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[Creative] My Homebrew for Adventurer's Guide to the Bible
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9110138" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Amazing Grace</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center">[MEDIA=youtube]Y-4NFvI5U9w[/MEDIA]</p><p></p><p>This campaign unveils a unique 7th ability score, Grace, being sort of a general morality stat. Sadly, there are few avenues that explicitly call for the use of this ability in either of the Red Panda adventures released so far, really only amounting to checks made upon Holy Ground.</p><p></p><p>This post seeks to expand Grace into having a more active role in the game.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Common Uses and Example Checks</strong></p><p></p><p>Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible mentions that Grace is “a reflection of [a character’s] relationship with God, society, and other people, and how much they allow morality to dictate their decision-making.” Furthermore, it is tied to alignment in that a character’s starting Grace score is determined by whether they are good, neutral, or evil and can only be changed during a character’s actions over the course of play, being a factor of 1 by default. Therefore, Grace is neither a physical or mental score in the traditional sense of the word, but is reflective of how they live their life and the principles they hold.</p><p></p><p>Like Constitution, Grace has no associated skills, and substituting one of the six other ability scores for Grace when making an ability check should require very persuasive arguments.</p><p></p><p>Beyond just rolling to see how a character attunes with Holy Ground, here are some new common uses for the Grace score:</p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Provide a character with a clearer sense of what is the most moral action to take in an uncertain situation.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Be deemed worthy of entry into a sanctified site.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Earn the initial trust/respect of a celestial or similar servant of God.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Serve as a role model to others by your deeds rather than raw skill or charisma.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Pray to God for a sign and receive a vision.</li> </ol><p></p><p>Regarding the above examples, one could argue that each of them can be filled in via other abilities and skills. But Grace is still useful for a variety of reasons: in the first example, even an uneducated or foolish person may be able to fall back on a “what would Jesus do?” style of personal questions to guide them when their own wits fail. The second and third examples presume a sixth sense not unlike a paladin’s “detect evil” feature, where holy places and beings can pierce through silver tongues and see the core of a person’s character.</p><p></p><p>The last example can be used to give a character a result from the Visions, Prophecies, & Dreams table. It should be used sparingly, such as a single check during Downtime.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Jesus Saves, and Takes Half Damage</strong></p><p></p><p>We discussed ability checks, so what would a Grace saving throw look like? Generally speaking, it is used to resist sin and temptation. In cases where someone would roll a saving throw to avoid being forced to perform an activity that would cause them to sin or otherwise act against God, such as by an enchantment spell, the character substitutes their Grace score for the appropriate score. If a character would ordinarily add their proficiency bonus when using the original ability score for such a save, they add this bonus when rolling a Grace save.</p><p></p><p>Characters don’t pick and choose whether they substitute their Grace score in this way. A strong-willed but wicked archmage with high mental stats but a Grace of 4 may be able to easily resist spells and effects that would erase his memory, make him believe in an illusion, or similar things. But were one to use a spell such as Induce Greed to instill in him an obsessive desire to steal something, he’d use his much lower Grace score.</p><p></p><p>Therefore, a character who regularly performs selfish and wicked acts finds it harder to break off from such behavior when it comes from a supernatural source, such as demonic possession. But a character who is otherwise weak-willed but with a strong moral compass has a better chance of resisting their worser nature.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Common Increases and Decreases</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/dFXUylD.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>The Grace score should be treated as a general abstraction rather than a totality of a character’s in-game actions. Otherwise, one could make the argument that a rich character who handed out 20 gold pieces to 10 beggars should receive a +10 to their Grace score, trivializing the concept. Generally speaking, a raising of one’s Grace score should be reflective of actions taken during the course of the game that bear an element of risk or loss: it’s easy to be a good person when there are no penalties for doing so or if it’s financially lucrative. But something drastic like showing mercy to a dangerous foe for a chance to redeem themselves, or rescuing hostages from the fortress of a Satanic cult, with no expectation of reward? That should earn characters a Grace raise!</p><p></p><p>Barring exceptional circumstances, a Grace score should never lower or raise by more than 1 per significant deed. For a guideline, the quests in the Do Unto others posts above serve as good examples for when to raise Grace. Particularly when the party turns down the more tangible physical rewards such as gold in favor of consecrating the act to God or out of the kindness of their hearts.</p><p></p><p>Additionally, certain deeds in line with typical DnD parties should be mentioned. While it’s unlikely that adultery will be a common activity in most campaigns, murder, theft, and even sorcery are definitely things that can come up during this campaign!</p><p></p><p>Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to have a Session 0 on this topic. Even Christians disagree heavily on the nuances of Sin and the scale of individual sins. Just look at how argumentative secular gamers can get over alignment, then magnify it when it comes to real-world religion! Beyond that, an easy out is following a general “golden rule” where the DM asks if the action is causing suffering in an avoidable or selfish manner.</p><p></p><p>Murder is viewed as a grave sin, and there are Biblical verses that have condemned it but also justified it in certain circumstances. Generally speaking, encounters or events where a PC directly causes one or more mortal souls to meet a violent end should reduce Grace by 1 in most circumstances. This applies mostly to sapient mortal beings: killing animals for sustenance isn’t a sin, and as fiends are immortal and reform in Hell they have an easier time “coming back” via foul rituals and summonings as opposed to the miracle of resurrection.</p><p></p><p>Keep in mind that non-lethal damage is much easier to do in 5th Edition than prior ones, and murder is thus a more avoidable fate. As such, DMs can still be strict on this ruling while allowing characters to still go for violent resolutions. One way to encourage this is having encounters resolve in a satisfactory manner via capturing a foe rather than killing them. The Defeated condition from Beowulf: Age of Heroes is a good example to follow.</p><p></p><p>For example, if the person the party is fighting is a lawbreaker or dangerous criminal, they can be turned over to authorities. Otherwise, a villainous mastermind whose plans are ruined can suffer such a setback that they’re no longer the same level of threat as they used to be. A good example is Prince Gotarzes of the Parthian Empire and his plot to assassinate his father and siblings, as covered in the review and prior posts. Even so, doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest thing, so there may be times when the merciful option won’t remove a problem, or even add a new one. It is something for the DM to make judgment calls on based on the needs of their group and campaign expectations.</p><p></p><p>Regarding stealing, there are many Biblical passages condemning all types of theft, fraud, and similar activities. As it is done first and foremost for financial gain, various Rogue-style abilities in DnD have purposes beyond this, such as picking the lock to a door in a dungeon in order to progress or sneaking past enemies in order to avoid a fight. When it comes to these kinds of “thief style” abilities, the end deed matters more than the training or the action. Again, much like how murder can be circumvented via non-lethal damage, 5th Edition also de-emphasizes the tying of wealth to a character’s power, so players don’t have to worry about sacrificing overall effectiveness by choosing to not be murderhobos.</p><p></p><p>But for PC thieves who still wish to indulge in such matters, they should lower their Grace by 1 for every significant deed rather than from each person they steal. An elaborate heist or spending downtime as a burglar, for example.</p><p></p><p>Now, what of magic? Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible made a bit of a creative departure where it made spells more morally neutral, even the ones that don’t necessarily come from God like arcane magic. It is entirely possible to be a Baptist Druid, Magi Wizard, or Psalmist Bard if you don’t want to be a Cleric, Paladin, or similar “godly” archetype.</p><p></p><p>But what if a character wishes to have their magic come from a more dubious source? Perhaps they’re a Warlock with the Fiend patron or a “dark knight” style Paladin with the Oath of Vengeance. Someone who may initially start on a dark path but over time can find redemption. They might have even justified themselves into thinking that they can fight fire with fire, to use the tools of the enemy against them!</p><p></p><p>As to why they’re aiding the Messiah and Magi and not the Archdemons, it’s entirely possible that the entity granting them their powers may be a rival in hellish politics, who wants to sabotage Lilith’s mission so they can swoop on in and gain Satan’s favor by having their “chosen” ingratiate themselves to the Messiah like a double agent. All the better to strike when the time is right! That is, presuming that said character isn’t moved to do the right thing and forsake a life of evil at a dramatically appropriate moment!</p><p></p><p>For such “dark knight/mage” style PCs, the initial cost of their infernal bargains should have them begin with a Grace score of 8. This is regardless of their alignment, for one doesn’t enter into pacts with demons and not come out unblemished. Generally speaking, casting spells shouldn’t alter their Grace score in and of itself.* But if one wants to reflect a demonic patron giving power at a moment when it’s needed the most, the DM can have their patron/oath-holder offer to restore a PC’s highest-level spell slot in exchange for lowering their Grace score by 1. This isn’t something the PC can call upon on their end, and should be reserved for times when the odds are against the party and the right spell can help turn the tide.</p><p></p><p>*Albeit regularly relying on corpse desecration via created undead may perhaps warrant a Grace reduction per major adventure of the campaign.</p><p></p><p>Such a PC’s redemption arc can come about in several ways, but like any good campaign should come about at a time when it “feels right” rather than predetermined points. But there are some ideal places and times in Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible for this:</p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Choosing to follow Jesus.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">After defeating one of the Archdemons, ideally one whose negative effects on mortal society are most apparent before their battle, such as Naamah or Beelzebub.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Encounters where the PCs come into contact with God, such as facing their fears at the Holy Ground in Midian or transporting the Ark of the Covenant.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Being mentored by a servant of God, such as one of the Three Wise Men or John the Baptist.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Dueling with the angel Barachiel in Galilee.</li> </ol><p></p><p>Such occasions are an appropriate time to have the character retrain. They should still retain their more mundane proficiencies such as weapons, armor, and skills, but more supernatural features such as spells should be reflective of their new class/subclass.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Assigning Grace to NPCs and Monsters</strong></p><p></p><p>When it comes to assigning Grace scores to those besides the PC, some guidelines should be kept in mind:</p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Beings with animal-level or nonexistent intelligence don’t have Grace scores, for they lack the ability to know of God’s laws and moral systems and instead operate on instinct or preprogrammed instructions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Most mortal humanoids have Grace scores ranging from 8 to 12 depending on their alignment, with some as low as 6 or as high as 14. Any values beyond these ranges are likely exceptionally moral or wicked figures who have a greater role in the story to play than rank and file characters encountered on the street.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Celestials are blessed servants of God and instruments of His will, so they usually have a Grace of 18 to 20. Celestials who end up falling below this value become “fallen,” and outright fiends if they side with Satan.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Fiends knowingly sided with Satan in the rebellion against God and now work tirelessly to pull mortals from the path to Heaven, and typically have a Grace score of 1 to 3. Fiends who manage to increase their score often reach a middling point where they are on the road to redemption that must be worked on over many mortal lifetimes, and once they hit 18 become a celestial.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Particularly long-lived or immortal beings that are neither celestial or fiend but have derision or contempt for “lower life forms,” such as dragons or fey, usually have low to middling Grace scores. Generally speaking, they are entities possessed of great power, but tend to have either a conquering mentality or a hands-off nature when it comes to the development of mortal civilizations.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Undead overall have very low Grace scores, on pair with or slightly higher than fiends. Unintelligent undead differ from animals in that they are typically consumed by murderous urges and thus are vessels driven strongly by sin, while most intelligent undead often had to perform vile deeds in order to attain such a state in their mortal lives. Undead who undertake the road of redemption and increase their Grace almost always pass on to their final fate in the afterlife.</li> </ol><p></p><p><strong>Example Grace Scores</strong></p><p></p><p>1-3 (-5 to -4): People who are not just willfully evil, but devoted their lives to making Earth a worse place. Examples: The world’s worst tyrants, most fiends.</p><p>4-5 (-3): People who spent most of their lives bringing harm to others and committed several great sins. Examples: Mages and cult leaders who serve demons, serial killers, war criminals.</p><p>6-7 (-2): Selfish people who regularly hurt others, those with institutional power but use that power to prevent improvements in society. Examples: Seasoned criminals, career politicians, the ultrawealthy.</p><p>8-9 (-1): Selfish people who don’t care for the welfare of others or have fallen for harmful practices, but haven’t committed any great crimes to which they haven’t yet repented. Also people who are otherwise decent but whose occupation/lifestyle results in habitual harm. Examples: Petty criminal, xenophobic hatemonger, slaver.</p><p>10-11 (0): People whose primary concerns are their own lives and close social circles, haven’t committed enough great deeds or evil acts to shift them further. Examples: most humans.</p><p>12-13 (+1): People who are generally selfless and mindful of doing the right thing, overall have done more good than bad in the world. Examples: charity workers, beneficial occupations that sometimes do <em>pro bono</em> work.</p><p>14-15 (+2): People who regularly commit good deeds, oftentimes at risk to themselves. Examples: abolitionists, privileged do-gooders acting in defiance of a tyrannical authority, doctors working in leper colonies and other dangerous environments.</p><p>16-17 (+3): People who brought about wide scale positive change over a long period of time. Examples: Peacemakers who ended a long war, political figures who instituted systemic reforms to uplift the disenfranchised, scientists who selflessly shared their findings to improve the living conditions of society.</p><p>18-20 (+4 to +5): People who dedicated their lives to making the world a better place and are moral exemplars. Examples: Saints, pacifistic and civil rights icons, most celestials.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 9110138, member: 6750502"] [CENTER][B]Amazing Grace[/B] [MEDIA=youtube]Y-4NFvI5U9w[/MEDIA][/CENTER] This campaign unveils a unique 7th ability score, Grace, being sort of a general morality stat. Sadly, there are few avenues that explicitly call for the use of this ability in either of the Red Panda adventures released so far, really only amounting to checks made upon Holy Ground. This post seeks to expand Grace into having a more active role in the game. [CENTER][B]Common Uses and Example Checks[/B][/CENTER] Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible mentions that Grace is “a reflection of [a character’s] relationship with God, society, and other people, and how much they allow morality to dictate their decision-making.” Furthermore, it is tied to alignment in that a character’s starting Grace score is determined by whether they are good, neutral, or evil and can only be changed during a character’s actions over the course of play, being a factor of 1 by default. Therefore, Grace is neither a physical or mental score in the traditional sense of the word, but is reflective of how they live their life and the principles they hold. Like Constitution, Grace has no associated skills, and substituting one of the six other ability scores for Grace when making an ability check should require very persuasive arguments. Beyond just rolling to see how a character attunes with Holy Ground, here are some new common uses for the Grace score: [LIST=1] [*]Provide a character with a clearer sense of what is the most moral action to take in an uncertain situation. [*]Be deemed worthy of entry into a sanctified site. [*]Earn the initial trust/respect of a celestial or similar servant of God. [*]Serve as a role model to others by your deeds rather than raw skill or charisma. [*]Pray to God for a sign and receive a vision. [/LIST] Regarding the above examples, one could argue that each of them can be filled in via other abilities and skills. But Grace is still useful for a variety of reasons: in the first example, even an uneducated or foolish person may be able to fall back on a “what would Jesus do?” style of personal questions to guide them when their own wits fail. The second and third examples presume a sixth sense not unlike a paladin’s “detect evil” feature, where holy places and beings can pierce through silver tongues and see the core of a person’s character. The last example can be used to give a character a result from the Visions, Prophecies, & Dreams table. It should be used sparingly, such as a single check during Downtime. [CENTER][B]Jesus Saves, and Takes Half Damage[/B][/CENTER] We discussed ability checks, so what would a Grace saving throw look like? Generally speaking, it is used to resist sin and temptation. In cases where someone would roll a saving throw to avoid being forced to perform an activity that would cause them to sin or otherwise act against God, such as by an enchantment spell, the character substitutes their Grace score for the appropriate score. If a character would ordinarily add their proficiency bonus when using the original ability score for such a save, they add this bonus when rolling a Grace save. Characters don’t pick and choose whether they substitute their Grace score in this way. A strong-willed but wicked archmage with high mental stats but a Grace of 4 may be able to easily resist spells and effects that would erase his memory, make him believe in an illusion, or similar things. But were one to use a spell such as Induce Greed to instill in him an obsessive desire to steal something, he’d use his much lower Grace score. Therefore, a character who regularly performs selfish and wicked acts finds it harder to break off from such behavior when it comes from a supernatural source, such as demonic possession. But a character who is otherwise weak-willed but with a strong moral compass has a better chance of resisting their worser nature. [CENTER][B]Common Increases and Decreases[/B] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/dFXUylD.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] The Grace score should be treated as a general abstraction rather than a totality of a character’s in-game actions. Otherwise, one could make the argument that a rich character who handed out 20 gold pieces to 10 beggars should receive a +10 to their Grace score, trivializing the concept. Generally speaking, a raising of one’s Grace score should be reflective of actions taken during the course of the game that bear an element of risk or loss: it’s easy to be a good person when there are no penalties for doing so or if it’s financially lucrative. But something drastic like showing mercy to a dangerous foe for a chance to redeem themselves, or rescuing hostages from the fortress of a Satanic cult, with no expectation of reward? That should earn characters a Grace raise! Barring exceptional circumstances, a Grace score should never lower or raise by more than 1 per significant deed. For a guideline, the quests in the Do Unto others posts above serve as good examples for when to raise Grace. Particularly when the party turns down the more tangible physical rewards such as gold in favor of consecrating the act to God or out of the kindness of their hearts. Additionally, certain deeds in line with typical DnD parties should be mentioned. While it’s unlikely that adultery will be a common activity in most campaigns, murder, theft, and even sorcery are definitely things that can come up during this campaign! Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to have a Session 0 on this topic. Even Christians disagree heavily on the nuances of Sin and the scale of individual sins. Just look at how argumentative secular gamers can get over alignment, then magnify it when it comes to real-world religion! Beyond that, an easy out is following a general “golden rule” where the DM asks if the action is causing suffering in an avoidable or selfish manner. Murder is viewed as a grave sin, and there are Biblical verses that have condemned it but also justified it in certain circumstances. Generally speaking, encounters or events where a PC directly causes one or more mortal souls to meet a violent end should reduce Grace by 1 in most circumstances. This applies mostly to sapient mortal beings: killing animals for sustenance isn’t a sin, and as fiends are immortal and reform in Hell they have an easier time “coming back” via foul rituals and summonings as opposed to the miracle of resurrection. Keep in mind that non-lethal damage is much easier to do in 5th Edition than prior ones, and murder is thus a more avoidable fate. As such, DMs can still be strict on this ruling while allowing characters to still go for violent resolutions. One way to encourage this is having encounters resolve in a satisfactory manner via capturing a foe rather than killing them. The Defeated condition from Beowulf: Age of Heroes is a good example to follow. For example, if the person the party is fighting is a lawbreaker or dangerous criminal, they can be turned over to authorities. Otherwise, a villainous mastermind whose plans are ruined can suffer such a setback that they’re no longer the same level of threat as they used to be. A good example is Prince Gotarzes of the Parthian Empire and his plot to assassinate his father and siblings, as covered in the review and prior posts. Even so, doing the right thing isn’t always the easiest thing, so there may be times when the merciful option won’t remove a problem, or even add a new one. It is something for the DM to make judgment calls on based on the needs of their group and campaign expectations. Regarding stealing, there are many Biblical passages condemning all types of theft, fraud, and similar activities. As it is done first and foremost for financial gain, various Rogue-style abilities in DnD have purposes beyond this, such as picking the lock to a door in a dungeon in order to progress or sneaking past enemies in order to avoid a fight. When it comes to these kinds of “thief style” abilities, the end deed matters more than the training or the action. Again, much like how murder can be circumvented via non-lethal damage, 5th Edition also de-emphasizes the tying of wealth to a character’s power, so players don’t have to worry about sacrificing overall effectiveness by choosing to not be murderhobos. But for PC thieves who still wish to indulge in such matters, they should lower their Grace by 1 for every significant deed rather than from each person they steal. An elaborate heist or spending downtime as a burglar, for example. Now, what of magic? Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible made a bit of a creative departure where it made spells more morally neutral, even the ones that don’t necessarily come from God like arcane magic. It is entirely possible to be a Baptist Druid, Magi Wizard, or Psalmist Bard if you don’t want to be a Cleric, Paladin, or similar “godly” archetype. But what if a character wishes to have their magic come from a more dubious source? Perhaps they’re a Warlock with the Fiend patron or a “dark knight” style Paladin with the Oath of Vengeance. Someone who may initially start on a dark path but over time can find redemption. They might have even justified themselves into thinking that they can fight fire with fire, to use the tools of the enemy against them! As to why they’re aiding the Messiah and Magi and not the Archdemons, it’s entirely possible that the entity granting them their powers may be a rival in hellish politics, who wants to sabotage Lilith’s mission so they can swoop on in and gain Satan’s favor by having their “chosen” ingratiate themselves to the Messiah like a double agent. All the better to strike when the time is right! That is, presuming that said character isn’t moved to do the right thing and forsake a life of evil at a dramatically appropriate moment! For such “dark knight/mage” style PCs, the initial cost of their infernal bargains should have them begin with a Grace score of 8. This is regardless of their alignment, for one doesn’t enter into pacts with demons and not come out unblemished. Generally speaking, casting spells shouldn’t alter their Grace score in and of itself.* But if one wants to reflect a demonic patron giving power at a moment when it’s needed the most, the DM can have their patron/oath-holder offer to restore a PC’s highest-level spell slot in exchange for lowering their Grace score by 1. This isn’t something the PC can call upon on their end, and should be reserved for times when the odds are against the party and the right spell can help turn the tide. *Albeit regularly relying on corpse desecration via created undead may perhaps warrant a Grace reduction per major adventure of the campaign. Such a PC’s redemption arc can come about in several ways, but like any good campaign should come about at a time when it “feels right” rather than predetermined points. But there are some ideal places and times in Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible for this: [LIST=1] [*]Choosing to follow Jesus. [*]After defeating one of the Archdemons, ideally one whose negative effects on mortal society are most apparent before their battle, such as Naamah or Beelzebub. [*]Encounters where the PCs come into contact with God, such as facing their fears at the Holy Ground in Midian or transporting the Ark of the Covenant. [*]Being mentored by a servant of God, such as one of the Three Wise Men or John the Baptist. [*]Dueling with the angel Barachiel in Galilee. [/LIST] Such occasions are an appropriate time to have the character retrain. They should still retain their more mundane proficiencies such as weapons, armor, and skills, but more supernatural features such as spells should be reflective of their new class/subclass. [CENTER][B]Assigning Grace to NPCs and Monsters[/B][/CENTER] When it comes to assigning Grace scores to those besides the PC, some guidelines should be kept in mind: [LIST=1] [*]Beings with animal-level or nonexistent intelligence don’t have Grace scores, for they lack the ability to know of God’s laws and moral systems and instead operate on instinct or preprogrammed instructions. [*]Most mortal humanoids have Grace scores ranging from 8 to 12 depending on their alignment, with some as low as 6 or as high as 14. Any values beyond these ranges are likely exceptionally moral or wicked figures who have a greater role in the story to play than rank and file characters encountered on the street. [*]Celestials are blessed servants of God and instruments of His will, so they usually have a Grace of 18 to 20. Celestials who end up falling below this value become “fallen,” and outright fiends if they side with Satan. [*]Fiends knowingly sided with Satan in the rebellion against God and now work tirelessly to pull mortals from the path to Heaven, and typically have a Grace score of 1 to 3. Fiends who manage to increase their score often reach a middling point where they are on the road to redemption that must be worked on over many mortal lifetimes, and once they hit 18 become a celestial. [*]Particularly long-lived or immortal beings that are neither celestial or fiend but have derision or contempt for “lower life forms,” such as dragons or fey, usually have low to middling Grace scores. Generally speaking, they are entities possessed of great power, but tend to have either a conquering mentality or a hands-off nature when it comes to the development of mortal civilizations. [*]Undead overall have very low Grace scores, on pair with or slightly higher than fiends. Unintelligent undead differ from animals in that they are typically consumed by murderous urges and thus are vessels driven strongly by sin, while most intelligent undead often had to perform vile deeds in order to attain such a state in their mortal lives. Undead who undertake the road of redemption and increase their Grace almost always pass on to their final fate in the afterlife. [/LIST] [B]Example Grace Scores[/B] 1-3 (-5 to -4): People who are not just willfully evil, but devoted their lives to making Earth a worse place. Examples: The world’s worst tyrants, most fiends. 4-5 (-3): People who spent most of their lives bringing harm to others and committed several great sins. Examples: Mages and cult leaders who serve demons, serial killers, war criminals. 6-7 (-2): Selfish people who regularly hurt others, those with institutional power but use that power to prevent improvements in society. Examples: Seasoned criminals, career politicians, the ultrawealthy. 8-9 (-1): Selfish people who don’t care for the welfare of others or have fallen for harmful practices, but haven’t committed any great crimes to which they haven’t yet repented. Also people who are otherwise decent but whose occupation/lifestyle results in habitual harm. Examples: Petty criminal, xenophobic hatemonger, slaver. 10-11 (0): People whose primary concerns are their own lives and close social circles, haven’t committed enough great deeds or evil acts to shift them further. Examples: most humans. 12-13 (+1): People who are generally selfless and mindful of doing the right thing, overall have done more good than bad in the world. Examples: charity workers, beneficial occupations that sometimes do [I]pro bono[/I] work. 14-15 (+2): People who regularly commit good deeds, oftentimes at risk to themselves. Examples: abolitionists, privileged do-gooders acting in defiance of a tyrannical authority, doctors working in leper colonies and other dangerous environments. 16-17 (+3): People who brought about wide scale positive change over a long period of time. Examples: Peacemakers who ended a long war, political figures who instituted systemic reforms to uplift the disenfranchised, scientists who selflessly shared their findings to improve the living conditions of society. 18-20 (+4 to +5): People who dedicated their lives to making the world a better place and are moral exemplars. Examples: Saints, pacifistic and civil rights icons, most celestials. [/QUOTE]
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