Cambridge University Treasure Trap

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Spirit Skills

Priest

These are the skills available for those playing priests - the Spiritually Awakened - in Treasure Trap. Each day when they perform their daily devotions, priests are granted a certain amount of authority by their god. This power is represented by points of Spirit, which they may use to cast those Miracles that they know. Each Miracle has a level; this is how many points of Spirit it costs to perform. If a priest does not have enough power remaining, then they can not perform that miracle. In order to cast, a priest must also be in contact with a Holy Symbol of their god - either by line of sight or the close proximity of the symbol being worn on their person.

Spirit skills available are:

Devotion (10xp) [Spiritual Awakening]
Provides access to higher level spirit skills.
Empower Spirit Weapon (10xp) [Devotion IV]
Allows a priest to extend their spirit into a weapon, giving it special powers.
Miracle (miracle level xp) [Devotion of miracle level]
Grants the priest the ability to perform a miracle.
Spiritual Awakening (20xp)
Grants access to the spirit skills, and binds soul to a god.
Spiritual Blessing (10xp) [Devotion n]
Gives 3 spirit points.
Spiritual Power (15xp) [Devotion n]
Gives 4 spirit points.
Power Meld (rite) [Spiritual Power I/Spiritual Blessing I]
Allows priests to exchange spirit points.

The following lists the spirit skills in detail.

Spiritual Awakening (20)

The character's soul is joined with that of a God, making them their representative to the mortal world. If wishing to purchase this skill after character creation, please notify the refs. A God must be chosen upon buying this skill.

  • They gain the ability to call "DETECT Spirit" with a range of 10 cm.
  • They gain the ability to perform the rites of their deity.
  • They gain the ability to perform a particularly efficacious prayer known as a Cry of Ultimate Faith. By crying out 'BY MY ULTIMATE FAITH' and asking their God loudly for aid, they may bring their deity's attention directly upon them and their situation. If the cause is righteous and the priest has been scrupulous in their devotion, then divine intervention may be precipitated. It is not wise, however, to count on a deity's personal favour.

Devotion (10) [Requires Spiritual Awakening]

The character has meditated upon the philosophy of their God and prayed for the ability to learn more powerful miracles. It is assumed that the character will be part of the religious hierarchy of their God in the city, in which case as part of their holy orders they must tithe 20% of any income that does not derive from that hierarchy to their Church.

This skill determines the maximum level of miracles a priest character may learn to cast. The Devotion level may affect the strictures which are imposed upon the character by their God, and will affect how tightly their behaviour is held to those strictures. This skill may be taken additional times and reflects the increasing favour of the God. In order to take the next level of Devotion, the character must know their God's mandatory miracle of their level of Devotion and at least one other miracle of the same level.

Spiritual Power (15) [Requires Devotion of equal or greater level]

The priest has been rewarded for their work in leading the worship of their God by rising in that God's hierarchy. Any priest who has bought Spiritual Power or Spiritual Blessing may participate in the rite of Power Meld.

Grants 4 points of Spirit. This may be taken multiple times, but never more times than Devotion. The Spirit points granted by this skill stack with Spiritual Blessing.

Spiritual Blessing (10) [Requires Devotion of equal or greater level]

The priest has been rewarded for their work in furthering the aims of their God by rising in that God's hierarchy. Any priest who has bought Spiritual Power or Spiritual Blessing may participate in the rite of Power Meld.

Grants 3 points of spirit. This may be taken multiple times, but never more times than Devotion. The Spirit points granted by this skill stack with Spiritual Power.

Rite: Power Meld

  • Requirements to perform: Spiritual Power I or Spiritual Blessing I
  • Description: Grasp firmly the hand of the donor and look into their eyes. Call upon the spirits to aid you, for your power is insufficient for the work of your God this day; ask that they assist you.
  • Duration: Instant
  • Witnesses required: 1 (the donor)
  • Call: Special
  • Notes: Enables the priest performing the rite to transfer Spirit from a willing priest of the same pantheon to himself/herself. The donor may determine how much Spirit is to be transferred. If the total resulting Spirit of the priest performing the miracle then exceeds his allowance, the excess is lost. Spirit-wracked priests may not give or receive power. Priests of Vivamort and St John, as Pantheon heads, may force a priest of another god in their pantheon (but not Balance) to Power Meld with them against their will. Balance priests can power meld with priests from either pantheon.

Empower Spirit Weapon (10) [Requires Devotion IV]

The priest may extend their spirit into a weapon to which they have become accustomed, causing it to become a holy weapon of their faith and gain the following powers:

  • If the wielder's maximum allowed damage call with the weapon would be 'Half' or less, the weapon adds one degree of damage. This damage increase is considered natural, and thus is applied before, and stacks with, other damage adding effects on the weapon. This skill does not enable Non-Combatant or Frail characters to do damage.
  • The weapon does Spirit damage, and the call "Spirit" must be made before any damage call made with the weapon, this effect cannot be suppressed.
  • The weapon is unaffected by any DISARM, DISARM [item] or DISARM N call.
  • The weapon will do Spirit Single to anyone but the owner who touches it without the owner's free, conscious and express permission. It will continue to do a Spirit Single every ten seconds until released.
  • Empowering a Spirit Weapon takes one week and lasts until the weapon is destroyed, the character Empowers a new Spirit Weapon or the character dies.
  • A character may only have one Spirit Weapon empowered at any one time.

Spiritual Miracle (miracle level) [Requires Devotion equal to or higher than level of miracle]

The Devoted character's prayers are answered with the knowledge of how to perform a Miracle. This Miracle must be from one of the Miracle Trees granted by the God to whom the character is devoted, and the character must already be able to perform all previous miracles of that Tree. Miracles cost spiritual power equal to their level to cast.