Dungeons & Dragons is a game about
resources. Hit Points, Gold, Morale, Followers, even the PCs
themselves are ultimately resources to be expended to get through the
challenges set by the Referee and the environment that they've
crafted. Most character interactions with the world have some sort of
trade-off, but are essentially infinite; a Specialist can take as
long as they wish to unlock a door but they will have to deal more
wandering monster rolls, a Fighter can swing their sword at an enemy
as long as they still retain some HP. Spellcasters (Clerics and
Magic-Users in most B/X derived games) are unique in their resource
management, as they have access to powers that no other class gets.
Their spells are finite and assigned by level. Generally the
assumption is that those slots cannot be regained unless the
character engages in 8 hours of uninterrupted rest. But what if there
were other ways? Or alternative methods entirely? This article covers the first of the two types of spellcasters in D&D, the Cleric. Often a maligned class in the OSR community, the Cleric is sometimes out shined thematically by the Magic-User, until of course Undead come around. Clerics gain their spells back through a sort of nebulous worship, but here's some additional takes:
Offering:
In deference to their deity,
the cleric sacrifices (or donates) an object that would please their
deity or the force (nature, good, etc) which they serve in return for
restoring a spell-slot that they have already used that day. The
restored spell is of the Cleric's choice, it need not be the same as
the spell which was expended. This sacrifice cannot benefit the
cleric in any way beyond restoring a spell to an expended slot. They
cannot it perform an offering more than once a day. The means of
sacrifice should be thematic to the deity's portfolio - heaving the
treasure into the sea makes sense for on ocean deity, less so for a
god of the sun. The DM is the ultimate adjudicator on whether or not
a sacrifice is sufficient and if the deity wishes to listen, but the
table below is a rough guideline:
|
Level 1
|
100sp
|
|
Level 2
|
200sp
|
|
Level 3
|
400sp
|
|
Level 4
|
600sp
|
|
Level 5
|
800sp
|
|
Level 6
|
1000sp
|
|
Level 7
|
1200sp
|
Prices
assume a SP base, increase or decrease as needed.
Service: The Cleric performs an act of oblation for
their deity in accordance with their portfolio. This could mean
various things depending on the deity, but the DM is encouraged to
play it somewhat stringently, as the deity already granted the Cleric
power for that day and now they're asking for more. Additional spells
take the form of extra slots, and a number of extra levels can be
stored equal to the Cleric's level plus their Wisdom modifier. The
cleric's action must logically extend from their god's portfolio, the
Cleric of a war deity should be killing the enemies of their god, a
follower of a god of liberation should be freeing slaves or aiding
the oppressed. Though the DM is the final arbiter on whether or not
an action is worthy of regaining a spell, the table below provides a
general feel for the magnitude of action required for each spell
level:
|
Level 1
|
Evangelize to a crowd for a few hours, Labor at a
temple or shrine for a day.
|
|
Level 2
|
Save the life of a fellow member of your faith,
retrieve a relic important to your god.
|
|
Level 3
|
Make a new convert, capture an idol of a deity
antagonistic to yours.
|
|
Level 4
|
Murder a member of an opposing clergy, introduce
the worship of your deity somewhere entirely new.
|
|
Level 5
|
Convert a member of an opposing clergy, desecrate
the grounds of a rival faith.
|
|
Level 6
|
Destroy a temple to a rival god, oversee the
construction of a shrine or temple to your god.
|
|
Level 7
|
Force a rival religion out of a city or area,
fulfill a prophecy
|
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