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Excommunication

by Jonathan Nolan

Another new spell: (used by Church of X where X = Karameikos, Vanya, Petra, Halav and Traladara)

LEVEL: 7
SPELL: Excommunication (reversible)
SPHERE: All
RANGE: Special
AREA: 1 figure
SAVE: Nil
CT: 1 rd
VSM: VS
DURATION: Special

This spell allows the caster, in the name of their deity or power, to totally deny a chosen being any benefit of or access to the caster's Sphere or deity. What this means in practice is that any magics that fall within the dominion or control EXCLUSIVELY of the caster's religion will not work on the target at all under any circumstances. Spells that are accessible from several Spheres will function normally on the target as long as they are not being granted by the caster's deity or power.

Range of this spell is a distance in feet equal to the number of XP the caster has at time of casting. If the caster is familiar with the person to be excommunicated then there is no necessity for further contact between the two before Excommunication can occur. This effect endures until full Atonement. Conversion of the targeted person to another faith does not lift the excommunication. Multiple excommunications can strike a single person at the same or different times with full effect. This is a very serious spell to use and it is not automatically granted to anyone of below Name level. At Name level or above, the deity trusts its followers enough to delegate this power at request.

The reverse of this spell, Baptism, welcomes into the caster's faith a being previously put outside the love and support of the caster's deity. Thus a baptised Entropic monster or a sentient Undead could be baptised under unusual circumstances so that henceforth Turning would not affect them BUT normal healing and other benevolent "magic" conferred by Lawful or Neutral deities or "Good" deities could assist them. The other effect of Baptism is to deprive a monster or undead of its special abilities and powers. Most fervent converts see this as small sacrifice to regain the oneness with a previously forbidden Sphere their accursed prior existence cost them. Any Undead so baptised, may at its own option, instantly cease to exist - find its final rest. Baptism will not work on an unwilling target.

Excommunication is used for effect at times - excommunication of a worshipper of a similarly aligned religion, or the cleric of another god, is more for show and to emphasise a divide than to genuinely deny unction that the target would in any event already reject. The political effects of excommunication can certainly cause loss of morale and civil disorder, whether intended or not...