Faith and Deities

Wyvern Rising includes the existence of fantasy deities and religious sects. These were created specifically for game purposes and are not intentionally patterned after any real faith or religion.

Nearly all races place high value on spiritual beliefs, though the nature of those beliefs varies from race to race. In very early history, references are made to deities unique to certain races, but that has all changed. Centuries ago, the religious leaders of all societies gathered in a great conference to discuss and debate their theologies. What they found was astonishing. The spiritual culture of all of the varied peoples made reference to virtually identical divine beings. There were, of course, some opposing views over the hierarchy of the deities and forms of worship, but for the most part their ideas coincided. Since that time all races have recognized the same four deities: Diakonoff, Kishar, Oberim, and Qos. They are active and dynamic, and they bestow incredible powers on the priests and clerics who worship them. The prayers invoked by their followers reflect the natures of the deities themselves.

Faith, Discipline, & Piety

There are three basic factors for invoking prayers: Faith, Discipline, and Piety. Faith determines the deity who is petitioned for the power of the prayer, Discipline determines the general effect of the prayer, and Piety determines the relative power or magnitude. When purchasing Faith, the deity it is for must be specified. Players who choose Cleric as their character's Primary Skill Path receive their first point of Faith free. This first Faith point will identify the characters primary deity. There is no restriction on buying Faith in multiple deities, but it does cost more Build. Additional Faith levels in the primary deity cost one Build each while additional levels in any other deity cost four Build each. Obviously, clerics who are devoted to a single deity will be able to achieve more advanced prayers more quickly than those whose loyalties are divided. The disadvantage to this is that the variety of prayers available will be more limited. The four Faiths are:

Diakonoff

Diakonoff has command over justice, light, wisdom, and purity. He is strong and demanding, but notwithout mercy. He commands truth and purity in his followers. Most major civilizations place Diakonoff in dominance over the other deities, with Kishar as his closest companion and Qos his nemesis. While the scriptures often place Diakonoff and Qos in opposition to or disagreement with one another, they are never directly referred to as enemies. In fact the prophets seem to make a point of saying otherwise. Diakonoff is invoked to preside over nearly all large public gatherings, including tournaments, coronations, trials, and executions. Virtually every city of the Old Continent has a Diakonic church or cathedral, and most small towns at least have a chapel. The vast majority of people attend services honoring Diakonoff at least once a week. His followers include people of every class and disposition. Monasteries devoted to him dot the countryside. Most are dedicated to research and reflection. The monks and friars who dwell there spend their long and quiet lives poring over ancient scripts and scrolls, gleaning bits of information in the search for enlightenment. However, there are also more militant sects who exhibit the forceful nature of Diakonoff's will.

Kishar

Kishar is benevolent and compassionate. She holds dominion over the earth, nature, life, and mercy. She grants her servants the ability to heal wounds with a touch, and to call spirits back to their mortal bodies thereby granting new life. She also allows her priests and clerics some limited control over the forces of nature. Most of her followers are reluctant to become involved in combat, but they should not be mistaken for pacifists or cowards. The natural forces at their command can be powerful when they choose to use them. Kishar's clergy rarely carry metal weapons or tools. They prefer wood, rock, and bone. They almost never wear armor of any sort except for the occasional leather jerkin. Most Kisharan sacraments are held at outdoor chapels. Kishar is often called "Lady Earth" by her devotees. She is sometimes witnessed by those who spend a great deal of time outdoors. Farmers claim sightings of her walking through the grain fields at harvest time. Her glowing form with long, golden hair is considered to be an omen and blessing upon the land. Still others claim to have seen her and heard her soft voice in the deep greenwood, where she is said to wear a long green cloak adorned with wild nuts and blossoms. Farmers look to her for abundant crops and commoners give offerings of food and flowers in hopes for good health, especially when a woman is with child. Hunters and rangers can be heard to thank Kishar for plentiful game.

Oberim

Oberim is an enigmatic deity with an unusual dualistic nature. He maintains the balance between logic and emotion, between wisdom and passion. He is thought to control the flow of knowledge and enlightenment as well as the tide of strong emotion. He is perceived to be completely neutral, neither good nor evil, nor light nor dark. There are precious few scriptures that refer to him, and in those that do he is rarely the central figure. Usually he is an observer or bystander to the actions of the other deities. On occasion he speaks to the others and imparts wisdom or sometimes brief but violent emotional outbursts. One of the most well known Oberic scriptures notes him mourning for 70 years, though the reason is not mentioned. Like the deity himself, Oberim's followers are often not fully understood by the general population. Their ceremonies and sacraments are strange and secretive. The inner circle of Oberic clergy are mysterious figures whose identities are know to very few. This secrecy and mysticism causes concern amongst many people who are convinced that they are agents of evil. This, however, is in contradiction to the actions of the priests and clerics who represent Oberim to the masses. Many people seek Oberim's guidance when faced with great decisions. Others ask for his help in magnifying or suppressing strong emotions such as jealousy, hate, and love. There are many chapels dedicated to Oberim but most are small, tended by only two or three clerics.

Qos

Qos's realm of dominion includes war, vengeance, and retribution. While not inherently evil, Qos's followers are often violent and vindictive. They are prone to short tempers and quick action. The worship of Qos has not been outlawed, but severe restrictions have been placed on the number of persons allowed to attend a ceremony or sacrament. This was instituted in order to prevent the outbreak of violence and bloodshed that often accompanies such gatherings. It seems when Qos's followers are whipped in to frenzy, they are as likely to attack one another as they are their adversaries. The King of Alessandria maintains a small chapel dedicated to Qos, and supports a few attending priests and clerics that are called upon in time of war. With the recent long period of relative peace, the need for such a chapel has been questioned. The King, however, has not yet seen fit to dismantle it. Scholars claim the scriptures tell that Qos and Kishar were once lovers, and some theorize that it was their union that created the world. They say that it is because of his influence that people and nature are prone to fits of violence. The eruption of volcanoes, shaking of earthquakes, and destructive storms are all representations of Qos. It is said that Kishar tried to rid the earth of all these forces, but Qos refused to allow it, and that it was this dispute that caused them to separate. It was Diakonoff's intervention and mediation in this dispute, and more so his subsequent partnership with Kishar that caused the animosity between himself and Qos. Common people sometimes seek Qos's aid when confrontations become violent. Additionally, soldiers and mercenaries petition him for strength and ferocity in battle.

Prayers are also categorized by their Discipline, or effect. Since invoking a prayer requires the channeling and manipulation of divine energies, clerics must be skilled at this practice. The energies must be harnessed and focused in a very specific way in order to achieve the desired results. This requires immense concentration in addition to years of practice and dedication. Some clerics concentrate on only one or two divine Disciplines, becoming particularly adept at their usage. Others explore the entire range of divine influence and train a bit in all Disciplines. Disciplines can be purchased multiple times, similar to Faiths. In contrast to Faith, however, players are not required to select a primary Discipline. Any Discipline may be purchased for the same Build cost. The four divine Disciplines are:

AUGURY	Divination of knowledge and information. It is used to gather knowledge as well as to impart it. It can also include manipulation of thoughts and memory.
KINESIS	Control over movement and motion. Prayers of this type will cause or impede movement or alter the form of motion.
SUMMONING	Creation and manifestation of physical objects by siphoning and manipulating energies from the spiritual plane. Summoned items are temporary. It is believed that the deities retain the full magnitude of this power for themselves and will not allow mortals to create truly permanent objects.
TRANSMUTATION	Changes in the composition of matter and energy. This process of alteration can greatly change an object's properties, albeit on a temporary basis.

All prayers are assigned a Total Faith Rating or TFR based on the prayer's Faith and Discipline and is expressed as Faith/Discipline: Numeric Value. The numeric value in the TFR is the sum of the Faith and Discipline levels of the prayer. The TFR is the minimum value that the cleric must meet in a given Faith and Discipline combination in order to memorize and invoke the prayer. This can be written as Faith + Discipline ≥ TFR. A Kisharan prayer that falls under the Discipline of Transmutation and requires at least six points of skill would be written as Kishar/Transmutation: 6.

As mentioned above, both Faith and Discipline may be purchased multiple times in order to increase a character's TFR capabilities. This is expressed by a numeric value after the Faith or Discipline on a player's character card. If a player purchased Faith in Diakonoff five times, his/her character would read Diakonoff (5). If a player purchased the Discipline of Augury three times, his/her character would read Augury (3). Purchasing higher values in a single Faith or Discipline will allow a cleric to invoke more demanding prayers. But purchasing a broader variety of Faiths and/or Discipline will result in the ability to invoke prayers with more various effects.

Robert Alan is a cleric of Kishar with Kishar (3), Summoning (1), and Transmutation (2). The Kishar prayer Invigorate falls under the Transmutation Discipline and has a TFR of Kishar/Transmutation: 2. Robert Alan has the proper TFR in order to invoke this prayer. The Kishar prayer Vines has a TFR of Kishar/Summoning: 5. The addition of Robert Alan's rank in Kishar in Summoning equals 4 so he does not meet the TFR value of the prayer and cannot invoke it.

The last factor in prayer invocation is Piety. Wyvern Rising uses a "prayer slot" system for invoking prayers. These are slots are represented by the skill Piety X. Each Piety slot allows a cleric to memorize (and later invoke) one prayer. Piety levels are given a numeric value, and each prayer will have a corresponding level. Prayers of Piety 1 require a Piety 1 prayer slot for memorization; prayers of Piety 2 require a Piety 2 slot, and so on. Multiple Piety slots may be purchased for each level, allowing for an increasing number of prayers available for invocation.

A character must always have at least one more Piety slot in the rank below that which he/she is currently purchasing. For example, a character must have at least two Piety 1 slots before he/she can purchase a Piety 2 slot. Before a character can purchase a Piety 3 slot he/she must have two or more Piety 2 slots. This creates a prayer pyramid which will look something like this:

			4
		3		3
	2		2		2
1		1		1		1

A cleric may purchase as many lower Pieties as he/she wishes without building up to higher levels. Clerics have the option of building higher pyramids for more potent prayers or expanding the number of lesser prayers for greater volume. Purchasing multiple lower Pieties creates a pyramid with a wide base as seen below:

			4
		3		3
	2		2		2
1		1		1		1		1		1		1		...

Upon invoking a prayer, the Piety slot is expended for the duration of the period. The same prayer may be memorized several times; filling additional Piety slots for each time. This allows a cleric to invoke the same prayer multiple times per period. It is important that the prayer pyramid be constructed carefully. Clerics should keep in mind what prayers they would like to fill their Piety slots with for the coming period.

Anatomy of a Prayer

Prayers are comprised of a number of elements: a prayer name, a prayer inscription, a Faith/Disciple/TFR, a Piety rank, a delivery method, and an effect. This may seem like a lot, but they all fit together, as will be explained in this section.

Each prayer has a distinct name that defines it as a unique prayer. These names are usually indicative of the effect of the prayer, but exceptions do occur. Following that is the prayer inscription; a short invocation that calls on one of the gods to answer the cleric's prayers. Prayer inscriptions take the form of special words written in the religious script, the divine language of the gods. Only those who have the skill Read Prayer are able to translate prayer script. Prayer script is not a normal language and it cannot be decoded by any mundane means, even with a cipher. The Faith, Discipline, TFR, and Piety are the same as described in the previous section.

The next part of a prayer is its delivery method. The delivery method describes how the prayer reaches its target and is divided into three categories: Ranged, Touch, and Personal. Ranged prayers must be invoked by using a spell packet. The spell packet must leave the cleric's hand before it reaches its target. The distance it travels can be very small, even a few inches, but it must not be in the cleric's hand before it makes contact with the target. Touch prayers are invoked through the cleric's hands. These prayers may not normally be used with a spell packet. To invoke the prayer the cleric must physically touch the target with his/her hands or use boffer hands. The last delivery method is Personal. Personal prayers are prayers that affect the caster only. Because of their nature they do not require spell packets or physical contact in order to be invoked. Some of these prayers are “point and click” prayers. This means the cleric can invoke the prayer upon a target within range simply by pointing at it and calling the prayer.

Some prayers exhibit physical manifestations of the divine energies unleashed while others are quite covert. All ranged prayers have such manifestations and can be seen being invoked. This means that players are free to try to avoid spell packets flying in their direction, as these potentially lethal divine energies can be seen hurtling towards them. All touch prayers, however, show no signs of being invoked. It is not possible to tell that someone has a touch prayer cast upon them simply by looking at them, and other means are needed (such as any prayers that detect the presence of divinity, or even logical reasoning because the person is acting strange). Personal prayers are a mix between the two. Most personal prayers cannot be detected, however some require the use of a boffer weapon, such as the prayer Manifest Weapon. In any instances where an item, such as a boffer weapon, is needed to represent the prayer then the prayer effect is visible. When a personal prayer does not require an item to represent the prayer, then it is not visible, and can only be detected using the same methods as for a touch prayer.

The last, and most important, aspect of a prayer is its effect. This describes what the prayer actually does; whether it causes damage to an enemy, creates divine armor to protect a comrade, or a myriad of other effects. If a prayer has a duration, casting time requirement, or radius of effect, this is also listed with the effect.

Memorizing Prayers

Each priest and cleric usually maintains a prayer book that contains proper inscriptions for all of the prayers that he/she knows. Prayers may be obtained from various sources. They may be copied from another cleric's book, or they may be transcribed from prayer scrolls or scripture books. However, if a prayer is written improperly it may not work at all or, even worse, it may cause unexpected effects. Other prayers may be ‘false' prayers, specifically created to misdirect the invoker. Whenever possible, clerics should check their prayers against a second source to verify that they are correct and complete.

Before invoking prayers a cleric must memorize the prayers he/she wishes to invoke. Prayers are, in essence, special powers or minor miracles that a deity bestows upon his or her faithful servants. A dedicated cleric must spend time each day in meditation and contemplation in order to become attuned to the divine influence of the deity. During this time the cleric humbly asks for the ability to perform certain miracles and memorizes each prayer he/she wishes to later invoke. This is done by assigning prayers to prayer slots at the beginning of each game period. A cleric must assign prayers as close to the beginning of each period as possible. Prayers are selected only once per period and may not be changed after they have been memorized. Clerics must also have access to a copy of each prayer they wish to memorize, whether it is in their prayer book or on a sacred scroll, through they do not have to carry it on their persons.

The player's character card should have one box titled "Period 1 Spells/Prayers" and one box titled "Period 2 Spells/Prayers." When a cleric assigns his/her prayers he/she must write the name of the prayer and its Piety rank in the appropriate box on his/her character card. A cleric may only assign one prayer per slot. A cleric cannot assign higher Piety prayers to lower Piety prayer slots or lower Piety prayers to higher Piety prayer slots. Clerics may only assign prayers to slots for which he/she meets the TFR and Piety requirements.

When completed the player must present his/her prayer book (or whatever prayer source the cleric used), and his/her character card to a staff member. The staff member will then check to make sure that the player has a physical copy of each prayer, assigned the prayers correctly, and meets the TFR of each prayer. If the cleric meets all of the requirements the staff member will initial the box. Once the box has been initialed by a staff member, it is locked and cannot be changed for the duration of the period.

It's the beginning of the event, which also means it's the beginning of the red game period, and Robert Alan the cleric is preparing his prayers. He checks his character card and sees that he has the following skills:

	Faith:	Literacy
	Kishar (11)	Read Prayer
	Disciplines:	Piety 1 (4)
	Augury (3)	Piety 2 (3)
	Summoning (5)	Piety 3 (1)
	Transmutation (3)

Robert Alan then flips through his prayer book and selects his prayers for the period. He decides on:

	Aspect of Tortoise (Piety 1, Kishar/Summoning: 4) twice
	Detect Life (Piety 1, Kishar/Augury: 3
	Invigorate (Piety 1, Kishar/Transmutation: 2)
	Gust (Piety 2, Kishar/Kinesis: 6)
	Vines (Piety 2, Kishar/Summoning: 5) twice
	Aspect of Cougar (Piety 3, Kishar/Summoning: 10)

Robert Alan copies the prayer names and Piety ranks to the "Period 1 Spells/Prayers" box on his character card and then heads to Logistics to find a staff member to approve them. Robert Alan finds the staff member Jessica and she agrees to check his prayers. Robert Alan then hands her his character card and prayer book.

Jessica first checks to see if Robert Alan meets the Piety rank and TFR requirements of each prayer. Jessica notices that Robert Alan does not have any points in Kinesis and tells him that he cannot cast Gust because he does not meet its TFR. Robert Alan apologizes and chooses the prayer Vivinate (Piety 2, Kishar / Transmutation: 5) instead. Jessica then looks through Robert Alan's prayer book to make sure that each prayer is there.

After checking all of Robert Alan's prayer requirements Jessica tells Robert Alan that he has met all of the requirements to invoke the prayers he chose. She initials the appropriate box and gives the prayer book and character card back to Robert Alan. Robert Alan leaves Logistics and is now free to use his prayers until the end of the period. At that point he will have to assign new prayers and return to have those checked and initialed.

Invocation of Prayers

As mentioned above, before invoking a prayer it is first necessary to have the prayers assigned to prayer slots and initialed by a staff member. In order to invoke a prayer the cleric simply states the name of the prayer as loudly and clearly as possible, throws a spell packet or touches a target, and gives a brief synopsis of the prayer's effect. Some prayers require a concentration time to invoke. During the casting time, the cleric may not run, use a weapon, attack, or defend. If the cleric is wounded or otherwise disrupted he/she must begin the casting anew. At the end of any combat situation a cleric must cross out any prayers he/she used from his/her character card. If prayers are cast out of combat the cleric must immediately cross out the prayers from his/her character card. If a cleric invokes a prayer that he/she does not have assigned to a prayer slot or has already been invoked the cleric immediately falls into the third stage of the Death Count. This means the cleric's patron deity has been angered by the overuse of the deity's divine gifts. The deity smites the cleric for his/her irreverence.

Robert Alan encounters a zombie and decides to cast Vines upon it. Robert Alan calls "Vines," throws a spell packet at the zombie, and then calls "Right leg, pinned for 5 minutes!" Robert Alan then runs over to help his friend Magnus who has been injured. Robert Alan concentrates for 30 seconds while saying a litany to Kishar. He then lays his hand on Magnus' shoulder and calls "Invigorate. Plus one Body." Magnus thanks Robert Alan and the two friends finish off the zombie. Once the combat ended Robert Alan crosses out Vines and Invigorate from his character card.

Prayers are expended even if the cleric misses his/her target. Prayers also require the cleric to say the prayer name. This is a representation of the words the cleric must speak to call upon his/her patron deity for assistance. If a cleric is unable to speak for any reason, he/she is not able to invoke any prayers.

Prayer Stacking

The effects of many prayers are instantaneous but some have a duration for which the prayer persists. All prayer effects stack except for certain types of prayers called "enhancement" prayers (these are often called "buff" prayers out-of-game). Enhancement prayers are prayers that do any of the following:

1. Grant Armor Points or temporary Body Points
2. Negate an attack
3. Grant a bonus to Damage

Enhancement prayers of the same Discipline are not able to be stacked. If a cleric invokes an enhancement prayer on someone who already has an enhancement prayer in effect, and both prayers have the same Discipline, then the second prayer completely overwrites first prayer. This also happens when a prayer with duration is invoked upon a target and then is invoked again on the same target before its duration ends.

There are more zombies to fight! Robert Alan concentrates another 30 seconds and then calls "Aspect of Tortoise. Plus three Armor," on himself. After some time fighting Robert Alan forgets the prayer Aspect of Tortoise is still in effect. He invokes the prayer Aspect of Cougar, which turn his hands into cougar claws. The Discipline of Aspect of Tortoise is Summoning. The Discipline of Aspect of Cougar is also Summoning. Immediately upon invoking the second prayer Robert Alan's +3 Armor Points are replaced by the effects of Aspect of Cougar.

Starting Prayers

When a player makes a cleric as a new character he/she is allowed to start the game with a prayer book and gets to pick from a number of starting prayers to begin the game with. The player is allowed to choose one prayer for each Faith/Discipline combination he/she has per Piety rank he/she can cast at. The prayers must be chosen from the public prayer list.

Beareck is a new cleric. Using his starting Build he has purchasing the following skills:

	Faith:
	Oberim (4)	Literacy
	Disciplines:	Read Prayer
	Augury (1)	Piety 1 (2)
	Kinesis (1)	Piety 2 (1)

Based on the Faith and Discipline combinations Beareck is allowed to choose the following for his starting spells:
One Piety 1 Oberim/Augury spell
One Piety 1 Oberim/Kinesis spell
One Piety 2 Oberim/Augury spell
One Piety 2 Oberim/Kinesis spell

Rites

Dedicated clerics may eventually learn to perform elaborate and complex procedures called Rites. Rites are ceremonies conducted to create a channel to a deity and draw large amounts of power; more than simple prayers will allow. Through these holy rituals a cleric may perform works of great magnitude in the name of their patron deity. Rites can include such effects as consecration of objects and persons, the invocation of permanent blessings, and even resurrection of the dead. Most Rites need to be performed in a certain location; usually a monastery or chapel with a consecrated altar. Typically, they also require special ceremonial items like holy water, a sacred dagger, or any of a variety of other objects. The procedures to complete a rite must be followed exactly or the cleric risks failure and retribution from a displeased deity.

Rites also have a Faith and a Discipline associated with them. However, there are some rites that have only a Faiths and no Discipline, some that have only a Discipline and no Faith, and some that have multiple Faith and/or multiple Disciplines. The TFR of a rite works exactly like that of a prayer. If no Faith is specified then TFR is computed from the associated Discipline only. Likewise, if no Discipline is specified then the TFR is computed from the associated Faith only. This can be written as (if any/all possible) Faiths + (if any/all possible) Disciplines ≥ TFR.

The rank of a rite functions just like the Piety level of a prayer. A cleric will need to have the appropriate Rite X skill in order to preside over rites of rank X. Unlike prayers, a mage only needs to learn Rite X once before he/she can perform all rites of that rank. A cleric who performs a ritual is known as the celebrant.

Finally, rituals have a unique element called the Minimum Faith Requirement. The Minimum Faith Requirement is a numeric value that represents the minimum Faith a cleric needs in order to perform the rite. This represents the amount of Faith necessary to create a divine link with the cleric's patron deity.

If a cleric falls short of the TFR or Minimum Faith Requirement he/she may enlist assistance from his/her priestly peers. Any person with the skill Assist Rite and at least one Faith point in the appropriate deity can lend his/her help. Assistants can expend unused Piety slots to boost the celebrant's Faith level. Slots are sacrificed at the rate of +1 Faith per level of the slot. Therefore, a Piety 3 prayer slot would grant +3 Faith. An assisting cleric may only expend Piety up to his/her Faith level, and once involved in the rite he/she must continue to participate until the ceremony is completed. Any number of clerics may assist a rite, and some very powerful procedures are likely to require several participants.

Father Almeriz is cleric of Diakonoff and is preparing to perform a sacred rite. The ceremony is a powerful rank 3 Rite that Father Almeriz has just found in an ancient book of scripture. It has a TFR of Diakonoff/Augury: 16 and a Minimum Faith Requirement of 10. Father Almeriz's Faith in Diakonoff is 7 and his Discipline in Augury is 5, so he will need to find some help. He knows Ayhor is trained to Assist Rites, so Father Almeriz asks for his help. Ayhor's Faith in Diakonoff is 3, and he agrees to expend one Piety 2 slot and two Piety 1 slots. This is the maximum he can contribute. Father Almeriz's Faith is boosted by +3, making it a 10. He has now met the Minimum Faith Requirement, but is still one short on the TFR. Looks like he needs just a bit more help...

Scrolls and Scribing

Prayers may also be scribed to scrolls and later invoked directly from the holy document itself. Scrolls are written in the ancient language of the prophets, and only those persons with the skill Read Prayer can interpret this script. Not even a cipher will help decode prayerscript.

In order to invoke a prayer from a prayer scroll a cleric must have Read Prayer, as well as at least one point in both the Faith and Discipline of the prayer. A prayer scroll is invoked in the same way as normal prayers, except that they are always instantly cast, even if the prayer would normally have a casting time. The scroll must be in the cleric’s hand when calling the invocation. Prayer scrolls may only be used once. When the prayer is invoked, the scroll is consumed by the divine energy released from it. It must be destroyed immediately after it is used.

Creation of a prayer scroll is a meticulous, often tedious, process. Prayer scrolls are carefully inscribed on sacred, consecrated parchment. Only clerics with the skill Scribe Prayer can accomplish this task. To create a prayer scroll, a cleric must first have High Quality parchment on which to scribe it. The parchment then needs to be consecrated through a special rite to the cleric’s patron deity.

Next, the cleric must have access to a written version of the prayer he/she wish to scribe. Transcribing the prayer to the sacred parchment requires double the TFR of the prayer. A prayer that has a TFR of Qos/Summoning: 8 requires a cleric to have Qos/Summoning: 16 to scribe. Because prayer scrolls must be written very precisely, great care and concentration are given to their creation. A cleric may spend upwards of a month scribing a single, powerful prayer scroll. The Divine Crafting Chart lists the Crafting Points needed to scribe a scroll.

Divine Crafting Chart

Item		Crafting Points Required	Materials Required
Prayer Scroll	Rank 1	7	1 sheet of consecrated parchment
	Rank 2	14	1 sheet of consecrated parchment
	Rank 3	21	1 sheet of consecrated parchment
	Rank 4	28	1 sheet of consecrated parchment
	Rank 5	35	1 sheet of consecrated parchment

Beyond the Prayers

Not all clerics are suited to the staples of prayer, meditation, and preaching. Some experience a calling to a more active and physical lifestyle. Some sects dedicate themselves to martial training with the intention of becoming holy warriors. In fact, these militant orders are often tapped to bolster the ranks of a sovereign’s army. They are renowned for their skill and discipline, even when facing terrifying odds. Other clerics choose to specialize in fighting the supernatural enemies of their patron deity, or follow a personal quest to eliminate the Unholy minions of the living dead. There are many paths to follow in the quest to honor one’s deity.

Most of the alternative cleric skills are based on PREsence, the individual’s mental discipline. No other path is weighted so heavily on these sorts of skills. The concentration and self-discipline required to perform these skills can be enormous, but the results are worth it. Definitions for each skill can be found under the Skill Descriptions listing, but they include a significant range of effects. Some allow a cleric to cause additional or Divine damage with a weapon, while others summon spiritual defenses. Some allow extraordinary healing and injury prevention through the exertion of sheer willpower.

No matter what path a cleric chooses to follow, or what deity he/she worships, the penultimate goal of any true disciple is to attain Unconditional Devotion. Only those with extreme dedication and conviction can even dream of realizing such a goal. The effects of this ability will vary to suit the personal nature of the individual cleric and enhance his/her unity with the deity. Unconditional Devotion is assumed to occur with the deity for whom a cleric has the highest Faith level. In most cases this will be the primary deity, but not necessarily always. This ability may be purchased only once, so clerics must be sure they are faithful to the deity they wish to serve for the rest of their lives. Attainment of Unconditional Devotion could even make the cleric a potential candidate for sainthood.

The opportunities on the Cleric skill path cover a wide range of character styles. Virtually any sort of priest, monk, cleric, healer, or templar can be recreated through these skills. Players are encouraged to be creative in the use and application of prayers and skills. If you have an idea for a new prayer, or an alternate version of an existing one, send your idea to the game staff. If it is good, it may eventually appear in the game. Remember, Wyvern Rising is a dynamic, expanding game system with virtually endless role-playing opportunities.