Orisons

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Orisons

While undergoing their basic religious indoctrination, clerics learn certain standard prayers and responses. Most of these are non-magical in nature. However, the most powerful do allow the apprentice priest to manifest a little piece of godly power. These prayers are known as Orisons.

While these spells are mere minor dweomers and rarely used by the spellcasting traveling clergy, they still have some uses to the adventuring Cleric, especially before s/he gains first level spells.

Orisons are cast like normal spells but all require the presentation of the priest’s holy symbol. Clerics may cast two orisons per day at first level, plus an additional one at every odd level. Therefore, a third level cleric can cast three orisons per day. As with normal clerical spells, clerics may pray for any orisons on the list and ask for any combination of them to cast each day.

Orisons List

• 1.Aspiration
• 2.Benediction
• 3.Candle
• 4.Canticle
• 5.Ceremony: Oath
• 6.Consecrate
• 7.Cure Minor Wounds
• 8.Divine Light
• 9.Holy Puissance
• 10.Holy Wrath
• 11.Meal Blessing
• 12.Meditation
• 13.Petition
• 14.Resist Poison
• 15.Warding

Orisons Description

• Aspiration
  • Range : 0
  • Duration: 6 turns
  • Area of Effect: Caster
  • Saving Throw : None

An aspiration is a quick prayer on the order of , “Give me strength!” or “Don’t let me goof up!” In game terms, it permits a nervous player to pre-roll a dice roll. The player-caster rolls a d20 out of the player’s own sight for the DM, who records it. At any time during the next game hour, the caster may appeal to have a bad die roll replaced by the hidden roll. The d20 can be applied as a to hit roll, a saving throw or by multiplying it by five, a percentile dice roll. Upon the caster’s request, whatever was rolled in casting the orison is revealed, and becomes the official dice roll.

There is no guarantee that the previous roll will be better, but it will be a second chance.

• Benediction
  • Range: 10 feet/yards
  • Duration: Concentration
  • Area of Effect: 10’ x 10’ square
  • Saving Throw: None

A benediction is a minor form of bless, raising morale of friendly creatures by +1, and their hit probability by +1. It will not affect those already engaged in combat. It lasts for as long as the cleric concentrates, holding his holy symbol aloft.

• Candle
  • Range: Touch
  • Duration: 2 turns
  • Area of Effect: 1 candle
  • Saving Throw: None

When casting this orison, the caster causes the candle held in his hand to light. Throughout the orison’s duration, the candle cannot be put out as long as the caster continues to hold it. The candle will be consumed normally, but drafts, gusts of wind and so on cannot extinguish the flame, nor will other minor magics that specifically target flames. Drowning or smothering the flame will extinguish it, however. Note that the spell can also be cast upon a torch, in which case the duration is halved. In either case, once the spell duration expires the flame continues to burn but can be extinguished by normal means.

• Canticle
  • Range: 0
  • Duration: Special
  • Area of Effect: Caster
  • Saving Throw: None

A canticle is a minor form of sanctuary and casting it requires the chanting of portions of the cleric’s sacred literature. As long as the chanting continues, opponents must make a saving throw vs. spells at +2 in order to strike or otherwise attack the caster. This spell does not prevent the operation of area attacks like a fireball. The caster cannot engage in any activity other than slow movement during this time.

• Ceremony: Oath
  • Range: Touch
  • Duration: Special
  • Area of Effect: 1 person of the caster’s religion
  • Saving Throw: None

A person taking an oath in the presence of a cleric pledges his honor to do some minor task. The cleric proffers his holy symbol for both parties involved in the oath to touch, and ratifies the oath with his ritual sign and some formula such as “so be it.”

The oath stands until the pledge is fulfilled or broken. If broken, the oath taker (whether the cleric himself or some other person of the cleric’s religion) will lose 1 point to his reaction adjustment rolls and the morale of retainers until satisfactory reparations are made (if ever).

Note that a third party of the caster’s religion can pledge his honor for the oath of a non-believer. In this case, both join in touching the cleric’s holy symbol while the orison is cast. The cleric can pledge his own honor for a non-believer, but this is an extremely rare circumstance. The penalty to loyalty base simulates the loss of honor to the oath breaker.

• Consecrate
  • Range: Touch
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Area of Effect: One target
  • Saving Throw: None

When cast upon a dead mortal, this spell prevents the deceased corpse from being reanmimated as undead. This spell does not work if the victim had been killed by a monster or effect that specifically results in the victim returning as undead.

• Cure Minor Wounds
  • Range: Touch
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Area of Effect: Character touched
  • Saving Throw: None

A minor cure, similar to all other cure spells, this orison will heal 1 hitpoint of damage. Note that this spell is not reversible. See the cure light wounds description for more information.

• Divine Light
  • Range: Caster
  • Duration: 6 turns
  • Area of Effect: 10' radius
  • Saving Throw: None

The caster of this orison begins to glow with a soft, pearlescent light that illuminates within the radius without casting a shadow. Any enchanted creatures (such as those affected by Protection from Evil suffer a -1 penalty to their morale while within the area of effect.

• Holy Puissance
  • Range: Special
  • Duration: Instant
  • Area of Effect: Undead
  • Saving Throw: None

If cast at the same time as a turn attempt the cleric's chance of success is increased by 1; she rolls 2d6+1 as opposed to simply 2d6. If no roll is needed this orison has no effect. Note that this spell cannot be cast at the same time as Holy Wrath.

• Holy Wrath
  • Range: Special
  • Duration: Instant
  • Area of Effect:Undead
  • Saving Throw: None

When this orison is cast at the same time a turn attempt is made te number of undead turned (or destroyed), if successful, is increased by two. For instance, having successfully turned a group of skeletons the roll to determine the number of skeletons affected is equal to 2d6+2. Note that this spell cannot be cast at the same time as Holy Puissance.

• Meal Blessing
  • Range: Special
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Area of Effect: Special
  • Saving Throw: None

The cleric gives a short prayer (1-2 minutes long) to their patron to invoke this orison. This orison must be cast over a prepared meal with everyone who is to benefit from it’s effects being present, within 10 feet of the meal, and able to hear the orison being cast. All who eat of the meal within twenty minutes of casting have their natural healing rate doubled for a 24 hour period. The meals must be prepared in a way that is acceptable to the cleric’s patron, thus if there are any foods the deity prohibits, or any portion of the meal was stolen and they patron abhors thievery, the blessing automatically fails and the use of it is wasted.

How frequently this orison can be cast varies by the mandates of the patron. A deity who favors endurance and great personal sacrifice may prohibit the use of this spell whatsoever, whereas a war deity may only allow this orison to be used on great feasts that herald the coming of battle. Only deities of healing and protection would find this orison appropriate to be used at every meal.

• Meditation
  • Range: Touch
  • Duration: 1 turn
  • Area of Effect: Caster
  • Saving Throw: None

A minor (and non-reversible) form of remove fear, a meditation is an orison of personal encouragement that gives the caster (and only the caster) a +2 on all saving throws vs. the various sorts of magical fear attacks for 1 turn.

• Petition
  • Range: Special
  • Duration: 1 day
  • Area of Effect: Caster’s patron
  • Saving Throw: N/A

Petitions are a staple of all prayers, in all religions. Most favors asked of one’s deity are answered in terms of lucky dice rolls and other game mechanics. This orison constitutes a direct appeal of a very limited nature to the caster’s deity or other patron.

If the deity or patron fails his or her saving throw (2 in all cases unless determined to be different by the DM), the request will be heard, and if it’s not too much trouble, some minion or servant of the deity might act upon it. Examples of such minor petitions are to find something minor, meet someone, remember something forgotten, make a favorable impression and so on. A petition is only good for one day. If it is not granted that day, or if no opportunity for its granting comes up, it is wasted and another petition must be made the next day.

Any attempt to abuse this orison with powerful requests (“Oh, please let me find a ring of three wishes!”) will be met with divine punishment if it is heard. Punishment may consist of a loss of spellcasting power, hit points or other power or ability, as desired by the DM. However, punishments are rarely severe or last long unless the caster is guilty of multiple abuses.

• Resist Poison
  • Range:Touch
  • Duration: Instant
  • Area of Effect: Poisoned creature
  • Saving Throw: None

If the cleric is able to cast this spell and touch the target within one round of the victim being poisoned the victim is allowed a second saving throw, with the same modifiers (if any) of the first throw, to resist the poison.

• Warding
  • Range: Touch
  • Duration: 2 rounds
  • Area of Effect: Creature touched
  • Saving Throw: None

This orison is a very minor form of protection from evil. For two rounds, it will prevent enchanted, conjured, or summoned creatures from making bodily contact with the recipient, by encircling him or her with magical protection at a distance of one foot. However, it gives no penalty to any attacks that do not involve such contact and adds no bonuses to one’s saving throws.