Holy Symbols

[Spence]

In most standard games, holy symbols for priests are merely a focus to draw power on, and even a lowly starting priest/cleric can manage to start off with a better than average holy symbol.  This is fine if you're not planning on structuring the temples/clergies of your campaign too much.  But if you are planning to create a strong structure and heirarchy, then you might want to reconsider allowing PC's needing them to even buy them.  Instead, use a structured system to enhance the roleplay aspect.

I'll use classic DnD as an example.

1rst - 2nd level:  PC starts off with a free Wooden Holy Symbol for their deity.  They are considered novices in the church and their holy symbol reflects on this.

3rd-4th level:  The PC now gains a holy symbol made from stone or a cheap metal.  They are acolytes in their church.

5th-6th level:  The PC now gains a silver holy symbol and are considered more than an acolyte, they are given more responsibilities that have further meaning than meager tasks.

7th-8th level:  The PC is given a Silver Holy symbol with a gem or two indicating higher status within the church.

9th-10th level:  The PC is given a solid gold holy symbol and is considered a ranking member of the church, being saught out occasionally for advice.

11th-12th level:  The PC is given a solid gold holy symbol with two or three gems, and is saught out more often for advice, and given greater tasks and responsibilities (such as trying to recruit new worshippers, or turn evil doers from the darkness to the light or vice versa)

13th-15th level:  The PC is given a holy symbol made of a rare metal and is one of the highest ranking members of the church.

16th level +:  The PC is given a holy symbol made from the rarest of metals, imbedded with several gems, he/she is now officially a greater power in the church and may leave the heirarchy to start a new church someplace else if so desired.

This system makes it so that a PC never has to spend anything on a holy symbol, and always has one.  However as they become more powerful, their holy symbols become more valueable, making them targets of theives.  This can make for interesting side-plots as they try to recover their holy symbol, and sometimes have to buy it back from a merchant who purchased it from a thief.

[avisarr]

I like your description of the different levels of "quality" of holy symbol based on the rank of the priest. Wood, metal, silver, gold, precious metal, gems, etc. It's good. However, I think there's also an opportunity to expand on it and add some individuality here. Different religions/gods may approach holy symbols in their own way. There are lots of possibilities.

For instance, some churches may use the holy symbol as a focus and, without the physical symbol, the priest cannot cast spells or perhaps is severely limited in spells. In this case, the actualy physical object would be very important and the priest would go to GREAT lengths to recover his holy symbol. It would be his most valuable possession.

Imagine a god of wealth who grants additional power to those priests who have valuable symbols. Priests would go to great lengths to acquire money in order to purchase the most valuable, most gaudy symbol they could to please their god and gain his favor. A golden symbol gets you more spells than a silver one, no matter what level or rank you are.

In another religion, it isn't so much the physical manifestation of the symbol as it is the priest's BELIEF in that symbol. Low ranking priests might think they need a silver holy symbol, but highing ranking priests are able to evoke great magic with a symbol scrawled in the dirt. Faith matters more than metal in this case. I can see some interesting character interactions with this one.

Imagine a humanoid religion where they worship a god of death and decay. Rather than being pretty and made of fancy metals, the holy symbols become more depraved the higher ranking you are. For instance, a low level priest has one made of wood. Next rank gets one made of bone. The third rank gets one with bits of flesh on it. The forth rank is bone with putrid and rotting bits of flesh that are actually diseased. And the highest rank has holy symbols that are bone and flesh, but the flesh is actually alive, pulsating, constantly writhing in pain and bleeding. This is the most powerful holy symbol that only the highest ranking priests carry. Perhaps it involves the heart of a sacrificial victim. Oh, i like that one... yeah, that's gonna have to go on the site somewhere.

Anyway, you get the idea. Each church could have a customized system for holy symbols. For some of these examples, it would be possible to simply purchase a holy symbol or have one made. In other churches, you would only be able to obtain it from the church. It would be given to you.

[Spence]

But of course!  I posted a small example of what you can do with Holy Symbols, there are many many ways you can turn something as simple as a pendant around the neck of a cleric into something grand or depraved.  I never see anybody do anything with their holy symbols as anything but a mere focus for power.

A primitive tribe worshipping a woodland deity may not have access to precious metals, but could instead use blessed ink (with a spell similiar to bless water) to create tattoo's in the flesh of their priests, the more potent the priest becomes, the more detailed the tattoo's get until the priest is one living holy symbol.

Simple little things like this can become great roleplay hooks and focal points for adventures.  After all, a cleric in DnD is VERY limited on what spells he/she can cast without their divine focus.

[tanis]

     The priest or paladin could even have the Holy Symbol's design incorporated into the hilt or handle of his weapon, creating a potentially, with time and improvement, much sought after or well known item.

[Spence]

This is often used in descriptions and roleplay for the game...unfortunately i dont know of any DM's (aside from myself, i'm pretty leniant with creative things) that would allow it to actually function as a normal holy symbol.  Personally i'm trying to get tattoo'd holy symbols to be allowed on Dathkandra...with the various cultures on the chat that do lots of tattoo's it only makes sense to me.

[tanis]

     Yeah, especially with the Bathyns.

[Spence]

*evil grin*

On Dathkandra we have this rule on the DM group.  If somebody puts up a suggestion for improvements to the game or site, and nobody posts a single reply to it within a week, the suggestion goes through without arguement.  Now, a bunch of khoras creatures i made have just fallen into that category, they'll automatically go through as they are, which i'm happy for.  But...

I made a post about adding 2 new spells, Bless Ink and Curse Ink.  With these spells you can enchant Ink that can be used to create functioning tattoo'd holy symbols.  If this goes through the week without a single reply...it automatically goes through by default.

Hopefully i'll get my Tattoo'd holy symbols!

[tanis]

     Yeah, I cross fingers for you. If you look at the item thing, you should be able to figure out my inspiration.

[Spence]

Things are looking good for having tattoo'd holy symbols on Dathkandra.  I dont think anybody has any issues with the new spells i posed to the group, so we should be seeing some new options for holy symbols soon

[tanis]

     Hallelujah!

[phaeton]

Remember you have to present your Holy Symbol when dealing with undead -- so .. do be careful where they're put *g*

[Spence]

Why did your post just give me a mental image of a Cleric Mooning a bunch of Undead because he has his HS tattoo'd on his rump?  lol

[tanis]

     'Cause you've got your mind in the gutter. J/K Spence

[tanis]

unfortunately i dont know of any DM's (aside from myself, i'm pretty leniant with creative things) that would allow it to actually function as a normal holy symbol.

     I actually was thinking more on the lines of a weapon that not only could be used as a holy symbol, but that could also be kind of a item with holy magic infused, creating what would also be a channel for pure divine power, like Moses' rod.