1. religion and spirituality

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WELCOME
in rhc speii clescriptior,sj.
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NOTATION
~h~ chanicliEg Companion
the standard notarion
from
other products in ths ~~h~~~~~~
line: Arms blu
3yell Eaw, Rolema~te:Fantasy Rolc ,P!ayins etc. Thcse products should be consulted for specific rzferenccs (e.g., the
iists
the ~ ~L~~ ~abbreiiarions
/ i
n o t a ~ i u n Wc~comc
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Welcome to the newest realm companion book for the
Roltmartcr Funtcsy Role Pluying. Befcri. you dive right inio
the book we'd like to give :he rtardard words of caution
an3 warning where appropriate.
1his companion is similar to the c7hi.r comp-nions in
that it is 'theaLc"oriented. That is, i.icr:-thing within this
book centers around the single theme of Channeling magic.
However, if an?; of the concepts prcsciitcd in this book are
not appropriat. to your game, dii nor use them! Do i7ot
presume whar is wrirten upon tnese pages is iau in the
strictest sense. Instead think of it as a text from which you
will learn how to incorporaec ctrtair, new concepts inro
your game. It is entirely possible that wha.t ycu lcarn herc
will contradict the things that yoc want to pursue in your
game. Remember that when anything is in doubt, yo2 (the
GM) and your game and players take prcccdcr,;c - no: \'he
rules.
Everything within the Chanlzfling Co~npsl-rionis optior.al
(the professions, the new speil lises, m . ) . As a G51, yoa
must study all of what is presented here and decide if the
concepts are appropriate to your gaming world. Adopting
certain portions of this book into your game could change
the power balance in your game. You (as the GM) must
decide if this is good or bad for your game.
Although this book is theme oriznted, there is no reason
why select parts of it cannot be used individually. For example, you may want to use the rules on D i ~ l n eStatus,
but not allow the new professions. This will halie no serious effect on game balance. P,err,embcr that In the end, the
GM (not the players) must decide to use (or not use) the
material presented herein.
Players should keep the above discussion in mind when
reading the Channeling Companion. The G M may decide
that parts of this book are nat appropriate for his or her
game. Pressuring the GM to a d o p ~pieces of this tome that
he does not want might not only result in a fracturing of a
delicate game balance, but could wea!ten or undermine his
concepts for the world he has created. There may be things
about his world you dcn't know about that c,:uld be drastically affected by them. On the other hand, the GM has
an obligation to his players to make clear what the physical
laws of his world entail (i.e., the game rncchanics).
A G M must strive to be consistent in his decisions and
in his interpretations of the rales (this inciudes decisions
about which rules to include and uhic:; ;o excludej. Withoct isnsistcnc:;, the p1zjc.r~~ ~ + i i !
f;i~~:
.ccjnfiidciiie ir, the i';hf's bccision: 3ii.3. .:-is. ;;nL. &'"ti:
';;-(is
h a F p n s , I., game loses mc:i I ) :TS i ~ i ~ , : , , aiid
~ ~ appeal.
Note: F;jr pxpcsa cf:/"itad;itiii+,rrhi. ROCK .::t.~i t ~ i : d ~ t d
mnscuiine ~rar:oilr;sujhcr: n;firrl'irx ! J pc.rrcr:s 4 ;iecrircr':;
ycr;der, l n SUCI: CGSCS, I ~ S ~C T O ~ O U Y Iarc
- S ii7,:er.iJLd tc convey :hc ~ncunin~x:
hc//sht, liin;/hri: t :c,
Auraaw THANKS
We would like to thank Susan Landgraf for her initiai
help. The Freelance Writers Guiid members and fel!ow
authors for their i n p ~ :(Rich, Scott, Tim, Todd, etc.). Mainy
thanks ro the group, the gang, the crew... you all know
who you arc and have teen for up to almost twenty years
in some cases. We would also like to thank our PBrniiies
who never put down or discouraged our hobby. Lastly,
thanks go to one without whom this companion would not
have been possible; God.
Piqii'esters and role playing group members: Tony "You
saw my dad naked?" Brarne, Rob "Ooh nooo!" Childs, Dave
" K n Traitor" Easley, Chris "The 3iack Arrow, its 9:00"
Eklund, Eric "Woaaa?"Kasnicii, Mikc "Ben Hur" Soiornon,
Kclin "'Mindless i'<iiling :\dackineWTesscriorc, Matc " @ o ~ s 9 '
-r3mscn,
JCICjC"5 +;3J ijl j i"",'..il
,. ic rn?'.'..
r ui in, i~rid'john "Qja3Bio;k" 'Y ",L,.?L I .QL.
'
..-I
llOi?i.
E!ror Biack:r,co: stcrtd on tkc hl!i crcst cccriooki~g-:he l o z s n a r r m tallcy b~2U.z~.
Bodlcs and zhirr b c n ~ littered
s
theforcst
jf~or,?i.oma battle t f d had r a y d sir,:c cad? ;hat morniny, rl tatfir tkaf cociinued still.
The ,Y~cr;rnancc; Caulric had rais~da c undead army and set cu:;C;.rthe f i e land: zith his miciaes, intcnt on destroying
the t o : ~ z as z d ~.iliagcsK ir.crccse rhi. sizc s,f:fAi:C T I Z bcfnri
~
he rcachi.c' the capitcl city, S i z ~ ~ t ~ s t lEltor
i a . and his conpcnijny,
G rexcmncd 2rdj.p cf f:cru'c: in :,hi; :;cz film, AGF! ,+~iiA
121th ;jCc x ~ j ; :p.il;ec in tlzi ?LinsHi:;:o,f Xindcsi and dcsisezl a
dispcprate plan c,?"de$nie. Three separate compar;ies, iuio cri !and crid ~ r . e;.n sea, were all nl;-icg o;, each other to prcvail.
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Ilith mud G,? ihr kinpIdci;;'s nab?: rrijplid ?uz :c? saLotaAr, hi$kclc b5lhalgan had tiathi;c;id tc2ctAi;rr the Zcgcndary
Sindcstlfar, Pirctes. T h q uauid h i , ; . tc AclZ an ar:;~adc;i;; bcy en ;At :crsti.rr: cacst.
c o ny
e r
e
,c r
r
.
e
...,..
h d n t ~ ~ rangers
s,
~ n i'j:':s
d in iiLe castcrn h r c ~ t : . C$ hik :k;c? did
zncrld hope full^ dccirna ft thc invadixg xndtad am?;.
a
KG.'
4
c r
e o no a
c , 2
u p G a
~zufibcrbcycnd :ht hundreds t h i r hit-c;;:d-rue foctics
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4
d l c n j zcith ~ ~ cofr the
t ,%c;eg?hclr Kzightx, c small grsup of C T U S L ~ C
a nPi. ~many Pakdifis 3
~772the z;arious ctzurchcs of
Sizdcst, Eltor &as at the head ofthe lar~cstunitedgrouedj5rcc kr~ownto ?naniiir,d.. ar:d it z a s r,ot going 13 be e n o q h tc
hold thc tidi Lack. itfa,+iy of the usual csgir,~:o , f x a r had !$tic cr ?;o ;#~ct on fhe l n c q troops. ils;i;cs and ballO:a had
prozsed Inefictii'e ;n the mummics and zombies and w ~ u l d p a s sr k h t i h r o q h the ~keletonsin mcst cases. Ecen swords did
not prove as capable as :hey would azainst l i v i q foes. Only blun; weapcxs cr:d larger tujo hacded mapons were h l l y
ej%.aivc and ca:upzlts had . h n e zc;c,Il.Bu: d i e e z e w :hey f ~ c c d/,ad no netd ofrcst, sleep, o ~ f i i c iTire? did not&ar death,
$r even $the> s:illpcsstssed mind$, t h y zerr dread' dead. .As the bouidcrs rained doun from the hil!s and the fror~tliscs
ofE1tori army destroyed dozens of esemie: for cverj single mar, that it lost, i: uias not enough.
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As darkness began to fall, Elto? could see the campfires wink into rxistcnce, much closer to the mcuth ofthe valley than
they had been ?he night befare the undead armies had arrived. During the daytime alone they had lost too much groznd, the
night-time would prove the final biou. It 70.3s over Alany countless battles had been w o n they hadhrfeiicd almost none of
them. B u t the war was losf. There was no hope, o n h more lhcs aouid be sacrificed. Therc was lit:/< more Eltor could do, no
new trick or secre; weapons that he could bring to bear. Only one thing was [ep; it wc;s small thing but it was all Eltor could
think of: Betueen his flagbearer and signale); Eltor Knelt on :he so& ground and began to pray for his mcn. If ever thcrc was
a time to seek spiritual aid, now was it.
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Israted thcir enemies Eltor did not know bzt it surely z a s not with their empty or rutting eye-sockcts. His troops would not
be able to see, bccoming separated and ensib surrounded. E ~ v nthe most cxpcrienced t;poopr could lose moralr, panic, s n d j7ee
in those circumstances. The enemy had no appcrcnt i:cedfL?r communication. Either they received orders magically or they
were simply relying on sheer numbers to overpower Eitori arny. A plan that zould ecentually succeed.
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~ e $hose
r who have died here r o d q no: do so in ::ailz, f i r though they .have 39; succrcdttd in holding bac.k :he,firccs of
ezii : h q haw s a i d x a n y i;on Weasr h i b J 7 ~ d a n i%3:k!ale
.
asdJcriin ruccied iukcrc ii.c hcie/c.iid i , stopping
~
Caulries
armies, and ovengc 0x7 fate." E h r o p m d his cyrs t~ find both rhcj'iagbcarer and t h c signaler kneeling to either side of h i m
find $r n brieficco;;d r rmiC touched k? :Ips. T k c xi,;,.
Lri ii join d c 5-ont limx fir dc fiat' rniryirnent
"
d
As they gave the rail to march and bi"g3n dour[ the hill into !he- vdley the stars zoc;-ejust beginning to heconx visible. H e
hnd l i x d a long iij; it zuas no: so bad to die in scri;ice to G grcatc: good. B u t all thc athers, the mcr! and women who had
gitien thcir liz;es or; the,%eld icday, kow,full had tkeir liucs been? Z7i;h a sigh Ekor glanccd u p to :hc stars again, thinking 7
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to 5;z'e a lastfireueil his conpanions so far auajJrorn cacli other, zi,cn he noticed the stars sccmcd to be mozirq In just
the lest j;rz xecor~dshundreds of them had apk'cand c,ld t h j serrrxd to be... faliirr~,.+Itfirst z/!:or sll;;ply took this as. c sign,
a rctzrn y~re.-ti~ce-wcli.'
B u t the :.tars Ergan fc i:it brighter and closer. TOC
sky almost sccmed to 1igh:cr: c bit. Soon it uas i
obtiiaus Ac;: thi'si zcrc cot stars (it a//, but scrnej75ing cr~atrlrcs.As ;r~ri-ntn cr211ed kiln began to ncticc thk also thr gmilp
came to a s/ozc S ~ C J # S~~*~;O[Fstarizg at ti:(. niL-fc:'sk3.
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t , s i n ~G. :;peiir rLccirbi a c i ~ i j c :n
t !cr.$liLcs G ~ ~ ( z i kiiqJ
i ~ i :hi
~ cC?i;crcr;ai.i~ : c ~ p c d . h i w oU;TC
d ~ i i d ~ e s ~Eltc;
c d ~iiinh;
" C h a ~ n ~ i cron the $rccs of .ymd, Lo,~dE k o ~B/a~-kmoar ~ h cK w c ~ f ~K.n~i$s,~ ; ~'" his :one izdic~:ccl that if ZL?S ZJ? c
quts:icz.
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PMT I CONTENTS
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2.0 Sources Of Mortal Power.
2.1 Divine Power ............................................................................ S
2.2 Demcnic i3cwer ........................................................................... S
2.3 Naturai Sources ........................................................................
E:
............................... 8
2.4 Spheits of Infiiience ..............................
.
2.5 LVorshipers ...................................................................................8
3.0 Sources Of Immortal Power. ..........................................
9
3.1 Spheres Of Infhenct. ..........................
.
.................................9
10
4.1 Fo!ioweis Ar.2 h?in:ons .....................
10
.......4.2
........LVorshipsrs
.........................
10
........ 10
......
4.3 Cl;ar.cellcrs ar.d Priests ......................
.
.
.
.
4.4 Champicns ar.6 Sainrs ........................................ ............... 11
4.5 Creaticns azd Servitcrs ....................
.
.
........................
11
4.6 Avztars ........................................................................................ I!
................................. I1
4.7 Religious Orders ............................... .
.
4.6 Rcligion azd the Characrer ....................
.
......................
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3.2 Worshipers ...................................................................................
9
...............................................
3.3 Examples .......................
.
.
9
4.0 Weii~ion..................................................................................
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1.0 Introduction. ...............................................................................
Grog hoMiny u l o r y
club-like bone looked to
the sky in awe. A ny5terious objttct had 6cym
to block out the s m ' s
light, cocering it and c!/
the land in n ,arn:i;;.qz
darkiress. T h e U L p1ct;ni.d attack t h y nsC
decided to make on rhc
nei'hboring clun wax ;r.ceiving hclpjircm ce :in~xpectedand obciou~lj:
uerq powerful beiag. A
rrookcci smile spnoa'
across hic dirty jkct a s
he grzr::cd to the ~t/:ers
t h ~ tthcj uculd s a i r
un:il tht durkm:: 3 s : .
6 ; [i S &(F(.J~,:,12('$ :!L:,:,
z c 1 3 u j i ai;ack ir; ihe c,, , J ,;us:,7r 2j"(t26 at/?(,;-cid~;,
,.ii~qLUOL ld ;?eelT:r,
cbrctc a:xnG ?lLcCaiTgj f L~/ K ~C G ; ; ; L ' K ~ c,f t,74 ir
cc;c;Gur;d br iicfkctcr.
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3hi:rt intervention is 'i;?il ncxt n~ajorsubjec: that will
be zove:d. Liithi,~,yo.; will find same rules to use as
piiJe!incs for w5en a cha:actcr or par:Iv7 gets themselves
ir.to such a decp hoie t ; ~ T.G
t mo;tal heip is going to get
,;hen? ost. Yc,: wiii also ,:!.isccber how a character's situaticn, acticns, attitude, ant! inten: will affect ihat plea for
hclp.
There are four new professions included. There are two
h:brid spell users (one for each other realm) and one semispeii cser. Rules for crezting Priests of difhrent religions
are aisa introduced. To support the concept rhat all Priests
shouid not look ahkc; a iarge set of Priest base lists has
been inc!uded. They are iisabie by Channeling characters
to make their Priest w~tiqueto the deity they serve.
Aiso included, arc "1 new Training packages, a discussion of Fate Points, a treatise on the spirit world, and new
talents and flaws especially fcr Channeling characters.
Also, w o new Holy Critical Strike Tables are included.
The:; y~liiihave rnaliy uses u~ithinthe reairn of Channeling
miigic, incicdinp co:rilption, holy spells, and criticals against
specific enemies.
One last -vvorS cf warning before you jump in. T h e Channeling Companion is written with the "good" Channeling
charac:cr in mind. 'There are a few examples of evil (Kecromancers, Uiicl~es,etc.), bat the evil or neutral view of
tspics preser.t,ia hcr~i;; 2.r,? no'; ;:ways dis;ussec! specifically. You may have necd :0 .;se this material for an 'evil'
religion, and for the cvii Cha~nelersin it. In addition, in
mosi wc~ridsthere are not only good and evil, but many
shades of gray rhat w;il need to be addressed as well. Just
chanSc %ha; you
to rsficnsta;iy GU;!Sok, Whc;hSr f i ~ ; ~ eL;i, Or c.thtlr.Holy ccu]J b2 re2d as unhoiy, cre2turcs
"of darkness" would becop.c crearnrss "of iight," etc.
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Concepts
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As its name implies, Channeling 1s a pyocess of receiving
po\ver f r o n other 3c:ngs into one's self, :hen channellr,g
that power to "cast sp~lls."Channtl;ng magic is spiriyiiai
and rehgious in nature. .A cscr of :h: Channsiing rea!r.~
does not get his powe:- saints and s ~ e i i sin :he same way as
an Essence user. An Essznce Qser pulls energy directly f;e;rL
the Essence around him and molds it into s2tlis. A
Channeler is, in effect, petitioning his deity for the power
to cast Channeling spells and far the spells thcmselvcs.
This does not often require active zooperation of thc deiry,
especially when the Channeling user is using relatively weak
or subtle spells. !"Pore powerful and significant spells (dearh
spells, or the revival of the dead) may require the activc
cooperation of the delts
T h e Channeier derives his power from another being,
and is in its debt. If not fcr his deity: the Channeler wol;id
have no power himself. This is how a Channeling spell
user should view his power and abil;@-.
The Channeling Compani~nimain focus wi!i be on Channeling characters. TI-.
purpose
?
of the book Is two-foid.
T h e first purpose is to provide additional flavor and r'niqueness to Channeling spell csers by allowing Garr,emasters to
tailor the professions of a given deity's religion to reflect
the nature of the deky ,?iiselE.
'The second purpose is to provide a series of rules that
relate to Cha~nekngmagic that makc t$,e
cnique. fir
exampie, Channeling is the only rcaiii :hat yequires the caste;
to behave in a very specific wayTaccording to the gdi~~ates
of
another being. Sections covering divine status have been included to make sirre that the character is acring ir, line with
the \ ~ . ~ sof~ the
c s being that p r o ~ i i 3the
~ ~Channelcr xs;rh his
powzr. Chaniielc[s ale \iiatchcd by thek reysegjvc. &cries,
sometimes \v"atched-.-mr
bt.2
~-7 i o.s- c- iart%
~ , uiil fail under nies thar wlil
measure their conduct, If thec beh;tvc an$ se:-vi_.th$ir dci3
we!:, i: b"ii become wortb,whiie for recisofis orilsr than just
role playing their character correctly.
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THE ORIGINS OF
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CHANNELING MAGIC
Where ths deities came from no one really knows. T h e
stories of how they came to be are widely varied. They
may have been born in the fiery furnace of creation. Perhaps they were mortals that gained great magical knowledge and achieved their position on their own. Some of
them may be embodiments of the forces of nature. Maybe
they were created by the first worshipers of the world by
the unknowing mental power and worship of people's beliefs. They could simply be extraordinarily inteiligent beings for their time or maybe they are of a different world.
Depending on what world, religion, or even person you
ask there will be a different explanation. It seems that the
deities have always existed. It seems that they were there
before the races covered the world and will probably always be here.
Deities in many worlds are often grouped into pantheons (groups of deities with similar beliefs and purposes) or
sometimes they all have independent goals. It is the GM's
job to decide how many and what deities there are in the
world, and what their roles are. When a GM has a diverse
and interesting group of deities present and working in his
world, it adds a great flavor to the campaign.
T h e most common definition of Channeling magic follows: At some point in the history of the world, a relationship arose between mortals and deities. This relationship
is called worship. It is the main means by which deities
gain their power. T h e Channeler, as he worships, actually
gives p x t of his Essence to the deity through daily prayer,
sacrifice, and other forms of worship. The more worshipers that a deity has, the more powerful he is.
T h e deities can be thought of as incredibly powerful
beings, independently powerful and needing no external
s o x c e for their spells and abilitiss. A deity has the natural
ability to gather this coliective Essence from his worshipers and direct that power outward to affect the physical
world. He is also able to channel this power out to his
followers in the form of spells. In rare instances, he will
use his power to directly intervene in the affairs of one of
his worshipers.
This relationship grew down rhrough the years and eventually developed into the realm of Channeling. Today, there
are highly structured churches where anyone can go, and
.
followers are offered
become a foliower of a d e i ~ The
protection, i~;struction,and social cohesion with other follock-ers of the faith. If proper!y invested, a foi!sv~er can
become a Chunneiing spcli aser, cnCcrinp intc the above
relueionship with ;dei:y,
!he reiatic;ishi~~brtweenu-orshipcr and deiq; has grown
as :he years have goiic by. T h c Chani~elermust adhew to
thc principles and practices of tne d c i ~Tk,cy
.
aiso rniisi
spread the wo;d of the deitys powcr, gain nev\, worshipers,
watch over and protect the current ones, and pcrform special missions as the dcity directs. T h e deity is expcsted to
give J ppcri-ion of his pcw,ue;- to his invested fo~icwcrsa:?d
guldc ~ h chti;ch
c
;h:o-agi: :IS Isadcrs. It becc:~-,csu c q i ! ~ c i
process, r.o.orc f~llowersprovidc more pow?: for .:he deip.
which i:7 turn granis incre power to his rbii~\i.ei~,
etc.
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SOURCES OF MORTAL POWER
,%cd~n .Vat Lir s t ~ o din the cintc: s,fI.iis grs;c drawsi~;,-p,:ztrfrc?r~
fht,c/ari~sand anl'ma/x o,f the firtst. /Is kc
2 ~ i l a dt i c PO;L?CT inti himse/,f rind channiltd If izts c: ;iablc$wcci. thc Druid; ener;:y cntc~cdthe cicarir;,o. Black
clcilds bLil;r. to r ~ fabcvc
l
and :hundir roiicd across tlic
skizr as thr dari: drake c a l ; ~fully inti: ciezu. Suddenb
,~haricx tirnu, h i s hands joric..nrd, fingers outstreiched toz ~ r d :iiic drake ar:d a rrio cf1igh;nir;ybolts burrtfr~rarhc
cloud2 ar,d s~rdckthc crtatun ir u n i ~ o...
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Concepts
g pPeinlses
N A T U M L SOURCES
.c scurzc i f Channeiir,g pcxirer fcr charac-rers is 21some fo;n; 0;' highci power. Ir. nwst cases, th;s is a
b ~ o::~er
t
sources c;n be used by a character to pal:?
i7,,:c ;?owe:. Thc:e are three main sources of Channriing
Fowcr: Divine Pswer, Derrionic i>o\vtlr,artd Sat-sral Sources.
0 t h - sources of power will be diswsscd as u d l . Without
one of rhese sources of power, a Channeler is without any
way to cast s p ~ i ! ~ .
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DIVZNE POWER
This is -the area of the Animist,, Druii, and shaman-type
L~arzcters.This area is very dependen: on the world view
cf the Gsrne,vaster. 3ependiag on how he sees it, the
Ch3c;;eler rr,q, draw power from, and worship, a nature
deity or s ~ i r i in
; :he same w;? as a divine po.l:;eiF.I'he GM
may also rule that rhc Channe!cr may actuaily be drawing
pcwer from the environment itseif (giant life, animal life,
spirits, e.tc.1. in this case, the Channelcr is said to be drawing p w e r from a Sphere of Infiuence, in a similar way
:har 3 a e i q dces (SCCSection 3.1).
Treat this rype of Channeler as any other for the purposes of casting speiis, but there is one drawback. There is
obviously no rea! being to intervene and help :he Channeler
if he shouid ever ask for he!p. This type of Channeler may
have a bit more fiexibiiity with his behavior, but suffers a
severe pcnalty when calling for Dibine Intervention.
SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
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,Most of he time, characters will be receiving their power
from a deity oof L: piirticuiar Sphere of Inilucnce (see Section 2.4). This is what is called divine power. T h e characwiirs~liperSof a par:iciilar dciqb--%ELo
ter is onr of
nels them powtr and the ability to cast their spells. Many
of thcse spells v;i!i reflect tne na.t*areof the d t l i ~ while
,
others will be generic spells thzt are often sent to worshipcrs of s : d~c i ~ Most
.
Channeling characters described in
Roirmcstcr will draw power this way frorn a divine beiilg.
RB.&moVNIc
POWER
ib
Deals arc cftsn struck with Demons ,cir other supernatural forces to gain or obtairi power. This can range aiywhere from prornisii~gmonerary or sacrificial offerings to
servina the crttity and doing its bidding. The problem with
t;",is scurce of Mower is that the Dtmon may grow to see
.this pe:-scn as expendable, 2nd might fail them or bctr;;
.i.,-.,-;.-.,,-,.,)I
,,..: ;i i:; con.,,c.r.ie:?: .:,J di; so. Thcrc i.r-r: .:;so De.
.
.7-,c-,c
,i,, ,d k-%~,<.,, - .'iioij. .ind il?:.;;:tain
2. :;:.;ge groLp of a o r s h i ~ t r s
. '%rii
- L:&!-cli. i-;l2E;.(.r ds 2 drzi't3-.
'-!-p.<,
,., k:LP.~.:: of pciixr can rr:r,gc to c i h r sorts r?f suyir>-.
..,..
-. $- .c
;:
zeli-~gs~ c s l j e s3ems11:.;
it co2:i ~-tcli;dccixrtei?riI
. .
:ci-vJ:lrs c: (;:I> o ~ ~ -power:<,
~ c r . . >i:ng
rm:ii; anG:Kci- pia;;,c.
.
Rh;L,S. ii;ii! :iaJ:c;. c!ldrs--,LC:- d:-+i~
power iror-: n Dcmosic
?;c:irc< {but 13t;hzrs a S~;cerer 2r 2 SLZ-.mor:er miglzt).
b'y:esr <
;, :;F:C i.i;nc, these thj.: ~:itize DLmoric ps:vc arc:
..
.
3
'
,
C\il:.
There are a few izst ways in which a Channeier can gain
-.
power. 'l'he first is if a Channeler worships a general idea
or theme such as "good" or "love." The Channeler is said
ro be drawing power directiy from a Sphere of Influence,
in a sirniiar way as that of a deity. Treat this type of
Channeler as any other for the purposes of casting spells.
However, nct oaiy 1s there no reii being to intervene and
help rh:: Chanr~eicr,but if the idea that he worships ever
disappears frorn his world, or grows wesk, his power will
.b;nish with it. k r exz~aple,if a world is becoming increasingly cold hearted, and: love begins to disappear, then a
Channcler that worsl~ipsrhe Sphere of infiuence of love
will suffer from a lack of power.
,.x
.
i:c
!Lastfi~~!;:l;-.r:.lin2sagice of pov,,sr for
~fiouid~ l i sol-<;;?eone
c ~
to gain 2 o w e ~and
.
., "
g;.c,~ \-c De,cci;t;. ,; i r i Q ri2erfisLi\;cs.~f :h\: ,'$2rc.,,caljs:er
. - .
s u ~ S C r i ~to
3 C j :.>.eZ;y that dc.hies ~ J ; ~ T C:-,Io:~J~sth21 habe
>s,-enJedic; tj-Leirpositioi-;, 3 bCinG'jpo~~ber
cowid bc li: the
. .
growing m a 1 2 c r n l n ~ h a s e ,ssme.,,vncrc betu.ccn i??czal
and dei.ty. Suck n bci:~gcc;llii. naae a mass of woi-shi~crs
suppoiting 1-,in;, sIouiy learning to use t n a ~p x e r to his
ai\,-n;age whlie still 2 mortal. This sor;rcc shcuid never bc
;,t.ilzid b5 ,;i;.;.t-lay;.crc-s, L L ~C O ~ ]b;d ii-i G S bJ~
5 i,e:-y
- . ; , , l i .;':!':,;, . 9; ;c'.;ci-.~
, > ~ l > , . ~ ~c-C'?*>.-~l:t?
Jyile
L : ~ . ! . T ~:CO ~ T C :".IT~
&A
-
4
2
SOURCES 0%
IMMORTAL BOWER
Arcs, ;he God of Wac ~ i e z t d:hr battle that r u e d cclow, ir exhilarctior.. Such a n immense conflict cozld oonij.
bring h i m rr,orcpiwcr. Xeccrmind u h o u;on, that u9asirr~lm a n t although uorthj o,f some uttt.n:icn, i w c r all, great
zarriors xould make great Jroliouers. The Crusad~rseach
uould suallow up dozens afthe undead arm;;'s troops o w
courx cf the battle. B u t in th; ind, shcer numbers could
=ion thc d q . I: u : ~ u l dbe intcri',ciinz to see which z~ou!d
p r o x thr 2reatt.r advan:a~e...
T h e sources of power for deities are Spheres of 1nfii;ence and worshipers. Spheres of Influence are ari idea that
a dei:; re~resenrsfrom which he receives power. "Norshipers sre externai beings whose collective Essencc Is givcn tu
a deity through worship.
3.1
3,2
WORSHIPERS
tZ'o;shipers are a much more p o w e r f ~ and
l direst way of
receivinp power. Most deities have a large following of humanoid worshi;;ers who, when added together in large numx r s , piye rhe dcity an enormcus amount of power.
What a deiry's worshipers receive in return for worship
(in addition tc speils) cart vary greatly frcm deiry to deity.
F~~exampie, a jei5 of susteaance
may ensure that farms
watered and keep insects from
,d fields are kept
A jeiw of if^ :r,ay allow his .sorshipers
eating
to live j,,
a bit longer. T~~benefit of having direct warshipers, as opposed to only a Sphere of Influence, is that
worshipers can bring abom immediate c h ~ n g in
e the world,
by starting wars, retrieving lost objects, and even converting more followers so the deity may gain a larger power
concepts
8 Premises
~
e!rewwrmr
SPEERES OrPT EE ~Y F
L U E ~ W C ET h e one drawback to receiving power from worshipers
L---,
udbL.
file
Whether a deiw, a Demon, or something else, a higher
is rhat they are targets for a plagus or a rival religion's
power will usually have a Sphere of Influence. A Sphere cf
cr-asads against them. They can zlso be converted to anInfluence is, in its simplest form, a theme, idea, or subject. other faith.
Some good exarnpics would be Magic, Nature, 'Fortune,
Travel, Life* Death, E r e , Luck, Fear, War, Wind, E ~ v e ,
Peace, or a host of other themes. Deities can gain power
from these Sphcres of Influence. The act of war could
create and "channel" power to the deify of war just as all
the wilderness (and its inhabitants) covering much of the
~ ~ the
~ deity
, i of~a if^, gains her power fron, both her
wcrld couid provide the deity of Nature with a large power sphere of ~
~and her ffo~lowers,
l H~~ sphere
~
of ln~
~
base.
fkilence (Life) gives her power as her worshipers give of
This can create count!ess deities and pantheons ir. a their lives to further ker
;ives of
and
world without the prerequisire of having foliowers or wor- ;maliavs foliowers give her
not only iin the form of
shipers. T'ne drawback is that deities vv.:;ithoutworshipers lvorship an J
but also in the form of sacrifices and
would rer.d to be weaker or less powerfui, as they wosia ,,tions that p~otect;ife. s-,--;F--.
C ~ L I ~
form ii; time, rLoney,
not hsve the ability to bring &out direct change into a or great deeds,
this powel is channeied Po ~ ~ ~who! i ~ ,
world without doing it themselves. A deity of n'ature, if he
her u,ors;-tipers in the form of
nost of it back
had no follcwers, would have to reiy or. the devices of his spells to heal,
cndea$, and perform jifcgiving rituplants, animals, and other natural eiements.
31s. These followers then use ihat power to further protect
A Sphere if Infiucnce wiii not aiwaqs reflest rhe na~ilse life, thereby serving their dei@ and
their own
of the deity. A deity of Death may not necessarily be evil:
,f
all soc;ls m a t find their ultimate resting place in death,
hfaetaran, the deity of ~
~ F ~~and~k F ~, , ~gains ~
~
and t h ~ deity
t
might oniy be there to help ii? that journey. hi,
is plzved out. ~i~ is a
the fate of :he
Likswikc, 2 dirl+ of FOrtui-,c :r:j;q o:
necb:ssaKii:; kc 5-coJ hrge sphe~c,crtd rrs such it givcs hirr. im,~.cr.sepower ro
. ,
deit3 m;:; S'eK lo KecF rverqcne k'o;-ii ge,r:i:g
3; chi;;
ruic
~vc:- ihc fat;: of ,::hCrS, j-ik foi!owcTs v;.;ors&ip and
. .
. - s c ; t:,-$
& ~ -' L A '
v, c: .T yiiiil,t2
- . - - , the> s;jnt, Lieti
khe;cc;rc anj;.> c~:cs
.
;
:
i
~
:-,ii??, arbdpro..Ji&i:
vgitl-LfLr;ktcr , J ~ M . ~ I kl;c[ai-an
.,
. . .
.
;;r;j?:; Of F , ; Q ~f o r . i d n ~,btCPr ;fiCJ 'thXfl~'(h
~ U ( ~ ~ ( T ~32s.:
J/~J;
..
gives :hi: p0;vcr LJi'i< ;c. h:: fG:jotpc;S
2
1
~
G
ihiS
s; miish, if :lo.( ir:ore, ~ - ~ i ~ f a]c:ig
~ : t ~ hnt ,*:.~a;.
1;cji:r
to : o l ~ t r c i
dcstirt:, of cirraii: people that
sees
3~ ;cs~;~;~TIcc!.',~~!
to tihc fate of ;h< worid, whe:l^ier they ;re
g , ~ o dc: -52, and u~hctb.er!P.ey ;;,orship him e r :.tot.
Brakitas the deity of Combat, gains great power from
the wars cf the ' ~ ~ o r l Eis
d . Sphere ili' I ~ ~ f l c e n cgives
? him
t;o~;Lr 9,p+i-,t:iysv~r
c;;,c;-<, 1s \;a:. i-iii fo~johc:s
5-i~:iliEl ;GT,\~:
,
,
-3,.
;;-;;I. - ;r,\,,!,~;
cj-iarri ire,; ,:sfi?;-,!
n:ghcs; fDrm f;
W""bJi-"&"
sraj<l..
.P ~ S i. i t r:x ; c FG\GCT ;?a:i; to. his,~ o ~. ..I G w v;2;s b.ip
erL Li<, [,.rin *f <.--, ]I<- ,
,;r-:'.,,-,
,.c' ju,,~,,..ce
2u;i;;g Isr;t";res. ri.s
,'olE;o~~e:-s
usc rilis power to ba;ris rhe ezemics of their 3e-
ple
3.3
Sa
m
EXAMPLES
ALCU
J.L.
1
.
L. d
' -'
b-Yi.J
ity.
L
~
I
~