Priests' Altars (POSM)

__TOC__
Wizards aren't the only characters capable of creating magical items. Priests, too, have this capability. Priests can create scrolls at 7th level, potions at 9th level, and other types of magic items at 11th level. Instead of cluttered laboratories filled with all varieties of reagents and bizarre devices, priests need only build a special consecrated altar to their deity in order to create magical items.
==The Location==
Altars don't need the continuous maintenance or skilled pool of laborers and craftsmen that a wizard's laboratory requires. Because of this, the altar can be located anywhere the priest wishes to put it, within reason. The general site should be someplace within the deity's sphere of interest, so an altar dedicated to a sea-god should be near the sea, while one dedicated to a druidical power should be located in a pristine wilderness. Considerations such as the distance to the nearest large city or convenience for the character are secondary, at best.
There are two types of location that are ideal: a location that is easily accessible to a large body of the power's worshippers, or a location that has special significance to the power. A priest of Tempus (a god of storms and battle from the Forgotten Realms campaign setting) could meet the first condition by locating his altar in a fortress manned by a number of soldiers who follow Tempus, or a city that included a large congregation of Tempus' worshippers. Or, he might find an ancient battlefield or storm-lashed peak to be appropriate, since they meet the second condition. The DM is the final arbiter of what is or isn't an appropriate location for a particular deity's altar.
Like the wizard's laboratory, the priest's altar represents a significant investment of time, energy, and money. Thieves may attempt to loot the rich trappings of the altar, and enemies of the faith will not hesitate to desecrate an altar left unprotected. As a result, once a place suitable for his patron deity has been found, the priest should make the security and safety of the altar a primary goal.
==Physical Requirements==
After finding a suitable location for the altar, the priest must consider what kind of facility he will need to house, shelter, or support the altar. In many cases, he can simply add the altar to an existing temple, monastery, or shrine dedicated to his deity. However, this may require the priest to expand or renovate the existing structure to make it suitable for the altar. Refer to Table 11 : Building Construction Time and Cost for building costs; if the altar is to be housed in a free-standing structure, it must be at least a medium-sized building, but an expansion to an old temple might be the equivalent of a small building.
If the altar is located on a sacred site (a forest glade for a druid power, or a mountain peak for a god of the sky), the priest may not have to raise any kind of building to shelter it, especially if a man-made shelter would somehow be inappropriate at that site. However, preparing and clearing a site should still require an amount of work equivalent to raising a small building.
==Materials and Decoration==
The altar, its decorations or trappings, and the preparations for the ceremony of consecration cost at least 2,000 gp, above and beyond the cost for any building or structures to house it. Generally, the altar must be built of whatever materials seem appropriate; for a god of war, an altar made from the swords of brave men, or the shields of fallen warriors, could be appropriate. A deity of storms might require an altar built from a hundred-year-old oak split by lightning. In any event, the altar should be of the finest workmanship possible. Building an altar requires at least 2d4 weeks of the priest's time and attention, and the services of skilled masons, smiths, or woodworkers.
In addition to the construction of the altar, the priest must also assemble and prepare special incenses, ceremonial vestments, and other unusual materials. This could cost anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 gp more, depending on the deity involved. The priest may be able to borrow some of these materials from a large temple of his own faith, which would reduce the cost by 50%.
==Consecrating the Altar==
Once the altar has been completed, the priest must consecrate it to his deity. The prayers, chants, and rituals require at least one full week. During this ceremony, the priest cannot be called away for other duties; if he leaves, he must begin again from the start and replace any materials expended in the abortive ceremony.
At the end of each full week of prayer, the DM makes a special check to see if the priest gains the favor of his deity. The base chance for success is a percentage equal to 5 times the character's level, so a 10th-level priest has a 50% chance of success after one week. For each additional week of prayer, the chance of success increases by 5%. Given time, the priest should eventually succeed, unless he's angered his deity in some way.
When the power responds to the priest's prayers, the priest must offer up something of value or perform a special quest, whichever is demanded by the deity. The DM decides what is appropriate for the character and the deity he follows. Surrendering magical items, treasure of great value, or an item hand-crafted by the priest are all reasonable. A quest that a priest of a god of healing might follow could be to go among the poor and heal one hundred of the sick, while a god of honor might ask the priest to go to the king's court and expose his dishonorable dealings. By completing the quest or making the appropriate sacrifice, the priest demonstrates his devotion, and the deity consecrates the altar.
A consecrated altar radiates a bless spell in a 10-foot radius. It remains consecrated until desecrated in some way by the deity's enemies, or until the priest who consecrated it dies or falls from the faith. A consecrated altar can be used to produce potions, scrolls, and other magical items, as described in Chapter 7.