Some experiments with Gods & Oaths & Holy Stuff

So a while ago I settled on the main newer gods active in the world currently. I have also been working on the idea of making a system like my alignment oaths and elemental gods. Basically each level you take an oath you get a gift. Oaths make you increasingly a dangerous fanatic and jerk but the gifts are so so handy. This system made paladins kind of obsolete in my games as any character can become a fanatic with free powers often beyond their class. I mean Gandalf did level up and got a change of clothes and a new holier than though attitude. A few players would not touch the oath system which was kind of nice as they had no obligations which can be a thing. So will in the style of my Nipnops post try and detail local popular god oaths. I could do these for Psychon too and some bad cults.

https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2021/06/ye-gods-cosmological-musings-on-new-gods.html
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2021/06/common-cults-of-elder-evils.html
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2021/07/d12-oaths-for-darklord-nipnops.html
https://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2021/07/oaths-of-brightness-darkness.html

The new gods are the most recent mortal heroes who survived to apotheosis and the most active in the world currently. Their cults are thriving and popular but there are hundreds of older gods and millions of petty gods and spirits in nature that may have cults. These gods are more likely to aid and intervene in their worshiper's lives.

This system might be of benefit to player and villain priests asap so I will try and do two incompatible gods per post until these basic ones are complete.

The next bunch of setting stuff I am writing is my Auldwood setting of forest shrouded manors and villages with lots of roaming knights and supernatural beasts. Thinking of some possible 3folds for this for my Patreon as the threefolds were easier to achieve and my bigger books always blow out schedules and are sometimes 3 months late. Thinking of these 3folds: 1) Generic cursed manours 2) Generic villages 3) Court and town & trade 4) Haunted church 5) Bridge Crossing 6) Old Millhouse 7) Haunted Forest 8) The Horned Hunt 9) The Strange Knights of Aulwood 10) Crossroads.

Current System For Cleric Powers
1 range in a 90 degree cone of effect from the clerics held symbol
Always acts on lowest HD targets in the area first
d12 holy dice pool per level, pool always affects lowest HD beings first 
vs targets less HD than priest Lv effect 1HD per point in holy dice pool
If holy dice pool generates double the number required it triggers a severe effect
vs targets equal HD or one more than priest Lv effect 1HD per dice in the holy dice pool
If your dice holy dice pool is double the required number a more severe effect is generated
One HD is a standard d8, a d4 or d6 are considered less than 1HD

Turn Undead (Good)
vs Less HD than priest undead will flee for 2d4 rounds
vs equal or one more HD than priest, undead gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: Undead are destroyed

Halt Undead (Neutral) 
vs Less HD than priest undead will halt for 2d4 rounds
vs equal or one more HD than priest, undead gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: Undead return to grave or a place to sleep

Command Undead (Evil)
vs Less HD than priest undead will obey one-word command for 2d4 rounds
(flee or halt common but can command attack while pointing at a target)
vs equal or one more HD than priest, undead gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: Undead will obey the priest until the next dawn

Turn Beast 
vs Less HD than priest animal will obey one-word command for 2d4 rounds
(flee or halt common but can command attack while pointing at a target)
vs equal or one more HD than priest, animal gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: Animal will obey the priest until the next dawn

Turn Lycanthrope
vs Less HD than priest lycanthrope will flee for 2d4 rounds
vs equal or one more HD than a priest, lycanthrope gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: Lycanthrope changes current form, beast to human or human to beast

Turn Elemental
vs Less HD than priest elemental will obey one-word command for 2d4 rounds
(flee or halt common but can command attack while pointing at a target)
vs equal or one more HD than priest, elemental gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: elemental will obey the priest for one hour if allied to same element or elemental will return to the native plane if of non-allied type
Includes basic elementals and beings from the elemental plane

Turn Faerie
vs Less HD than priest faerie will flee for 2d4 rounds
vs equal or one more HD than priest, faerie gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: faerie banished to home plane
Earthborn mortal faeries, elves and goblins immune to this, must actually be born on a faerie world or sylvan otherworld, this can include non-corporeal faerie beings and spirits

Exorcise Spirit
vs Less HD than priest spirit will flee for 2d4 rounds
vs equal or one more HD than priest, spirit gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: trap the spirit in a vessel like a bottle, gem or object with ritual
Spirits include those of the dead, nature beings or demonic spirits from person, object or place

Contact Dead
Exhort a spirit of the dead from their corpse or body part or haunting to respond with a ten minute ritual with occult paraphernalia like crystals, cards, spirit board, runes, bones or sticks. Each use makes one dead spirit answer a question with a d12 words.  Spirits of greater power than priest or imprisoned on some other plane will get a saving throw. You may roll all d12 dice for the days uses for a pool to use on the answers of several dead in a single ritual

Contact Nature
Exhort a spirit of nature from the local area to answer questions with a ten minute ritual with occult paraphernalia like crystals, mushrooms, herbs, mandrake, bones or sticks. Each use makes one nature spirit answer a question with a d12 words.  Spirits of greater power than priest or enthralled by a greater spirit will get a saving throw. You may roll all d12 dice for the days uses for a pool to use on the answers of several spirits in a single ritual and sense the spirits you might contact in the area. It is possible to use this to find out about different spirits and even negotiate with them for aid if the spirit has compatible alignment or goals. Gifts and sacrifices 

Spirit Walk
With a ten-minute turn-long ceremony the soul can exit the body and explore the area as a spirit on the ethereal plane. Holy dice pool (can use one or more dice at a time) is how many rounds the spirit can walk about moving at a speed of 6 + one per Lv. Moving through a wall costs half the movement remaining. The spirit self can see spirits but requires other abilities to capture or combat them not included in this ability. Spend five dice to teleport to a known place on your plane or 10 to reach an inner plane or 20 to reach any outer plane. The body is helpless in a trance and is subject to starvation, water loss, air or stabbings. If a spirit does not return in the time period generated by the holy dice pool for the day they are trapped and may try to return the next day. Your spirit may be trapped or destroyed leaving the body to waste away. A vacant body may be inhabited by a hostile spirit but the owner knows the body is being hijacked.

Healing 
Heal d12+Lv HP damage to one ally in range

d12 The New Gods
1 Slorax - God of Light (Law, Truth, Healing)
2 Talan - God of Swords (War, Nobility, Judgement) 
3 Atan - God of Artifice (Craft, Wheels, Tools)
4 Vetar - God of Scholars (Writing, Magic, Divination)
5 Brion - God of the Wilderness (Hunt, Beasts, Death)

6 Brek - God of Vegetation (Fertility, Forestry, Grain)

7 Katar - God of Hearth (Home, Craft, Family)
8 Vora - God of Dawn (Love, War, Magic)
9 Kerak - God of Sky (Herds, Ancestors, Weather)
10 Pirek - God of Poetry (Music, Pleasure, Mischief) 

11  Lumet - God of Travel (Coins, Hospitality, Luck)
12 Loran - God of Night (Secrets, Water, Darkness)

d12 The New God Avatars 
d6 1-3=F 4-6=M or d3 1=sexless 2=androgynous 3=hemaphrodite
1 Chosen animal sacred to cult or possibly a shapeshifter or lycanthrope
2 Child may show divinity or in secret 
3 Attractive fashionable youth
4 Mature authoritative adult
5 Elderly wise grandparent adult
6 As a mighty hero or noble warrior or magician
7 Fragile confused elder seemingly helpless or crazed
8 As a mysterious phantom of smoke or vapour
9 A statue came to life (or from other artwork)
10 Faerie creatures or goblinoid
11 As a monster like a dragon
12 As an outerplanar being like a devil, demon or angel

Slorax and Loran may conflict or could ignore each other or be competing. Some Slorax cultists may feel Loran is a thieving deceiver who teaches the use of curses and preaches vengeance. In other places, they might be dualistic opposites or harmonious siblings or lovers.

Slorax - God of Light (Law, Truth, Healing)
Patron of scholars, scribes, witch hunters, inquisitors, templars, hospitallers, paladins
Deeds: Uncovered evil corruption and hunted the wicked using rule of law
Apotheosis: Carried by angels up to heavens when crowned hierophant of church
Associated Cults: Solar, Sky, Law, Kingship, Purity, Light, Law, Good
Symbol: Lamp

Slorax is one of the most common gods of good and or law and the standard default cleric type. Slorax priests must write a written report if they ever learn a negative version of a spell and this stops many priests from using them. 

Blinding Light
vs Less HD than priest chaotic or evil will dazzled -2 to see or attack for 2d4 rounds
(flee or halt common but can command attack while pointing at a target)
vs equal or one more HD than priest, undead gets a saving throw
Severe Effect: Chaotic or Evil beings blinded until next dawn -4 to see or attack 24 hours

d12 Oaths For Slorax God of Light 1 Spread the art of literacy through the holy book of Slorax

2 Preach to the sick and hungry with the blessings of Slorax

3 Protect and aid pilgrims, common travellers and crusaders

4 Beware of secret cultists and witches 

5 Beware the hidden chaos and mutations

6 Beware of shapeshifters and talking animals

7 Beware the undead and defiled burial places

8 Beware faerie folk and nature spirits 

9 Punish grave robbers who defile the dead

10 Donate 10% of your earnings or time to the church of Slorax

11 Obey the law and bring law to the lawless

12 Obey the highest king or priest of Slorax in the land

Unique Gifts of Slorax Lv 1-4
One Language (all members required to have a written language of church)
Favoured weapon has holy symbol incorporated into the design
+1 Magic Weapon
Zero level student follower from the church (may become a fighter or priest)
Unique Gifts of Slorax Lv 5-8
Holy Lore Skill (or pick another cult approved skill)
Light Spell once per day
Cure Light Wounds Spell once per day
+2 Magic Weapon, if enhanced older item +2 vs evil or chaos

Unique Gifts of Slorax Lv 9-12

Aid Spell once per day
+3 Helmet of protection
Gain a 5HD warhorse follower 
+3 Magic weapon, if enhanced older one now Intelligent & telepathic to user
Unique Gifts of Slorax Lv 13-16
Permanent Light Spell once per day
Immune to Attribute draining attacks
Summon a pegasus once per day for one hour (or unicorn if a virgin)
+4 Magic Item, if enhanced older one now d3 damage to undead or evil planar beings
Unique Gifts of Slorax  Lv 17-20
Divination Spell once per day
Tongues Spell once per day 

Immune to negative energy level draining
+5 Weapon, if enhanced older one now owner senses weapon location

Loran - God of Night (Secrets, Water, Darkness)
Patron of spies, sailors, thieves, spelunkers, navigators, miners, assassins, astrologers
Deeds: Tricked death in a chess game, hid in caves and travelled seas avoiding death
Apotheosis: Amused older gods and they assisted in escape from the underworld
Associated Cults: Moon, Night, Darkness, Underworld, Magic, Mystery, Trickster, Sailor
Symbol: Crescent Moon

Loran is popular with those who work markets, crime and trade and range from the poor to the wealthiest. Many magicians and thieves prefer this god and so do monks and bards. Loran is preferred by hidden, nocturnal and underground peoples. Loran cares little for using negative or positive versions of spells, reversal especially for deception is welcome. Loran cultists are more flexible on which alignment or form the god favours. dark elves especially like Loran.

Call Shades
Release hungry spirits of darkness using as many dice in your pool as desired. The dark spirit oozes forth from the priest and touches the victims in range inflicting d12 per dice damage, won't work on undead or negative energy or inanimate unliving objects. Golems and magical life can be damaged. A victim of the same level or one level better gets a save for half damage. Ability will not affect higher HD or Level being.

d12 Oaths For Loran God of Night

1 Every day calculate your daily horoscope and omens 2 Explore hidden and dark places
3 Accept challenges to play games
4 Ransome your captive enemies 
5 Bury your treasure to keep it safe
6 Spend 10% of your wealth on public feasts and celebrations
7 Always flee to get revenge another day
8 Offer enemies deals before blades 
9 Allways lie to strangers you just meet
10 Thieving from enemies is its own reward
11 Live the true nocturnal way
12 Curse your enemies who wrong you
   

Unique Gifts of Loran Lv 1-4
One Language (often thieves cant, silent speech, Underland common)
Pet animal follower d4 or d6 HD

+1 Ring of protection 
+1 Magic Weapon
Unique Gifts of Loran Lv 5-8
Astrology Skill (or pick another cult approved skill)
Darkness Spell once per day
Augury Spell once per day 
+2 Magic Weapon, if the enhanced older item has quickdraw ability

Unique Gifts of Loran Lv 9-12

Silent Sphere Spell once per day
Detect Traps Spell once per day 
Immune to blindness effects
+3 Magic weapon, if enhanced older one now Intelligent & telepathic to user
Unique Gifts of Loran Lv 13-16
Clairvoyance Spell once per day
Cure Poison Spell once per day
Troll or doombat or giant peacock mount follower 
+4 Magic Item, if enhanced older one now d3 damage to living mortal beings
Unique Gifts of Loran Lv 17-20
Truesight Spell once per day
Cloak of Fear Spell once per day 

Plane shift to one favoured dimension and back per day* 
+5 Weapon, if enhanced older one now resistant to darkness damage +2 save -1 dam/dice

*choose one from Shadowland, Dreamlands, Nightland, Underworld, Faerieland