Priests and Spell Points[]
Just as wizards can create or customize their own spell progression by using spell points, priests can as well. Instead of memorizing the “standard” array of spells of each level, a priest can concentrate his magical power into a small number of spells at the highest level of power available to him, or he can instead memorize a greater than normal array of low-level spells. (Table 26 : Priest Spell Point Progression shows the number of spell points available to a priest as he progresses in level.) Other considerations include the following:
- The priest must be well-rested and have access to a quiet place suitable for prayer. It takes about 10 minutes per spell level to commit a spell to memory.
- The priest is limited in the maximum spell level he may cast, based on his character level. For example, a 5th-level priest is still limited to spells of 3rd-level or lower.
- The priest is limited in the maximum number of spells of each level that he can memorize, regardless of how many spell points he has available; for example, a 5th-level character can't memorize more than six spells of any given spell level.
| Priest Level |
Max. Spell Level |
Max. Spells Memorized at Each Level |
Spell Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1st | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | 1st | 4 | 8 |
| 3 | 2nd | 5 | 15 |
| 4 | 2nd | 5 | 25 |
| 5 | 3rd | 6 | 40 |
| 6 | 3rd | 6 | 55 |
| 7 | 4th | 6 | 70 |
| 8 | 4th | 7 | 90 |
| 9 | 5th | 7 | 125 |
| 10 | 5th | 7 | 160 |
| 11 | 6th | 8 | 200 |
| 12 | 6th | 8 | 240 |
| 13 | 6th | 8 | 290 |
| 14 | 7th | 9 | 340 |
| 15 | 7th | 9 | 400 |
| 16 | 7th | 10 | 460 |
| 17 | 7th | 10 | 530 |
| 18 | 7th | 11 | 600 |
| 19 | 7th | 11 | 675 |
| 20 | 7th | 12 | 750 |
| 21+ | 7th | 12 | +75 per level |
Bonus Spell for High Wisdom: In addition to the base number of spell points available at each level, priests with high Wisdom scores gain a special bonus to reflect their piety and devotion. (This is a standard rule in this spell point system, unlike the optional bonus spell point rule for wizards with high Intelligence scores.) The number of bonus spell points depends on the character's Wisdom score and the maximum spell level available to him, as shown in Table 27 : Bonus Spell Points for Priest Characters.
| Character Level/Spell Level | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisdom Score |
1-2 1st |
3-4 2nd |
5-6 3rd |
7+ 4th |
| 13 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 14 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 15 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| 16 | 8 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 17 | 8 | 20 | 30 | 30 |
| 18 | 8 | 20 | 30 | 45 |
| 19 | 12 | 25 | 45 | 60 |
A 2nd-level priest with a Wisdom of 18 is still limited to spells of 1st-level or less, so his spell point bonus would be 8 points—enough to purchase the two 1st-level bonus spells he would receive under the PHB rules. A 4th-level priest with a Wisdom of 16 is limited to 2nd-level spells, so he would gain 20 bonus spell points, or enough to select the two 1st- and two 2nd-level spells he would normally be entitled to.
Note that as a character rises in level, and his maximum spell level increases, the number of bonus points available to him may increase as well!
Naturally, all of the normal considerations of choosing a spell apply; the priest does not need a spell book and can choose any spell that falls within his spheres of access. Spells may be chosen as pre-memorized fixed theurgies (the priestly equivalent of magicks), or the priest can leave a theurgy open to use any spell he wishes to by selecting a free theurgy (see the description for wizards.)
Minor Spheres of Access[]
Normally, a priest who wishes to select spells from one of his deity's minor spheres of access may only choose spells of 3rd level or lower. However, with the spell point system, the power's secondary interest in a minor sphere can be represented by an increased cost to select these spells. Since the power is only tangentially concerned with these areas, the priest has to work harder and devote more time and concentration to memorizing these spells. Under this optional rule, spells selected from a minor sphere of access are treated as if they were one level higher for spell point costs. For example, a priest with minor access to the sphere of healing could select cure light wounds, but the spell would cost him 6 SPs instead of 4; see the Table 29: Spell Point Costs for Major and Minor Spheres.
On the surface, this seems inefficient for the priest, and to some degree it is. But there is an advantage to this optional system: the priest is no longer limited to spells of 3rd level or lower in his minor spheres. In the preceding example, the priest with minor access to healing now has the capability to utilize neutralize poison or cure serious wounds—although it is costly for him to do so.
| Spell Level |
Fixed Theurgy |
Free Theurgy |
|---|---|---|
| orison | — | 1 |
| 1st | 4 | 8 |
| 2nd | 6 | 12 |
| 3rd | 10 | 20 |
| 4th | 15 | 30 |
| 5th | 22 | 44 |
| 6th | 30 | 60 |
| 7th | 40 | 80 |
| Level Spell |
Fixed Major |
Free Major |
Fixed Minor |
Universal Free1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orison | — | — | — | 1 |
| 1st | 4 | 8 | 6 | 12 |
| 2nd | 6 | 12 | 10 | 20 |
| 3rd | 10 | 20 | 15 | 30 |
| 4th | 15 | 30 | 22 | 44 |
| 5th | 22 | 44 | 30 | 60 |
| 6th | 30 | 60 | 40 | 80 |
| 7th | 40 | 80 | 50 | 100 |
- 1 Universal free allows priests to choose any spell of that level.
Free Theurgies and Minor Access: Because spells of the same level may not have the same spell point cost under this optional system, free theurgies don't work in the normal fashion for spells in minor spheres. The priest has two choices: he can pay the spell points for a major free theurgy, which allows him to freely choose from any spell of that level to which he has major access, or he can pay for a universal free theurgy, which allows him to choose from any spell of that level, regardless of whether he has major or minor access to the spell. See Table 29: Spell Point Costs for Major and Minor Spheres.
Arkhosia, a 4th-level priest with a Wisdom of 17, has 25 plus 20 or 45 spell points. She chooses to memorize one 2nd-level spell as a major free theurgy (12 points), one 1st-level spell as a universal free theurgy (12 points), one major fixed 2nd-level theurgy (6 points), one minor fixed 1st-level theurgy (6 points) and two major fixed 1st-level theurgies (4 points each). She ends up spending 44 of her 45 spell points to memorize a total of two 2nd- and four 1st-level spells. Under the standard PHB rules, she would be entitled to five 1st- and four 2nd-level spells, so Arkhosia is choosing to memorize fewer spells, but giving herself the flexibility of two free slots.
Orisons[]
Appendix 1 of this book introduces the orison, or clerical cantrip. These minor blessings and invocations require only 1 spell point apiece and are considered to be free theurgies; the priest may make use of any minor magical powers appropriate for the spell without selecting the enchantment ahead of time. The number of orisons that may be memorized is equal to twice the priest's maximum number of spells of one level—a 3rd-level priest could memorize as many as 10 orisons, since he is limited to five spells of any one level.
Recovering Spell Points[]
Unless one of the optional systems of magic is in play for priestly magic, spell points are regained just like spell capability in the standard AD&D game. In other words, if a character spends 10 spell points to memorize a major fixed 3rd-level spell, those points are “tied up” by holding the spell ready in the character's memory and can't be used to memorize another spell until expended. Spell points used to memorize free slots are also tied up in the same fashion.
Once a character casts a spell, the spell points used to hold that spell (or slot) in memory are gone. The priest must rest for at least eight hours in order to regain spell points expended through casting spells and spend about 10 minutes per spell level in devout prayer to use those points to memorize new spells.
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