On Acolytes of the Gods

19 Nov, 2024

Design

In the still-unnamed OSR game, it's not a given that the gods exist in the way they do in the world's most popular roleplaying game but religion is a fact of daily life. People greet the gods of a home they enter, dedicate good kills to the gods of soldiers, and give thanks for spots of luck to the gods they are loved by ("by Crom!"). Most people understand that the little spirits and bogeys around them have minor but powerful "butterfly effects" on their daily lives, that the gods of kings can have proportionate effects on the kingdom, and that a bad harvest is the result of a bad ritual to appease them and not some kind of other factor. So, we need someone out there to help advocate for the rest of us.

It must be noted that Acolytes are entirely distinct from the character class of Cultists, who worship powerful entities in exchange for distinct magical powers. The power of an Acolyte stems hugely from their social and political role with the sort-of miraculous power to interpret Omens from on high tacked on as a sort of consolation prize.

Pantheons

There are 4 major religions spread throughout the land, most of which are practiced in all major cities to some degree or other. The gods are not named in this text; that’s your decision to make. Most religion is hyperlocal – many small gods worshipped by farmers and villagers live in copses of trees or springs, while the religions of State tend to venerate the big guys (your Marduks, Zeuses, and Odinns).
The pantheon of Water, represented by the suit of Cups in the tarot deck, has associations with aboleths, insanity, spiritual matters, sailors, family and the home, cloistered orders, the wilderness, and contemplation.
The pantheon of Air, which is represented in the tarot by Swords, is often associated with the nobility, language, healing, brewers, sages and scribes, justice, rulers and generals, government, and strategy. This is the official pantheon of Carcosa.
The pantheon of Earth, or Coins in the tarot, is usually tied to giants, merchants, diplomats, agriculture, death and rebirth, mining, commerce, beggars, thieves, sex workers, blacksmiths, and horses.
The pantheon of Fire, represented by the suit of Wands in the tarot, is associated with dragons, artistry, adventure, exploration, wizards, whitesmiths, revolutionaries, and athletes.
There are no official pantheons of Iron and Wood, though minor religions spring up to proselytize gods of these elements from time to time. They are usually repressed by the state.

The Acolyte Character Class

The gods require regular sacrifice, devotions, and ritual to keep the lights on and the Acolyte is initiated in the mysteries of how to do exactly that. As an Acolyte you have a role in society wherever the gods are respected – people trust you to keep your word, tend to avoid causing you harm if they can help it, and generally try to stay on your good side. The Gods are silent in this game compared to many roleplaying games but the churches founded by their followers are powerful institutions.

As this is the first character class I've covered I think it's a good chance to talk about some of the basics. Most classes have an attack bonus of 1/2 their Hit Dice. Omens I'll get to in a second. Arcane Secrets are possessed by many classes and represent hidden lore such as minor magic spells, alchemical formulae, True Names, and inventions.

Restrictions

Temple: To use your core abilities you must openly wear a sign of your faith and remain in good standing with your temple. You must pick a god to worship.

Core Abilities

Omens: At level 1 begin with a tarot deck with the major arcana removed. Every session, draw the number of Omen cards as noted by your level and select one to spend; discard the rest. If you draw any face cards or Major Arcana you must select from among those. You must spend your chosen Omen in a session in order to gain experience points.
Your chosen deity is associated with a suit in the tarot deck and has an opposing pantheon. An omen associated with your deity may be spent on yourself or an ally to grant a bonus, while an Omen associated with the opposing deck must be spent on yourself or an ally to grant a penalty. The other suits may be spent on either bonuses or penalties on yourself, allies, or enemies. If you choose to grant a penalty to yourself or a consenting allied player character, the target gains a point of experience once the action resolves.
Cups and staves are opposed, as are coins and swords. . When you gain a level, you may draw 3 cards and remove one permanently from the deck or choose to insert a Major Arcana card.

The Major Arcana are still to come but will have more in depth effects. The effects of inflicting or suffering Melancholy, Rage, Awe, and Fear will also be detailed later.

Sacrosanct: In areas where your religion is recognized as legitimate, it is illegal and sinful to cause you harm without just cause (self-defense counts as “just cause”). If you give your word, people accept it. Temple Services: When in an area where there is a shrine or temple to your god, you may stay nearby for free. You have additional services available to you as part of your religion, which will be discussed with the Referee. Author's note: services include such diverse things as Temple Stores, allowing certain goods to be purchased at discount, Training, which ties into the experience points system, Ministry to recover Strain quicker, and even Sacred Assassins to destroy foes of the church for a nominal fee.

Special Abilities

Trained Healer: An Acolyte is expected to minister to the sick and injured. As long as you have access to water and basic supplies (herbs, fresh bandages, a healer’s kit, splints, and so on) and a little time to treat people, everyone you are traveling with recovers an extra Hit Point per day.
Surgery: An Acolyte may attempt surgery. The Player chooses a die (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12) and rolls twice. The first roll restores the die’s result, plus the Knowledge bonus of the Acolyte, to the target’s HP. The second roll subtracts Strain, minus the Knowledge bonus of the Acolyte, from the target’s pool. Surgery takes an hour.