Spending, Clerics: Third Level Shrines

Third Level Shrines

o   Primary Benefit: Level 3 Cleric/Druid Spells

o   Activate: Turning Check vs Vampire

o   Area of Influence: 1 Hex

Level Three Shrines are generally impressive and elaborate structures, sometimes easily exceeding 50 square feet in area. Almost always featuring a building of some sort (get your Stronghold Building Rules handy) or simply massive in scale (think Stonehenge).

o   Level Three Shrine Components:

In addition to requiring an Altar valued at least 2,000 gold pieces (usually metal and etched/decorated, but expensive/imported stone is acceptable for Druids), and at least 5,000 gold pieces invested in statuary/stonework (as Level Two Shrines), they nearly always also include at least one or more of the following very expensive features:

Components	Cost (in gold pieces)
Finely Carved Stone Columns, religiously significant number	5,000 each
Stained Glass of breathtaking beauty:	2,500 per window
Bronze/Metal Statuary	triple price of the 2nd Level Shrine Prices
Brobdingnagian Statuary/Menhir/Dolmen	ten times the 2nd Level Shrine Prices
Add-Ons	Cost (in gold pieces)
Apply gilding	+500 gold pieces per square foot of surface area
Inlay with Gems or Precious Stones:	+50 gold pieces each (does not include price of gemstones, which add value/count as money spent)
Attract Treant Attendant (can animate other trees in defense of the Shrine)	+10,000 gold pieces and a major adventure
Embed sentient Undead (up to Vampire)	Go find one. Fee is negotiable and typically quite dear.

The exorbitant prices are intentional. The ramifications of “free” Cure Disease, Remove Curse, and Call Lightning Spells bear careful consideration. 

Level Three Shrines take at least a week to construct per 1,000 gold pieces used in their construction, and as with all Shrines must be thrice-Blessed Daily (only first and last Blessing need be provided by the Character). The extensive amount of time and manpower required to construct a Level Three shrine can create something akin to a tiny hamlet near the Site during construction, with all the associated and mouths to feed and inevitable threats to face down.

o   Third Level  Shrine Offerings:

In addition to the typical offerings above for Shrine Levels 1 and 2 (which are required to be worth at least 10 gold pieces and 20 gold pieces respectively, and are not optional), the following sample Offering types are appropriate for a Level Three Shrine:

Typical Level Three Offerings (value by type)

Silver, Gold or Electrum Religious Crafts (should be valued at least 30 gold pieces)

Livestock (at least 30 gold pieces in value, at least 3 HD worth)

Sacrifice/Bloodshed (1HD, or at least 3d6 HPs worth of self-inflicted bloodshed)

To Cast or Benefit from the Spell:  Make a Turning Check versus 8 HD (as Vampire) with a bonus of +1 per 30 gold pieces/3 HD/3d6 HP spent on Votive Offerings (they are burnt/destroyed/consumed in the process). If successful, the altar grants the prayer. This ability can be activated once per month period for every 1,000 gold pieces spent in the construction of the Shrine (minimum one, and 30,000+ gold pieces investment will make it a daily Shrine).

     

Optional Secondary Benefit: As long as the Cleric is within one hex of a given Shrine that they’ve created they also enjoy a +3 to Reaction Rolls (as long as Alignment is at least a single step away).

Optional Tertiary Benefit: In addition pick one of these options when the shrine is constructed (these benefits also only function within one hex of the Shrine, and only if an offering was made to the shrine within 24 hours):

• All of Turning Checks versus Undead made by your faith are made with 2d12 instead of 2d6.
• All “naturally occurring” and animated undead are turned as 3 category higher.
• You are no longer subject to Surprise.

o   Third Level Shrine Influence:

Level Three Shrines of opposing faiths/pantheons cannot be constructed within one hex of each other. Any lower level Shrines of Opposing faiths within a hex cease to function as long as the value of their construction is exceeded by this one.

Shrines of this Level also begin passively attracting Pilgrims and Permanent Attendants and can even be used a source of income (Oh drat, more money to spend!) for the more unscrupulous types. Pilgrimage is another Player money-spending scheme I’ll try to cover in a future post, but until then:

Chance To Attract Pilgrims: cumulative 5% each time the shrine is activated, I’d just use Rules Cyclopedia Nomads (Page 193). This resets every season.

Chance to Attract an Attendant: cumulative 1% each time Shrine is activated. This resets if the attendant is driven off or slain. Typical Attendants are Clerics of the Shrine’s faith, of a minimal level of six.

This is also when Shrines typically start garnering attention from Petty Gods. Add one to the Random Encounter Table for this hex/area.

Third Level Shrines very often also become part of the Reliquary/Relic Circuit (to be covered in Pilgrimage).

Level Three Shrines with attendants that have attracted Pilgrims have a tendency to accumulate Treasure as Type U in the form of donations, melted slag metal from offerings, etc. Check once a month. This money is typically funneled back into offerings and upkeep for the Shrine, but many a spendthrift Cleric has had to raid their Shrine’s coffers in desperation.