Cultural / Plot Hook rituals?

[Jürgen Hubert]

What kinds of rituals have you created that exist not to give adventures some extra capabilities, but for the sake of distinguishing different cultures and provide plot hooks?

Here are some of mine:


Blessing of the Stars

Level: 12
Category: Binding
Time: 1 hour
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 500 gp
Market Price: 2,600 gp (Not for sale!)
Key Skill: Arcana (no check)

This ritual must be performed by an eladrin on a newborn elven child during the first full moon after its birth. The ritual will turn the child into an eladrin. This ritual will cause the child to become part of the same eladrin noble house as the ritualist. This is a supernatural effect which will be obvious to members of the Seelie Court who observe the new eladrin, and does not necessarily mean that other eladrins of the same house will accept the child if it is not related to them by blood.
It is possible to create new lines of eladrin noble houses, but only if one of the greater fey entities of the Seelie Court is willing to sponsor such a line. In this case, they will change the spirits of existing eladrins so that they can create new house members through this ritual.


Blessing of the Dark

Level: 10
Category: Binding
Time: 1 hour
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 400 gp
Market Price: 1,000 gp (Not for sale!)
Key Skill: Arcana (no check)

This ritual must be performed on a newborn elven child during the first new moon after its birth. In addition to the normal component cost, a sapient being with an Intelligence of at least 6 has to be sacrificed during the ritual. The ritual will turn the child into a dark elf. In contrast to the Blessing of the Stars ritual, the ritualist does not have to be a dark elf (or even an elf) himself.
Because of this ritual, elves will fiercely protect their newborn children against kidnapping by dark elves and their minions until the first new moon after the birth has safely passed. This ritual is often taught by members of the Unseelie Court.



Imbuing the Flame Below

Level: 14
Category: Binding
Time: 1 hour
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 1,600 gp
Market Price: 4,200 gp (Not for sale!)
Key Skill: Religion (no check)

This ritual must be cast near a volcano, lava stream, or other source of tremendous heat. It transforms one willing dwarf into an azer. Since azer are not suitable as player characters, any PC submitting himself to this ritual becomes an NPC and is retired from play.

This ritual is used by the Flamekeepers, a cult dedicated to worshiping the alien intelligences living at the molten core of the planet, to transform their most devoted dwarven members into azer. Presumably, similar rituals could be developed for other races (it is entirely possible that fire giants came into being through a similar ritual). Despite numerous attempts, no variant of the ritual has worked on gnomes, possibly because of their connection to the fey.

The Flamekeepers keep the azer away from people who are not members of their cult. While rumors of their existence are common in the dwarven kingdom they live in (and they are likely known to many members of the local government), few locals will talk to nonnatives about them out of fear of reprisal from the Flamekeepers. However, some outsiders have encountered the solid metal wagons the cult uses to transport them, and have wondered about the fiery light emitting from the small air slits.


Your thoughts?

 

[Kzach]

Very cool.

Only criticism would be that they're a bit low level to be permanently changing someone's race, but other than that, I really like it.

I'm looking at doing something similar for my homebrew setting as a way to bind a person to a god. A bit like communion/baptism.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Very cool.

Only criticism would be that they're a bit low level to be permanently changing someone's race, but other than that, I really like it.

The reasons for the low levels are twofold:

First of all, in both cases the casters have some outside "assistance" (note the "Binding" category) - in the case of the Blessings, the influence of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of the Fey, and in the latter case the flame intelligences at the planet core.

Furthermore, I wanted these rituals to be somewhat accessible. Plenty of high-level eladrins should know the Blessing of the Stars, since it is the sole means of propagating their entire race. The same is true for the dark elves and the Blessing of the Dark - it should be possible for relatively small and isolated dark elf cults to start over. The fact that the targets are newborns should also reduce the amount of "mystical energy" needed (as well as the sapient sacrifice for the latter ritual).

The same is also true for the "Imbuing the Flame Below" ritual - I wanted to present the azer as a small, but growing faction of the population of the dwarven kingdom they live in, and I didn't want all epic-level Flamekeepers be preoccupied with casting the ritual nonstop. It's still a more difficult ritual than the Blessings, since it's cast on an adult and the transformation is more drastic. But it's not out of range.

I'm looking at doing something similar for my homebrew setting as a way to bind a person to a god. A bit like communion/baptism.

Are the effects accessible to player characters? If so, how do you want to represent them mechanically? With feats?

 

[Kzach]

Plenty of high-level eladrins should know the Blessing of the Stars, since it is the sole means of propagating their entire race.

Is that a homebrew thing?

Are the effects accessible to player characters? If so, how do you want to represent them mechanically? With feats?

Until this thread, I hadn't thought about it much.

My homebrew limits characters to 20th-level unless they do something stupifically terrific to rise beyond their mortal limits and become an Immortal. There are generally two types of Immortals, the Gods and the Fallen (there are exceptions, like certain beings known as the Created).

The Fallen are generally failed Gods and can be seen as demons and angels, although there are many, many variations. They are immortal and very powerful, but without access to the souls of followers, they can't do things that Gods can. The Fallen therefore tend to use the energy of souls in a different manner than the Gods.

Gods use souls by binding their own souls to the souls of their followers. This creates a 'pool' of power, if you will. Clerics a conduits to this pool of power, and thus true clerics (PC classed) are very rare.

Fallen, however, offer power in return for either a person's soul, or the souls of others. Warlocks, for instance, 'mark' their victims, and every victim that isn't bound to a God, has their soul transferred to the Fallen the warlock has a pact with, if they die whilst marked. Paladins offer their own souls to a patron, in return for their power. On death, their soul joins with the the Fallen. This is why Fallen often sound like they are speaking from a great distance, as if many voices are clamouring to be heard.

Therefore, a ritual that binds your soul to a God is a pretty important cultural event in most societies. The benefit of the ritual is that your soul is tied to the God. This means you can be resurrected and can't be raised as undead.

I'm thinking of adding feats that can only be attained by those who have undergone this ritual. And feats that can only be attained by those who haven't. And also, of course, warlocks and paladins either have to undo the ritual or never have gone through it.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Is that a homebrew thing?

Yes. Basically, eladrins are "noble elves" - empowered by the Seelie Court of Faerie. Both eladrin and dark elves (I don't use the word "drow" because of GSL restrictions) are initially born as "normal" elves, but are transformed thanks to one of the two rituals soon after birth.

For eladrins, their blessing essentially adopts the infant into their "noble house" (it might be a blood relative to other members, but it's not required for adoption), and the eladrins essentially form the ruling classes of the large elven kingdoms. The dark elves are more of an underground cult - elves who have rejected the cultural heritage and the superiority of the eladrins. Many of them dwell underground, but it's not required - and their dark skin comes from their association with the Unseelie Court.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Fallen, however, offer power in return for either a person's soul, or the souls of others. Warlocks, for instance, 'mark' their victims, and every victim that isn't bound to a God, has their soul transferred to the Fallen the warlock has a pact with, if they die whilst marked.

That's... rather nasty. I guess that makes warlocks really unpopular, and they will likely spontaneously trigger lynch mob wherever they go.

Or possibly there's a strong incentive to stab them in the back or otherwise take them out before they can mark and then kill someone. I could see rogues specializing as "witch hunters" for the express purpose of taking out warlocks.

I'm thinking of adding feats that can only be attained by those who have undergone this ritual. And feats that can only be attained by those who haven't. And also, of course, warlocks and paladins either have to undo the ritual or never have gone through it.

Obviously, this will also be part of the prerequisites for their respective multiclassing feats.

How about paragon paths linked to those rituals?

 

[Kzach]

That's... rather nasty. I guess that makes warlocks really unpopular, and they will likely spontaneously trigger lynch mob wherever they go.

Or possibly there's a strong incentive to stab them in the back or otherwise take them out before they can mark and then kill someone. I could see rogues specializing as "witch hunters" for the express purpose of taking out warlocks.

Yeup. Warlocks are despised even more than sorcerers (long story about the origin of sorcerers that I won't go into). They generally hide their nature and even in the orc empire, are hunted and killed with little mercy. There are places where they can openly practice, but they come with dangers in and of themselves.

Of course, that doesn't stop them from adventuring, just stops them from bragging

It also doesn't make them evil as Fallen can be good as well as bad. Paladins dedicate themselves to Fallen who represent certain righteous ideals. They do a similar thing with anyone they mark with Divine Challenge, but paladins have a good reputation and are considered 'banishing evil' when they do it. Templars are a neutral variant of paladins and aren't very well received but generally tolerated.

Anyway, this is all beside the point

Ritual of Blessing

Level: 1
Category: Binding
Time: 1 hour
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 1gp
Market Price: 5gp
Key Skill: Religion (no check)

This ritual is usually performed on a newborn baby in order to protect it from various nefarious powers. Most civilised cultures have their own religious traditions for this ceremony.

Any attempt to attack the soul of the individual receives a +5 power bonus against the attack, as well as a +5 powers bonus to any save made to end an effect that attacks the person's soul.

This protects against Rituals of Sacrifice, Summoning and Undeath. The soul, barring interference, is also assured of joining with the being who's blessing is upon it, on the death of the individual.

Ritual of Dedication

Level: 4
Category: Binding
Time: 24 hours
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 25gp
Market Price: 150gp
Key Skill: Religion (no check)

This ritual is usually performed on a person in a coming of age ceremony in order to protect it from various nefarious powers. Most civilised cultures have their own religious traditions for this ceremony.

All paladins, warlocks and clerics undergo this ritual as a part of their training. The ritual cost is ignored unless the character is multi-classing into one of these three classes.

The bonus this dedication grants is total immunity to any effect that would attack their soul. The person also receives a true name, either as a spiritual answer or as a choice made at the time of the ritual.

This protects against Rituals of Sacrifice, Summoning and Undeath. The soul, barring interference, is also assured of joining with the being who's blessing is upon it, on the death of the individual. If the person is deemed to have an unfulfilled destiny, they can also be resurrected.

One drawback of this dedication is that if someone were to somehow obtain the true name of the individual, it conveys vast power over them. Knowing the true name of a person grants a +5 power bonus to all attacks against that person's soul, including Rituals of Sacrifice, Summoning and Undeath.

Ritual of Sacrifice

Level: 11
Category: Binding
Time: 1 hour
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 600gp
Market Price: 1,800gp
Key Skill: Religion

This is a vile and despicable ritual that literally tears the soul of a person from their body. The soul is either dedicated to an evil power or is used in various other ways to empower the sacrificer. The practice is considered beyond evil in most civilised cultures.

The practitioner of this ritual must have the person bound upon a sacrificial altar. They must use the person's own blood to empower the ritual. This weakens the victim over the course of an hour as their blood slowly fills the mystical engravings.

The practitioner then makes an attack against the person's Will defence using half their Religion skill level plus 1d20 as the attack. If successful, the person then receives an unmodified saving throw. If they fail this, the person's soul is torn from their body and the practitioner can do with it as he pleases (see: Soul Feats).

Certain components or other influences can modify the saving throw or attack rolls such as powerful religious sites, rare and potent herbs, blood or other components of powerfully evil creatures, etc.

One of the most powerful influences is knowing someone's true name. This confers a +5 bonus on the attack roll, and a -5 penalty on the person's saving throw to resist.

Ritual of Summoning

Level: 15
Category: Travel
Time: 10 minutes
Duration: Instantaneous
Component Cost: 2200gp
Market Price: 6,200gp
Key Skill: Arcana

This ritual requires very careful and precise preparation as well as several difficult to require items. Some part of the person to be summoned must also be acquired, a piece of hair, a flake of skin or blood, usually.

This last component alone makes it a very difficult ritual to succeed at, and makes summoning powerful beings nigh impossible.

Should a person succeed in acquiring all the components, however, they can then attempt to summon a being from almost anywhere in existence. At this time, the summoner makes an attack against the person's Will defence using half their Arcana skill level plus 1d20 as the attack. If successful, the person then gets a saving throw to avoid being hurled through the layers of reality and into the clutches of someone eager to meet them.

Certain components or other influences can modify the saving throw or attack rolls such as powerful magical sites, rare and potent herbs, blood or other components of powerfully magical creatures, etc.

One of the most powerful influences is knowing someone's true name. This confers a +5 bonus on the attack roll, and a -5 penalty on the person's saving throw to resist.

Often this summoning is combined with a Magic Circle ritual which is a separate ritual with its own requirements and components.


Ritual of Undeath

Level: 15
Category: Creation
Time: 1 hour
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 2200gp
Market Price: 6,200gp
Key Skill: Religion

Next to the Ritual of Sacrifice, this is perhaps the most evil ritual to exist. Instead of tearing the soul from the body, it instead binds the soul to its corpse, making it a living dead creature under the control of its creator.

The victim must be alive and bound upon an altar in a similar fashion to the Ritual of Sacrifice where they are also exsanguinated and then killed outright before they bleed out. At this time, the necromancer makes an attack against the person's Will defence using half their Religion skill level plus 1d20 as the attack.

If successful, the person then receives an unmodified saving throw. If they fail this, the person's soul is bound to their corpse, and they are under the tenuous control of the necromancer.

Certain components or other influences can modify the saving throw or attack rolls such as powerful religious sites, rare and potent herbs, blood or other components of powerfully evil creatures, etc.

One of the most powerful influences is knowing someone's true name. This confers a +5 bonus on the attack roll, and a -5 penalty on the person's saving throw to resist.

The necromancer's base Religion skill level determines what type of undead creatures they can create with this ritual.

[B][U]Religion[/U][/B]		[B][U]Undead[/U][/B]
[B][U]Skill Level[/U][/B]		[B][U]Type[/U][/B]

15			Skeletons
20			Zombies
25			Wights
30			Ghouls

The level and type of the creature being sacrificed determines the type of creature they can become. Therefore a level 3 minion can be sacrificed by a necromancer with a religion skill of at least 20 and be turned into a Zombie Rotter.

If successful, the necromancer can issue any sort of command that the intelligence of the creature can comprehend. This is a compulsion, however the creature can interpret it however they like, depending on their capability to do so.

If the check fails, the creature simply ignores the commands and the necromancer cannot make another attempt until he's had an extended rest.