Table of Contents
Holy Magic
Holy spells take the form of blessings bestowed upon characters by the grace of the saints of the Pluritine Church. When a spell is cast, the blessing expires until it is bestowed again.
Major and minor saints: Among the one hundred saints venerated in Dolmenwood, thirty-four are primary and have the power to bestow blessings upon those who pray to them, each being associated with a specific spell. Certain minor saints only bestow a blessing on those who pray at their dedicated shrines, granting less common spells outside of the standard holy spell list.
Saintly legends and patronages: The Dolmenwood Player's Book recounts the primary legend of each saint beside the associated spell, along with a list of the saint’s areas of patronage.
Spell Ranks
Spells are categorised by Rank, from Rank 1 (the least powerful) to Rank 5 (the most powerful). A holy spell-caster’s Level determines which Rank of spells they are able to cast.
Praying For Spells
A holy spell-caster may pray to the saints once per day, receiving their blessings in the form of spells. Once bestowed, a blessing remains with the character until the spell is cast.
Rest: A character can only pray for spells following a night’s rest.
Time: Praying for spells requires 1 hour of quiet prayer.
Number of spells: The maximum number of spells that can be bestowed on a holy spell-caster at one time depends on their Class and Level.
Spell selection: When praying for spells, a holy spell-caster may choose any holy spell of appropriate Rank listed in this book.
Duplicate spells: Characters capable of casting more than one spell of a given Rank may pray for multiple copies of the same spell.
Praying at Shrines
Shrines dedicated to specific saints are scattered throughout Dolmenwood. A holy spell-caster who prays for 1 hour at such a shrine earns the blessing of the saint in the form of an additional spell. Once bestowed, a blessing remains with the character until the spell is cast. The DCB has full details on praying at shrines.
Casting Spells
A bestowed spell may be cast by reciting a prayer in the Liturgic tongue. When a spell is cast, the saint’s blessing expires until it is bestowed again.
Speech: The character must be able to speak. A holy spell-caster cannot cast spells if gagged or in an area of magical silence.
In combat: Casting a spell counts as the character’s action in a Round, and the character may not move in the same Round as casting a spell. The intention to cast a spell must be declared before initiative is rolled. If the character is harmed before their initiative, the spell is disrupted (see Combat).
Cumulative effects: If multiple spells increasing the same statistic (e.g. bonuses to Attack, AC, damage, Saving Throws, etc.) are cast on a single subject, only the most powerful has effect.