Reliquaries

Ranging from simple garden shrines through mighty temples, Reliquaries come in three power levels and many forms. They bestow wisdom and clerical magic on their caretaker and can grant clerical magic to anyone of the appropriate faith. They are always built around a relic - an item touched, used, or blessed by a god or major servant thereof. Without its relic, a reliquary is powerless. With it, an hour or so of prayer and a proper offering provides the caretaker with enhanced Wisdom and any faithful follower with a limited number of divine spells to use within the next full day.

Minor Reliquaries provide a +4 enhancement bonus on their caretaker’s Wisdom and grant minor divine spellcasting abilities. Any caretaker will get one spell each of levels 0-2. Those with a Wisdom of 16+ after enhancement also gain a L3 spell, while those with an 18+ after enhancement gain one spell each of L0-L4. Followers of the appropriate god who simply pray at the Reliquary for an hour receive extra spells based on their current Wisdom, but not the enhanced Wisdom.

Major Reliquaries provide a +6 enhancement bonus on their caretaker’s Wisdom and grant spells in the same fashion. However, recipients with a Wisdom of 20+ gain one spell of each level 0-5 and those with a 22+ gain one each of levels 0-6.

Great Reliquaries provide a +8 enhancement bonus on their caretaker’s Wisdom and grant spells in the same fashion as a Major Reliquary. Recipients with a Wisdom of 24+ gain one spell of each level 0-7 and those with a 26+ gain one each of levels 0-8.

Reliquaries are common features of holy cities and great temples, where they serve to aid the common people, to promote the faith, and to recruit new clerics. If powerful clerics are scarce, a visit to the shrine of a relic may be the only way to obtain a needed high-level spell. Evil relics often serve as the centerpieces for secretive cults. Good ones can allow communities to survive in hostile areas.