Spes Magna Games

And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak.

Rarely, some divine powers bestow the Gift of Tongues upon one or more of the chosen faithful. This special grace manifests itself as a tongue of fire above the recipient’s head.

When those blessed with the Gift of Tongues speak, anyone who hears the speaker’s words hears the words in his native tongue. What is more, the one blessed hears all spoken languages in his own native tongue. These are not the only benefits enjoyed by the recipient. Not only are his words universally comprehensible, he is endowed with eloquence and confidence. The speaker becomes immune to effects related to fear and doubt, and the force of his rhetoric can sway crowds of people to at least respectfully consider the speaker’s words.

Of course, the Gift of Tongues cannot be misused. Just as it is freely bestowed, those same divine powers can instantly withdraw the blessing should the recipient attempt to use its benefits for purposes contrary to the divinity’s ethos and goals. The duration of the Gift of Tongues tends to be brief, aimed at a particular circumstance, such as addressing a specific crowd of doubters at a certain time and place. It is very rare indeed that the Gift of Tongues becomes long-lasting.

There are no saving throws or other such things against this blessing’s effects. The Gift of Tongues never overwhelms a hearer’s will. It cannot compel action.

Tags: Catholic

So, I started reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s Roverandom last night. I’ve long maintained that all good children’s stories must have an element of fear, darkness, et cetera, in them. Tolkien obviously agreed. Rover, after being turned into a toy, complains that he wants to run and bark and play. Other toys chide Rover, telling him to be quiet because the more a toy gets played with, the quicker it wears out, breaks, gets discarded and so forth.

In other words, the very thing that a toy is made for is the thing which a toy dreads.

Excellently dark.

Of course, I could not help but think of the fantasy game implications of Tolkien’s tale. In short:

1. Toys are sentient, capable of communication, and are motile. We don’t know they’re sentient because we can’t hear them talk or see them move. Toys can’t move when they’re watched, and even when not watched most move very slowly, especially if they aren’t appropriately articulated. A block of wood carved into the shape of a horse can perhaps wobble a little bit and fall over, but that’s about it.

2. Toys don’t like being played with. They want to be left alone, kept in mint condition on display on a shelf out of reach of children’s fingers.

3. Toys fear death at the hands of children. They also fear being discarded or lost, which likely leaves them at the mercy of the elements, nibbling rodents, and so forth.

Thus, the life of a toy tends to be limited and full of dread. Toys are created by thoughtless craftsmen to endure torture and eventual destruction, all to amuse children who are oblivious to the terror they inflict.

Quite understandably, many toys become quite bitter, even hateful, especially of children. Rarely, one of these toys entreats whatever powers might listen for aid, and Cro† infrequently decides to intervene. In his mercy and his cruelty, he grants the toy magical powers, almost always including the ability cast Animate Object, but in such a way that it can affect dozens of toys at the same time. Individually, few of these animated toys pose much of a threat, but acting in concert against a terrified child alone in his playroom….

†Cro, the God of Truth, Chaos, and Opposites. Cro always speaks the truth. Cro always lies. Cro stands firm against what is evil. Cro revels in evil, his hands stained with innocent blood. Cro is all things, and all things are Cro.

Tags: Catholic, monsters, Swords & Wizardry

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it, and said, ‘See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.'” Isaiah 6:6-7

Sacred Ember of the Most High Altar

Supernal powers gift only the holiest sites with sacred embers, which act as conduits for powerful Lawful magic. Only an appropriately blessed high priest of Lawful alignment may safely handle a sacred ember, and even then it may be touched only with sacred implements. Violating these strictures risks death (save versus death magic or die; suffer 10d10 points of damage even with a successful saving throw).

When pressed to the lips of a Lawful member of the faith which corresponds to the sacred ember‘s origin, the recipient is purged of negative effects, as per neutralize poison, remove curse, and restoration (with no incapacitating effect on the sacred ember‘s user). Purification from a sacred ember has additional effects based on the recipient’s class. The additional effects last for seven days:

* Cleric: When turning undead, the cleric uses the next highest “Clerical Level” column on the “Turning the Undead” table. When casting any cure spell, the cleric adds his level to the number of hit points healed.

* Fighter: When fighting creatures aligned with Chaos, the fighter adds +3 to his weapon damage rolls. Each day, the fighter has extra hit points equal to 1d10 plus his Constitution bonus (minimum +1 extra hit point). Damage is subtracted from these extra hit points first.

* Magic-User: When attacked by creatures aligned with Chaos, the magic-user enjoys a +1 bonus to Armor Class. Saving throws against his spells are made with a -1 penalty.

No one may benefit from the effects of a sacred ember more than once per year.

Tags: Catholic, magic items, Swords & Wizardry

Medieval scholastic philosophy posited that angels exist as purely intellectual beings. In other words, angels have no corporeal substance. This doesn’t mean that angels are ethereal or vaporous creatures. Rather, angels have no material form at all. This idea has several interesting consequences. Although angels are purely intellectual beings, they can assume material form. When doing so, however, these bodies are not alive. Angels do not experience sensory impressions the way material creatures do. They do not receive knowledge of the world around them from their senses, but instead receive knowledge immediately via the intellect unimpeded by physical limitations.

Thus, while embodied, angels are immune to any thing which requires a sensing, living body to be acted upon. Angels cannot be poisoned, do not require food or water or air, cannot be fooled by Stealth or tricked by illusions, do not feel physical pain or pleasure, et cetera. Angels always win opposed skill checks related to mental ability scores. You can’t Bluff or Intimidate an angel. Angels don’t have to make Perception checks; they always perceive via pure intellectual means unencumbered by the vagaries of physical senses. Since an angel’s temporary body is composed of reshaped matter, it can be damaged. Effects that can harm inanimate objects can harm angels, at least insofar as such effects may destroy the angel’s fake body.

When not embodied, angels are invisibile, completely immaterial, and are not physically limited in the way corporeal creatures are. Time and space, for example, are not barriers to an angel. Angels do not travel. They simply arrive and depart, sort of like an always active, unlimited greater teleport. When engaging in divination, angels are no more likely to err than the powers they serve. Also, they do not have to learn, since learning is a corporeal activity mediated through the senses over time. Angels simply know, immediately and fully.

Since, according to the medieval scholastics, not all angels are good, the same characteristics posited about angels also apply to demons and devils.

In game terms, adopting these medieval theories about angels can be handled largely as background data. The actual stats of the creatures need not be changed. Reactions that ought not occur (such as an intellectual creature failing a Sense Motive check) can be written off as some sort of trick, the result of hubris on the creature’s part, et cetera. Then, when the time is right, you can spring the full power of such a creature on the party, having laid the groundwork with suitable hints related to player character Knowledge checks and so forth. Imagine your players’ surprise and annoyance when they discover that the demon they’ve killed isn’t really destroyed, but instead has been shadowing them while immaterial, waiting for a chance to spring its trap.

Tags: angels, Catholic, monsters, Pathfinder