Clerics start off just as they are described in the Labyrinth Lord book. They are Human and their Prime Requisite is Wisdom. They can wear any armor and can use any non-edged weapon. They can cast spells beginning at Level One, but they cast spells by using their pool of Magic Points. They can Turn Undead as per the chart in the rulebook. They use the Savings Throws as listed in Labyrinth Lord, BUT they use the Level Progression XP chart from the Rules Cyclopedia!
CLERICAL REQUIREMENTS
Clerics must select a God or Pantheon that they serve, and may gain additional special abilities depending on the deity they serve.
If one is not already established, the Cleric MUST choose a type of food that they will NOT consume, as it is forbidden by their religion.
If one is not already established, the Cleric MUST choose 1 day of the week that is Holy to their Order.
On Holy Days and Holidays, the Cleric is forbidden to travel or adventure and must spend the day performing rites and ceremonies in honor of their religion. Many Clerics have a small Statuette that they can take with them on expeditions so that they may conduct whatever prayers and ceremonies they may be required to perform, even though they are away from their Church or Temple.
Clerics must pray to their God EVERY day. These Daily Prayers last for 1 hour of Game Time. It is with these Daily Prayers that Clerics replenish their Spell Points (see below) and acquire new spells to their Repertoire (see below).
TURNING UNDEAD
Clerics roll a 1d12 to turn undead instead of 2d6. If you roll a 1 you must consult the Clerical Failure Chart below.SPELLCASTING
Clerics do NOT learn spells as Magic-Users do. Instead, once per day, the Cleric beseeches his/her God to bestow a new spell upon them. Once this Spell is known to the Cleric, it is part of their Repertory and can be cast as long as the Cleric has enough Spell Points.
Clerics begin with 2 1st Level spells and 1 2nd Level in their Repertoire.
Clerics have a pool of Spell Points. To begin, they have 1 Spell Point for being Level 1, plus 1 Spell Point equal to their Wisdom Bonus.
So a First Level Cleric with a 17 Wisdom (+2 Bonus) would have a total of 3 Magic Points. When that Cleric reaches Level 2, his pool of Spell Points will increase by 4 (2 points for reaching Level 2 plus 2 more points for his Wisdom Bonus). This gives the Cleric a total of 7 Spell Points.
When a Cleric casts a spell, they must use Spell Points to attempt the casting. The Spell Level determines the number of points that are required to cast it. It costs 1 Spell Point to cast a First Level Spell, but it costs 2 Points to cast a Second Level Spell, and so on.
Magic does NOT automatically work in Leauvalar. Clerics who cast a spell must roll 1d20 to see if the spell is cast successfully.
A Cleric can cast a Spell of his/her own level by rolling 15 or higher. So, a First Level Cleric who wants to cast a First Level Spell must roll a 15 or higher on a d20. Rolling a natural 20 can yield exceptional results; while rolling below your target number means the spell fails.
Why? Who knows? Perhaps your deity was distracted by other matters and failed to hear your prayer for their interference. Perhaps they heard your plea but chose to ignore it. Hey, the Divine Plan of an Almighty Deity is beyond the scope of Mere Mortals.
If a Cleric rolls a 1, they must roll on the Clerical Failure Chart below.
Suppose that same First Level Cleric wanted to cast a Second or Third Level Spell. First of all, they cost more points, of course. Then, any spell that is a higher level than the cleric attempting to cast it, requires a higher target number.
The First Level Cleric who tries to roll a Second Level Spell must roll a 16 or higher. To cast a Third Level Spell, he/she must roll a 17 or higher. This continues with spells of even higher level.
Once that Cleric gains Second Level, the spellcasting becomes easier. Now he must roll 15 to cast a Second Level spell, and only needs a 14 to cast any First Level Spell.
TO CAST A SPELL
Roll the d20, add your Wisdom Bonus. If this number is equal to or higher than your Target Number, then you successfully cast your spell!
For example, let's use our First Level Cleric with the 17 Wisdom. This Cleric wants to cast a First Level Spell. The Clerics rolls a d20, gets a 13, then adds his +2 Wisdom Bonus for a total of 15, which means a success!
Use this handy chart:
ACQUIRING NEW SPELLS
When a Cleric performs their Daily Prayers, then can request their God to bestow a New Spell upon them. To do this, the Player must roll a 20 on 1d20. The Dungeon master will then determine what Spell the Cleric has acquired. This spell WILL be a new one that the Cleric did not already possess and will NOT be more than 1 level higher than the Cleric's level.
A Cleric may cast any spell that he/she is aware of. If a PC's Cleric sees another Cleric (PC or NPC) cast a spell, the PC Cleric can try to use Divine Knowledge (see below) to identify the spell.
Once the spell has been successfully identified, the Cleric may request that spell during their next Daily Prayer. This time when they roll a 1d20 the Cleric may add their Wisdom Bonus to the roll. If they hit the Target Number of 20 they have added it to their Repertoire.
If a Cleric finds a scroll with Cleric Spells, they must cast the spell normally from the scroll. Once cast, the spell is automatically identified and they may pray for that spell during their next Daily Prayer using the manner above.
REPLENISHING SPELL POINTS
Spell Points are renewed with Daily Prayers and rituals that last approximately 1 hour per day. This is intended to be done only once per day, and a Cleric will regain all missing Spell Points.
However, if a Cleric attempts to pray to regain Spell Points more than once per day, they risk the ire of their Deity. So at the end of the prayer session, the Cleric must roll 1d20. If they roll higher than their Wisdom score, nothing happens. If they roll their Wisdom score or less (except for a natural roll of 1), they will only regain HALF their missing Spell Points. If they roll a 1, they must consult the Clerical Failure Chart below.
CLERIC FAILURE CHART
(ROLLED 1 ON
SPELLCASTING OR TURNING UNDEAD, ROLL 1D8 FOR EXTENT OF FAILURE)
8—Suffer from doubt, Cleric gains
-1 Penalty to the failed ability for 24 hours
7— Suffer from doubt, Cleric
gains -1 Penalty to the failed ability until absolved by Superior Cleric
6—Lose that ability for 24 hours (whichever ability failed, Spellcasting OR Turning)
5— Lose that ability (whichever
ability failed, Spellcasting OR Turning) until absolved by Superior Cleric
4— Lose all Cleric Abilities
until donate to Church (PC Level x500gp)
3— Lose all Cleric Abilities
until donate to Church (PC Level x500gp) and absolved by Superior Cleric*
2— Lose all Cleric Abilities
until donate to Church (PC Level x1000gp) and perform rituals in local
shrine/church for 3d6 days to reconnect with god*
1— Lose all Cleric Abilities
until donate to Church (PC Level x1000gp) and must go on religious retreat in
the wild for 3d8 days, then make WIS check# to reconnect with god*
*Failure means abandon Cleric
class, become another class
#Roll your Wisdom Score or lower
on 2d12
DIVINE KNOWLEDGE
A Cleric can use this to determine the presence of a rival Religion or Cult based upon the presence of Icons and Symbols of some Deity. (Like how Owls, olive trees, and snakes are all symbols of the Greek goddess Athena.) This can also be used to Identify Spells cast by other Clerics, Religious Rites/Rituals or possibly identify Divine or Infernal Monsters.
If the Cleric witnesses a Spell that is not currently in their Repertoire, they can make a second Wisdom Check to add it. To do this, the Cleric must roll their Wisdom score or Lower on 2d12.
ALTAR CLEANSING
Clerics can cleanse any altar or shrine they find out in the world. This is a long and complicated process, taking 1 Full Hour of game time and 3 successful die rolls. First, the Cleric must sever the connection to the current God, then the Cleric must successfully cleanse the altar of any lingering aura. Finally, the Cleric can connect the altar to their own God if they have specialized to serve ONE God.
EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: Holy Book, Holy Water, 2 Holy Symbols (1 to leave upon the shrine being converted, one to conduct the ritual). The Cleric conducting the Ritual may be assisted by up to 3 Clerics of lesser level.
The Cleric then proceeds to recite the Scriptures and Chants for 1 hour (6 Full Turns) without interruption. Interruption=automatic fail
Every 2 Turns (20 mins game time) the Cleric must roll a target number on 1d20, add Wis Bonus of main Cleric conducting ritual. The DM will know the Target Number, but the player will not! The Player will not know if the ritual is a success until it is completed!
Further Bonuses can be had with extra paraphernalia such as: up to 3 assisting clerics, Silver Holy Symbol, Holy Candles, Incense, Various Symbols or Icons of the Deity you wish to invoke, proper Ritual Vestments, etc. Any additional Bonus is strictly up to the DM!
If any step of the Ritual fails, all following steps automatically fail. Again, the Player will not be aware of this until this until the Ritual is completed.
PANTHEON VS SINGLE FAITH
Clerics automatically belong to the Pantheon appropriate to their Home Kingdom. A Pantheon is composed of multiple Gods. A Cleric may serve a Pantheon or be devoted to the service of a Single God. It is the Player's choice whether to serve a Single God or an entire Pantheon, and may receive special bonuses or abilities based upon the character's chosen faith.
You can see the available Gods and Pantheons here.
IMPROVED ABILITIES
Every time you achieve a Level where your Saving Throws improve, you may select 1 of the Improved Combat Abilities listed on the Combat Page.
CLERIC STARTER PACK
Scale mail (AC 13)
1 Two-Handed Weapon and
1 Ranged Weapon
OR
1 One-Handed Weapon and
1 Shield (+1 to AC)
Backpack
Wineskin
Tinderbox
Torches x2
Tools (Holy Water, Holy Oil, Holy Symbol, Holy Book and Small Deity Statuette)
3d6 Gold
