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Exploit
Acolyte
Canada
47 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Apr 2007 : 04:12:37
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I am currently running a long term campaign in which the characters are expected to go from 1st level up to divine ascension and beyond (current levels range from 7-16). The campaign is 3.5 edition and uses canon Forgotten Realms with all the additional rule books, including the Book of Vile Darkness.
Sacrificing, as per the BoVD rules, has recently become a standard tactic. Preparing for the future when the PCs will be playing deities themselves, I have been trying to rationalize the BoVD sacrifical rules with Faiths & Pantheons and/or Deities & Demigods rules for deities since the game mechanics for how deities provide sacrificial rewards is not given. (If anyone knows of rules covering this issue that I have missed then please send me a reference.)
My Proposed Extrapolated House Rule:
- There does not seem to be any divine salient ability or other prerequisite for a deity to grant sacrificial rewards.
- Fiends which have no divine abilities can grant sacrificial rewards.
- Each deity or fiend grants different sacrificial rewards according to the BoVD.
- I assume these rewards must be something that the deity or fiend can do themselves such as a spell, spell-like ability or divine salient ability.
- The Knowledge Religion DC check for sacrfices appears to be 5 + (5 x spell level). There are some exceptions but for the most part the DC check given in BoVD Typical Sacrifice Rewards (Table 2-2) matches this formula.
- Simlarly on this table, the caster level is normally 20th level (instead of being dependant upon the celebrant's level).
Based upon these assumptions, I think that the sacrifice ritual must allow the deity or fiend to "channel" a spell, spell-like ability or divine salient ability through the celebrant. Thus the caster level and DC of the spell should be the same as if the deity or fiend cast the spell itself.
Casting spells would reduce the deity or fiend's combat readiness by using up a limited use ability plus it would require the deity or fiend to rememorize the spell which is time consuming. Given the split second nature of combat between foes at high levels, I do not believe deities or fiends would grant these as rewards except perhaps as the once in a life time sacrifical reward mentioned for a DC 50+ sacrificial check.
Spell-like abilities with unlimited uses cost nothing to use, other than the standard action to invoke the ability, so these would likely be the standard sacrificial rewards offered by deities or fiends. Spell-like abilities with limited uses per day might also be used under the once in a lifetime rule. All deities have their entire domain spell lists as spell-like abilities.
Some Divine Salient Abilities might also be appropriate for channelling, Alter reality for instance, as long as they do not require a rest period for their use. Again however since this involves a greater effort and risk for the deity this should be a once in a lifetime event.
Using these guidelines, I have included in the following posts what the resultant sacrificial rewards would be for the three main PC patron deities.
If a deity has an Avatar then I assume an Avatar provides the Sacrificial Reward since that is the sort of grunt work that a deity would create an Avatar to handle.
I'm looking for constructive feedback on whether this extrapolated house rule seems balanced and fair or if there are any possible abuses that I may have overlooked.
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Edited by - Exploit on 06 Apr 2007 04:25:54
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Exploit
Acolyte
Canada
47 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2007 : 04:14:30
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Cyric's Sacrifical Rewards Table
(Note Cyric's Faith & Pantheons Spell-like Abilities have been updated to reflect 3.5 domain lists and also include the Pain Domain from BoVD as per PGtF pg 189.)
DC 10
Disguise Self (lvl 19)
Inflict Light Wounds(lvl 18)
Protection from Good (lvl 19, DC 29)
Protection from Law (lvl 19, DC 29)
Silent Image (lvl 19, DC 29)
Angry Ache (lvl 18, 29)
DC 15
Desecrate (lvl 19)
Invisibility (lvl 19, DC 30)
Minor Image (lvl 19, DC 30)
Shatter (lvl 18, DC 30)
Sadism (lvl 19)
DC 20
Contagion (lvl 19, DC 31)
Displacement (lvl 19, DC 31)
Magic Circle Against Good (lvl 19, DC 31)
Magic Circle Against Law (lvl 18, DC 31)
Non-detection (lvl 19, DC 31)
Wrack (lvl 19, DC 31)
Dc 25
Chaos Hammer (lvl 19, DC 32)
Inflict Critical Wounds (lvl 18, DC 32)
Confusion (lvl 18, DC 32)
Phantasmal Killer (lvl 19, DC 32)
Unholy Blight (lvl 19, DC 32)
Liquid Pain (lvl 18, DC 32)
DC 30
Dispel Good (lvl 19, DC 33)
Dispel Law (lvl 19, DC 33)
False Vision (lvl 19)
Persistent Image (lvl 19, DC 33)
Mass Inflict Light Wounds (lvl 18, DC 33)
Thousand Needles (lvl 19, DC 33)
DC 35
Animate Objects (lvl 18)
Create Undead (lvl 19)
Harm (lvl 18)
Mislead (lvl 19, DC 34)
Pox (lvl 19, DC 34)
DC 40
Blasphemy (lvl 19, DC 35)
Disintegrate (lvl 18, DC 35)
Project Image (lvl 19, DC 35)
Word of Chaos (lvl 19, DC 35)
Screen (lvl 19, DC 35)
Wave of Pain (lvl 19, DC 35)
DC 45
Cloak of Chaos (lvl 19, DC 36)
Earthquake (lvl 18)
Polymorph Any Object (lvl 18, DC 36)
Unholy Aura (lvl 19, DC 36)
Screen (lvl 19, DC 36)
Symbol of Pain (lvl 19, DC 36)
DC 50
Implosion (lvl 18, DC 37)
Summon Monster IX (Chaos only) (lvl 19)
Summon Monster IX (Evil only) (lvl 19)
Summon Monster IX (Chaotic Evil only) (lvl 20)
Time Stop (lvl 18)
Weird (lvl 19, DC 37)
Eternity of Torture (lvl 19, DC 37)
DC 50+
Once in a celebrant's lifetime Cyric's Avatar will channel one of its Salient Divine Abilities
Alter Reality with no rest requirement (can duplicate any spell of 9th level or lower) (DC 38)
Hand of Death (DC 38)
Know Secrets (DC 28)
Wave of Chaos (DC 28)
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Edited by - Exploit on 06 Apr 2007 04:18:16 |
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Exploit
Acolyte
Canada
47 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2007 : 04:22:16
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Shar's Sacrifical Rewards Table
(Note: Shar's Faith & Pantheons Spell-like Abilities have been updated to reflect 3.5 domain lists and also include the Darkness Domain from BoVD as per PGtF pg 189. All rewards given below are Shadow Magic.)
DC 10
Detect Secret Doors (lvl 20)
Obscuring Mist (lvl 19)
Protection from Good (lvl 20, DC 34)
Darkvision (lvl 18, DC 34)
DC 15
Darkness (lvl 19)
Blindness/Deafness (lvl 19, DC 36)
Desecrate (lvl 20)
Detect Thoughts (lvl 20, DC 35)
Darkbolt (lvl 20, DC 35)
DC 20
Meld Into Stone (lvl 18)
Blacklight (lvl 19, DC 35)
Magic Circle Against Good (lvl 20, DC 36)
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance (lvl 19)
Deeper Darkness (lvl 19)
Dc 25
Leomund's Secure Shelter (lvl 19)
Armor of Darkness (lvl 19, DC 36)
Unholy Blight (lvl 18, DC 37)
Divination (lvl 19)
Damning Darkness (lvl 20)
DC 30
Passwall (lvl 18)
Darkbolt (lvl 19, DC DC 37)
Dispel Good (lvl 20, DC 38)
True Seeing (lvl 19, DC 38)
Evard's Black Tentacles (lvl 19)
DC 35
Find the Path (lvl 19, DC 39)
Prying Eyes (lvl 19)
Create Undead (lvl 20)
Wall of Force (lvl 18)
DC 40
Maw of Stone (lvl 18)
Nightmare (lvl 20, DC 41)
Blasphemy (lvl 19, DC 40)
Legend Lore (lvl 19)
Shadow Walk (lvl 20, DC 41)
DC 45
Earthquake (lvl 18)
Power Word Blind (lvl 19)
Unholy Aura (lvl 19, DC 41)
Discern Location (lvl 19)
Utterdark (lvl 20)
DC 50
Imprisonment (lvl 19, DC 42)
Power Word Kill (lvl 19, DC 42)
Summon Monster IX (Evil Only) (lvl 20)
Foresight (lvl 19, DC 42)
Screen (lvl 20, DC 43)
DC 50+
Once in a celebrant's lifetime Shar's Avatar will channel one of its Salient Divine Abilities through the celebrant.
Alter Reality with no rest requirement (can duplicate any spell of 9th level or lower) (DC 38)
Hand of Death (DC 43)
Know Secrets (DC 33)
Alter Size
Alter Form
Note: Additionally Dark Craft Rewards can be chosen as normal.
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Exploit
Acolyte
Canada
47 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2007 : 04:23:15
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Velsharoon's Sacrifical Rewards Table
DC 10
Cause Fear (lvl 15, DC 25)
Protection From Good (lvl 16, DC 25)
Nystul's Magic Aura (lvl 15, DC 25)
Detect Undead (lvl 15)
DC 15
Death Knell (lvl 16, DC 26)
Desecrate (lvl 16)
Identify (lvl 15)
DC 20
Animate Dead (lvl 16, DC 27)
Magic Circle Against Good (lvl 16, DC 27)
Dispel Magic (lvl 15)
DC 25
Death Ward (lvl 15, DC 28)
Unholy Blight (lvl 16, DC 28)
Imbue With Spell Ability (lvl 15, DC 28)
DC 30
Slay Living (lvl 15, DC 29)
Dispel Good (lvl 16, DC 29)
Spell Resistance (lvl 15, DC 29)
Mass Inflict Light wounds (lvl 15, DC 29)
DC 35
Create Undead (lvl 16)
Antimagic field (lvl 15)
DC 40
Destruction (lvl 15, DC 31)
Blasphemy (lvl 16, DC 31)
Spell Turning (lvl 15)
Control Undead (lvl 15, DC 31)
DC 45
Create Greater Undead (lvl 16)
Unholy Aura (lvl 16, DC 32)
Protection from Spells (lvl 15, DC 32)
DC 50
Wail of the Banshee (lvl 15, DC 33)
Summon Monster IX (Evil Only) (lvl 16)
Mordenkainen's Disjunction (lvl 15, DC 33)
Energy Drain (lvl 15, DC 33)
DC 50+
Once in a celebrant's lifetime Velsharoon will channel a wish spell.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36782 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2007 : 11:11:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Exploit
If a deity has an Avatar then I assume an Avatar provides the Sacrificial Reward since that is the sort of grunt work that a deity would create an Avatar to handle.
Actually, avatars are created more for the purpose of interacting with others, particularly mortals. The way a deity's mind works, they are more than capable of providing awards and spells and such without even paying attention to what they're doing. Deific minds are capable of some serious multi-tasking. |
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Mechanics of Granting Sacrificial Rewards
