This page contains some articles from the Discworld newspapers and posts on the boards, that contain useful information for a priest. Reading them might increase your overall understanding of the Priests guild or of one particular part of it.
I've divided this page in two sections: useful articles and archive. In the archive you'll find out of date info that I just keep around for historical purposes. These articles might be interesting if you're wondering how the priests guild used to be.
Useful articles
Archive
Since the ritual that summons
Dust Devils have become such a popular subject among the priests in recent days,
a review on their nature and function may be useful. However, before discussing
how they are now, it is important to consider the history of the dust devils.
In the past, as many as seven dust devils could be summoned at once by using a
combination of holy rods and rituals. Currently it is quite difficult to summon
more than four of the swirling devils. The majority of priests use two or
sometimes three.
A few of the older priests can still manage to summon a large gang of five of
the
whirling winds, though there are rumors that some priests can manage even more.
There was a time when dust devils were considered a complete waste of time and
focus, except when used in Gloomy Forest, where they were an effective tool for
the prevention of spiderbites. Now, they are considered to be a priest's best
friend, helping to protect the priest in dangerous situations and aiding him or
her in getting an upper hand by distracting a foe.
Long ago, dust devils were merely that, whirling winds of dust but they have
since
become something more. Now, there are a variety of different whirlwinds that can
be summoned, each with its own distinctive style. From the holy whirlwinds of
pure faith, to the silly whirlwinds of surprised natives there are literally
dozens of different types of devils now available. Generally, the area that they
are summoned in will influence the type of devil created. In the Brown Islands,
for example, a tropical whirlwind of coconuts is more likely to be summoned than
the whirlwind of stale beer that is often created in the Warrior's Guild of
Ankh-Morpork.
There have been many changes over the years to dust devils, and while some
research has been done into what a priest should focus on if he or she wants to
summon as many as possible, very little research has been conducted into
determining what makes them more effective.
Recently though, this has changed as two priests - a young fellow named Valkyr
and an experienced priest called Thalasso - have started to investigate how the
devils work and what makes them strong. Valkyr spent quite some time researching
the question, experimenting with devils, getting to know them, and finally
coming to understand them.
It has long been thought that the strength of one's dust devils relies entirely
in
one's ability to create area-effect miracles (faith.rituals.misc.area). However,
this
new research has proven this to be incorrect. The number of devils that can be
controlled is indeed reliant on the ability to perform miscellaneous area
rituals, as is their size. However, the nature of the dust devils, is reliant on
other factors.
The abilitity to target a god's wrath on an area (faith.rituals.offensive.area)
and the ability to shield an area with a god's powers (faith.rituals.defensive.area)
are both factors in determining the nature of dust devils.
Those more adept at targeting their god's wrath on an area will find that their
whirlwinds are more able to do harm to a foe. On the other hand, priests better
at shield an area with their god's powers will find that their whirlwinds are
better able to defend themselves and whoever they are protecting.
So, what does this mean for the common priest or the potential combatant of the
dust devil? Well, it means that the size of the whirlwind does not tell them all
they need to know! Depending on what fields of faith the summoner has advanced,
the dust devil could be far
more vicious than might otherwise be expected!
Another thing to consider about dust devils, is the recent development of
elements that either help or hinder one's ability to focus on rituals. Each god
has at least one thing that his followers can do to better tune their minds to
their god.
Additionally, there are also certain things that will make it harder to reach a
god.
One of these things, and the most relevant to this article, is controling a dust
devil after it is summoned. Once a dust devil has been summouned, it is slightly
harder to perform other rituals as constant concentrating is needed to control
the devil. This will also mean that each additional devil summoned makes it
harder to focus.
Also, with each dust devil summoned, the amount mental energy required to summon
another devil is increased.
Old Man Thalasso of Pishe.
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by Unslidge, from the AM daily Edition 42
Please buy issue 42 of the AM Daily to read this article. The editors do not want me to copy articles here.
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by Poyat, from the Priests board
How it works
When you learn the rituals you can start performing the rituals on consecrated items. Divine Guard doesn't require anything and costs around 100 gp while Divine Sentinel costs around 170 gp, a block of incense and also requires your prayer book with the correct prayer inside it. When you do successfully perform the ritual on an item you can then 'impress' a ritual on that item which go off when the item is stolen.
Impressing
Ok, the syntax is "Impress (ritual) on (item)" Now, when you impress a ritual into an item, it uses the exact amount of gp as if you are performing the ritual. So lets say I want to put major shield in an item so if it gets stolen, I get major shielded, it will cost 120 gp. So, thats 100 gp (make that 170 gp if using sentinel) plus the 120 gp, then you have to repeat this another 2 times. So you should expect having to spend over 550 gp and 2 blocks on incense on average per item which makes warding a very time consuming business.
Color
Now, when you have successfully warded your item you will notice some colors around the items.
Like when I mix up feedback and relief I get "It has a colorful aura, with flickers of red and yellow." I'm presuming that Yellow means a color that interacts between thief and victim, in the case of relief the thief's gp is given to the victim Ok, I think I got all the colors. Now it's the shading of those colors. When a ritual is just the color, it means there is only one type of ritual that falls under that category on the item. For example, if we have a ring with visions on it, it will have a 'red aura' and that is it, but if I add agoraphobia to it also I will get a 'dark red aura' showing that there are 2 offensive rits on it, ifIi place a third offensive rit, it becomes an 'ominous red glow' I have a gold ring with dust devil, minor shield and cure light wounds, and it currently says "It has a colorful aura, with flickers of green and dark blue." green for the 1 healing rit, dark blue for the 2 defensive ones. A silver ring that has Dark sight and holy sacrifice and lets say... cure medium wounds will have a dark white aura (*chuckles*) and green. Simple.
Misc. Information
Divine guard and divine sentinel are learnt by advancing faith.rituals.defensive.target. Still don't have exact lvls, but I'm presuming 150 for guard and 220 for sentinel. Ummm, impressing I'm pretty sure using faith.item.scrolls, cause some people who haven't advanced it can barely manage a light ritual I'm told that the order of the how the rituals are put into an item is significant, lets say someone puts fumble and then stasis onto an item, the thief will fumble and then get put in the stasis ball, however, if I put stasis and then fumble into an item, it puts the thief into a stasis ball and then they get fumbled. The rituals do pretty much go off at the same time, like there isn't any time between the rituals going off. You can get rits from different gods by giving your item to a fellow priest, let them consecrate and impress and then they give the item back from you. So it's possible for a Hat priest to have a combo like Paralysis, Blight and Relief.
Useful combo's: (in this order)
**if you figure out any other nifty combo's please share.
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by Old Man Thalasso
The city of Ankh-Morkpork is a dangerous place, and indeed so is the world
around it. Before embarking on a journey, even one as short as going down to the
store for a bottle of milk, it would be wise to consider healing methods in case
of injury.
Of all the healing methods available, the most commonly thought of are the
rituals that can be performed by the worshippers of the various gods that span
this wonderful land, and of course the healing tea brewed by the busy hags of
the Ramtops regions.
There are other options, such as oak wands, holy rods, magic swords, and even
natural healing.
Priests and their rituals
All gods grant their priests the basic ability to cure light and medium wounds.
However, some gods are more focused on healing than others and thus grant their
followers more rituals that can be used to heal. For example, the priests of
Pishe are dedicated to restoring life to those who have lost it, and are the
only priests able to properly bring the dead back to life. Some of the other
priests can bring the dead back to life, but those that return are weaker, and
need time to recover. The priests of Pishe can also help someone recover from a
weakness and even help them cope with poisons, alchol or too much coffee. For
those who travel with pets, the priests of Pishe can even restore a beloved pet
to life, if you can reach them in time. Priests of some of the darker gods, such
as Sek, Fish and Hat have the ability to take the vitality of corpses to heal
their wounds.
There are some places where priests and priestess regularly spend their time,
and it is easy to get the help you need. A priest named Harry specializes in
raising people from the dead, and he spends his time in a room in the western
end of the Temple of Small Gods in Ankh-Morpork. Althea, a priestess of Pishe,
is often found in the small grove on the east side of the Temple of Small Gods,
and she is generally willing to heal those who are not too evil for her tastes.
Also located in the Temple of Small Gods in downtown Ankh-Morpork is a fountain
with unusual healing powers. Blue water regularly flows into a basin on this
fountain, this blue water can be scooped up in bottles, and is a wonderful
curative elixer.
Hags and Healing Tea
While not all hags come from the Ramtops, the Ramtops is where their craft was
refined. Be they ladies from Ankh-Morpork, or from some of the smaller villages
scattered around the Circle Sea, or sunbaked Klatch or even distant Bes Pelargic,
they have a few things in common; the ability to see things as they are, the
ability to ride across the sky on simple
wooden brooms, and also the ability to brew some rather wonderful concotions.
The most popular variety is known as healing tea, and it is sold in a variety of
different shops all across the Discworld.
This wonderful tea comes in a wide variety of potentencies. Made from two herbs
in a process known nearly exclusively to the hags, it is truly remarkable stuff.
With the stronger tea, a single sip can accelerate the body's natural healing,
causing the body to heal at a phenominal rate. Even weaker tea aids in the
regeration of the body, and is a handy resource for any traveller or adventurer.
Witches also have the ability to brew a tea that can rid one of the painful
effects of the many varieties of venom that are found on the Disc. This tea is
not quite in as high demand as the healing tea and it is also much harder to
brew so it tends to be a specialty item, fetching hirer prices, but also less
often used.
The majority of the information on healing teas, and the hags that brew them
came from a nosy old busybody named Gitta, an unhelpful and bitter old soul who
will not, under any circumstances, deliver tea or do anything else helpful for
anyone.
Oak Wands
These short sticks are carved from a particular type of tree and infused with
healing magic. They require a bit of training in basic magic (especially in
magic.items.held.wand), though not much more than is available from the local
guild house. When held in the hand, they can be used to zap people. This zap
provides a jolt of energy that closes small wounds and generally makes a person
feel better.
Holy Rods
There are a variety of holy rods available that can provide rituals to those who
do
not usually have access to them (with the exception of wizards and witches who
know the gods exist but just don't believe in them). Dark Blue Maces, Forest
Green Canes, Red Maces, Yellow Rods, and Silver Flails, all allow the person
holding them to perform the ritual cure medium wounds on themselves or another
person. These rods require some training to hold (in faith.items.rod) and most
priests are more than willing to teach people how to hold them. First being
trained on basic religion from the relevant guild house is also a good idea.
Magic Swords
Among the more unusual methods of healing, are two rare swords. The Holy Blade
of the Soyin, a weapon given to those brave travelers who made a pilgrimage to
Soyin's mountain temple in ages long past. These relics are rare, but
occasionally available to those who know where to look for them. It is said that
they can be purchased from the magical travelin shops that appear in unusual
places throughout the world.
The other swords, are the fabulous chocolate swords. These magical bastard
swords are crafted from the finest dark chocolate and are effective weapons, and
also a nice snack. During a long fight a bite of the delicious chocolate blade
can help invigorate you. Remember,
"Eate While You Beate, with a Chomper's Choppere." There are also rumors of some
extremely rare chocolate armour with similar properties.
Strange, but True
One interesting but rather limited method of healing, is to visit the Witches'
cottage in the Skund Forest. The walls and furniture of the cottage are edible,
and taking bites out of the walls will heal you of your wounds, which is a good
thing, since it is a dangerous part of
the forest and many wolves run wild in that area.
The Natural way
The cheapest and slowest method of healing is of course natural healing. People
slowly heal over time, and in some cases this is all you need. Sometimes with a
bit of rest everything will be fine.
Learning to heal is something every adventurer and traveller should do. With a
little
preparation, and some forethought, healing should not be a problem for anyone,
no matter where they are.
Old Man Thalasso of Pishe
This is an index of all Priests related articles in the AM Daily. Note that some of the older articles may be out of date!
Alignment: "Treading Align", Edition 36.
Area effect rituals: "Location Stimulation", Edition 35.
Dust devils: "Discussion on Dust Devils", Edition 37.
Faith items: "Ritual Components and Where to Find Them", Edition 42.
Faith rods: "Odds 'n' Rods", Edition 41.
Shielding: "Divine Protection", Edition 32.
Unique rituals: "Holy Carp!", Edition 40.
Wards: "Re-warding Relationship", Edition 34.
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