Rituals

[blalien]

So all spellcasters have access to the exact same set of rituals? I don't know if that's lame or amazing. I guess I have to try it out.

Of course, certain classes will be better than others at rituals that require skill checks. Hmm...

djdaidouji: For a long time I was the only cleric in our 3.5 party. And I am the only character who has never died. Coincidence?

 

[MindWanderer]

So there are going to be fairly mundane ways you can permanently kill off opponents or PCs...

Assuming there isn't a higher-level ritual along the lines of True Resurrection. This is no different from 3e.

Didn't folks who've gotten the PHB report Detect Secret Doors as being considerably more expensive?

 

[Rechan]

Only 500 gp to Raise Dead?

GP prices are really different. A Vicious +1 (2nd level item) sword is 520gp.

 

[Teddust]

Only 500 gp to Raise Dead? (Forego detecting secrets doors only 20 times, and you can return to life! What a bargain!) And why, exactly, make it less likely that higher level characters will be allowed to return? Doesn't it make more sense that higher level characters would be more likely to return -- serious unfinished business, and all that -- not to mention player attachment issues being more likely at high levels?

I like the idea of rituals in general, but Raise Dead blows.

I believe the idea is to have Raise Dead cost the players a significant amount of resources at any level, yet still be affordable at the lower levels. From the costs of items given in the magic items article it looks like a character's wealth goes up by about a factor of 10 for each tier, so Raise Dead's price goes up by the same amount.

 

[hong]

You could have a house rule that casting a ritual requires you to be trained in the ritual's skill. That would cut down on fighters raising the dead.

 

[Lurker59]

Actually the comparative cost of Raise Dead is going down as a character moves to a higher tier. The cost of the ritual goes up by 10x per tier but at the same time expected wealth is going up by 25x. If the ritual followed wealth guidelines exactly then it should cost 12,500 GP in the paragon tier and 312,500 GP in the epic tier. So from a comparative wealth perspective it does become easier (cheaper) to bring characters back.

 

[Serensius]

I find that in situations like this its better to describe the aggregate than the components.

"Cedric the Cleric carries a teak-wood box in his pack. The inside is lined with felt, which cushions the numerous small vials of salves, and ointments. Because Cedric was trained as a healer by the Monastical Monks of Monterey, his healing supplies also include a silk wrapped bundle of acupuncture needles."

On the character sheet, it reads something like
Teak Box of Healer's Ritual Components
Ointments, salves, acupuncture needles, scalpel, extra bandages (10)
500 GP max capacity
350 GP remaining

This gives me the information I need, plus some fluff that could potentially spawn some crunch based uses- if I run out of regular bandages, I could cannibalize the box. Or I could use the scalpel for a nonmedical purpose. Or I could do acupuncture for relaxation rather than medecine.

But the important part (350/500 GP healer's components) is easily accessible.

Threadwin.


I will definitely be using this in my games.

 

[Solmancer]

I agree with you with the opinion that raise dead should be Religion based. However, since no roll is necessary, I'm not going to sweat it.

It had to do with how they grouped the components, by what I read. Heal means you're using special care with ointments and the like, and know how to apply them. Religion involves the incense burnings and the like. Personally, I'm surprised they didn't require both for something like Raise Dead; they both seem to apply, based on the ritual component descriptions they provided. It's probably something I would house rule... Then again, it's a Restoration ritual so that kind of sets it in the camp of Heal, based on what they set up.

Speaking of house rules, I'd also have set Detect Secret Doors to about 5 minutes for the base (2.5min for scroll; remember, scrolls halve the time). That seems a lot better, personally.

 

[silentounce]

I'm sure this can be cleared up by someone who's actually seen the entire 4e book, but what's the difference between the scroll and the book?

From what I can tell in the Excerpt on WOTC's site, they cost the same. When a scroll is used, it is expended. But the casting time is halved. That can't be the only difference, time is money, but not that much money. Can anyone enlighten me?

And it's not outside the DM's power to rule that no, this ritual requires 4 kilos of Powdered Basilisk Face and you're fresh out. Time to go on a quest, punk.

There are things that are outside the DM's power?

 

[1of3]

Rituals are complex ceremonies that create magic effects. You don’t memorize or prepare a ritual; a ritual is so long and complex that no one could ever commit the whole thing to memory. To perform a ritual, you need to read from a book or a scroll containing it.

Oh, yes. WotC surely knows about oral tradition.

I can see the game issue, though. So...

Memorize Ritual [Feat, Heroic Tier]
You memorize a ritual you know. You can now perform it without a book or scroll. The casting time is the ritual's standard casting time, and you still require all ingredients.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. It applies to another ritual every time.