Divine magic updated: a simple system for calling for favours and miracles
Game design #43
Today, I want to revisit a homebrew that I shared with you a while ago in this post.
This hombre was focused on a procedure, accessible to all players regardless of their “class”, to call deities and ask them for guidance and help (something that, commonly, is only accessible for “clerics” in OSR-like games).
Recently, while writing NPFTH (my OSR/NSR-like game), I updated this procedure and added seven extra “spirits of the land” (minor deities), which I would like to share with you. Maybe you can use them in your own games, or perhaps they will inspire you to create your own for use with this simple procedure.
But, what if you want to use this procedure in other OSR/NSR games?
This procedure is mostly self-contained, but in it, I refer to some terms that you may have to change: blood, tint-of-the-blood, conditions, and item slots.
For blood just change it to HP, and forget about the tint-of-the-blood.
For item slots, if you are playing without them, it is ok, and the procedure will still kind of work. The idea is that item slots help to constrain the number of deities a PC can “successfully” call upon. So you may want to constrain this in another way. Perhaps they can follow as many deities as their WIS modifier. Or all PCs can follow just two deities, and any other deity they pray to, they do it without any bonuses.
For conditions may be trickier, as there are two circumstances when I refer to them.
When conditions are referenced as “to heal a condition”, then you can transform this to “recover HP”, or “fix something that in-game is affecting the person you heal” (broken bone, infected wound, etc).
When conditions are referenced to say “you get this condition”, then you can write it as a note in your character sheet, and the GM may make you take some appropriate penalties when doing things that may be hindered by this condition.
You can also choose to use conditions by following this very simple rule (with or without item slots).
Now, here is my reasoning for creating this small system, taken from my previous post:
I wrote this little piece a while ago to deal with the “disappointment” I had with clerics in the classical fantasy ttrpg that we all know and love(?).
The idea that deities were always ready to answer the call of their followers, regardless of what rites they were called by, despite the pride of the deity, always seemed out of character to me.
So I set myself to write a small system in which the answer when calling to a deity wasn’t certain. Where the rites, and what the followers use as offerings in them, have an impact on the disposition of the deities they are praying to. A system where if you call upon the deity of peace with a hammer in your hand, there is a fair chance they will be offended.
In this “divine magic system” I use conditions, so maybe you should have a look at this post if some things are unclear to you in what follows.
Spirit of the land (minor deities): Miracles, blood tint, and Rites of calling
As an islander, you have lived with this knowledge all your life; that even a grain of sand has a soul of its own, and that this soul, and yours, is connected to something greater. These threads that connect the souls of the world are the spirits of the lands.
Conquistadors have criminalized the worship of these spirits, to impose their one god as an all-powerful, all-seeing king of your land, and while the spirits fade away, choked by your people's grief, you can still see the traces of their power lingering in your land.
If you decide to listen, to seek, to ask for help, they will hear you, because your voice carries a sorrow that they share, the grief and fear of total oblivion.
Follower or not
Islanders tend to be most attracted to one or two of these spirits of the land, as they are connected more deeply to their souls, and as such, it may be these spirits of the land that they feel most comfortable calling upon.
Generally, islanders call themselves followers of these particular spirits.
However, there are no rigid dogmas that would make someone forget the other spirits in favor of the one they follow. As all islanders know, the land they walk on, the animals they interact with, the air they breathe, and their fates are intertwined with all the spirits of the land that live on Isla Grande.
When an islander is a follower of a spirit of the land, they take a token of their connection to this spirit in the form of an amulet.
This connection makes the follower able to call upon the mystery of the spirit of the land.
To do so, the follower has to shed blood (2d4 blood/HP points) of a tint that will make the connection with the spirit of the land stronger, since each spirit of the land has a blood tint with which they are attuned. For this reason, followers of different spirits of the land will commonly have different diets (as diet defines the tints of your blood).
Follower or not, islanders can always make a rite of calling, to call upon the guidance of the spirit and manifest their miracle.
Rite of calling and miracle (summary)
The mystery is one minor expression of the power of the spirit channeled through the mortal vessel of one of their followers.
To channel the power of the mystery, you have to carry on your equipment with at least one token that marks you as a follower. This token is considered an Offering (see below).
The mystery is always at your disposal without the need of a rite, but you must expend 2d4 points of blood to activate it (of the tint to which the spirit is attuned).
The Rite of Calling is a 10-minute rite used to connect with the spirit of the land. It can also be performed as an instant and desperate prayer in a cry for help, however, it is more difficult for a spirit to hear this type of call.
The ritual artifacts used to perform the ritual of calling use an item slot.
The same set of ritual artifacts can be used to call any of the spirits of the land, however, the offerings that make the spirit more attentive to this ritual are particular to each spirit.
The miracle is a manifestation, or the increase in the potency of a manifestation, of the domain to which the spirit is an avatar. To summon this power, you will need to shed 2d4 points of blood, of the tint to which the spirit of the land is attuned (and to have performed a rite of calling that is extremely successful).
Rite of calling
Anyone who wishes may perform a rite of calling upon any spirit of the land (follower or not) to ask for their favor. As the spirits of the land are elusive (and the strength of the intensity of their will upon the world fluctuates strongly, without pattern or logic), these rites require time, and their outcome is uncertain.
However, there are some offerings that can make a rite of calling more effective. These offerings are particular for each spirit and are related to their domain.
They are written in the description of the spirit. If they are objects to be carried, each offering uses one item slot.
You can add new offerings to your rite of calling, adding to the already written in the spirit description, by appealing to the knowledge of your character and their relation with the spirit. GM and players decide together if adding these offerings makes sense.
As offerings, there also exist their “negative” counterpart, offenses, conditions around the rite of calling that make the connection between the follower and the spirit more tenuous.
These are also written in the description of the spirit.
For any spirit doing the rite of calling, as an instantaneous desperate prayer is considered an offense.
To determine the outcome of a rite of calling, and if it results in a miracle, the GM or player rolls 2d10, adds the offerings and offenses at work, and the amount of Blood (HP) the PC wishes to expend, and then consults the next table.
2d10 + offerings + offenses + HP/Blood Expended
If the player makes the roll, it represents their faith and the strength of their connection with the spirit.
If the GM makes the roll, it represents the mood of the deity towards the character’s approach.
The inspiring cryptic vision is a sign of the spirit's attention, the content of which is impenetrable to the islander. They are a representation of the mysteries embodied by the spirit of the land. They may give inspiration and courage. After experiencing one of these visions, the islander obtains the condition reverie (-2).
The guiding strange vision is a symbolic representation that guides the worshipper towards an answer. This guide can be directed to resolve a specific burden that the islander has explicitly asked for help in resolving, or guide the islander in any matter that they have not directly addressed. After having one of these visions, the islander can cure a condition that afflicts them or that afflicts any other creature.
Spirits of the land
These are some examples of spirits of the land, the blood tint to which they are attuned, their mystery, their offerings, their offenses, and possible miracles.
For offences, the “-X” refers to the value the islander has in the Weak Bond condition. If the follower gets the Weak Bond condition more than once, you add their values (as it is done with every condition).
Ampala-ile, spirit of the mist and fog, blurry tall humanoid, one big eye, long fingers.Blood tint: Black
Mystery (2d4 blood): You can see through mist and fog.
Offerings: misty days +1, cold +1, bottle of mist +1, boiling water to create steam +1.
Offences: hot dry days -1, interiors -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
Summon a mist to hide. You can emerge from any place you can see where the mist reaches.
You can hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of anyone stepping into a mist you are in.
Mist covers your body, acting as a leather armor and d6 arms grow from it, they move at your will, each one of them has d4 blood/HP and is considered as an additional creature. They endure for 10 minutes.
Ardara, spirit of crafts and change, towering mud humanoid, four arms, ever-changing face.Blood tint: Red
Mystery (2d4 blood): Recall the creation process and the creator of a small craft.
Offerings: clay +1, sculpted figurines +1, chrysalis +1, paths for traveling far away +1.
Offences: stagnant water -1, places of law -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
Call the soil to cover the body, it shapes itself, allowing to take the approximate aspect of any being, 1 hr.
Reproduce an object of secret desire of any being in clay.
Bridge rises out of the ground to help overcome an obstacle.
Bairiba, spirit of hunt, chimera, humanoid shape, antlers, spear, missing one eye.Blood tint: Green
Mystery (2d4 blood): Invisible for the prey when hunting.
Offerings: spear with fresh blood +1, bath on blood of prey +1, idol made from the carcass of a creature killed on a hunt +1, bone necklace +1.
Offences: agricultural city -1, noisy place -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -x.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
Increases sense of smell, any being can be tracked even if well hidden, 1 hour.
Features get menacing, allowing you to tame a great beast, 10 min.
Legs elongate and increase in power, speed is quadrupled or becomes as great as that of the fastest prey.
Corel, spirit of sands, rocks and hardness, tall hovering black monolith, a crumpled old humanoid in front, attached by a chain, ever-present sandstorm halo.Blood tint: Red
Mystery (2d4 blood): The skin of one of your extremities becomes as hard as obsidian.
Offerings: amulet made of different types of stone +1, mountains +1, shifting sand between your fingers +1.
Offences: strong winds -1, rain -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
All your body becomes as strong as granite for 1 hour.
With your hands, you can command sand to move at your will for 10 minutes. You can move as much as three times your weight and as fast as your quickest movement.
For 10 minutes, if you touch something, a head-sized portion of it becomes sand.
Icaina, spirit of appearance, hiding and caves, ethereal, droll, human face, speaks many tongues at once, telepathy, long dress made of mirrors, halo of silence.Blood tint: Black
Mystery (2d4 blood): By touching someone, you will appear to them as someone they vaguely remember.
Offerings: mirrors +1, caves +1, wearing a mask +1.
Offences: noisy places -1, transparency -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
For one day you can take any appearance you wish but your voice remains the same.
You know the layout of any cave you are in, and if there is anything in it that it is hiding you know where. Anyone that you touch, will become totally imperceptible inside the cave for when they hold they breath.
Touching someone you can take the appearance of someone they have regrets with. You will see on those you trick a face representing their inner regrets and secrets, you will hear in you mind one word related to those secrets.
Mufule, spirit of decomposition, walking forest island, turtle like, death things, barks, leaves, corpses and mushrooms in its backBlood tint: Green
Mystery (2d4 blood): Touching something dead, or any portion of something alive that is hurt, you can make it decompose as if months have passed.
Offerings: bury fits in forest’s soil +1, rotten corpses +1, eating mushrooms +1, larvae bag +1
Offences: dry weather -1, fire -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
With your hand buried in the forest's soil, you can feel the presence of any creature in the forest. You know the quickest way to make them fall as food for the forest.
Eating from the soil of any place, you will learn a word, if you utter that word, everything 4 km (2 miles) around the place you eat from, that is not a living animal, will decompose, becoming overrun by fungi. The word will vanish as spores from your mouth.
If there are any fungi close to you will feel their presence. During 1 hr you can command the mycelium to grow so they can entangle anything you can see.
Neuquipa, spirit of waters and winds, turbulent, liquid shape, shaped by emotions, many eyes floating in water torrents.Blood tint: Blue
Mystery (2d4 blood): You can use strong winds and currents to do things 1d4 more strongly or agile.
Offerings: rain +1, let a current sweep you away +1, strong winds +1, bottle of rainwater +1.
Offences: extremely dry places -1, imprisonment -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
Your voice is carried by the winds to someone of your desire.
You can summon a wall of wind, as tall as two tall persons and as wide as ten tall persons. At touch hurts as daggers, and someone tries to traverse it, it pushes outwards with your imposing (WIS or CHA), and 2d4 dies from the power of the wind. The wind fades in 10 minutes.
You can control water with the movement of your hands, you can move as much weight as twice your own body, and as fast as the quickest of your movements for 1 hour.
Quenmo, spirit of sounds and songs, hairy, thick hunched humanoid, face on chest, large musical horn as a head, halo of darkness, music shaped by thoughts.Blood tint: Blue
Mystery (2d4 blood): You can change the sound of your voice at will.
Offerings: festivities +1, music +1, singing +1, musical instrument +1.
Offences: silence -1, segregation -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
By touching someone, you learn a song that calms their emotions and makes them feel safe.
For one hour, you can make your voice be heard by anyone you can see and hear anyone that you see.
For one hour, your voice becomes a blast of powerful noise that can bring down a wall of stone.
Sairin, spirit of pollination, insect, translucent, crown of flowers.Blood tint: Green
Mystery (2d4 blood): Heal any plant and evoke any flowery scent.
Offerings: spring +1, strong winds +1, planting seeds +1, bag of seeds +1.
Offences: winter -1, snow -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
Cloud of pollen is summoned, they are guides toward any location, 1 hour.
Swarm of stinging insects, they follow and protect, 10 minutes.
Plants grow from the interior of one animal, killing it if it is small, severely wounding it if it is large.
Sierna, spirit of moonlight and dreams, crystallized, silver mask that reflects thoughts, body hidden by a long velvety cape.Blood tint: Blue
Mystery (2d4 blood): Touching someone you can see what they had dreamed the night before.
Offerings: sleepiness +1, full moon +1, naked body bath by moonlight +1, silver thread +1.
Offences: noisy places -1, sunrise -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
Your eyes can glow at will as beams of moonlight for 10 minutes, they burn as white flames.
You can restore the body of those sleeping for a few minutes as if they were sleeping for a week.
With your hands on someone who is sleeping, you enter their dreams, and with your imposing weave the dreams at your will.
Uruikan, spirit of death birds, black feathers, numerous wings, red beak, long, multicolored tail.Blood tint: Black
Mystery (2d4 blood): Raise a dead bird and see through its eyes. For as long as you can hold your breath.
Offerings: large collection of bird bones +1, shattered bird cages +1, cavern under tree roots +1, mantle of feathers +1.
Offences: city without trees nor green -1, bright day -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
Rise ten dead birds, they follow and protect you for 10 minutes.
A small, feathered, bright bird emerges from your mouth, illuminating like ten torches for 1 hour.
Black oil feathers cover your body; they heal all conditions and restore all the Blood (black).
Vupaerla, spirit of remembrance, thready, many heads, constant hum, large hands.Blood tint: Red
Mystery (2d4 blood): Recall the happiest moment of a being that is lost in thought.
Offerings: cemeteries +1, ruins +1, traveling to return +1, bag with soil from birthplace +1.
Offences: extremely new towns -1, segregation -1, desperate prayer -2, weak bond -X.
Miracles (2d4 blood):
In a cemetery, you can hear the dead speaking about their lives.
Restore any lost memory by touching the forehead of a creature.
With your hands touching a ruin, you see the history of the place as fragmented memories rushing to your mind.
I will be sure to share when I piece together, might be awhile due to other projects.
I like your divine magic system. I think I would make some tweaks to it for my own use.