From: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Subject: Re: Clerics in GURPS (Was Re: a GURPS question)
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1992 21:27:24 GMT
Reply-To: gray@visix.com (Gray Jones)
Organization: Visix Software, Reston, Virginia

In article <24SEP92.13047335.0160@VM1.MCGILL.CA>, CX6L@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA (CX6L) writes:
|> In article <3684@bcstec.ca.boeing.com> hall@bcstec.ca.boeing.com (Robert J. Hall) writes:
|> > > How should I (as a GM) handle clerics - based on the AD&D concept of the
|> > > cleric class where characters have skills/powers bestowed on them by their
|> > > chosen deity according to their personal ability and standing in their
|> > > church.
|> 
|> In my campaign, "deities" are not all-powerful and all-knowing
|> beings who exist to be worshipped. Instead, they are immortal

One of my chief complaints with games like GURPS is that magic (both mage and cleric flavors)
becomes too scientific.  It's magic.  Don't worry about realism.

For clerics here's what I would do:

Deities are all powerful (by human standards anyway).

To be a cleric, a character must take the diety as a patron.
Say:

15 points for a demi god.
25 points for a lesser god.
35 points for a greater god.
(Similar to the way (in DnD) that only greater gods can grant 7th level spells)
Notice the correspondence to Magery I, II, III.

Each deity should have a sphere of influence that corresponds to a college of magic.
Increase the cost of a deity by 50% for each additional sphere of influence (or magic college).
If a spell requires Magery 2, only a lesser or greater god can grant it.  If a spell requires Magery 3,
only a greater god can grant it.

Here's the complex part.  A cleric must pay for a god's favor:
Acolyte (favors granted on a 6 or less):  deity 2/3 value
Adept (favors granted on a 9 or less):  deity regular value
Priest (favors granted on a 11 or less):  deity 1.5x value
High Priest (favors granted on a 15 or less):  deity double value

To perform a miracle, the cleric must perform a ritual corresponding
to the ritual required to for a mage to cast a spell at a skill level equivalent
to clerics favor from his/her deity, e.g. Acolytes and Adepts must have both
hands and feet free to invoke divine aid.

The following adjustments are added to clerics' "favor" rating:

+1 per "level" of god to grant a spell (e.g. if a spell doesn't require magery at all, there is a bonus of 
+1 for a demigod, +2 for a lesser god, +3 for a greater god and a spell that requires magery 2 would be
+1 for a greater god, no bonus for a lesser god and not possible for a demigod).  The bonus is double
in the deity's sphere of influence.

-1 per miracle granted that day

-5 if the miracle is outside of the deity's sphere of influence, e.g. asking a fire god for a healing 
miracle

A miracle does not drain a priests fatigue points.

A critical failure roll on a request for aid will result in the deities displeasure and no miracles
will be granted until the next day.  Not being faithful will also result in a loss of power.

Sacrifices (varying from deity to deity) will grant a favor bonus that is reduced by 1 point
each time the cleric performs a miracle, until the bonus is reduced to zero.

For example, a cleric serving a god of war might receive 1 point of additional favor
for each for killed in battle or a god of thieves might grant a 1 point bonus for
each $100 given to his church or left in a shrine or whatever.

Clerics never learn spells, they can ask for any miracle they want.  Game balance should 
be preserved by the limited number of miracles per day and the decreasing probability of
success.  There should probably be requirements to serve particular gods, for example
a war god might require clerics to have ST 11+ and Combat skills totalling at least 40 or
a firegod might require that all of his clerics be pyromaniacs.

I dunno, I just made this up.

Any comments?

--gray
Organization: Freshman, CIT general, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA