Re: It has been quiet lately, lets revive old

I like the 'Fire Shot' idea.  I've used a variation of the 4th level spell
Explosive Runes.  The major cost is that explosive magic is hazardous,
hard to store, and a contact protection sheath must be made.

In my campaign world there is a major civilization which has a very
syncretic attitude towards religions:  it basicly appropriates the gods of
the cities it conquers and makes itself the cult center for their worship.
Ceremonies and pilgrimages and sacrifices are preformed in that city by
cultists from many surrounding districts.  The result is that the city
has a _lot_ of temples, clerical magic of many gods, ritually protected
places, clerical magic produced items.  The city guard has magical arrows
available with glyphs of paralyzation on them.

Many semipermanent magic items and places are maintained by the devotion of
pilgrimages.  The city has a vested economic interest in keeping travel in
the region easy for pilgrims and trade.  In a spelljammer setting, the city
would send pilgrim and missionaries amongst the stars, for more knowledge,
magic and worshippers.

While many of the cults are monotheistic in the sense they allow their
followers to only worship and gain magical favors from one god, none claim
that the others don't exist or are demons.  Some of the cults only
have restrictions that their priests can't lead ceremonies for other cults.
Some of the cults are 'aspect gods', where individual temples specialize in
one magical and spiritual aspect of a god, healing, divination, magical
protection or looking over the harvest.  Some of the temples are _quite_
small.  The temples which open onto the streets generally provide magical
and social services and are _generally_ open open giving references and
instruction to visitors as to how to find the appropriate temple in the
temple district.  Food vendors and street entertainers abound in certain part
of the temple district, including inns with stables and wagon rentals.


Just thought I'd describe a major clerical magic center, as distinct from
all the wizardry centers.  It is an economic center because everybody
goes there already for religious purposes, so why not pick up xxx on the
way back from the spring ceremonies or whatever?  And this devotion makes
the city rich enough to afford the food to maintain a huge city of scribes,
entertainers, merchants, monks etc...

The city's strength is based on peace, which threatened more by the ambitions
of the cities syndics than its neighbors.

Anybody interested in more details about the city, (Nuren, the culture Nurenoi)
?

Michael Sandy