Prophets, Not Clerics?

FrDave on Blood of Prokopius had an idea a while back that perfectly fits my search for an alternate term for an adventuring "cleric" or "priest." He suggests that a campaign might include miracle-working "prophets" in the Biblical sense of the word. I think this is a great idea not just for a specific campaign, but a general set of rules.

I think my dissatisfaction with "cleric" and "priest" is a widely shared sentiment. "Cleric" is one of those journalistic synonyms that has picked up unwanted associations. Some of those are with accountancy and others are with the standard, mace-packing, D&D class that has taken on a strange life of its own on the basis of game rules and historical misperceptions. Along with "priest," "cleric" doesn't convey enough of a sense of the strange and wondrous and miraculous. It implies that every village vicar comes equipped with healing miracles, and conversely, it implies that your adventuring holy person is akin to one of those cozy old souls, beholden to the church hierarchy, relaxing in the study with some port, available to do weddings and bar mitzvahs.

But none of the alternatives really work. "Saint" implies a very restrictive code of behavior, and anyway, players shouldn't be walking around canonized already. "Holy man" also implies you're sanctified, needs to be gender-switched for women, and comes across as bland and generic, like "magic-user."

Prophets, though, are not saints in the colloquial sense of the word. They're capable of summoning bears to maul some bullies, or marrying a prostitute to name the children as part of an extended metaphor. They are wanderers; without honor in their home town. I think they make a great model for adventurers.

So for me the question is how this model fits into my One Page rules for priests. Well, apart from "prophet" being longer on the page than "priest" (causing some grumbling), they should really have some way to prophesy shouldn't they? In One Page rules, priests get one "miracle" per day, plus an extra one if they make a Mind save. These miracles tend to be of a healing bent, but I'm finding the Priest class really strong in play because of their miraculous ability to bring someone back from a 0 HP or less major wound (that is, real physical damage rather than just hit points, in my system). So I'm considering replacing the Priest's progression of

Level 1: Heal major wound to 1 HP
Level 2: Make a second save against poison

(and maybe those two should be flipped around anyway?)

with

Level 1: Get indirect answer to yes/no question
Level 2: Heal major wound to 1 HP

and possibly other abilities at higher levels, to match the wide variety of miracles attributed to prophets in many religions.

One Page Class Powers: Priest

We're on to the class powers: the big four, then dwarves and elves on one page, and a one-page consolation gnome class (he'll be a little thin so I might pad it out with a table of magical screwiness). This one I'm presenting first because it's the least original, and I mean that as an homage to Talysman's no-spells cleric idea, which I discussed and modified previously here.

I'm only detailing levels 1-5, but at level 7 you get cure poison, and level 9 you get raise dead, with suitable limits. Turning is smoothed out from how it usually appears: you can't blast skeletons into dust, but you can make orcs sweat a little from the back rank.

Wizards' Law, Dabblers' Chaos, Clerics' Free Will

OK, Blogger looks to be back.

So - I don't agree with the designer explanation for why magic spells require a roll to succeed in Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. I mean - if it makes for a fun, wacky game, great, but I'll pass on the table lookups. And as I explained last time, part of the appeal of the traditional magic-user class to its core player type is its heavy reliance on strategy rather than chance.

Is there really a Dying Earth pedigree for random spells? Yes and no. Robin Laws' Dying Earth game has a much more involved analysis of those stories and novels. There, games can work at three levels of magic, each named after a Dying Earth character. The "Cugel" level is named after the famous rogue and similar dabblers in magic, prone to random fizzles and backfires. The "Turjan" level is named after the competent wizard-hero, whose spells work unerringly like formulae. The highest level is named after the wizard of the late novellas, Rhialto, who has mastered Turjan-like magic but deals with even more powerful, free-willed creatures known as sandestins.

I think he knows what he's doing...

It's a flaw of the D&D philosophy: The concept "Chaos" confuses free will with randomness. Understandably so, because other beings' free will gets simulated through randomness - reaction and morale rolls, primarily. But there's a world of difference in concept between each of these three views of magic: stumbling through half-understood procedures, confidently applying known laws, respectfully entreating free-willed entities.

This last view in particular I consider true to the idea of the cleric or priest. Whether addressing a terrible demon, the spirits of nature, or the Pancreator and heavenly choir, the divine miracle-worker should not go in with the complete assurance that prayers will be heard. To be meaningful, faith requires uncertainty.

I'm OK with "clerical spells" as a simplification, but I just feel that if you're going to involve random elements in spellcasting, do it for classes who are conceived of as bumblers - mountebanks, high-level rogues, gnomes and so on - and to those who deal with faith. And yes, how exactly randomness works for those two should be different...

More on this later.

Church World: Priest Spell Lists

Standard Priests and Militants of the Church

All White and Gold spells at each level

Additional spells available, from the magic lists:
Level 1: Blinding Light,  Temptation/Fortitude, Translate/Obfuscate, Detect Magic
Level 2: Augury, Find Dangers, Multiply Matter, Tonguetie/Tongueloose
Level 3: Dispel Magic, Hold Persons, Magic Circle, Create Material
Level 4: Anti-Magic, Divination, Confusion, Mastery of Weather
Level 5: Hold Monsters, Greater Summoning, Mastery of Earth, Mastery of Water
Level 6: Legend Lore, Planar Travel, Power Word, Earthquake


Special Orders of the Church

Order of St. Hieracon (Inquisitors): All White, Orange and Green spells
Order of St. Silvain (Hermits): All Brown, Gold and Orange spells
Order of St. Sequina (Mystics): All White, Silver and Orange spells

Druids of the Old Way

All Brown spells at each level; all Gold spells to level 4

Additional spells available, from the magic lists:
Level 1: Animate Small Object, Charm Person, Translate/Obfuscate, Detect Magic
Level 2: Augury, Find Dangers, Fear, Levitate/Root
Level 3: Dispel Magic, Speak with Object, Breathe/Choke, Damage Ward
Level 4: Anti-Magic, Change Form, Divination, Confusion
Level 5: Hold Monsters, Greater Summoning, Polymorph Other, Wall of Stone
Level 6: Legend Lore, Planar Travel, Power Word, Earthquake

Diabolic and Demonic Cults

Typically: All Black spells, and all spells of two schools from this list: Red, Yellow, Green, Purple, Orange, Silver

Pantheon World: Table of Priesthoods

This Pantheon is based on the conceit of a pagan Middle Ages that still honors the Olympians of Greek myth, who should be familiar or at least easier to research. Some of these Olympians, in particular Athena and Apollo, also show signs of pseudo-Christianity, for those who cannot live without churches and holy knights. Various chthonic deities are also presented to round out the bunch.

Bonus for Apollo priests: that hat.

APHRODITE - Goddess of love, desire, beauty
Chaotic Good - Weapons: Staff - Armor: None
Spells known/level: All White, All Gold, 1 Green

APOLLO - God of the sun, light, healing, music
Lawful Good - Weapons: Bow and arrows, dagger - Armor: None
Spells known/level: All Gold, All Orange, 1 White

ARES - God of war, the din of battle, turmoil
Chaotic Evil - Weapons: Sword - Armor: Chain or plate
Spells known/level: All Black, 1 Red

ARTEMIS - Goddess of the moon, hunting, maidens
Chaotic Good - Weapons: Bow and arrows, dagger - Armor: Leather
Spells known/level: All Brown, All Gold, 1 Purple

ATHENA - Goddess of reason, civilization, strategy
Lawful Good - Weapons: Spear, shield - Armor: Chain or plate
Spells known/level: All White, All Orange

DIONYSUS - God of wine, festivities
Chaotic - Weapons: mace (thyrsus), staff - Armor: None
Spells known/level: All Brown, All Yellow

HADES - God of the dead, underworld, riches
Lawful Evil - Weapons: battle axe - Armor: None
Spells known/level: All Black, 1 Purple, 1 Green

HECATE - Goddess of witches and crossroads
Evil - Weapons: staff, dagger - Armor: None
Spells known/level: All Black, All Green

HERA- Goddess of marriage and women
Lawful (female) - Weapons: staff - Armor: None
Spells known/level: All Gold, All Orange, 1 Yellow

HERMES - God of Trickery, Trade, Thieves
Chaotic - Weapons: Dagger, short sword - Armor: None
Spells known/level: All Orange, 1 Purple, 1 Silver

PAN - God of wilderness, beasts
Chaotic - Weapons: Staff, sling - Armor: Leather
Spells known/level: All Brown, 1 Green, 1 Yellow

POSEIDON - God of the sea, horses
Unaligned - Weapons: Trident - Armor: Leather
Spells known/level: All Brown, 1 Yellow, 1 Blue

ZEUS - God of thunder, heaven, father of gods
Lawful (male) - Weapons: Mace (rod) - Armor: None
Spells known/level: All Orange, 1 White (Lawful Evil beings are not counted as unholy), 1 Red (energy is lightning)