POWER LEVEL TABLE).
Ritual of Atonement
This ritual allows the priest to absolve a person of past misdeeds and assure their soul a place in Paradise. It is also performed when a person wishes to convert from one belief to another - from worship of the Old Gods to the New Faith, for example.
The most common use of this ritual is to prepare an individual's soul for passage to the afterlife, particularly if the person is on his or her death bed or about to go into a perilous situation. Good priests commonly perform Atonement for soldiers about to go into battle.
&In the tenets of the New Faith, a Ritual of Atonement must be performed before a person's death in order for his or her soul to travel to Paradise. If not, the soul, regardless of ethical status, transfers to the pergatory of the Realm of Shadows.
For more information on the afterlife.
The inverse of a Ritual of Atonement allows an evil priest to "divert" a soul in its passage to the afterlife. Good souls who would normally ascend to the Celestial Realm are detoured to the Realm of Shadows. "Neutral" souls bound for the Shadowrealm are condemned to the misery of the Underworld. The priest must make a Power Roll vs. the victim's own Power to be successful (obviously, characters with PL0 are helpless). However, if the deceased has had the benefit of a Ritual of Atonement before death, then the PL of the priest who performed it is used in his or her defense. Such acts by evil priests go into the ledger in the plus column, counted toward their own reward in the afterlife.
Blessing
A Blessing is believed to confer the favor of a deity upon those who receive it. In practical usage, Blessing increases one of the Basic Abilities, chosen by the priest, (Skill-at-Arms, Prowess or Wisdom - but not Power) one level for Power Level duration. A Blessing may also remove a Curse with a Power Roll. A single person may be blessed, or a number of people within the ritual's area of effect.
The opposite of a Ritual of Blessing inflicts an evil onus upon a person or area. A Curse reduces one of the Basic Abilities (excluding Power) one level for Power Level duration or can be used to counter a Blessing with a Power Roll. A single person may be cursed, or a number of people within the ritual's area of effect.
Ritual of Exorcism
This ritual is used to free a person from evil Possession or magical Domination, with a Power Roll. An Exorcism may be performed on a single person or a number of people within the ritual's area of effect.
In addition, Exorcism is used against the undead to release the evil spirits that inhabit and animate them. A successful Power Roll made against an undead creature's own Power Level effectively destroys it.
This evil ritual places a person under the magical domination of the priest, with a Power Roll against the subject's Wisdom and Power. If successful, the priest is in complete control of the subject (at Power Level range).
When performed over a corpse (or a number of corpses within area of effect) Possession allows them to be inhabited by evil spirits, creating the undead. Undead creatures remain under the control of the priest who created them for Power Level duration.
For more on the care and feeding of the undead.
Ritual of Healing
With a Ritual of Healing, the priest can heal wounds and injury, cure disease, counter the effects of poison and generally restore a person to health. For wounds, the priest rolls Power Level dice and the score is applied by the wounded character on the
COMBAT RESULTS TABLE.
For example, a character is injured, recieving a Serious Wound with a modified score of 20 on the RESULTS TABLE. A Priest (Power Level 4) performs a Ritual of Healing, rolling 4 10-sided dice for a score 20 which is subtracted from the wounded C's wound result. The wounded character is completely healed.
An evil priest can inflict wounds on a subject at Power Level range. Simply, a Power Roll versus the subject's Prowess and Power is made, with the result applied to the COMBAT RESULTS TABLE. Armor offers no protection; the damage comes from within.
Ritual of Illumination
This ritual fills the area of effect with a divine luminance. Sources of evil power are clearly revealed, as are magically hidden or concealed objects or areas (including Shadowcloak and the elven stealth ability) with a Power Roll.
For demonic and undead creatures, Illuminatiom inflicts real physical damage, determined by Power Level dice on the COMBAT RESULTS TABLE (inflicted in every game turn of exposure).
The opposite of a Ritual of Illumination works as the mage spell, Primordial Darkness. The priest can produce utter darkness throughout Power Level area of effect, lasting for Power Level duration. No form of normal light or fire will radiate within the area of the spell. However, with a Power Roll, obscurement can be countered by a Ritual of Illumination.
Ritual of Invocation
With this ritual, the priest (good, evil or neutral) is able to commune directly with his or her deity, to seek guidance or information on a person, place, object or event of the past, present or future. The gods work in mysterious ways and their answers are not always forthcoming. The chance of receiving an answer depends on the priest's Power Level - basically, Power Level multiplied by 10%. A monk (PL3) will have a chance of 1-3 on a single 10-sided die roll.
Ritual of Ordination
With this ritual, a worshipper is accepted as a priest and granted divine Power and priestly abilities (at Power Level 1). This usually occurs only after the person spends time as a Supplicant. However, there have been individuals of demonstrated piety and faith who have been ordained "in the field" (kind of like a sergeant given a battlefield promotion to lieutenant).
Ordination can only be performed by a priest of Power Level 2 or higher (Monk or above).
Ritual of Sanctuary
This ritual invokes the protection of the priest's deity over an area, limited to Power Level area of effect for the ritual's duration. Individuals of the opposing ethical alignment are prevented from entering the area and magical creatures and assaults (spells or rituals) must make a Power Roll to penetrate it.
Ritual of Smiting
To smite one's enemies is to lay them low with a single strike of overwhelming strength and power. With this ritual, the priest can do just that. All enemies of opposing ethical alignment within Power Level area of effect are attacked by a blast of divine ( or infernal) Power that does physical. A Power Roll vs. each opponent's Power and Prowess is made, with effects determined on the COMBAT RESULTS TABLE.