Christian ritual magic Copyright (c) 2003 by C. Lee Davis, all rights reserved. Current version always at http://fantasy.geographic.net/GURPS/christianRitual.asp SKILLS ====== Performance/Ritual (Christian) (Mental/Average) Defaults to Ritual Magic (Christian)-2 This is the skill of performing the outward rituals of Christian worship. Deacons use it to assist at mass. Ritual Magic (Christian) (Mental/Very Hard) No default; see p. CI144 This is the ability to conduct masses and offer prayers in a form that will receive a response from the Saints and Angels. A Christian ritual is, in most cases, a mass. PATHS & RITUALS =============== Below are the four paths of Christian ritual used by priests of the Church, and some of the common rituals used with each path. PATH OF BLESSINGS (Mental/Very Hard) Defaults to Ritual Magic (Christian)-6; cannot exceed prerequisite This set of prayers and rituals brings down God's blessing, for a variety of favorable effects. Communion (Hard) Defaults to Path of Blessings This ritual transubstantiates bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, which can then be administered to communicants. If the communicant is in a state of grace (see Confession & Absolution), he regains all Fatigue lost due to spell casting; further, the next spell, hostile ritual, or spiritual attack on him must win a Contest of Skills with this ritual in order to have any effect. In the case of a ritual, roll once per hour; in the case of a spell or spiritual attack, roll once per second. Even if it fails, it delays the attack by 1d-1 turns (1d-1 hours for a ritual). If the Eucharist is handled by anyone who is not in a state of grace, it's properties are lost. The subject also loses the benefit of communion if he sins. Dispel (Hard) Defaults to Path of Blessings-6 This ritual counters the effects of other rituals or spells. It takes an hour, and the priest must know exactly which ritual or spell he is trying to counter; attempting to dispel that isn't there has no effect. At the end of the ritual roll a Contest of Skills between the Dispel ritual and the better of the target ritual's skill or the target caster's Will. If the priest wins, the targeted ritual is dispelled. A failure means no effect while a critical failure automatically alerts the other caster that he's under attack. Matrimony (Hard) Defaults to Path of Blessings The rite of matrimony does not actually marry a couple; in the Church's doctrine, that is done when the two people agree to marry. Matrimony recognizes and sanctifies that union. The married couple receive a bonus equal to half the ritual's margin of success to Will rolls to resist taking actions that he knows would injure the children. This should be interpreted very broadly; a husband defending his child physically would be more resistant to falling unconscious, and he would get the same bonus to resist being squandering money when they need clothing or shoes. The blessing is lost if either party is unfaithful to the other. One may not re-marry while the spouse still lives unless the Church grants an annulment, but the ritual may be renewed between the same two partners. PATH OF COMMUNITY (Mental/Very Hard) Defaults to Ritual Magic (Christian)-6; cannot exceed prerequisite Christ gave Peter the keys to heaven; the rituals of the path of community exercise that control over who may go to heaven, and, in a more secular sense, who is considered a part of God's community on Albion. Baptism (Hard) Defaults to Path of Community+2 Baptism brings an individual into the Christian church, allowing the subject to receive the benefits of God's grace. It is a very simple ritual, and under Church law anyone can perform it (though, to be safe, it should be repeated by a priest). A person may receive the benefits of baptism only once in his life. Baptism relieves the subject of the burden of original sin and brings him into a state of grace. If he has any levels of Black Penalty, they are erased. Confirmation (Hard) Defaults to Path of Community-2 Confirmation, performed in the Christian church only by a bishop, sanctifies the passage from childhood innocence into adult acceptance of Christ. It is literally a rite of passage; throughout the Christian world, a person who has not been confirmed is not deemed an adult. Excommunication (Hard) Defaults to Path of Community Excommunication removes a person from the community of God's grace. The target of the ritual gains the Excommunicated disadvantage; he can no longer benefit from any ritual of the Christian church. PATH OF DOMINION (Mental/Very Hard) Defaults to Ritual Magic (Christian)-6; cannot exceed prerequisite God granted man dominion over the world, and these rituals act through and enforce that dominion. They are used to command spirits and anoint kings, and especially to challenge the forces of Satan. Banishment (Hard) Defaults to Path of Dominion-4 This ritual can damage and destroy spirits. The ritual has a penalty equal to the total ST and HT of the spirit! This means only a group of magicians has any hope of destroying a powerful spirit. Also, the spirit must be present for the ritual to work at all - unless the ritual is quick, the spirit must be restrained in some way. In addition to these penalties, the ritual is resisted normally. Roll 1d for every point the ritual roll beats the resistance roll. The spirit takes this much damage. If this roll exceeds HT (even if it doesn't reduce hit points to 0), the spirit is utterly destroyed. Exorcise (Hard) Defaults to Path of Dominion-2 The ritual makes it painful and difficult for spirits to approach the protected area or person. The spirit must win a Quick Contest between the ritual level and its Will-5, or finds it too painful to face the person or enter the protected area. Even if the spirit overcomes the ritual it is at -1 DX and IQ as long as it remains within the rituals area of effect. The area protecting an individual is equal to (subject's Will/3) yards. When successfully cast on a person possessed by a spirit, this ritual expels the spirit from its victim. PATH OF REDEMPTION (Mental/Very Hard) Defaults to Ritual Magic (Christian)-6; cannot exceed prerequisite The path of redemption deals with dispensing God's grace to sinners, helping them overcome their burden of sin and achieve salvation. It can be a hard road, sometimes. Confession & Absolution (Hard) Defaults to Path of Redemption When a person sins, they distance themselves from God. Confession and absolution allow the subject to repent of their sin, and benefit from God's forgiveness. In order to benefit from the rite of absolution, the subject must truly regret his sin. The priest then assigns penance, as he deems appropriate. If the ritual succeeds and the penance is done, the subject enters a state of grace. The ritual of confession itself normally takes no more than a few (1d+2) minutes of the priest's time, though he may take longer to counsel the subject on how to avoid sinning in the future. Penance for venial sins is usually nominal, taking not more than an hour. Penance for mortal sins may be more severe. Lay to Rest (Hard) Defaults to Path of Redemption This ritual guides the spirit of a newly deceased person to heaven, purgatory, or hell, as appropriate. Cast on the deceased's remains, it resists the next attempt to summon the spirit of the deceased. The summoner must win a Contest of Skills with the Lay to Rest ritual in order to summon the spirit at all.