Post by Gravedust on Feb 10, 2023 21:19:52 GMT -8
GM Note: Devotion to a Diety can grant your character unusual powers, but often at the cost of restricting their actions, and at times straining their relations with in game factions and even other characters. At some point, it WILL cost you. As a GM I would not recommend a new player getting involved with a deity before they have some experience with the game. You can always dedicate your character to a patron later if you wish.
----- [ DEITIES ]-----
Present at the dawn of Ailia, the Gods were supremely powerful beings who tapped into the primal forces of the world at will. For thousands of years they created, led, and ruled, until in a single night their powers were broken, and their voices dwindled to incoherent whispers. But the scattered old gods are still worshipped, and shreds the gods' powers can still find their way in mortal hands. Those who are willing to dedicate their thoughts and actions to the service of a deity can become the inheritor of shreds of their power and perhaps, for brief instants, catch the attention a fragmented divine awareness.----- [ MIRACLES ] -----
A character who has made contact with deity can become a vessel through which that deity's Miracles are worked. Miracles function in a way similar to spells, with the exception that they require Piety instead of MP as a resource. (See the Piety section below) There is also a chance that an attempt at invoking a miracle may not succeed.
+ Invoking Miracles
Attempting to invoke a Miracle requires an action. A Chance roll is made against the character's current Piety. (Ex. if a character has a piety of 50, there is a 50% chance a miracle will be invoked.)
If the roll succeeds, the Miracle takes effect and the character's Piety is reduced by the Cost of the Miracle.
If the roll fails, nothing happens.
[ Each Deity that can become a Patron to a character and their associated miracles are listed here ]
----- [ DIVINE RELICS ] -----
The most basic way to make contact with a deity and become a conduit for their miracles is to be in possession of a Divine Relic of a particular Deity.
Sects of the Divine Conclave may bestow their Diety's Relics upon those they deem worthy. In most cases, before they will bestow a Relic, they will require a character to carry a Divine Sigil to their chosen Diety to demonstrate their devotion to their chosen god. While the Sigil cannot be used to invoke miracles, it will accumulate Devotion when the character performs actions that would cause increase Piety with that Diety, with the exception of Prayer, which does not increase Devotion. The Gods demand action, not words. (Each Diety's requirements for gaining Piety are listed with their other information.) Once enough Devotion has been gained by the sigil, it can be presented to the god's sect as a petition to receive a true Relic. Often there are additional tasks that the sect may ask the character to perform before they are actually presented with a Relic.
Divine Relics may also rarely be discovered in the world or through questing.
+ Forming a Covenant
Once a Relic is in a character's possession, they may make a Covenant with the Deity associated with it.
Once a Covenant has been made using a Relic, the Relic becomes bound to the Character, and the character can invoke any of the Deity's Miracles.
A character may form Covenants with only one Deity at a time. Forming a new covenant will break an existing Covenant.
+ Breaking a Covenant
A Covenant with a Deity can be broken if a Character chooses to renounce their covenant with their patron, or if the Diety itself severs their bond with the Character.
Once a Covenant with a Deity has been broken it can never be re-formed, and the offending Character will also be Cursed.
A Character holding any Divine Relic of a Deity they have broken a covenant with will take 5 damage every round they hold it.
+ Losing a Relic
Each round a Bound Relic is not in the inventory of it's Bound character, their Piety with that Diety is reduced by 10. (See below for information on Piety)
----- [ PIETY ] -----
Piety is used to invoke miracles, and increase the chance that the attempt will succeed.
Characters gain Piety by acting in a way their Deity approves of, and lose it if they go against their Diety's values.
Each Diety will have separate actions or situations that can raise or lower a Character's Piety, detailed in that diety's section.
+ Relic Maximum Piety
The amount of maximum piety that a relic can accommodate increases by a small amount with every adventure completed by the character with that relic. The amount depends on the length and difficulty of the adventure (GM's discretion) but will usually be between 5-15 points.
+ Regaining Piety through prayer
During Combat, using your Action to Pray to your patron will increase a character's Piety by 5, up to half of their maximum piety.
+ Regaining Piety During Narrative sections
While adventuring, Ritual Items can be used in the same manner as supplies to set piety to a given amount, up to a character's max piety.
+ Negative Piety
Piety can be reduced below 0, and at this point Miracles cannot be normally be invoked. Each time Piety is lost when below 0, there is a Chance equal to the piety's negative amount that the Character will suffer a broken Covenant.
+ Piety levels at adventure start and when beginning combat.
When beginning an adventure, a character with accommodations at the Divine Conclave will start with maximum piety.
Otherwise their piety will be set at the level they can achieve through normal prayer (half of max piety)
Likewise, when beginning combat, a character will have at least the amount of piety that can be achieved through normal prayer, assuming it has been long enough since the last combat to regain that piety through prayer. (GM's discretion.)
GM NOTE 2: The methods for gaining or losing Piety are intended to encourage a player acting in ways their Diety would approve of, in a way that meshes with the combat-centric nature of the game. These have not been exhaustively defined and the letter of the law can be exploited in some cases. (ex: a Sollos disciple can move AWAY from a character in danger rather than towards to avoid being within range of a rule that effects their max piety if a character is wounded) I encourage players to engage with the spirit of the rules rather than the letter of the law when considering their actions, to avoid an unnecessary bloat of rules to cover all cases. In the end it is GM's discretion of a player is acting in accordance with their Diety's desires, and they can reduce piety if they think players are trying to skirt the rules.