Not all practitioners of magic on Sinai are members of the Mages' Guild, or consider their spells to be "magic". There are many who believe that they are performing prayers rather than cantrips, and rituals of religious significance rather than mere manipulation of neutral arcane forces. These priests and shamans are considered to be "hedge wizards" by the College Esoterica, if they don't pay Mages' Guild dues and College tuition, and are subject to persecution from the College Esoterica unless some special arrangement is made.

(For instance, the Celestial Order pays tuition and dues for its members to the College Esoterica, even though its members believe that they are doing the work of the Great Gear rather than spellcasting. The priesthoods of the Seven Sisters in Babel are protected by law and by special arrangement and tradition with the government of Babel, and do not have to pay dues or tuition, but this is a sore point with the College, and there are restrictions on what activities these priestesses may take part in outside the boundaries of Ashdod.)

Priests on Sinai basically utilize the same rules for spellcasting as mages. However, they do not learn their spells in "spheres". Instead, each power is purchased separately, and a priest's ability to do "miraculous works" is dependent upon both his Magical Talent and his Religious Rank within the religion.

There are magical entities on Sinai -- spirits, elementals, strange forces -- that act as "deities", able to cause magical events to happen without having to stop and chant a spell or perform a ritual first. Sometimes, these spirits act through individuals. The College Esoterica traditionally views this as sorcery, and as something punishable by death, not officially recognizing the existence of any deities (even though several of its members may believe in them). Sometimes, these entities may cause "miracles" in the presence of their followers, but this is something that the priest or priestess cannot call upon, on demand.

For the purpose of game mechanics, it is assumed that priestly works are really just another form of magic. It may well be that the gods are real, and that they really work miracles, but for some reason, they act within boundaries that allow the unbelievers to explain them away as magical phenomena and the actions of "spirit entities". As a GM note, this is not meant to imply anything about reality outside this game: This is just a game, and a fantasy setting at that. Rules are presented here first for the purpose of maintaining some consistency in the demonstrated powers of priest NPCs, but also to provide the opportunity for players to choose priest PCs, if they so desire.

Any individual religion will have its own terms for the miraculous powers invoked by its followers. For the purposes of discussion here, they will be referred to as "spells", "holy works" or "powers". A "power" is a neutral term for either a spell or holy work. A "spell" implies a magical effect. A "holy work" (hereafter capitalized as Holy Work for emphasis in this article) specifically refers to powers employed by priests.

Any given power, for game purposes, is a spell that may fall within a given Sphere of Magic, though certain aspects of it may suggest involvement from the other Spheres. For instance, the ritual of Rephath which causes an axe to point in the direction of the subject of a manhunt would primarily be a Scrying/Light spell. However, the magical effect of actually causing the axe to point in the direction of the target implies some sort of telekinesis, levitation, or manipulation of the powers of the axe. Holy Works have a tendency to cross the lines dividing the Spheres now and then.

Any given priest/priestess will purchase each Holy Work separately, for one point each (unless specified otherwise). For each Holy Work, there will be listed whether it is available in cantrip, minor spell, minor ritual and/or major ritual form. The cost is the same, no matter what maximum magnitude of spell or work the priest is capable of invoking. If a priest can only use cantrips and minor spells, he spends 1 point for the use of the Holy Work at cantrip and minor spell level. If the priest is capable of using rituals, then the same Holy Work -- now usable at cantrip, minor spell and ritual level -- still costs just 1 point. The limiting factor is simply his own ability to utilize magic/miracles.

It should be noted that casting times for Holy Works are exactly the same as for normal spells. The typical cantrip/prayer takes 15 seconds, the typical minor spell/chant takes 15 minutes, the typical lesser ritual takes 1 hour, and major rituals always take at least 4 hours, and often much more. Casting times are quadrupled when at sky island level (such as in Rephidim). Cantrips and minor spells can be cast by verbal chanting. Rituals always require some sort of material preparation, whether it be a magic circle, ritual lighting of candles, or similar expenditure of effort.

Holy Works may be performed by dancing instead of chanting, depending upon the dictates of the given religion. In this case, however, no dance may last less than 5 minutes in order to be effective. This renders cantrips effectively moot for dancing priests.

Holy Works can be held for later release in the same manner as spells. The number of Holy Works that can be held is determined as a function of one's Magical Talent and one's Religious Rank (whichever is lower).

Holy Works can be dispelled and defended against as with normal magic, treating them as if they were spells from various Spheres. (For instance, the Charm of Inala qualifies as a mental effect, and therefore can be treated as if it were a spell of the Sphere of Mind for purposes of dispelling and resistance.)

Consulting with spirits is considered sorcery by the College Esoterica and by many governments on Sinai with which the College Esoterica holds influence, such as Rephidim. Each nation may have its own restrictions on the practice of religion, but by and large, the College Esoterica considers most religions to be "harmless" so long as they are not accompanied by miraculous (i.e. "magical") displays. Charlatans and stage magicians are not exempt, unless they make it clear that they are mere performers, and that their craft is not truly supernatural -- The College Esoterica and the Mages' Guild have an image to uphold, after all.

Priests and priestesses may gain sanction from the College Esoterica by paying dues to the Mages' Guild and paying tuition to the College for magical training. This allows the College to see their performance of Holy Works as mere magic usage, and to pretty much look the other way. However, it is still possible for a priest or priestess who is accompanied by miraculous displays (i.e., magical events that are not caused by chants and rituals, but rather happen instantaneously) to gain the ire of the College Esoterica, believing the priest or priestess to be consorting with "spirits" and thus guilty of "sorcery".

As noted before, the priestesses of the Seven Sisters gain special exemption from persecution by the College Esoterica, but this is a begrudging concession. Their usage of Holy Works is to be restricted to lands under the jurisdiction of Babel. If they utilize their Works outside of the lands of Ashdod, they may be subject to fines. Repeated offenses may be punishable by death.

Another restriction placed upon priests and priestesses is that their religions invariably have certain strictures and obligations. With power comes responsibility. The exact authority and responsibility dictated by one's "Religious Rank" may be modified based on the religion and the situation. (For instance, a Prophetess of Nala may have a handful of Gigi followers, no temple, and no official recognition by any significant body, yet still be able to utilize Holy Works at Adept level, so long as the character points are allocated appropriately. The Prophetess has few obligations, but she also has correspondingly less influence.)

In addition to the expectations heaped upon priests to tend to the "flock", they are also expected to be shining examples of followers of their given faiths. Each religion will have its own commandments to follow, and likely far more than will be spelled out. For instance, a follower of the Star would be expected not to commit murder, fornication, adultery, theft, bearing false witness, and so forth. The special restrictions listed with the description of the religion of the Star, however, will not have an exhaustive list of these restrictions -- a great many of them would already be considered illegal by local governments. Most likely just restrictions and obligations above and beyond what would be expected of the "average citizen" are listed -- those which are likely to have a bearing on role-play and actually serve as a restriction upon the player's "on camera" actions. The collected requirements of one's given faith amount to a -1 Disadvantage by default, unless specified otherwise.

It is also possible for a PC who is not a priest to take these restrictions, though in some cases, it may be more "cost-effective" to purchase them as separate disadvantages. The difference is this: If a priest or priestess breaks one of these commandments, there will be an immediate and definite consequence -- He or she will lose use of Holy Works, until recompense and atonement can be made. For some offenses, atonement may very well be impossible. Considering the number of points spent by the character to gain these nifty powers in the first place, this is a pretty steep penalty.

However, the layman who takes these restrictions as Disadvantages and then breaks them is not necessarily getting any trouble for it at all. A layman who has the Disadvantage "May not tell a lie" and who then does so is not likely to get struck by a bolt of lightning from his or her deity. The deities don't bother themselves with directly punishing every minor offense of followers who are not in positions of religious authority. However, a Disadvantage that is not a disadvantage ... is not a Disadvantage. As elsewhere, if a PC takes a Disadvantage for points, and fails to follow it, the GM may require that the PC "buy off" that Disadvantage with experience points, or swap it off for another one.

Please note that even the evil religions have their own strictures and obligations. Their priests may well lie, cheat and steal with the blessing of their deities (if not of the local authorities), but there are still requirements of them that set them apart from the unwashed masses. The Yodhinala have strictly regulated lives, and cannot leave the priesthood except by death. The Yodhrephath are expected to carry out vigilante missions against those marked for death or punishment by their leaders. Cultists of Bosch are driven by the demands of their insane lords, to do battle against the forces of order. Shamans of Rik' are expected to actively pursue the death of Nagas, believing them to be inherently evil, and showing a Naga mercy may be met with a loss of powers.

Another aspect of this -- for better or for worse -- is that one's deity may well take a personal hand in matters. There may be times when the priest or priestess is permitted to perform a miracle: that is, a magical effect that defies the normal limitations of spell-casting. The most common aspect of this is that the power takes effect without spending seconds, minutes or hours chanting and making ritual circles.

Miracles are not to be taken lightly, and not to be expected (unless, that is, one has personally been instructed by one's deity to go and do thus-and-such and expect a miracle to happen). Many deities do not look kindly upon their servants invoking their names in inappropriate instances, only to be made laughing-stocks when nothing happens.

As a general rule of thumb, the more cruel deities tend to make displays of power more generously, but they are also just as generous in dishing out punishment to servants who displease them. The more benevolent deities are passive in rare in direct intervention.

As noted before, the College Esoterica views "miracles" with more than a little controversy. Traditionally, any display of a "miracle" on the part of a priest or priestess is seen as sorcery, and punishable by death. The College is not of one mind in this, however, primarily thanks to the number of former Babelites who have joined together with the other mages on Caroban. Still, performance of miraculous acts can attract the ire of local governments and possibly Caroban.

The Sinai role-playing setting never answers the question whether or not there is a god (or gods or goddess or what-have-you). This is a science-fantasy setting, with a great deal of magical mumbo-jumbo and technobabble thrown about to explain events of the truly bizarre. But some things defy explanation, and many people turn to religion for various reasons.

On Sinai, faith is sometimes rewarded with miracles. It may well be that some powerful mages have tapped into ancient Sifran technologies and the power of shared mythos, and invoked a powerful ritual that makes a pantheon of Babelite goddesses "real", and capable of granting miracles to their followers. It may be that in the earliest days of magic, a sorcerer achieved phenomenal power and immortality, but at the expense of his own true life ... and lives on, as a spirit, an echo of his former self, immortalized as a "deity" on Sinai. It could well be that there is indeed a creator entity known as the Star that is real and universal, beyond Sinai, that has a subtle hand in things. And it could be that maybe, just maybe, the beliefs of some far-flung tribe aren't just superstitious hokum.

Whatever the explanation, though, the game mechanics are roughly the same. Why? Because this is, ultimately, a game. None of this is meant to make any larger statement on the existence or non-existence of deities in the real world, outside of this game.

For the purpose of Sinai game mechanics, a religion may well have priests who exhibit priestly powers if there are enough people who believe in it. A single madman from Moz Ezley Asylum, no matter how fervently he believes he is the Kavi Savior, is not going to display miraculous abilities on account of his own "faith". Madness is not a prerequisite for displaying "holy" powers on Sinai, and there are no "religions of one" that display any potent powers.

Some religions may have actual entities who may manifest themselves from time to time in the material world, who take a direct interest in the affairs of mortals. Others may have deities who just seem to exist "in the heavens" somewhere. In either case, the power for these magicks comes from a combination fo Sinai magic, the powers of some patron "deity" entity (optional), and the "power" of the shared beliefs of members of this religion, manifested on Sinai.

Once a priest enters a null-magic zone, or leaves Sinai, all bets are off as to whether any of these powers will work at all. One explanation is that, well, it's just magic anyway, so it won't affect anything off-world. Another is that these are local deities who only concern themselves with Sinai. Another might be that the gods are concerned with the fate of Sinai as a sort of "Armageddon", and the battle is to be waged there -- They do not feel compelled to grant miraculous powers to their followers outside of that stage.

For a mage, one's ability to work spells is determined by a combination of one's Magical Talent and one's knowledge of a particular Sphere of Magic. For priests/priestesses, "Religious Rank" serves in place of knowledge of a Sphere of Magic. Religious Rank is purchased for the service of a single deity, even if the religion in question acknowledges the existence of multiple gods. The priest or priestess may perform various non-magical rituals, and may call upon other deities in prayers, but he or she may only be granted "miraculous" works from a single specified deity.

The highest magnitude of works one can invoke, and the number of held works (in the same fashion as held spells) is determined by the lower of one's Magical Talent and Religious Rank, as shown on the following chart.

Religious Rank determines one's standing not only with the wielding of miraculous/magical powers, but one's authority within the religion. It may well be that a relative unknown, holding no particular station in any organized religion, may be granted miraculous powers from his or her deity and proclaimed a prophet or even an avatar. It's also possible that a character with points spent for Expert Magic Talent and Expert Religious Rank may be a lone, wandering prophetess who has only a small band of faithful followers, and has no real authority beyond that, but is still capable of invoking Holy Works. This is within the hands of the GM to determine, based on the character's background, and the details of the religion in question. The particulars listed below should be considered guidelines.

Please note that the use of miracles is wholly within the control of the GM. PCs cannot invoke "miracles" during light role-play. The GM is the one who decides whether the Northern Sea is going to be parted, or whether Kasaris physically manifests and drives off a spirit. It is also not for a beginning PC to write up, as part of his background, claims that he has performed various miracles in the past, and is in good favor with his deity. It is for the GM to determine, by demonstrated PC actions, whether the character is really so mature as to warrant special attention by a deity. There have been too many times in the past where a player has built up his PC to be a grand hero, with many accomplishments in his past ... but once he starts playing, he acts like a renegade or a coward. Magical Talent may go to those who don't deserve it, and Religious Rank may be acquired by corrupt means, but the favors of a deity are for GMs to dish out.

However, the more regular Holy Works of various faiths, performed through ritual and prayer in a way similar to "normal" spell-casting, are a great deal more predictable, and the potency of these powers is closely tied to one's position within the faith -- even if "cause" and "effect" aren't clear here: Either the individual rises to this rank because of his demonstrated miracle-working, or else he is able to cause works because of his station. It's a matter of debate, but largely trivia for game mechanic purposes.

It's possible to have a high Religious Rank and have absolutely no Magical Talent. It means that one gets the authority and perks indicated here, but not the ability to make use of "works" (spells).

It's also important to realize that the titles listed below are only for comparative purposes. Each religion will tend to have its own unique titles for its leaders, and will probably not use terms like "bishop".

Magical Talent is bought the same way a mage purchases it, but keep in mind that you are buying magical ability, and not specific spells. Instead of purchasing spells and rituals in a specific Sphere, you will instead focus on the abilities of your order.

Please note that both Magical Talent and Religious Rank carry restrictions on how large of a magnitude of Holy Works you may use. If a character has Magic Talent and Religious Rank of differing levels, then the lower of the two is used for purposes of determining what order of magnitude of Holy Works (cantrips, minor spells, rituals) he may employ.

For a normal mage, Magic Skill within a given Sphere is purchased. Novice level grants one the use of Cantrips and Minor Spells; Average grants the use of Minor Rituals; Good grants the use of Major Rituals; Expert and Adept allow for enchantment of items. Once one has the appropriate level, it is assumed that the character has the potential to utilize all "commonly"-known spells in that Sphere, provided that the mage has not specialized in a sub-sphere, or that there are not mitigating circumstances that prevent him from knowing all possible spells.

A priest, however, purchases each Holy Work (spell) separately, for one point each. He may only select Holy Works listed for his order. Each power, from cantrip to ritual level, costs one point. If you can only cast minor spells, then for one point, you learn the cantrip and minor spell version of a power. If you are capable of casting rituals, then for one point, you learn the cantrip, minor spell and ritual versions of a power.

Each order has individual skills that might be necessary for membership. Being a follower of Rephath or Sunala might mean that you have a certain level of combat skill or knowledge in poisons. If your order is sanctioned by the College Esoterica (for example, the Celestial Order), then your character will have to spend the appropriate points for membership in the Mages' Guild. Please consult the GM for any additional skills that might be necessary for your particular PC.

A player or GM may feel compelled to introduce a new religion to Sinai. Here are some rough guidelines to follow when introducing one that utilizes the rules listed here for Holy Works. There are exceptions to various guidelines, but any advantage should be offset by a disadvantage. It is conceivable that there may well be a given religion that has more disadvantages than advantages (particularly if it's invented just for NPCs), but there shouldn't be invented any new religion that is all-around better than the others ... and certainly not any priesthood that has so many perks and so few restrictions that it is obviously better to be a member than to be a traditional mage!

Holy Works listings for some established Sinai religions

Back to Section 9.7.6