Congregations (religious)

Having contructed a temple of sufficient size, the number of potential worshippers will depend upon the number of inhabitants surrounding location of the temple, the local infrastructure, the charisma of the cleric, dimensions of the temple and the amount of ornamentation that has been incorporated into the temple's design.

Begin with the group designation of the hex where the cleric has gained permission to build. This refers to the pre-existing infrastructure of the area. Hex groups six miles in diameter are rated in value from I to VIII (using Roman numerals), where I possesses the highest level of infrastructure and VIII possesses no infrastructure at all. Hex groups with designations of VIII have no inhabitants. Those with VI or VII have few inhabitants; those with I or II have many.

Note, however, that the cleric does not draw from the population of the entire 6-mile hex group. Each group is divided into seven 2-mile hexes - it is the inhabitants of this local 2-mile hex that is used to determine the cleric's potential congregation.

The cleric's charisma is expressed as a percentage multiplied by the infrastructure designation. The DM will be able to calculate the total number of inhabitants in the hex. Where the population is very high (densest levels will be more than 20,000 persons per 2-mile hex), there will be competition from other temples that will lower the cleric's draw. Each 1,000 population will reduce the cleric's charisma by 1 point.

Thus, a cleric with a 15 wisdom, building a temple in a hex group designated V would draw a base 75% of the inhabitants of the 2-mile diameter hex surrounding the temple. If, however, the total inhabitants numbered 3,000 persons, the cleric's charisma would be reduced to 12 and the calculated percentage reduced to 12 x 5 or 60%. If this number is reduced to zero, then the cleric's charisma and temple alone is not enough to draw worshippers in the area.

If it happens that the potential congregation is greater than 100% of the area's inhabitants, this will mean that additional worshippers are being drawn from other surrounding hexes, beyond the location of the temple.

Increasing the size of the temple [placeholder] and ornamentation can add bonuses to a cleric's charisma.

Where the temple itself is not be large enough to accommodate the whole potential congregation, clerics may rely upon a full congregation weekly. Where the reverse is true and the congregation is actually smaller than the temple, then efforts such as expanding the temple's size would be superfluous.

Note that the numbers above describes only the potential worshippers. To actually gain a congregation, a cleric must sacrifice 1 week in personal communication with the residents to build 10 weekly attendants (see Proselytize). Thus, if a temple had a capacity of 200 worshippers, the cleric would need to spend 20 weeks total to bring that temple up to its full capacity weekly.

To retain a congregation, the cleric must deliver a service once per week. Each failure to appear will reduce the total congregation by 15% - whereupon more weeks of personal communication must be sacrificed winning these worshippers back. This pressure can only be relieved by obtaining a lesser cleric to jointly manage services - but this cleric too must also communicate with the locals, in effect building a parallel congregation using the same base temple, based upon that lesser cleric's charisma.

While the balance of weekly parishioners will offer tithes of 1 or 2 c.p. per week, or even none at all, the balance of wealthier worshippers will balance this so that the cleric may count on 2 s.p. per attending worshipper per week (a random die roll is suspended due to the potential of needing a hundred or more rolls). Moreover, if the cleric attends their temple for four weeks in succession, if the cleric succeeds in a charisma check then the cleric will receive a gift will be received of 20-80 g.p. Roll a d20 to determine the form: livestock (1-3), land (4-9), food for the poor (10-13), a contribution for expansion/ornamentation (cleric's decision) of the temple (14-15), a legacy in the form of coin (16), furniture (17), incense (18), a silversmithed object (19) or clothing (20).

If a cleric has gathered more than 100 worshippers and commits contractually to giving services no less than three times per month, the community/local lord will pay a stipend of 50 g.p. per month to the cleric. If the coin is accepted, the cleric will be asked occasionally to take actions which will pacify the local population (speaking out against violence, encouraging the peasants to know their place, feeding the poor, etc.).

If the temple exists in an area where the cleric's religion is part of the accepted social structure, the cleric will be asked to contribute 10% of the tithes received to superiors - this payment does not extend to gifts received nor the cleric's monthly stipend. If the cleric's religion is isolated from the community, this percentage of tithes need not be paid - but should the cleric wish to seek out the appropriate superiors and pay it anyway, there are benefits from this.

For example, a subordinate cleric may be requested from the religious establishment, to be assigned to the cleric's temple. This subordinate will act as a completely loyal follower, who will serve and defend the temple as able.

See Pogroms.

Mantraism (religion)

An advanced form of shamanism, that turns away from the importance of natural entities and embraces the spiritual essence within, believing that sacred utterances, sounds, syllables, words or groups of word have psychological and spiritual powers. Ancient mantraism served as a basis for many more complex spell-using religions, notably Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Sikhism. Shamans of mantraism are called gurus.

Mantras are religious thoughts that empower the guru to use melody and resonance to serve human longings for truth, reality, light, immortality, peace, love, knowledge and action. Known by many names and forms, mantras enable clarity (the shamanistic practice of the altered state of consciousness) and solemnize actions - so that each action possesses one mantra that accompanies it (man-tra, 'think-act'). This is inherent in many D&D practices associated with the monk character class, the members of which make a given sound when employing the open hand, a different sound when turning aside a missile weapon, a different sound still that increases the damage done by weapons and so on.

For primitive peoples, mantraism is used to counteract the uncertainties and dilemmas of daily life. For example, a herder in search of a lost animal would repeat a learned mantra over and over until the animal was found, the sound of the mantra ensuring that the animal is found sooner than later. Mantraism is a superior form of shamanism in that it can be used by ordinary persons as well as gurus - so that mantraism is the most primitive religion that does not rely upon a specialist within the tribe to make use of its power.

Japa

Of course, understanding how mantraism works is of very limited use to common believers, as it takes effort to employ japa, the practice of repeatedly uttering the same mantra for an auspicious number of times. The standard number of times in which a mantra is repeated is 5, 10, 28, 108 or 1008. To obtain the power enabled by japa, the speaker must repeat each mantra excellently, without stumbling with the tongue, losing count (or needing to think long about the number of repetitions) or allowing concentration to wander. On the whole, only gurus are able to practice japa to 108 or 1008 repetitions. Non-gurus of higher intelligence and focus can manage 28. Most others can manage 10 only in times of great crisis. 5 is doing well for an average believer.

Those able to sustain japa for longer periods are able to produce more pronounced magical effects. With the innovation of spells, japa (for eastern religions) corresponds to the cleric's daily meditation. It will take approximately 15 minutes to repeat a mantra 108 times, so that this fits rules regarding a spell's acquisition. Repeating a mantra 1008 times will take approximately 3 hours, much longer than any spell requires. Increased periods of japa, however, is necessary to follow the five paths of mantraism (ritual practices that channel divine energy): Accumulation, Joining, Seeing, Meditation and Consummation. Only gurus and clerics can hope to obtain complete consummation of mantraism.

The Five Paths

Unlike shamanism, mantraism seeks to alter the self, not the environment. Through transforming the self and thus contemplating the worldly life from outside, the guru (or would-be bodhisattva) seeks to gain both enlightenment and through that path, magical invulnerability from reality (which ceases to infringe upon the guru once reality is truly understood to be empty). This takes an enormous amount of time, during which time japa enables persons on these paths to completely purify themselves.

Following the completion of each path, the individual gains a degree of exemption from everyday trials of existence, as described below.

The Path of Accumulation

Persons on this path possess a strong desire to overcoming suffering, either their own or others, and a desire to renounce the worldly life. Effort is taken to accumulate merit, personal ability, experience and wealth, to explore the world and become conscious of what the world is and how it sustains itself. At this stage, the individual is not a guru, but an ordinary common person, with a person's foibles, sins, ambitions and ignorance. Throughout this period, the individual will practice the saying of mantras, increasing japa from 5 to 10, until they are able to repeat a mantra correctly 28 times. In game terms, this describes three stages of an individual's awareness, dependent upon mantraism's embracing of reincarnation.

Most intelligent creatures are considered to merely exist. They can speak a mantra, at best, 5 times. Some have made no efforts to accumulate the right sort of knowledge or prowess, even if they are rich and powerful. Others will have never obtained a level at all, or any appreciable skills. For whatever reason, lack of accumulation, lack of purpose or enlightenment, these individuals are in a state of lesser accumulation. They will not move to the next path of enlightenment, that of Joining, in any known lifetime. For them, no special benefits from mantraism have ever been gained.

There are some who have gained the right sort of knowledge or prowess, who have chosen to act in accordance with this right knowledge and move steadily towards the next path. They can speak a mantra 10 times. However, due to circumstances, they did not move far enough or fast enough before being cut down from life. These individuals are in a state of intermediate accumulation. And though again they will receive no special benefits from mantraism while they live, they will be sure to reach the path of Joining in their next life time.

Finally, there will be those who have achieved a level of accumulation: these characters are independent and capable . . . and they are ready to move on (and become a leveled person, having acquired enough experience). They can speak a mantra 28 times. These are individuals in the state of greater accumulation. Having reached this point, they will be able to set themselves on the next highest path.

The Path of Joining

Having reached the path of joining, the individual in mantraism becomes a guru. Prior to becoming 1st level (regardless of class), the individual reaches the stage of warmth. The guru practices meditation to reach a japa of 108 repetitions. More sensitive to the nature of worldly life, the guru's natural armor class increases by 1 point - however, as the guru's focus is upon spiritual preservation of the body and not conscious avoidance, the dexterity bonus to the character's armor class is lost; this change in focus from dexterity for protection to consciousness for protection can result in a lower armor class in the short term, but a better armor class in the long term.

Upon succeeding in training and becoming 1st level, the guru enters the stage of summit. The act of becoming a leveled character demands that a choice be made. For gurus of lower tech levels, and for those without the sufficient ability stats, there can only be one choice: to become a guru. At higher tech levels, in more complex religions, the guru may become a cleric (and may continue to retain the title of guru). Alternately, if it is possible, the character may become a monk. If the latter, the character will improve their natural armor class by one point again and gain other monk attributes. Clerics will be empowered with spells and will lose their armor class benefit and move forward in their given religion. Gurus of mantraism retain the previous armor class bonus (+1 AC) and transcend this stage.

Obtaining 2nd level, the guru will reach the stage of acceptance. At this point, the guru fearlessly accepts the reality of emptiness as the nature of things. From this point forward, the guru cannot have a crisis of faith. The guru will become diligent and cannot fail a task due to laziness (such as falling asleep on watch), though the guru will not be exempt from physical limitations. The guru cannot be distracted, and is in fact immune to the cantrip. The guru is mindful and cannot be approached closer than four hexes by stealth. Finally, the guru will have a perfect memory for places that have been visited or persons that have been met.

Obtaining 3rd level, the highest level the guru can reach in a low tech culture, the guru reaches the stage of supreme attribute. Upon reaching this stage, the guru can never fall victim to what is called 'wrong view.' All choices that are made by the guru will be the best possible choices that can be made, whether or not an attempted action brings about the desired result. Gurus are blessed with the knowledge that whatever they have tried to do will have the best possible chance of success - all other options would have been less worthy to be taken.

The Guru Class

In effect, I have been describing what could be viewed as a character class. However, the guru is merely a limited form of the cleric of higher religions. Because the guru is a follower of mantraism and not of a more complex religion like Hinduism or Buddhism, he or she cannot rise above the second path of Joining. The paths of Seeing, Meditation and Consummation will be discussed under the description of Buddhism.

Gurus will exist predominantly in regions with a tech level of 8 or less.

See Religion

Animism (religion)

An advanced form of shamanism, which expands the notion that all entities, including animals, plants, objects, even storms, shadows or fire, possess a spiritual essence. Like with shamanism, practitioners of animism seek to contact these spirits in order to affect the world magically, better channeling their control over the world's wild magic. Animists cannot cast spells or cantrips.

The foundation for this practice argues that there is no separation between the spiritual and physical world, and that souls and spirits of persons continue to exist regardless of their apparent state of being.

Unlike shamanism, which employs a number of mechanical apparatus, dancing and singing and an altered state of consciousness in order to contact the spirit world, animism accomplishes the same effect with minimal movement and ceremony, by achieving a state of trance. The animist shaman (witchdoctor, medicine man, mundunugu, isangoma) requires between 2 and 8 hours to obtain an altered state of consciousness, after which the animist shaman is then able to bring certain benefits upon the environment:

• the fertility of a woman can be assured for a period of one day - if copulation occurs during that time, the woman has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant.
• the effects of a curse can be lifted for the space of one week, regardless of the nature or origin of the curse.
• the damage effects of an injury (not the ordinary loss of hit points) can be completely healed.
• the soul of an animal can be 'released' so that a large game animal will present itself within close range of a hunter, who may then kill the animal knowing that the animal's spirit is no longer incorporated in its body, which cannot now feel pain. This helps in times of ready food being greatly needed.
• knowledge can be gained regarding the background and lineage of a person, helping to identify who is the rightful son of a chieftain or who is truly a member of the clan's tribe.
• cure disease in one creature.
• bring rain with an 80% chance.
• turn back an insect swarm with a 50% chance.
• calm a threatening volcano with a 40% chance.
• perform safe burials of creature.

An animist shaman can bring about these effects (or attempt to do so) only one time per week. Each time the magic is used, the animist shaman will suffer a 5-30% loss in hit points.

Shrines

Animist do not recognize gods; however, the spirits of the dead are celebrated in shrines, places that each tribe recognizes as a place of great import. Typically, every member of a tribe will voyage to these places at least once in their lives.

The sites themselves are very crude. Primitive shamanism does not allow for the creation of permanent markers, cairns or carved stone (which requires masonry). However, cave painting - where art is preserved from the elements - or dry deserts where dyes applied to exposed rock does not weather away, enable primitive persons to experience something very special. If they perform the rituals that a shaman would, without the training of an animist shaman, they can yet have one shamanistic experience for one time in their lives. This ability does not include the creation of totems or fetishes, however.

Therefore, they will travel hundreds, even thousands of miles, to have this experience once, to then share the tale and the moment with their families, clans and tribes forever after.

Totems

Unlike shamanism, animists do not make tokens. The practice has been replaced with the creation of totems, a sacred object or symbol that is then inhabited by a spirit friendly to the settlement in which the totem is made. The shaman directs the manner in which the totem is carved, though many people in the settlement may in involved in performing the actual work.

Totems are more commonly made of carved wood, but existing blocks are sometimes repurposed.  Practitioners at higher development levels will make them from stone. Totems will feature animals or other natural figures that spiritually represent a given tribe. Once erected, totems are intended to have many of the effects that an animist shaman is able to perform, to a lesser degree or with less frequency. Fertility [placeholder] is increased 10%, accidents that would cause injuries are allowed a saving throw against magic, a disease will be spontaneously cured in the community 1 time in 10, droughts are lessened in length by 10%, there will be 1 in 6 less insect swarms, a 1 in 4 chance that the volcano will not erupt and so on.

Totems will also function as a tribal standard, so that if a tribal warrior fights within 12 hexes of a totem, they receive a +1 on their attack die and +1 to their morale.

Fetishes

Fetishes are objects that are possessed of magical power, that enable the bearer to have power over others. The following is an attempt to separate this practice in my world from the corrupted and largely misunderstood development of 'voodooism,' or 'Vodou,' in later centuries, which is far, far from the practice that actually occurred in Old World primitive cultures. In creating rules for fetishism, I have chosen to ignore cheesy ideals that have long since become awful cliches in film and the Caribbean tourist trade. I simply am not interested in this, and don't feel it would be a good fit for my world - particularly as I am attempting to present many possible animistic regions, not just those of the West African slave states.

Retaining the idea of being able to affect others with fetishes, or talismans, the emphasis here is on positive effects. Fetishes, unlike shamanistic tokens, do not require the sacrifice of an animal or a humanoid - but they do require considerable skill in their creation. (note: this is a skill I would like to eventually add to the bard, but I do not have the necessary rules at this time].

The fetish talisman is created by the animist shaman as follows: the object must be made of a material that has been formed from a living creature: wood, wax or even dung are the most common materials. This is then fashioned in the form of a specific humanoid subject, though the likeness is not expressly important. The subject's hair must be cut directly from the humanoid's head, either willingly or without the subject's knowledge - hair taken by force will not serve. The figure must be made with cloth that the subject has worn more than once. Finally, once the talisman has been made, it must come into contact with the subject for the space of one round (12 seconds). Thereafter, the talisman/doll will serve as an effective animist fetish.

This empowers the animist shaman to perform two forms of control. The first transfers a condition or ability from the shaman to the subject; the second reverses this, so that a condition or ability is transferred to the shaman. Note that this transfer will last only as long as the shaman concentrates upon the fetish, so that in most cases it will not enable to shaman to take on powers that can then be used, since focusing on the use of that power will cause it to recede.

However, the shaman can bestow the subject with better ability stats (since the subject can take advantage of these, having no need to concentrate), a better to hit table (if applicable), a superior saving throw, greater morality and so on. Hit points cannot be transferred. However, were the shaman intoxicated, that could be transferred; likewise, the shaman could transfer an injury, taking it away from the subject to make the subject were more effective as a combatant, or giving it to the subject in order to cripple him. A disease could likewise be transferred. The shaman could drink poison and transfer that as well; or accept poison from the subject, empowering the shaman to save vs. the poison and survive it while the subject could be sustained before the effects of the poison was returned. There are numerous other ways in which the power of one individual or the other could be shared one way or the other.

Note that the effects of some circumstances, such as a fire or suffocation, could be not be transferred, as the animist shaman could not effectively concentrate on the fetish while on fire or, say, drowning. In general, if the experience is something that would suspend the concentration necessary for casting spells, the fetish cannot be used.

An animist shaman's magic can only support one fetish at any one time. To make another fetish requires that the prior fetish be destroyed, smashing it first with the hand and then setting it afire. This destruction does not affect the subject, as it is not what the talisman/doll experiences that is transferred, but what the shaman feels.

Animism is most common among development 6 and development 7 cultures, though there are cults of animism that exist in all cultures above development 6.

See Religion

Shamanism (religion)

Shamans are very primitive practitioners of magic who are unable to use spells and cantrips. They receive their ability to affect the world magically through reaching altered states of consciousness, either through the use of pain, fasting, drugs, extraordinary physical preparation or long meditation, interacting with the world's wild magic, the transcendental energies that continuously exist in every part of the world even though they may not be tapped by a traditional spellcaster.

The practice requires the employment of a drum, feather, rattle, gong or pipe, as well as a brief period of dancing or singing (no less than 10 rounds, or two minutes), following an hour of meditation. Throughout this, the shaman must have an intoxication level equivalent to smashed (which can be managed through altering the state of consciousness, as described above). Once these requirements are met, the shaman is then able to bring certain benefits upon the environment:

• the fertility of a woman can be assured for a period of one day - if copulation occurs during that time, the woman has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant.
• the effects of a curse can be lifted for the space of one week, regardless of the nature or origin of the curse.
• the damage effects of an injury (not the ordinary loss of hit points) can be completely healed.
• the soul of an animal can be 'released' so that a large game animal will present itself within close range of a hunter, who may then kill the animal knowing that the animal's spirit is no longer incorporated in its body, which cannot now feel pain. This helps in times of ready food being greatly needed.
• knowledge can be gained regarding the background and lineage of a person, helping to identify who is the rightful son of a chieftain or who is truly a member of the clan's tribe.

These benefits are gained by the shaman traversing into the spirit world (either the ethereal or the astral planes), encountering spirits there who can affect these changes. The shaman cannot cause these things to happen without help from the spirits.

A shaman can bring about these effects only one time per week. Each time the magic is used, the shaman will suffer a 10-60% loss in hit points.

Often the shaman is so affected by the transformative process that he or she must be led to the place where the wild magic can be invoked by shamanism.

Shrines

Shamanism does recognize any form of group worship; however, there are places that each tribe recognizes as a place of great occultism. Typically, every member of a tribe will voyage to these places at least once in their lives.

The sites themselves are very crude. Primitive shamanism does not allow for the creation of permanent markers, cairns or carved stone (which requires masonry). However, cave painting - where art is preserved from the elements - or dry deserts where dyes applied to exposed rock does not weather away, enable primitive persons to experience something very special. If they perform the rituals that a shaman would, without the training of a shaman, they can yet have one shamanistic experience for one time in their lives. This ability does not include the creation of tokens, however.

Therefore, they will travel hundreds, even thousands of miles, to have this experience once, to then share the tale and the moment with their families, clans and tribes forever after.

Tokens

Shamans are also able to make tokens, very simple artistic items that produce temporary results. It will take a week for a shaman to make a token, typically an image that corresponds to the culture that the shaman inhabits. These tokens will give the character one of the following benefits:

• +2 saving throw against a specific form of creature or when acting in a space no larger than a 100 combat hexes.
• +3 to hit against a named, known creature, usually when using a specific weapon (often the shape of the token), for three full rounds.
• +1 morale for up to 30 friends and allies, for one day.
• +1 level for the weakest person in a party, for one day.

Each token, however, typically requires the sacrifice of a healthy animal or of a humanoid enemy, which can be costly both to the welfare of the clan or tribe and to the general dissatisfaction of outsiders. Tokens are therefore a rare item, created only in times of great need.

Shamans are common only among development level 5 cultures and regions.

See Also,
Animism
Mantraism
Religion