Spes Magna Games

You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (The Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians 2:19-22)

All religions and secular ideologies hold up certain people as exemplars for those who adhere to the beliefs of the religion or ideology. In the United States, we see this with respect to the Founding Fathers, for example. In the Church, most obviously we see this in the hundreds of saints venerated for their heroic virtue. Numerous other examples could be provided across a wide variety of societies, cultures, religions, political parties, et cetera. When it comes to the various versions of D&D, I’ve often read suggestions that saint-like figures be treated as demi-gods or maybe lesser gods. Most famously, D&D presents to us St. Cuthbert of the Cudgel, a mortal who ascended into the ranks of divinity.

If I were to write up something like a cult of the saints for a fantasy deity, I’d be less inclined to treat those saints as divine themselves, but what would I treat them as? Well, primarily they’d serve the same function as they do in the world today. They’d be role models, men and women and children who offer others examples of grace under pressure. In AD&D terms, they’d be heroes or quasi-deities rather than gods or goddesses. In 5E D&D terms, strong devotion to one of these heroes could be treated as a feat. Here’re a couple of examples:

Sacred Fool
You possess a strong devotion to a sacred fool. This hero is likely someone born into wealth and privilege who renounced his or her birthright in a dramatic fashion, thereafter living life as an example of traits counter to the hero’s culture. For example, a sacred fool born into an sophisticated urban society that strongly emphasized the acquisition of wealth might have become a humble beggar and preacher. Your devotion to a sacred fool provides the following benefits:

• Increase your Wisdom or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• You have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks as long as you have not inflicted damage on any intelligent creature since your last short or long rest.
• Choose one of the following spells: animal friendship, charm person, sanctuary, or speak with animals. Using this feat, you can the spell once at its lowest level, and you must finish a long rest before you can it in this way again. Your spellcasting ability is Wisdom or Charisma, depending on which score you increased with this feat.

Scion of a Divine Host
You possess a strong devotion to a martial figure known for his or her victories over unnatural creatures. Choose one type of creature from this list: celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or undead. Your devotion to a scion of a divine host grants the following benefits:

• Increase your Strength or Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
• When attacking your chosen type of creature, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls.
• When you can see your chosen type of creature and it attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.
• You have advantage on saving throws made to resist attacks, spells, and magic effects made by your chosen type of creature.

Tags: 5E D&D, Catholic

Today is the first day of Epiphanytide, assuming one is using the Gregorian calendar. For the octave of Epiphany, my Magus character class written for Swords & Wizardry is available as a pay-what-you-want product. This means you can snag it for any price between free and, say, $250. Almost a year ago to the day, I wrote up gold, frankincense, and myrrh as magic items for D&D 5E. That post is here.

One of the better changes introduced into D&D quite some time ago is the idea of domains or spheres of influence through which clerics end up getting themed abilities based on deity, ethos, et cetera. These sorts of clerical special abilities appear early on the game.

For example, in 1988’s Greyhawk Adventures by James M. Ward, we find out that Boccob’s clerics “gain limited sage ability” at 8th level. The ever-popular St. Cuthbert has three orders of clerics: “the Chapeaux, the Stars, and the Billets.” Each order has a different special ability. The Billets, for example, “can cast one friends spell per day.” By the time AD&D 2E was all the rage, specialty priests were an established thing, at least in the Forgotten Realms. No more were the clerics of different deities the same.

(N. B.: That previous link is an affliate link. If you click and make a purchase, I get a wee bit of money.)

And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (The Gospel According to St. John 1:5)

In D&D 5E, a cleric chooses a divine domain related to his deity. This choice grants access to special domain spells, maybe some sort of bonus proficiency or cantrip, and various special abilities that kick in as the cleric advances in level. Since one of Epiphanytide’s motifs relates to light, I thought an alternate 1st-level Light Domain ability might be fun. This ability would replace Warding Flare.

Confounding Light
Also at 1st level, when in an area of dim light or darkness, you can emit a divine light. You shed bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. This light can be colored as you like. Aberrations, evil-aligned elementals, evil-aligned fey, fiends, and undead creatures treat the radius of bright light as magical darkness. Your Confounding Light lasts as long as you concentrate, up to 10 minutes. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Tags: 5E D&D, Catholic, Character Classes

The night is passed, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light. (The Epistle to the Romans 13:12)

Armor of Light
Armor (half plate or plate), very rare (requires attunement by a good-aligned creature)

This armor gleams like a mirror, its metal surfaces polished to a high sheen. While wearing this armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC even if you’re not attuned to the armor. If you’re attuned to the armor, its additional powers become available. The armor has 5 charges for the additional powers, which you can use while wearing the armor. For 1 charge, the armor sheds light for one hour. For 2 charges, this light has the same effect as magic circle affecting fiends and undead, doing so for one hour. For 3 charges, the armor emits a sunburst in a 60-foot radius centered on you. The sunburst damages only fiends, undead, and oozes, but otherwise conforms to the spell of the same name. The armor regains 1 expended charge daily at dawn. If the armor is reduced to 0 charges, roll a d20. On a 1, the armor’s additional powers cease to function until the armor is fully charged.

Tags: 5E D&D, Catholic, magic items

Many, many years ago, I had a stable of AD&D characters. The chief among them was the dwarf fighter/thief Lord Korbok, about whom I’ve written here. Another character of mine that saw play up until the late-80s was a high cleric named Morgaf. His claim to fame was his gauntlets of ogre power and magic hammer. Morgaf made it to about 7th or 8th level as a cleric. He was as likely to wade into melee as he was cast a spell. One of Morgaf’s favorite spells was sticks to snakes, especially against an enemy archer. A quiver full of arrows suddenly holding a bit more than a half dozen snakes (about 35% of them venomous) tended to spoil the enemy archer’s aim.

For some reason, 5E D&D doesn’t include sticks to snakes in the Player’s Handbook. The spell might appear in one of the many additional books published for 5E, but, if so, I don’t own that book. So, here’s my 5E version of the classic AD&D cleric spell plus a new spell.

And which of you, if he ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? Or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion? (The Gospel According to St. Luke 11:11-12)

Sticks to Snakes
1st-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a small piece of bark and several snake scales)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

By means of this spell, you change one stick or stick-like wooden object that you can see within range into a constrictor snake. As long as you concentrate, you can use a bonus action to verbally command the snake to move and attack on your turn. If you don’t issue any commands to the snake, it defends itself from hostile creatures, but otherwise takes no actions. If your concentration is broken, the snake does not disappear. Instead, it is no longer under your control, and it will act as the DM determines. Regardless, the snake reverts to its original form 1 minute after you transmuted it or when it is dropped to 0 hit points.

The stick or stick-like object you target cannot be larger than a javelin and it must be nonmagical. If the stick or stick-like object is in the possession of a creature, that creature is permitted a Will save. If successful, the spell has no effect. Otherwise, the snake moves immediately into a space adjacent to the creature.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target an additional stick or stick-like wooden object for each slot level above 1st. Roll 1d6 for each object transmuted. On a 5-6, the spell transmutes the object into a giant poisonous snake instead of a constrictor snake.

Venomous Banquet
3rd-level transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a snake’s fang)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Choose a point you can see within range when you cast this spell. An amount of food sufficient to sustain three humanoids or one steed within 15 feet of the point you chose transmutes into either a swarm of poisonous snakes or a swarm of scorpions (use swarm of poisonous snakes statistics for both, but the swarm of scorpions has no swim speed). A swarm created by this spell reverts to its original form when it drops to 0 hit points or when the spell ends.

The summoned swarm is friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the swarm, which has its own turns. The swarm obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don’t issue any commands to the swarm, it defends itself from hostile creatures, but otherwise takes no actions.

At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell with certain higher-level spell slots, you cause more swarms to appear: two swarms with a 5th-level slot, four swarms with an 7th-level slot, and six swarms with a 9th-level slot.

Tags: 5E D&D, AD&D, Catholic, spells

Archaeological evidence of specific persons and events from the ancient Near East is spotty and some of the time sketchy. For example, the Seal of King Ahaz. If memory serves, the Seal is now part of a private collection, and, as it was acquired via the antiquities market, its provenance is difficult to demonstrate conclusively. That said, the Seal is likely authentic. It bears an inscription that indicates it belonged to Ahaz, son of Jotham, and king of Judah.

Ahaz was king of Judah circa 732-716 B.C. He rejected an alliance with Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Damascus to oppose the Assyrians. Acting against the advice of Isaiah, Ahaz allied with the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III. Israel and Damascus both fell to the Assyrians. Ahaz swore fealty to Tiglath-Pileser III and the Assyrian gods, and he defiled the Temple and even sacrificed one or more of his sons to Moloch. Ahaz died at about the age of 36. His son Hezekiah became king, and Ahaz was refused burial in the sepulchre of kings. Hezekiah had the priests and Levites repair and reconsecrate the Temple. According to rabbinic literature, Hezekiah was saved by Abi, his mother, who annointed him with salamander blood, thus making it impossible for Moloch’s fire to harm him.

In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree. (The Second Book of Kings 16:1-4)

Seal of the Traitor King
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

This stone seal possesses dread magic. When smeared with blood and pressed against a surface, it invokes certain powers, depending on the type of blood used. In all cases where applicable, targets of one of the seal’s effects must make a DC 16 saving throw. The seal has 3 charges. Each use of the seal expends 1 charge. The seal regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.

Beast Blood: The seal protects wards up to 2,500 square feet of floor space with the seal in the center of the warded area. This power duplicates the effects of guards and wards.

Monstrosity Blood: The seal creates explosive runes (see glyph of warding) as if cast using a 6th-level spell slot.

Humanoid Blood: The seal protects an area as a glyph of warding, but a creature who triggers the seal is targeted by bestow curse as if cast using a 6th-level spell slot.

Whenever a non-evil creature attunes to the seal, it must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s alignment shifts one step closer to neutral evil, moving from lawful or chaotic before moving from good or neutral. For example, a lawful good creature who fails the saving throw becomes lawful neutral. A chaotic good creature who fails the saving throw becomes neutral good. Whenever the attuned creature expends a charge from the seal, the creature must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or suffer the same effect.

Tags: 5E D&D, Catholic, magic items