Divine Implements: Why only one type?

[willows]

So, there are an ever-escalating amount of arcane implements. After 3 books with arcane classes, we have the following implements granted as class features:

- Daggers
- Light and Heavy Blades
- Rods
- Orbs
- Staffs
- Tomes
- Wands

Whereas divine characters have:

- Holy symbols
- Rods
- Staffs

...of which two were introduced in PHB 2.

The way arcane classes play with implements, and use different implements to evoke different effects, is really cool to me. Why not expand divine implements in the same way?

I could see 'holy symbol' being broken down into some subcategories:

- Amulets (hamsas, crosses, non-functional jewelry-type objects)
- Consecrated tools
- Holy weapons
- Scriptures (holy texts)
- etc.

Why the difference in approaches? Brainstorm variant effects for different holy symbol types, maybe? I presume that the 'worn' holy symbol is of the amulet type.

 

[Garthanos]

Why the difference in approaches? Brainstorm variant effects for different holy symbol types, maybe? I presume that the 'worn' holy symbol is of the amulet type.

One mans wizard is an others holy wiseman. For accuracy... All the Arcane implements should be seen mirrored in the Divine and vice versi.

scriptures and tomes are the same item...

sacred daggers and the warlocks athame are the same things

Anointed weapons and tools of various types appropriate to the deity spears odin, hammers for thor, bows for moon and sun gods

(staves are Xian - shepherd tool so guidance magic... for buffing your allies to hit... but there were other healing specialist gods pre-christian who also connected with staves) so staves might be good for healing with too ;-)

rods for inflicting pain and punishment (fear) or domination spells.
Rods are associated as symbols of ruler ship and appropriate for any ruling deity perhaps.

Crystals and orbs/spheres are oft associated with divination (gathering information from otherworldly sources)

Cups and bowls are implements associated with conjuring nurturing substance so again healing but also buffing and strengthening your allies perhaps..associated with fluids .. water magics.... but poison and blight too not all are fluffy.

Not sure where exactly wands entered in to the picture ;-), perhaps they are pointy variants of rods ;-) or Charlatans / magicians (aka modern illusionists) use wands to distract their audience so perhaps they are illusion tools.

 

[cdrcjsn]

Other than for reasons of style and fluff, why would it make a difference? Is there some specific property of other implements that you want?

If it's just a style thing, then calling your holy symbol a holy miter doesn't make a difference and something you can already do.

Mechanically, I like the fact that Holy Symbols do not need to be wielded to be used. The handedness of a class that uses both weapons and implements is something that needs to be addressed since it's a weakness (a major one for Bards right now, which is why they got special blade implements).

 

[Garthanos]

could be wrong.. but I think he was wanting to do something along the lines of wizards implement mastery?

 

[Nifft]

Because most Divine dudes also use weapons, which are their tools of art, painting vast murals of blood across the realm.

Wizards? Not so much with the weapons. Swordmages do use weapons, and look at the interesting implement choices they get: light blade or heavy blade.

Cheers, -- N

 

[willows]

could be wrong.. but I think he was wanting to do something along the lines of wizards implement mastery?

I wouldn't go so far as the Implement Mastery features of wizards, since the divine classes have enough features as it is, but introducing rider effects in the powers keyed to different types of implements would be cool.

I don't really agree that there should be mirroring between the arcane implements and divine ones; rather, I think they should divide up the associated powers a little differently.