Foreword (PSC)

This foreword discusses rules issues encountered in the preparation of this work. Those not interested or generally unfamiliar with the system details can skip directly to the Introduction.
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The purpose of this series is to provide a companion to the Wizard Spell Compendium set. However, as this project was begun, a number of complicating factors absent from the previous books soon surfaced. They have shaped the development of this work, and understanding these factors is useful for any DM or player who wishes to derive full value from this series.
In brief, it is more important with this series than with the wizard series that the DM use careful judgment and firmly control priest spell availability. Specialty spells for priest characters should be set within the context of the individual campaign—completely free spell selection from these series should not be allowed. This general advice has its roots in how the collection of priest spells has developed over the years.
First, the combination of priest spell spheres introduced in the 2nd Ed. Rules and the specialized deity portfolios in The Complete Priest’s Handbook completely shattered the cohesion of the priest as a character group (clerics, druids, specialty priests). These effects have proved far greater than the changes wrought in the wizard character group by the introduction of specialty schools.
Second, the concept of a deity providing special granted powers has broadened over time. Instead of a few free spell uses (or access to such non-priest spells as fly), non-spell abilities like berserker rage have been introduced, as well as other abilities that are nearly spells in all but name (but without such details as level and casting time). A more recent development has been the deliberate placement of specialty spells on a deity-specific spell list several levels lower than their game effects would suggest, as a special boon granted by that deity alone. At the same time, such Lists have also been used to bring back older spells from out-of-print sources.
The result has been two-fold. On an individual case basis, priests of specific deities are more interesting. However, the general utility of spell level as a measure of power for priests has been badly eroded. This effect is becoming more pronounced as the line between granted special powers and a list of spells specific to each power steadily blurs. Guiding players and DMs through this particular thicket of options has been a major concern in preparing this series.
Third, the priest spell list (always growing more slowly than the wizard list and heavily weighted toward druids) has experienced a phenomenal growth spurt. Between the time the first comprehensive priest spell list was assembled in 1995 and closed in December 1997, more than 400 new priest spells have been published in official materials. This number of new priest spells is about the same as the number of wizard spells in the 2nd Ed. Player’s Handbook! At the time of this compilation, the new material is only beginning to make its impact felt.
While DMs of considerable experience should fare well, those with a lesser degree of mastery should proceed with caution. The Introduction has been deliberately slanted toward a conservative approach for the sake of the latter. Experienced DMs are encouraged to use this material in any way they desire to enhance the enjoyment of their players. That is, after all, what it’s all about.
Good Gaming,
Jim Pickens
Spring, 1999
Category:Priest's Spell Compendium