Why do clerics charge for spells?

[DreadPirateMurphy]

Actually, churches usually don't have any trouble keeping in business as long as they can attract followers.

Expected tithes, IIRC, were usually set to 10% of your income at a minimum. That included nobles and wealthy merchants.

One of the 1st season episodes of Black Adder dealt with another means of earning funds for the church -- members would bequeth money and lands to the church in wills.

Crafts were just an example -- in many settings, it wouldn't be unusual for the church to collect rents, farm lands, or even own banks or run guilds.

As for government "grants," at a minimum, many religious lands and buildings would be exempt from taxation. The government could also be expected to subsidize religious holidays, pilgrimages, crusades, etc. In some cases, there is an official state religion that is treated as a branch of the government. In other cases, the religion IS the government.

Having said all this, many churches have charged additional fees for specific purposes. The Catholic church used to sell indulgences. My limited understanding is that Scientology has a set of practices that involve defined fees and/or contributions. It is possible that you could group spell-casting in that category.

It also seems likely, however, that different faiths would have different setups. In a fantasy setting, you also have direct deity involvement (at least for the good deities) that limit excesses on the part of church officials. One would expect deities like Lathander or Pelor to be more generous than, say, Erythnul or Talos.

 

[Crothian]

I do it because churches don't have enough spells for everyone. So, they require doantions (payment) from those who need is not as great and can afford it. Also, there are dozens or more churches out there. If one is a devout follower then the price could be removed, but to goto a chuch you don't worship at expect to get charged.

 

[Henry]

Other than that, why wouldn't a priest expend healing for followers at will? The source of that power is effectively infinite.

In real life, churches hold bake sales as fundraisers. Sometimes, the donations aren't enough to keep every thing on the budget running, even for a charity, so they try to make ends meet first, and scale the budget back second.

 

[buzzard]

Simple supply and demand. Healing spells are a limited resource. Charging for the casting in a way of allocating the resource is a rational manner.

Now granted, you can certainly also have churches doing "good works" and healing the poor gratis, but for those of means, charging is just a way of getting people to prioritize their needs.

buzzard

 

[Voadam]

Clerics are presumably paid a stipend or salary by the church, which is supported from . . . sale of crafts (e.g., by monastic orders)

Craft made by the orders or perhaps services such as spells cast by the clerical orders?

 

[DreadPirateMurphy]

OK, I can buy that churches, especially in a polytheistic fantasy world, need income to keep going beyond what they can bring in from other revenue sources. Fantasy faiths also have higher costs due to competition and the need for magic gadgets to protect and serve.

 

[WizarDru]

Expected tithes, IIRC, were usually set to 10% of your income at a minimum. That included nobles and wealthy merchants.

Right, but to which faith? Ah, there's the rub. Most of the D&D system is based in part on the ideas from a monotheistic faith's church organization, but set in a polytheistic world. As someone else pointed out, it's not meant to model reality that closely. In the real world, it might take decades or over a century to build a cathedral, and bishops might rule their bishoprics like a lord.

In the D&D world, the average church has anywhere from a few to a few hundred competing faiths to deal with. That rich noble might give money to the temple of Pelor...or he might decide he's better to pay homage to Zilchus (god of commerce), instead. In the Theocracy of the Pale, the church IS the government, so you'd better toe the line if you want healing. In the Yeomanry, the people rule the land and the church had better fend for itself.

The local government or nobility might be dedicated to a specific faith, but many faiths might not get homage at all, or only get it when a specific event occurs. Firemeet coming up? Better make an offering to Yondalla, so that the festival goes well. Hoping for good luck? Better pray to Ralishaz to leave you alone, and bring a few chickens for the priests to sacrifice (and cook up later). Crops dying? Forget the temple of Pelor, there's nothing they can do...seek a temple of Beory or just seek out a druid.

There's plenty of scenarios where a church might not charge for the blessings of their god, but there's plenty of reasons why they might.

 

[Dr_Rictus]

The cost of casting a spell in most cases is precisely zero.

Not true. All spells carry an opportunity cost based on what else could have been achieved with that spell slot on that particular day.

Other posters have made this point already in different terms. I just wanted to point out that it's a thoroughly-studied economic issue.

 

[painandgreed]

There is a game balance reason that clerics charge adventurers for spell-casting, but is there a rational justification?

IMC, clerics collect tithes from members of the church, usually 10% of income. In a city, membership might be voluntary but in smaller towns, it is usually decreed by the lord that all people must be a member of the church (or at least tithe). In return the cleric aids the lord in running his lands and helps the church members. If you are a member in good standing, you get healing and other spells for free, even if your tithes don't add up to what would be the normal cost of healing. Thus, commoners and other members of the community get free healing. People who are not members of the church have to pay because they are taking resources away from those who are. These smaller churches normally have to tithe to the mother church (if there is one) and thus such money usually flows up not down.

To be a member in good standing of a church, they usually must attend services of the church they are a member of and preform the ritual once a year. This is usually simply saying that you are a member of the church in good standing while a Zone of Truth spell is up and running. Sometimes clerics have been known not to actually cast the spell if prior arrangements have been made for reasons the cleric decides as right or not. Such membership is usually to that one church and cleric and not transferable to another. Sometimes a mother church may grant such membership to rightful members (such as a paladin) for all churches which can be shown by letter, special holy symbol, or speaking under a Zone of Truth. Moving membership between one chruch to another usually requires conversation between the clerics involved. PCs are granted the oportunity of belonging to a church, but then they must tithe or otherwise preform duties for that church. I've also thought of making a feat that is "Church Member in Good Standing" that would count as such dispensation by the mother church to all child churches, but tithing and services are again required.

The price for the cleric to cast spells for non-members is traditional but can be modified as the cleric sees fit. If part of a larger church organization (ie lawful), he might have to justify or get clearence from above to do so because giving reduced rates cuts on their income also. These modifications could be either higher or lower than the traditional prices based on how in need they are by the cleric or how helpful the non-members are to the church. An adventurer party who is in a village to help take care of orcs or other threats to the area could probably expect free or greatly reduced healing because if the adventurers didn't take care of the threat, they cleric along with the local lord would. If the adventurers are a pain, the price may be more. This is all more political and social than anything else.

Right, but to which faith? Ah, there's the rub. Most of the D&D system is based in part on the ideas from a monotheistic faith's church organization, but set in a polytheistic world. As someone else pointed out, it's not meant to model reality that closely. In the real world, it might take decades or over a century to build a cathedral, and bishops might rule their bishoprics like a lord.

Again, IMC, most smaller villages and towns where membership of the church may be mandatory have their traditional gods. Also, it is a homebrew pantheon in which the clerics of the king/father of the gods god can also preform lesser rituals of the other gods of the pantheon in good standing. In general, most villages have clerics that belong to the king of the gods but some have other tradtional gods that have the clerics in charge. It also helps that tradtionally, the cleric of the king of the gods is married to a cleric of the queen of the gods and between the two of them, they cover many of the domains that your standard village or town would need. Also, the clerics of the various faithes usually get along pretty well and deal with each other. Cleric of an area who doesn't have plant domain need Plant Growth to help the harvests, deals are made with clerics of gods that do have plant domain (or druids) to come through and cast such rituals.

In larger towns and cities, where the population starts to be uneasy to control, membership to churches are usually voluntary. How to be a member in good standing may differ from church to church. Some churches may decide on the 10% tithe, while others may have a set price. Nobles or the rich may work deals with various churches to be members in good standing without having to pay to all of them 10%. That way the nobles cover their bases and the churches get income (and patrons) that they would otherwise lose. Again, most of the gods in the pantheon get along pretty well and they work together and some clerics even manage to act as clerics for gods other than their main god in minor cases.

 

[Storm Raven]

There is a game balance reason that clerics charge adventurers for spell-casting, but is there a rational justification?

Clerics are presumably paid a stipend or salary by the church, which is supported from tithes, grants by the government, sale of crafts (e.g., by monastic orders), and possibly fines and confiscations in some settings.

The cost of casting a spell in most cases is precisely zero. Divine power is provided in return for worship and promotion of a deities cause. Obviously, it makes sense to charge for expensive material components or XP costs. Other than that, why wouldn't a priest expend healing for followers at will? The source of that power is effectively infinite.

Well, given that you are playing in my campaign, I can answer most of these questions with campaign specific answers. As might be expected, the answers will vary depending on which sect of the Church you are talking about, and will, of course be very different for the other faiths. So, why do clerics charge for spells? Here are a collection of reasons, some of broad applicability, some idiosyncratic to to local situation where the party is at the present time.

1. To raise revenue for the faith. In Commot Madoc the Church is strapped for cash following the collapse of House Feich and the subsequent chaos caused by the aftermath of last summer's war. It should be obvious that Bishop Galen needs cash: to fortify Dinnewrac, to hire mercenaries, to pay for your services and so on. Selling spell casting services is a pretty obvious way to raise that cash. Even if the situation was not as dire, there are always ways of justifying the need for additional revenue because there are always projects that need to be done - adding on to the cathederal complex, renovating churches, supporting ventures to glorify the faith, and so on. On a broader front, the Church in general is cash porr following the loss of support from the Carnelian Throne, as rival claimants to the big empty chair have been busy fighting one another to claim it, rather than bestowing their aid and money upon the faith.

2. To avoid taxing the local citizenry, or asking for handouts from the local nobility. While House Aanwar and House Rhinwedd might be willing to fork over cash, House Elai would almost certainly rebuff Bishop Galen's reqeust for money, and House Seion and House Eseugelus probably don't have any to spare (as their lands are still at least partially under foreign occupation). Charging for spells, many of which are really only demanded on a regular basis by mercenaries, adventurers, and other transient's in the community, the Church can raise funds without burdening the locals.

3. Some clerics don't, technically. The Pelerines, for example, operate on a "pay as you can" philosophy. This worked out well when the party was dirt poor, but hasn't been such a boon now that you have some coin in your hands. Now you are expected to pay up.

4. Because Bishop Galen is influenced by Guildmaster Alawn and Guildmaster Durwin, both of whom have a vested interest in making sure that the Church doesn't undercut Alchemist's Guild members when they want to sell alchemical remedies. It would probably be an unwise political decision for Bishop Galen to alienate two of the most powerful local political figures in Dinnewrac, he's already made enough enemies to make Vicar-General Feoras' life diffciult.