he intends to return to that same place at the culmination of the day's journey.

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System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Thieves' Quarter: A City Quarters Sourcebook, Copyright 2004, The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Authors: JD Wiker and Chris West.

Temple Quarter: A City Quarters Sourcebook, Copyright 2005, The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author: JD Wiker.

Ceremonies and Rituals, Copyright 2005, The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author: JD Wiker