I know that at least person in the party is going to want to play a cleric. Should I let this person, and if so should I allow any sort of clerical powers to take place before the disks are recovered.
I had planned and the party being present in the slave camp where the Heroes show the disks so that they would have the ability to then choose 9if they wanted) a deity.
One interesting twist is to have the druid version of Goldmoon, somebody with a staff of the woodlands or similar powerful item. Make sure it doesn't allow healing, but rather represents some other aspect of true clerical magic (in this case, power over the natural world). Let one of the PCs choose a druid character, tell them that they aren't able to use their special druid powers, but let the item instead do the work. Once the heroes end up in the slave camp and the druid reads the Disks, he or she gains access to all of their powers and the staff is no longer needed.
Go with something that doesn't spoil the moment, in other words, but feel free to play with alternatives.
Cheers,
Cam
It turned out to be through Takhisis but the fact that it was available in the time when the true clerics were not present does kind of set a precedent that would allow characters to play them.
Maybe some sort of "faith roll" a percentile to see if the spell is recieved when they pray for them each day. I don't know just wondering.
One of the other things that I was toying with was to actually let them use the divine powers if they can play the faith properly. One of the stories in the Tales books has one of the monks from the Library of Palanthas meeting with an individual that claims to have access to divine power.
Well, the evil gods were already providing power to their clerics by the time the Chronicles started. Verminaard is just one example. Priests of Morgion, Chemosh and Hiddukel were showing up decades before the War of the Lance, although nobody really accounted for it. The good and neutral gods weren't quite as into breaking the rules, however.
Cheers,
Cam
Goldmoon was famed not for being the first true cleric after the Cataclysm, but for bringing word of the true gods back to Ansalon.
The first true cleric after the Cataclysm was actually in 22 AC on Taladas, and was the cleric Miisia, since Mislaxa (Mishakal) could not bear to see her people in torment.
The first true Ansalonian cleric was Erasmoth Luker, a cleric of Takhisis in 100 AC. Taky just couldn't help herself and started to actively recruit clerics much earlier than the other gods. Erasmoth was her first cleric after the Cataclysm, followed by Wryllish Parkane and then a number of others. Other dark gods like Sargonnas, also restored divine powers to their clerics in secret, before the War of the Lance even began.
IE, I once played a character in an alternate DL and she started out as a Ranger. It wasn't until she stumbled upon a medalion of Mishakal (and put it on to stop it from being stolen... not that that would have worked) that she became a cleric. Even then, she stumbles now and then, as she really doesn't quite understand everything. But, she can heal. I think you as a DM need to decide how to handle it. I think if you do it right, there should be no problem. Maybe have them start out as a different character, and stumble upon their true calling? It's not unlikely.
Make the person a Noble at first. But when the Disks are recovered or the revelation from Mishakall is done before fighting Khishanth the Black, have the character "blessed by teh gods" and turned into a Cleric at the time
And how did the elves manage it? - In the books I found so far that dealt with pre-WotL elves there are no references to clerics. true or false or whatever.-So, did they just have none and left the temples deserted, or did someone care for the temples until the return of the first clerics. Plus, the map I have from pre-WotL Qualinost doesn't feature any temple...
;)
While it doesn't mention temples, I find it hard to believe they just disappeared. Elves wouldn't destroy (in my opinion, anyway) the temples just because their clerics left. I don't even think they'd let them fall into disrepair. Probably adapt them to some other use, though, I'm sure...
Perhaps the Sword of Cathan is found, which has some draw to Kiri-Jolith and results in the wielder having his vision from Kiri Jolith and thus becomes his first new cleric.
No turning undead. Reduced spells. Perhaps not even a belief in any one god. Or a rejection of the ones the player does believe in.
There are disks in the Lyceum above the altar that might provide an imperfect understanding of the gods.
Similarly, there are copies of the priapas, which are incomplete transcriptions of the disks of Mishakal in Palanthas and Solanthus (among other places) that, combined with enough "inner knowledge" (read Mysticism)and/or or the other disks in the Lyceum would be enough to restore knowledge of the gods to permits spell casting as a cleric.
The inner knowledge slant is perhaps the best. Make it the prime ingredient. That way, the mystic could become a true cleric with the priapas or other writings to assist the player - but theTrue Knowledge would not be wholly revealed.
In this manner, the cleric would lack the ability to transmit his or her knowledge and faith to others so as to truly proselytize and create new medallions of faith and found a new cleric order. The true knoweldge of the gods would, therefore, not return. Just one cleric. Attempts to teach others would perhaps confirm the falseness of the players beliefs!
Whatever the case, a distinction with a difference.
The other option is to let the player play a mystic.
There aren't any before the release of Chaos from the Graygem, but I assume you're implying that you ignore that particular requirement.
Cheers,
Cam
There aren't any before the release of Chaos from the Graygem, but I assume you're implying that you ignore that particular requirement.
Cheers,
Cam
Of course I do.
It's a juicy rationalization - and one I don't feel all that necessary. It does not mean they are not rare, however.
Other's mileage may vary.
The other option is to let the player play a mystic.
Thank you!
I had toyed with the idea - I particularly liked those low-magic concepts in 5th Age, but never came to use them for DL.
Besides, if people came to develop those powers in a relatively short period after the 2nd cataclysm, wouldn't it be logical to assume that they did so in 300 years of godly absence?
(I know there'a that T factor, but, however...)
Besides, if people came to develop those powers in a relatively short period after the 2nd cataclysm, wouldn't it be logical to assume that they did so in 300 years of godly absence?
Mysticism, like sorcery, requires the presence of Chaos' power in the world so that mortals might access it. Until Chaos is released from the Graygem, there is insufficient Chaos energy in the world for mortals to shape the power of mysticism sufficiently well to cast spells. A few minor abilities might surface, such as the telepathy of some elves or Rosamun Majere's visions, but that's it.
Allowing a mystic to appear in the War of the Lance would mean that others also exist, which you'll have to explain away in some fashion. It's a much better idea to go the route of a non-spellcasting cleric with an artifact that provides them with the power they would need to accomplish what they need to do, until they become clerics.
Cheers,
Cam
Haven't read the DLCS in a while... But you're right, I'd personally wouldn't allow magic-using clerics in the pre-WotL era - On the other hand, a good adventuring party needs someone who can turn undead,e specially, if one follows some ancient elven path into the nothingness of the underworld... Wasn't the Greystone hidden near Qualinost and didn't some mage from *kindred spirits* draw his power from it? -Voila, there you have your explanation! Besides, Cam, I never realised that you were a professional writer until I picked up the bestiary last week!
A very good book! Leaves nearly no important monsters out! 
Definitely one of my better buys this year!On the other hand, a good adventuring party needs someone who can turn undead,e specially, if one follows some ancient elven path into the nothingness of the underworld... Wasn't the Greystone hidden near Qualinost and didn't some mage from *kindred spirits* draw his power from it? -Voila, there you have your explanation!
Yes, I would buy that explanation for a unique situation.
Besides, Cam, I never realised that you were a professional writer until I picked up the bestiary last week!
Thanks! Yes, I'm sneaky that way.
Cheers,
Cam
Well, the evil gods were already providing power to their clerics by the time the Chronicles started. Verminaard is just one example. Priests of Morgion, Chemosh and Hiddukel were showing up decades before the War of the Lance, although nobody really accounted for it. The good and neutral gods weren't quite as into breaking the rules, however.
Cheers,
Cam
What rules were those?
Right before the Cataclysm, all of the gods took their loyal clerics away from the world. The idea was that until things balanced out, and the mortals were more responsible and faithful (ie: no genocide in the name of goodness), they wouldn't have divine magic to help them out.
Of course, the mortals got the message wrong and decided that the gods had abandoned them, and started looking for new gods to worship. The Age of Despair kicked in, and things pretty much stunk until Takhisis and the other evil gods secretly started recruiting clerics without telling anybody, and Goldmoon found the Disks of Mishakal.
have the PC in question witness an evil cleric using spells and let him have a waking dream where s/he realizes the gods are back (or still here, whatever).
I like this one. I may have to use it if it comes...with permission of course!
This adds the parts from previous posts about how the evil clerics were already there, and that posts where the good ones are around just in severly short supply...and still lets goldmoon be the bringer of good tiding!
I like this one. I may have to use it if it comes...with permission of course!
This adds the parts from previous posts about how the evil clerics were already there, and that posts where the good ones are around just in severly short supply...and still lets goldmoon be the bringer of good tiding!
posting on this board (or any) is virtually a big go-right-ahead IMO