From: Jennifer Piatek 
(piatek@asu.edu)
Subject:  Priests and Spells

Hi there,

This is my first post: glad to see someone here!

Anyway, what my old GM and myself have done is similar to what others 
have already posted:  give priests special powers depending on what god 
they worship.  Priests of a healing god get better healing (2d6 once per 
round, rather than 1d8 every other):  priests of a magic god get better 
spells (like a wizard rather than as a priest),  (please note here:  I 
don't use the books pantheon at all, so these may not correlate well).  

We've also done this with Palladins -- making them actual worshippers of 
a god rather than just associated knights or vaguely religious knights.  
For example:  paladins of the God of War can instantly tell the 
hand-to-hand chart and level of any foe (well, they have to see them 
fighting, but similar enough).  They also can "pledge" a foe:  meaning 
that if the paladin is the one to deal the death blow to that enemy, then 
he/she receives a "favor" from the god (equivalent to a +1 to be added, 
once, to a combat roll).  If this is not the case, then the paladin 
receives a "grudge" (or a -1 to be added , once only\, to any combat roll 
by the god).  

Anyway, I don't want to go into every one of the priesthoods, since a) 
they're not all done, b) they're not Kevin's gods, anyway and c) there 
isn't enough room to do this without spamming everyone's email :)

I did have problems dealing with neutral gods:  priests that weren't 
priests of light OR priests of darkness.  We ended up choosing abilities 
from both (having curse instead of turn dead, but having the rest of the 
priest of light powers, for example).  Any thoughts on that???  There 
-are- various selfish gods in the book, why isn't there a priest class 
for them?

Oh -- we gave prayers to Paladins as well:  just communion and 
intervention, at bigger time intervals and with lower percentages.  This 
was after lots of complaining by players who found their religious 
Paladins couldn't talk to their gods....

Spells:  I ended up adding some god-specific spells in for my priests, on 
occasion (when the player complained and when I could think of one):  and 
then limiting the number of wizard spells the player could get.  It seems 
illogical that certain priests would have access to every spell (???)

OK -- well that's alot for now...any thoughts?  This method seemed to 
work well and gave each priest something different he/she could do.

Also -- what do people think of the new character classes in Yin-Sloth 
Jungles?   (they seemed a little too powerful for me:  especially undead 
hunter and witch hunter) -- although the new skills are at least 
intereseting.


Jen


---------------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Piatek (piatek@asu.edu)
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ

"Riding cross-country is life, the rest is just details"