Apéndice 1: Especificaciones de las componentes que incluyen las

Some characters devote themselves to a higher calling. Rather than be slaves to their own greed, or serve an earthly mas- ter, they dedicate their lives to religious worship. The most devoted of the faithful are Priests. Through prayer and meditation, Priests learn to harness divine energy and channel it for religious purposes. Minor Priests are powerful allies. The greatest Priests seem to have the gods at their beck and call—unless (heavens forfend!) their god forsakes them.

GODS AND RELIGIONS

Religious belief occurs in all societies. It seems almost instinctive for intelligent be- ings to contemplate their origins and their fate, and to ascribe it all to divine forces. The forms religious belief takes vary be- tween societies, and will differ from do- minion to dominion.

Dominion Rules aims to be a dominion- neutral system. This means that the rules found here apply to all Priests, no matter what their religion they observe. It also means that there are no specific gods or religions described here. Your dominion’s deities and faiths are determined by your GM. In establishing a faith for Priests in your dominion, your GM should deter- mine such things as what sort of deity or deities the religion is based on, what ritu- als or other practices Priests of the faith observe, and what limits (if any) the deity imposes on Priestcraft Skills. All this is ex- plained more fully below.

Throughout this chapter, we speak of the Priest’s relationship with his or her deity. This suggests that Priests must worship and serve only one deity. That is true in relig- ions which recognize only one god (monotheistic religions). But other religions recognize many gods. In these polytheistic religions, Priests may serve more than one god. Usually, however, Priests of polytheis- tic religions will devote themselves espe- cially to one god in the pantheon.

PRIESTS

Many characters have religious convic- tions. But most don’t have priestly powers like Bless and Heal. So what is the differ- ence between a character with religious beliefs and a Priest-style character?

What distinguishes a Priest from these other religious characters is this: while other characters worship their gods, Priest- style characters both worship and Channel them. To Channel a god is to harness or transmit its power through one’s body and soul. Channelling is what allows Priests to use Priestcraft Skills. Unlike Combat and Attribute Skills, Priestcraft Skills are abili- ties that the Priest himself does not actu- ally have, but can merely Channel from her deity. Without her god, a Priest-style character is powerless to use his Priestcraft Skills.

Because Priests are so dependent upon their gods for their Skills, they must always be in their deity’s favour. Priestly charac- ters must constantly demonstrate fidelity

and reverence towards their deities. This may involve observing rituals, performing charitable deeds, ministering to believers, and other religious work. A Priest who falls out of favour with his god may find himself Forsaken: see Forsaken Priests, below. We refer throughout these rules to ‘Priests’ and ‘Priest-style characters’. Recall, how- ever, that there is no class or profession system in DR. When we say ‘Priest’ we simply mean any character who special- izes in Priestcraft Skills.

Characters who have not dedicated them- selves to lives of religious worship and contemplation cannot Channel Priestcraft Skills. Such characters are treated by the gods the way Forsaken Priests are treated: their appeals to divinity are ignored.

Example

Otto the Rat is no Priest! The last time he went to church, it was to steal a sacramental chalice. But if Otto works out his Priestcraft Composite (which turns out to be 1) and rolls 1, can he Bless someone?

No. The god to whom Otto appeals ignores him. No god would allow his powers to be Channelled through such an unworthy vessel.

PRIESTS IN THE ORDER OF PLAY

Priests use their Priestcraft Skills just as other characters use Combat or Attribute Skills. This means that, when the Order of Play rules are being used, Priests make Timing Rolls in the Timing Stage, declare their Strategy in the Strategy Stage, and make their Skill rolls in either the Modifier or the Resolution Stage.

The following Priestcraft Skills are rolled in the Modifier Stage: Bless, Consecrate,

Curse, and Defile. All other Priestcraft Skills are rolled in the Resolution Stage. Priestcraft Skills are never subject to De- fence Penalties, even when the Skill they use seeks to cause Injury. The gods are not fooled by Dodges, Blocks and Parries! PRIESTC RAFT SKILLS

There are eleven Priestcraft Skills, based on the Priestcraft Composite. They are: Channel, Bless, Consecrate, Curse, Defile, Heal, Smite, Wrath, Prophesy, Resurrect, and Work Miracle. These eleven Skills are available to all Priests, unless forbidden by their deities (as described below). Some deities may make available to their Priests other Skills not described here. Consult your GM.

PRIESTC RAFT SKILLS AND WITHIN ROLLS

Some Priestcraft Skills cause harm while others grant benefits. It is only when a Pri- estcraft Skill causes Injury that its victim gets a WithIn roll against it. Where the ef- fect is harmful, but does not cause Injury (such as a Curse, which causes no Injury but imposes a Curse Penalty upon its vic- tim’s actions), no WithIn roll is permitted; there is no defence against Priestcraft Skills which harm without Injuring.

Similarly, there is no way of preventing the effects of beneficial Priestcraft Skills such as Bless. But there is no conceivable rea- son why a character would seek to with- stand or resist the effect of a Blessing or other benefit.

PRIESTC RAFT SKILLS AND ACTION PENALTIES

Action Penalties apply to Priestcraft Skills. Whenever a Priest declares two or more Skills in a round—be it two or more Priest- craft Skills, or a Priestcraft Skill and some other Skill—Action Penalties apply. See chapter two, Skills.

PRIESTC RAFT SKILLS AND DIFFICULTY PENALTIES

Some Priestcraft Skills are particularly powerful. The most powerful Skills are also the most difficult to master. Difficulty Pen- alties are imposed upon certain Priest Skill rolls, making those rolls harder. The pur- pose of Difficulty Penalties is to reflect the mastery and devotion required of a Priest to Channel his god’s greatest powers.

Difficulty Penalties often put the Skills to which they apply out of reach of all but the most advanced Priests. But remember than Lucky Breaks can be used to improve Skill stats, if only temporarily. See the dis- cussion of Lucky Breaks in chapter one, Attributes and Composites.

CHANNEL

Priestcraft Skills differ from other Skills in Dominion Rules, for Priestcraft Skills are Channelled. To use a Priestcraft Skill, the Priest calls upon his deity to turn her body and soul into conduits of divine power. In a sense, Priests do not really have Priest- craft Skills, but merely the ability to Chan- nel these Skills from their deities.

Channelling is an intense and trying expe- rience for Priests. A Priest can only Chan- nel so many times before he is spiritually

exhausted and must replenish himself through a process called Communion. To Commune is to restore one’s spiritual con- nection with the deity through prayer, meditation, study and the observance of religious rituals. The number of times a Priest can use her Priestcraft Skills before requiring Communion is measured by the Channel Skill.

Like the Withstand Injury Skill, which is divided into the WithIn and Injury stats, the Channel Skill has two parts. First there is the normal Channel stat. It may be im- proved like any other Skill. Then there is the Fervour stat. The Fervour stat is a spe- cial stat related to the Channel Skill. Like the Injury stat, the Fervour stat is not a Skill; it is simply a stat that is used to keep track of how often a Priest may Channel before he must Commune.

A Priest’s Fervour stat can never be higher than his Channel stat. Each time a Priest successfully uses a Priestcraft Skill, his Fer- vour stat drops by 1.

Example

Cedric the Initiate is a cleric of the god Vengeant.

Cedric’s Channel stat is 5. He has not used a Priestcraft Skill in many days, and has Com- muned regularly in the meantime, so his Fer- vour stat is also 5.

Cedric then Channels his deity (in other words, uses one of his Priestcraft Skills). So Cedric’s Fervour stat drops to 4, but his Channel stat stays at 5.

Note that a Priest’s Fervour stat only drops if he is successful in his attempt to Chan- nel the Skill. If he fails, no Channelling oc- curs and his Fervour is untouched.

Example

Cedric (Fervour 4) attempts to Bless his com- panion Adrien Stout. But he rolls 12 for his Bless roll: an automatic failure! So he does not Channel the Blessing, and his Fervour remains at 4.

COMMUNION

When a Priest’s Fervour stat falls below 0, she suffers a Fervour Penalty to all Priest- craft Skills. The Fervour Penalty reflects the Priest’s spiritual exhaustion and need to replenish herself through Communion. The Fervour Penalty is equal to the character’s Fervour stat. The Fervour Penalty remains in place until the Priest Communes suffi- ciently to remove the penalty.

Example

Cedric’s Fervour stat is 4. He Blesses a com- panion: his Fervour drops to 3. He Heals an- other companion: his Fervour drops to 2. He Smites an enemy twice: his Fervour drops to 0. He Heals his own Injury: his Fervour drops to -1.

Cedric now has a Fervour Penalty of -1. The next time he attempts to use a Priestcraft Skill, the penalty will apply.

Cedric (Consecrate 4) attempts to temporarily Consecrate his companion Theophilus’ staff. He must roll 3 or less to do so: 4 [Cedric’s Con- secrate] - 1 [Fervour Penalty] = 3.

He rolls a 2: success! But success has its price, for now Cedric’s Fervour has dropped to -2. He will soon need to Commune with his deity.

When a Priest’s Fervour Penalty is greater than one of his Priestcraft Skills, he be- comes unable to use that Skill until he Communes. When a Priest’s Fervour Pen- alty is greater than his highest Priestcraft Skill stat, he becomes unable to use any Priestcraft Skills until he Communes. This is similar to the concepts of Incapacitation

and Repudiation described in chapter six, Injury, with the difference that this form of Incapacitation is voluntary: the Priest brings it on herself by using her Skills. No Priest can continue to Channel Priest- craft Skills with a Fervour Penalty of -12— even if the Priest has Priestcraft Skill stats higher than 12. At -12 Fervour, a Priest must Commune.

Fervour and Communion table

Form of Communion _ImprovementFervour

Devout prayer: at least one hour of

unbroken prayer, including any re- lated rite (e.g. kneeling, cleansing one’s body, or facing a particular direction).

1

Attendance: attending a religious

ceremony (e.g. a church service) without actively participating.

1

Religious study: studying a sacred

text for at least one hour.

2

Short meditation: at least two

hours of uninterrupted contempla- tion of one’s deity or another relig- ious theme.

3

Participation in ritual: attending

and actively participating in an or- ganized religious ritual conducted by another.

4

Long meditation: at least four hours

of uninterrupted contemplation of one’s deity or another religious theme.

5

Conducting a ritual: officiating in an

elaborate religious ritual (e.g. involv- ing prayer, song, rites, repetition of sacred texts, etc.)

6

Pilgrimage: travelling long dis-

tances for the purpose of visiting a sacred site.

Acts of Communion restore Fervour to the Communing Priest, i.e. they raise the Priest’s Fervour stat. The more involved and profound the form of Communion engaged in, the more Fervour is restored. This is represented by the table entitled Fervour and Communion, below. The table is meant only as a guide for players and GMs; the Games Master is free to vary or depart from the table as she sees fit.

Communing has another function for some Priestcraft Skills. Priests who fail their Bless, Consecrate, Curse, Defile, Heal Dis- ease, Smite with Disease or Wrath roll cannot try again until she has Communed with her deity in some way set out on the Fervour and Communion table.

Certain religious objects may serve to in- tensify Communion, producing greater improvements to Fervour. On the lower end of the spectrum are simple religious symbols such as those Priests may wear as rings or necklaces. On the upper end of the spectrum are rare religious artefacts and saintly relics. The effect of such ob- jects on Fervour is for the GM to deter- mine, but should range between 1 and 4 extra Fervour points for each use.

DEVOTION

Certain Priestcraft Skills are easier or harder to use depending on the religious beliefs (if any) of their intended targets or victims. This concept is known as Devo- tion.

Characters who hold strong religious views, but who are not Priests, are known as Devotees. Devotees may generate De- votion Bonuses or Penalties for Priests, as explained below.

Devotion Bonuses

Where a Priest tries to use certain benefi- cial Priestcraft Skills on a character who is a Devotee of the Priest’s deity, the Priest gains a Devotion Bonus to his Skill roll. This represents the deity’s increased incli- nation to benefit its own followers.

The Bless, Heal and Resurrect Skills gener- ate a Devotion Bonus for the Priest in such cases. The Devotion Bonus is equal to the Devotee’s Intuition stat.

Example

Cedric is a cleric of the god Vengeant. Cedric’s companion, Theophilus (Intuition 1), is not a Priest himself but nevertheless believes in and follows Vengeant. So Theophilus is a Devotee of Vengeant.

As a result, Cedric enjoys a +1 Devotion Bonus when attempting to Bless, Heal or Resurrect Theophilus.

Where a Priest tries to use certain adverse Priestcraft Skills on a character who is a Devotee of a deity other than the Priest’s deity, the Priest may also gain a Devotion Bonus to his Skill roll.

The Curse, Smite, and Wrath Skills may generate Devotion Bonuses in these cases, representing the deity’s increased determi- nation to assist his or her Priest against such infidels. Note, however, that these kinds of Devotion Bonus only arise where the Priest’s deity and the deity of the Priest’s intended victim are strongly op- posed. If the two deities represented by the Priest and the Devotee are not strongly opposed to one another, no Devotion Bo- nus will arise in these circumstances.

Example

It is a central tenet of Cedric’s faith that all other faiths are primitive superstitions that must be crushed by force.

Thus, when fighting Tulqir heathens, Cedric enjoys Devotion Bonuses to his Curse, Smite and Wrath Skills equal to the Intuition stats of his opponents.

Devotion Penalties

Devotion Penalties work in the opposite way to Devotion Bonuses. They represent the unwillingness of a Priest’s deity to harm one of her own Devotees, or to be- stow a benefit upon the Devotee of a competing deity.

A Priest who wishes to use the Curse, Smite or Wrath Skills against a Devotee who shares the Priest’s religion suffers a Devotion Penalty equal to the Devotee’s Intuition stat. Note that this is the best case scenario—in some cases, a Priest’s deity may Forsake him for trying to harm a fellow be- liever. See Forsaken Priests, below.

Likewise, a Priest who seeks to Bless, Heal or Resurrect a Devotee of a deity to whom the Priest’s deity is strongly opposed may suffer a Devotion Penalty. Again, this is getting off lightly. The deity may react more strongly by Forsaking the Priest. BLESS

Description. The Bless Skill allows Priests

to bestow Blessings on people and crea- tures. Blessed characters enjoy temporary bonuses to Skills rolls, reflecting the favour which the Priest’s god has shown (at the Priest’s request) for the Blessed character. Blessings apply only to one Skill, of the Priest’s choosing.

Skill Roll Rules. To Bless a character, de-

clare a Bless Skill, as well as the recipient of the Blessing and the Skill stat to be Blessed. The stat to be Blessed may be of any sort: Offensive, Defensive or Non- Combat. Then roll less than or equal to your Bless stat, subject to any modifiers, in the Modifier Stage. A roll of 12 always fails.

If the Bless roll is successful, the Blessed character gains a Blessing Bonus to the skill stat chosen by the Priest. The Blessing Bonus is equal to the Priest’s Bless stat. Note that this is the Bless stat, not the Bless roll. The roll only determines whether the Priest successfully Channels the Skill.

The Blessing Bonus lasts for the current round only.

Example

Cedric and his party are crusading in the dis- tant lands of Tul-Qir Ac. Cedric’s companion, Adrien, Paladin of Vengeant, is locked in Com- bat with a Tulqir infidel. Cedric wishes to Bless Adrien in his righteous battle.

Cedric (Bless 5 Fervour 5) declares he will at- tempt to Bless Adrien to improve his Strike stat. In the Modifier Stage, Cedric must roll 5 or less to Bless Adrien and temporarily increase his Strike stat. Cedric rolls 4, a successful Bless roll. Vengeant be praised!

Now, in the Resolution Stage, Adrien enjoys a Blessing Bonus to his Strike stat of +5. The bonus lasts until the end of this round.

Cedric’s Fervour stat is now 4.

A character may only be Blessed once per round by the same Priest. A Priest cannot declare more than one Bless Skill per round on the same recipient, though he may attempt to Bless more than one per- son per round.

Example

Cedric could not have declared two Blessings upon Adrien this round, but he could have de- clared on Bless upon Adrien and a second Blessing on another companion. Likewise, had another Priest been in Cedric’s party, she could Bless Adrien during the same round as Cedric did, thus giving Adrien two Bless Bo- nuses—one from each Priest.

The Bless Skill cannot be used on Injury stats or Fervour stats. The reason is that Bless can only be used on Skills; the Injury and Fervour stats are not Skills. However, the Bless Skill can be used to temporarily increase a character’s WithIn. This im- proves a character’s chances of Withstand- ing Injury. But it has no effect whatsoever upon the character’s Injury stat.

Example

Next round, Cedric turns his attention to an- other of his companions, the warrior-monk Theophilus (WithIn 5 Injury stat -3). Cedric de- clares he will attempt to Bless Theophilus to improve his WithIn stat temporarily.

In the Modifier Stage, Cedric (Bless 5 Fervour 4) rolls a 2, a successful Bless. For the duration of this round, Theophilus’ WithIn stat is 10, making him more likely to Withstand Injury. Note, however, that Theophilus’ Injury stat re- mains at -3. At the end of the round, Theophi- lus’ WithIn stat returns to 5.

Cedric’s Fervour stat is now 3.

Characters with Blessed WithIn stats can still be Injured, of course.

Example

Theophilus is Struck with a roll of 4. Thanks to