Faith rods

Link to the Old Rod Page (Ancient Data!!)

The Disc's first non-Pishite resurrect. By LaoTzu on Sined.

The faith rods, maces, and flails are carriers for rituals allowing a player (priest or non-priest) to perform rituals they would otherwise not have at their disposition. The services that each item allows the player to request depends on which powers have been infused into them. Note that this system means that wizards, witches and any others not worshipping a god are unable to access the powers contained within the items.
The rods need to be charged by a priest, then have to be consecrated to your God, and charged in order to be of use for you. So when requesting a rod, please remember it's a VERY time consuming process!
 

"Bestow"ing

You will need deity points, the ritual, and the relevant faith skills to put a ritual on a rod. You will need to find an empty "slot", and bestow the ritual into that slot. You can only put one copy of each ritual into each rod, and when you bestow it you will attempt to perform it normally, but with a success resulting in that ritual becoming imbued. Since bestowing costs DP it cannot be done by excommunicated priests!

"Scour" ing

If you have a faith rod with a certain ritual, but you want to get rid of the ritual, you have two options: ask a priest of a different god to re-consecrate the rod, or use your scour command. But beware, you might end up with less than you intended to!

Performing

Using "perform <ritual> on <target> [using|from] <rod> " you can perform a ritual from a rod instead of from your mind. It'll still cost gp. If it's more than a one-shot imbue (see below), it'll also cost deity points. If the rod has the ritual, then you will be able to perform as though you had it yourself. You'll still need to be able to actually succeed in performing it, which will be harder than performing the ritual from your mind.

Any follower or priest can perform rituals these ways. Since they use deity points, heretics are again excluded.

Charging up the rod

When you bestow a ritual into a rod, it can only be used once!! So if you perform the ritual, it will dissolve from the rod, leaving an empty slot. It can be made to be used multiple times by pouring guild point into the rod. You can do this by praying whilst holding the rod. If you're holding two rods, or a rod and beads, the gp invested will be split over the items. To be able to charge a rod, you will need to be a priest of the same deity as the rod to do this (use see consecration!). When you charge the rod, you will find that the ritual can be "imbued", "impressed" or "imprinted" into the rod.

This means:

When charging a rod, you'll see these levels of chargement:

 

Transferring rods between gods

Only followers and priests of the rod's deity can use a rod to cast rituals. But you can consecrate a rod to change its deity, and allow other gods to use the rituals. However, the rituals must be really well-connected (imprinted) to the rod to survive the consecration, else they will leave the rod. When you reconsecrate a rod, all rituals drop to the "imbued" level!! So you have to recharge the rod before being able to use it multiple times!

When a rod changes deity, the new deity takes on the responsibility for paying for the deity point costs.

Linked slots

If you look at the rods, you'll see they have several slots in which you can put rituals. Some are dependent on others. You can only put a ritual in an empty slot which is not dependent on another empty slot. You can also only put rituals in slots which are smaller than the one in their linked slot...

If an imbued ritual is performed and leaves the rod, it'll empty all other slots dependent on it too.

Different rods available

There's a wide variety of rods available on the Disc. There are rods with one, two, three or even four slots. The four slot rods are each unique to a certain npc of a God. (List courtesy of Nightcrawler)

I'll probably be unable to list them all here, but Nightcrawler was so kind to provide me with the following list of rods.

You will see that some rods have colours. Those colours indicate their affinity to certain types of rituals.

Dull grey baton (1 slot)

This is a short wooden baton, the length of which is covered with ordered and angular religious etchings. While the baton itself has been painted
a dull grey colour, the etchings make a half-hearted attempt to add a little colour with a pale grey hue.
It looks like it could hold one ritual in its etchings.
The etchings are imprinted with the ritual holy sacrifice and are not dependent on any other part of the dull grey baton.

Wooden baton (1 slot)

This is a short wooden baton, the length of which is covered with abstract
and varied religious etchings. While the baton itself has been left
uncoloured, settling instead for a smooth glossy varnish, the etchings have
been made to stand out with a plain red hue.
It looks like it could hold one ritual in its etchings.
The etchings are empty and are not dependent on any other part of the wooden
baton.
It is in excellent condition.

Serrated baton (1 slot)

This is a short wooden baton, the length of which is covered with spikey,
angry-looking religious etchings. The baton has been dyed black, and has
small notches carved along its length to give it the look and feel of a
crude hand saw.
It looks like it could hold one ritual in its etchings.
The etchings are empty and are not dependent on any other part of the
serrated baton.
It is in excellent condition.

Ribboned baton (1 slot)

This is a short wooden baton, the length of which is covered with simple
religious etchings and colourful ribbons. Where the etchings can be seen
through the ribbons, they are simple, yet engraved with flair.
It looks like it could hold one ritual in its etchings.
The etchings are empty and are not dependent on any other part of the
ribboned baton.
It is in excellent condition.

Pure white baton (1 slot)

This is a short wooden baton, the length of which is covered with gentle,
swirling religious etchings. While the baton itself has been painted a
purest white, the etchings have been made to stand out with a subtle silver
hue.
It looks like it could hold one ritual in its etchings.
The etchings are empty and are not dependent on any other part of the pure
white baton.
It is in excellent condition.

Purple baton (1 slot)

This is a short wooden baton, the length of which is covered with harsh,
scrawled religious etchings. While the baton itself has been painted a
purple colour, the etchings have been made to stand out with a rich golden
hue.
It looks like it could hold one ritual in its etchings.
The etchings are empty and are not dependent on any other part of the purple
baton.
It is in excellent condition.

Pale yellow baton (1 slot)

This is a short wooden baton, the length of which is covered with wispy and
disconnected religious etchings. While the baton itself has been painted a
pale yellow colour, the etchings have been made to stand out with a richer
yellow hue.
It looks like it could hold one ritual in its etchings.
The etchings are empty and are not dependent on any other part of the pale
yellow baton.
It is in excellent condition.

Coral baton (1 slot)

This is a short baton, the length of which is covered with roughly-carved
religious etchings. It has been carved from a single piece of coral,
presumably dredged from the clutches of some unsuspecting reef.
It looks like it could hold one ritual in its etchings.
The etchings are empty and are not dependent on any other part of the coral
baton.
It is in excellent condition.

Pure white rod (2 slots)

This rod has been made of sturdy wood and painted pure white. It has a
vague air of pious benevolence about it, but is otherwise unremarkable.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its base, tip and shaft.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The tip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the pure white
rod.
It is in excellent condition.

Wooden cane (2 slots) (Good affinity for offensive rituals)

This is a priest's cane. It is a short length of wood, which curls at one end into a gentle circular hook. It is unpainted and left totally bare of any
decoration, but has given a smooth finish.
It looks like it could hold two rituals in its hook and handle.
The hook is imbued with the ritual rage and is linked to the handle. It glows with a barely visible light.
The handle is imbued with the ritual paralysis and is not dependent on any other part of the wooden cane. It glows with a barely visible light.

Forest Green Cane (2 slots)

This is a short priest's cane, painted in a forest green colour. It is surprisingly a lot heavier
than it appears.
It looks like it could hold two rituals in its handle and hook.
The handle is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the forest green cane.
The hook is empty and is linked to the handle.

Orange cane (2 slots)

This is a priest's cane. It is a short length of wood, which curls at one end into a gentle circular hook. It has been painted in fiery orange tones, and
decorated with angular geometric designs.
It looks like it could hold two rituals in its hook and handle.
The hook is imbued with the ritual blight and is linked to the handle. It glows with a faint light.
The handle is imbued with the ritual wrath and is not dependent on any other part of the orange cane. It glows with a dull light.

Pale grey cane (2 slots)

This is a priest's cane. It is a short length of wood, which curls at one
end into a gentle circular hook. It has been painted a pale grey colour,
and decorated with abstract geometric designs.
It looks like it could hold two rituals in its handle and hook.
The handle is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the pale grey cane.
The hook is empty and is linked to the handle.
It is in excellent condition.

White cane (2 slots)

This is a priest's cane. It is a short length of wood, which curls at one
end into a gentle circular hook. It has been painted a plain white, and
decorated with swirling geometric designs.
It looks like it could hold two rituals in its handle and hook.
The handle is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the white
cane.
The hook is empty and is linked to the handle.
It is in excellent condition.

Aquamarine rod (3 slots)

This rod has been made of sturdy wood and painted aquamarine. It has an strange air of nautical piety about it, but is otherwise unremarkable.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its tip, base and shaft.
The tip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the aquamarine rod.

Dark Blue Mace (3 slots)

This is a hefty mace. The shaft has been stained with a dark blue ink and wrapped in
similarly-covered leathers, and the business end of the mace is a lump of dull iron.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its grip, head and shaft.
The grip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The head is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the dark blue mace.

Pale green mace (3 slots)

This is a hefty mace. Its wooden shaft has been bleached with a pale green
dye and wrapped in similarly-coloured leathers, and at the business end is a
sizeable lump of dull iron.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its grip, shaft and head.
The grip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the pale green
mace.
The head is empty and is linked to the shaft.
It is in excellent condition.

Red mace (3 slots)

This is a hefty mace. Its wooden shaft has been stained with a red ink and
wrapped in similarly-coloured leathers, and at the business end is a
sizeable lump of dull iron.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its grip, shaft and head.
The grip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the red mace.
The head is empty and is linked to the shaft.
It is in excellent condition.

Light blue mace (3 slots)

This is a hefty mace. Its wooden shaft has been bleached with a light blue
dye and wrapped in similarly-coloured leathers, and at the business end is a
sizeable lump of dull iron.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its grip, shaft and head.
The grip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the light blue
mace.
The head is empty and is linked to the shaft.
It is in excellent condition.

Yellow rod (3 slots)

This rod has been made of sturdy wood and painted yellow. It has a peculiar
air of pious stylishness about it, but is otherwise unremarkable.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its base, tip and shaft.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The tip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the yellow rod.
It is in excellent condition.

Violet mace (3 slots)

This is a hefty mace. Its wooden shaft has been stained with a violet ink
and wrapped in similarly-coloured leathers, and at the business end is a
sizeable lump of dull iron.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its grip, shaft and head.
The grip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the violet
mace.
The head is empty and is linked to the shaft.
It is in excellent condition.

Wooden rod (3slots)

This rod has been made of sturdy wood and given a smooth, shiny finish.  It
has an odd air of generic piety about it, but is otherwise unremarkable.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its tip, base and shaft.
The tip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the wooden rod.
It is in excellent condition.

Jet Black Rod  (3 slots) (Good affinity for offensive rituals)

This rod has been made of sturdy wood and painted jet black. It has an indescribable air of pious
malice about it, but is otherwise unremarkable.
It looks like it could hold three rituals in its tip, base and shaft.
The tip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the jet black rod.

Bronzed crook (4 slots)

This slightly-gnarled crook has an unpleasant sense of malign disapproval
about it. While its shaft is a rather unremarkable length of wood, its head
is an unusually abrupt and flat hook which looks, from some angles, rather
like a beak. It has been coated in gleaming bronze, and an impressive
collection of huge, grey and white feathers splay out and dangle from where
it connects to the rest of the crook.
It looks like it could hold four rituals in its base, shaft, feathers and
hook.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the bronzed
crook.
The feathers is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The hook is empty and is linked to the feathers.
It is in excellent condition.

Tasseled staff (4 slots)

This rather cheery priest's staff is something of a colourful affair.
Although the plain wooden shaft is not particularly noteworthy, a majestic
bronze emblem gleams from atop of it, with several silk tassels, each dyed a
different vibrant colour, dangling from its extremities.
It looks like it could hold four rituals in its base, emblem, shaft and
tassels.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The emblem is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the tasseled
staff.
The tassels are empty and are linked to the emblem.
It is in excellent condition.

Blue lacquered staff (4 slots)

The length of this staff has been finished with a rich blue lacquer, whose
tones vary from a glimmering turquoise down to a rich, deep azure. At the
top of the staff, an oversized copper fishing hook has been fixed. While
the staff is obviously impractical for actually catching any fish with, the
hook nevertheless has a viciously sharp point.
It looks like it could hold four rituals in its base, shaft, point and hook.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the blue
lacquered staff.
The point is empty and is linked to the hook.
The hook is empty and is linked to the shaft.
It is in excellent condition.

Marble sceptre (4 slots)

This remarkably weighty sceptre is not your usual gaudy jewel-encrusted
monstrosity. Its shaft is simply a staff of solid oak, and its orb is a
skull-crushingly heavy sphere of marble, all swirling greys and smoothed to
perfection. About a foot's length of shaft beneath the orb has been
meticulously wrapped with red tape, adding a splash of colour to an
otherwise sombre affair.
It looks like it could hold four rituals in its base, tape, orb and shaft.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The tape is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The orb is empty and is linked to the tape.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the marble
sceptre.
It is in excellent condition.

Spiked black pole (4 slots)

As poles go, this one is pretty threatening. Its blackened metal length is
adorned with painful-looking ridges, making it difficult to hold
comfortably. Above a modest circlet of iron spikes, the pole is topped by a
seven-sided emblem, each point of which is decorated with a
finely-metalworked hand and a far cruder metal point, jutting away from the
centre of the sigil.
It looks like it could hold four rituals in its base, spikes, emblem and
shaft.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The spikes are empty and are linked to the shaft.
The emblem is empty and is linked to the spikes.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the spiked
black pole.
It is in excellent condition.

Speckled grey staff (4 slots)

This rather unusual staff has been painted a very pale grey, with flecks of
slightly darker grey paint speckled along its length. At its top, three
heavy brass rings have been set through the centre of the shaft, so that
they clank against it and each other as the staff moves. A strange emblem,
with metalwork vaguely resembling cloud formations, crowns the deal, giving
it a suitably mystical air.
It looks like it could hold four rituals in its base, emblem, shaft and
rings.
The base is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The emblem is empty and is linked to the rings.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the speckled
grey staff.
The rings are empty and are linked to the shaft.
It is in excellent condition.

Silver Flail (4 slots) (Bad affinity for offensive rituals)

This weapon is comprised of a hefty shaft of wood, one end of which is connected via chains to three
large and polished silver balls. The other end of the shaft is wrapped in strips of leather to
allow its wielder to better grip onto it.
It looks like it could hold four rituals in its balls, grip, chains and shaft.
The balls are empty and are linked to the chains.
The grip is empty and is linked to the shaft.
The chains are empty and are linked to the shaft.
The shaft is empty and is not dependent on any other part of the silver flail.