Holy Water

[Kaleon Moonshae]

Perhaps there's a difference between holy water and HOLY water.

which is to say, that the ceremonial stuff is just ritually blessed, but the stuff sold to combat the undead actually has the spell cast on it...

jtb

That might be the best suggestion yet. I agree with that, one is blessed "in theory" while the other has actual positive energy stored in it.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

While I like the image, it still poses problems. Some cathedrals have *gallons* of holy water on their property, that's a lot of magic circles being cast each day (while I know that holy water doesn't stop being holy water in a day, in the open it will evaporate some, faithful will use it like they do irl, it is common in New mexico (especially in a little pueblo mission near santa fe) for visitors to drink a small cup before leaving.

While I don't use any of the rules for group casting that are available for D&D (FR Red Wizards, for instance,) in this case I do use the idea for flavor purposes. I imagine a group of clerics gathering together each day, each with a small pouch containing 5 lbs. of silver dust. Each cleric draws a portion of a large magic circle around a central basin (containing all the water to be blessed), then the entire group similtaneously casts Bless Water, and the entire contents of the basin are transformed, in the same way I described above for a single pint.

This way, it only takes a single ceremony to accomplish the goal (replenish stores of Holy Water,) even though the spell has been cast many times. Of course YMMV.

 

[Kaleon Moonshae]

While I don't use any of the rules for group casting that are available for D&D (FR Red Wizards, for instance,) in this case I do use the idea for flavor purposes. I imagine a group of clerics gathering together each day, each with a small pouch containing 5 lbs. of silver dust. Each cleric draws a portion of a large magic circle around a central basin (containing all the water to be blessed), then the entire group similtaneously casts Bless Water, and the entire contents of the basin are transformed, in the same way I described above for a single pint.

This way, it only takes a single ceremony to accomplish the goal (replenish stores of Holy Water,) even though the spell has been cast many times. Of course YMMV.

Very nice, take a bow, you've just sold me on it

 

[Hypersmurf]

which is to say, that the ceremonial stuff is just ritually blessed, but the stuff sold to combat the undead actually has the spell cast on it...

Alternatively, the ceremonial stuff is a font of water that has a pint of Bless Watered holy water diluted into it

-Hyp.

 

[wingsandsword]

I always thought this was a somewhat silly requirement, especially when you try to use that spell in a modern setting.

Imagine that as a low-powered 1st level adventure. The poor local chapel recruits a few down-on-their-luck novice adventurers to scrounge up a few hundred GP worth of silver to create holy water so they can have enough water for an important upcoming rite or festival.

I give characters the option of spending 25 xp instead of an expensive material component to create Holy Water, and if they cast the spell without xp or component cost, it is ritually blessed holy water usable for nonmagical rites and services, but it does no damage to undead or other creatures and is useless as a spell component. I might allow a faithful member of a religion who possessed such "nonmagical" Holy Water to spend his own xp when using it as a weapon against undead or in a spell, using his own faith to confirm the power of the water. The cleric has already cast the spell, the user is just spending the cost later

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Our group just substitutes xp for the gp value (at the proper ratio; I think it's 1 xp per 5 gp). It keeps people from having to lug around lots of flasks/powdered silver and also prevents abuse of the spell.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Our group just substitutes xp for the gp value (at the proper ratio; I think it's 1 xp per 5 gp). It keeps people from having to lug around lots of flasks/powdered silver and also prevents abuse of the spell.

Out of curiosity, how exactly could one abuse the spell Bless Water?

 

[Tonguez]

I always thought this was a somewhat silly requirement, especially when you try to use that spell in a modern setting.

Imagine that as a low-powered 1st level adventure. The poor local chapel recruits a few down-on-their-luck novice adventurers to scrounge up a few hundred GP worth of silver to create holy water so they can have enough water for an important upcoming rite or festival.

Which is why the Churches generally have a hierarchy. The poor local chapel ISN'T going to have the GP in order to make holy water - instead they are going to call on the local Bishopric/Synod (whatever they're called) and ask for the District to supply them with the required water for their rite.

Alternatively, the ceremonial stuff is a font of water that has a pint of Bless Watered holy water diluted into it
-Hyp.

Lol - Watered down Holy Water!

 

[micromaximum]

You could also decide that clerics in a temple with a lot of time on their hands can manufacture holy water through means other than casting Bless Water. Perhaps normal water that spends enough time in a consecrated font eventually becomes holy water. The spell Bless Water is just an expensive expedient for adventuring clerics. Of course, that explanation disregards the bit about temples selling holy water at cost.

The idea of carrying around five pounds of powdered silver and using a spell slot for Bless Water seems pretty silly even for an adventurer, though. Why not just carry around the pint of holy water? If you're in a situation where you can't find a temple able to sell you a pint of holy water you're probably not going to find someone able to sell you five pounds of powdered silver either. If that's the case I hope you have 250 pure silver coins and a lot of time on your hands.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Out of curiosity, how exactly could one abuse the spell Bless Water?

By carrying around kegs full of the stuff. Or filling a castle moat. Etc., etc.