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Gralamin
2009-06-04, 11:00 PM
Note: This ritual variant has some influences from nWoD.

Ritual Variant
What can Rituals do?

A key thing to keep in mind is that rituals are not necessarily magic. Because of this, anyone can easily pick up the ability to do rituals. So what can rituals do?
Rituals can:
Do mundane tasks, but not as efficiently as someone trained in the task (A ritual may let you pick a lock, but it would take longer then if you had a trained picklock to open it).
Do Extraordinary tasks, but not cheaply or easily (Could levitate a castle, but it may take days, or may be very expensive)

In addition, some effects that rituals create are considered necessary for a game. These include things like Enchant magic item, and Raise dead. These rituals are not covered by this variant, and it is best to use the default ritual rules when you wish to use them.

Ritual Mechanics

There are two ways you may use rituals - Either you can use a ritual you know by Rote, or you may try to spontaneously create a new ritual. Most of the time you will be using Rituals you know by Rote (Usually referred to as either rituals you know, or simply Rotes). To use a Rote, follow the steps below:
Choose which Rote you wish to use.
Use any optional Components listed, and add their effect to your rolls / successes. Take out any Focuses or required Components listed
Apply Ritual Factors (See below)
Channelling: Roll the check associated with the ritual. If you beat the DC, you gain a success. If you beat the DC by 10 or more you gain an additional success.
You may continue to roll checks for as long as you wish, up to a maximum number of checks equal to half your level (Minimum 1). Once you have as many successes as you want, or run out of checks, you complete the ritual.
Compare your successes to the rituals successes, and put into effect any effects that apply.


In addition, you may use Rotes through Ritual Scrolls (Created through the Create Ritual Scroll Ritual). Ritual Scrolls may be cast as a standard action for each check, but have a maximum number of checks based on the successes gained in the Create Ritual Scroll Rote. So a ritual Scroll of Animal Messenger (2 Checks) would allow you to roll two checks to determine effect, while a ritual Scroll of Animal Messenger (3 Checks) would allow you to roll three. In general, a ritual scroll cost is the same as the market price for a ritual, multiplied by the number of checks it allows. So a Ritual Scroll of Animal Messenger (15 Checks) would go for 50*15 = 750 gp.


Using a ritual spontaneously is an optional rule that the GM may allow. Generally you can only spontaneously cast the same ritual once (Though you may do so again by giving up your action point) To do so, follow the steps below:
Determine Rituals Effect
Consider rituals of similar power, and ensure the ritual's effect isn't beyond the power of rituals of the character's level. If it is above, the ritual fails as the user is not powerful enough to do such a thing.
Determine Time per check. The Time edits the DC a player will have to beat, but in general 1/day per check makes the DC easy, 1/hour per check makes the DC medium, and 10 minutes/check makes the DC hard. 1 minute/check is hard +2. You cannot spontaneously use a ritual faster then 1 minute/check.
Determine DC. Turn to Page 42 of the DMG and look at the DC values. If you have the newest Errata, 1st level easy should be DC 5. Take the DC as above based on the characters level. Add 3 to the DC (This is a standard adjustment based on a few play tests). A 1 minute/check level 1 DC is 20
Determine Skill. What, Thematically seems to be closest to the ritual?
Apply Ritual Factors (See Below)
Roll Channelling checks as usual.
Compare your successes to what the ritual should do, and put into effect those effects.


Ritual Factors

There are a few Factors which might adjust your check for a ritual. This might be additional targets, Increased Duration, increased Area, limited effect, or Additional casters.

Additional Casters
For having an additional caster, you get +2 to your check. For each additional caster, you get an additional +1 to your check (maximum +5).

Additional Targets
Additional Targets can only be applied to non-area rituals that effect one or more person. This cannot be applied to a ritual which has targets based on number of successes. You can take a penalty to your check to affect additional targets, based on the table below:
{table=head]Penalty|Additional Targets
-1|+1
-2|+2
-5|+5
-8|+10[/table]

Increased Area
Increased Area can be applied to any ritual that has a size described in Blast, Burst, or Wall terms, and does not have successes determining the size of an area. You can take a penalty to your check to increase the size of the effect, as indicated on the table below.
{table=head]Penalty|Increased Area (Blast or Burst)|Increased Area (Wall)
-2|+1 Size|+2 Size
-5|+2 Size| +4 Size
-8|+3 Size| +6 Size[/table]

Increased Duration
Increased Duration can be applied to any non-instantaneous or permanent ritual. Duration is usually measured in "Steps". Unless stated otherwise the steps are the following:
1 round
1 minute
10 minute
1 hour
1 day
Permanent

If successes are used to determine Duration, you can increase the duration per success based on the following table:
{table=head]Increase by|Penalty for round duration|Penalty for minute duration|Penalty for 10 minute duration|Penalty for hour|Penalty for day
1 step|-2|-5|-8|-5|--
2 steps|-5|-8|-10|--|--
3 steps|-10|-15|--|--|--
4 steps|-20|--|--|--|--
5 steps|--|--|--|--|--[/table]

If Duration is not based on successes, you can increase the duration as listed below:
{table=head]Increase by|Penalty for round duration|Penalty for minute duration|Penalty for 10 minute duration|Penalty for hour|Penalty for day
1 step|-5|-5|-5|-5|-5
2 steps|-10|-10|-10|-10|--
3 steps|-15|-15|-15|--|--
4 steps|-30|-20|--|--|--
5 steps|-40|--|--|--|--[/table]

Limited Effect
You can gain a bonus to your check if you limit the ritual to only effecting creatures meeting specific criteria. You may only apply this if creature type isn't set by the ritual, and the ritual is not beneficial for the creature type (You may, for example, make an area that wards off undead, but not one that teleports only humanoids). Limiting to a Specific origin or creature type gives you a +2. Limiting to a specific keyword gives +5. If you limit the Origin, type, and keyword, you get a +10 instead of the normal bonuses.

Ritual Tolerance
With the ability to have multiple rituals that are permanent in duration, there must be a limit to how many rituals can affect you at any one time. You may be affected by a number of rituals based on the chart below:
{table=head]Level|Maximum
1-5|1
5-10|2
11-15|3
16-20|4
21-25|5
26-30|6[/table]
You may remove a single permanent effect on you each extended rest. Note this only applies to rituals directly on you. Make Whole, for example doesn't take up a ritual if you use it on your weapon.

Sample Rituals

This list will Expand, but currently contains the following:
{table=head]Lvl|Ritual|Key Skill
1|Animal Messenger|Nature
1|Comprehend Language|Arcana
1|Create Ritual Scroll|Special
1|Floating Disk|Arcana
1|Gentle Repose|Heal
1|Magic Mouth|Arcana
1|Make Whole|Arcana
1|Secret Page|Arcana
1|Silence|Arcana
2|Endure Elements|Arcana, Nature, or Endurance
2|Eye of Alarm|Arcana
2|Water Walk|Nature
3|Detect Secret Doors|Arcana
4|Arcane Lock|Arcana
4|Hand of Fate|Religion
4|Knock|Arcana
4|Traveler's Feast|Nature[/table]
Anyone wishing to homebrew up additional rituals may post rituals in this thread, and I'll be sure to balance them / add them.

Animal Messenger
Level: 1
Category: Exploration
Time: 1 minute/check (DC 18)
Duration: 1 Hour per success
Component Cost: 10 gp (+1 Success)
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Nature
As the Animal Messenger ritual from Players Handbook, except as noted above.

Arcane Lock
Level: 4
Category: Warding
Time: 10 minute / check (DC 12)
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 25 gp (1 Success)
Market Price: 150 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
As Arcane Lock from the PHB, except as noted above, and the DC bonus is instead +2 per successful check

Comprehend Language
Level: 1
Category: Exploration
Time: 1 minute/check (DC 18)
Duration: 1 day
Component Cost: 10 gp (1 success)
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
Choose a language you have heard or a piece of writing you have seen within the last 24 hours. You gain an effect based on the table below: (You gain all previous benefits)
{table=head]Successes|Heard|Seen
1|You understand it when spoken|You can read it
2|You speak it fluently|You can write it
3|You can read it|You understand it when spoken
4|You can Write it|You speak it fluently[/table]

Create Ritual Scroll
Level: 1
Category: Creation
Time: Special
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: Special (Required)
Market Price: 175 gp
Key Skill: Special
Choose a single ritual you know. Cast it as usual, doubling time to make checks, and record how many successes are made, as well as its Market Price. The Scroll is created, with a number of checks available based on the following criteria:
Component Price: You can "Buy" a single check by paying the market price of the scroll. You must pay this for each check you put on.
Successes made: You cannot have more checks then successes made in the ritual your scribing.
Level: It cannot have more checks then one-half your level (Minimum 1).
Example: A level 4 caster makes a scroll of Animal Messenger. They use the components and roll two Nature checks to get 3 successes over 4 minutes. They then pay 100 gp to have the two checks on the scroll.

Detect Secret Doors
Level: 3
Category: Exploration
Time: 10 minute / check (DC 15)
Duration: Instantaneous
Component Cost: 25 gp (1 Success)
Market Price: 125 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
For each success, add +5 to a perception check you make immediately after the ritual to find any secret or hidden doors in your line of sight.

Endure Elements
Level: 2
Category: Exploration
Time: 10 minute / check (DC 14)
Duration:1 hour / success
Component Cost: 20 gp (1 Success)
Market Price: 100 gp
Key Skill: Arcana, Nature, or Endurance
As Endure Elements in the PHB, except as noted above.

Eye of Alarm
Level: 2
Category: Warding
Time: 10 minute / check (DC 14)
Duration:1 day
Component Cost: 25 gp (required)
Market Price: 100 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
<1st paragraph the same as in the PHB>
When you use this ritual, after you've totalled up your successes, assign them to "number of eyes" or "Vision or Ability", As indicated by the table below.
{table=head]Successes|Eyes Created|Vision or Ability
0|Zero|Normal
1|One|Normal
2|Two|Darkvision
3|Three|Darkvision
4|Four|Darkvision
5+|Five|Darkvision and Tremorsense 12 squares[/table]
So if You had three Successes, you could get One eye with Darkvision, or three eyes with normal vision.
<Rest the same>

Floating Disk
Level: 1
Category: Exploration
Time: 10 minute / check (DC 13)
Duration:24 hours
Component Cost: 10 gp (Required)
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
Each Success allows the Floating Disk to carry 250 lbs. Otherwise as per Tenser's Floating Disk from Player's Handbook.

Gentle Repose
Level: 1
Category: Restoration
Time: 1 hour / check (DC 8)
Duration: 1 day/success
Component Cost: 10 gp (1 success)
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Heal
As Gentle Repose ritual from Player's Handbook, except as noted above.

Hand of Fate
Level: 4
Category: Divination
Time: 10 minute / check (DC 12)
Duration: 10 minutes
Component Cost: 70 gp (required)
Market Price: 175 gp
Key Skill: Religion
As Hand of Fate from the PHB, Except as noted above. In addition, the number of questions you can ask is based on the table below:
{table=head]Successes|Questions
1-10|3
11-20|5
21+|10
[/table]

Knock
Level: 4
Category: Exploration
Time: 1 minute / check (DC 20)
Duration: Instantaneous
Component Cost: 35 gp (required), 1 healing surge (Optional: Two successes)
Market Price: 175 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
As Knock from the PHB, except as noted above. In addition, instead of an Arcana Check to open the lock, you instead make a thievery check, with a bonus equal to 5 + twice the number of successes from this ritual.

Magic Mouth
Level: 1
Category: Exploration
Time: 10 minutes / check (DC 13)
Duration:Permanent until discharged
Component Cost: 10 gp (1 success)
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
As Magic Mouth ritual from Player's handbook, except as noted above. In addition, the length of the message is based on your successes (25 words per success).

Make Whole
Level: 1
Category: Exploration
Time: 10 minutes / check (DC 13)
Duration:Permanent
Component Cost: Special (Required)
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
A single object per success in a close burst 1 is completely repaired. The Component Cost is 20% of each item's base cost. If the cost is not on any price list, the DM determines the cost.

Secret Page
Level: 1
Category: Warding
Time: 10 minutes / check (DC 13)
Duration:Permanent
Component Cost: 10 gp (1 success)
Market Price: 50 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
You ward writings so others cannot read them. Each success protects one page (Maximum 250 words). Otherwise As the Secret Page ritual from the Player's Handbook.

Silence
Level: 1
Category: Warding
Time: 1 minute / check (DC 13)
Duration:24 hours
Component Cost: 30 gp (Required)
Market Price: 75 gp
Key Skill: Arcana
You ward a single room (or burst 4 area) against evasdropping. The degree of the silence is based off successes as indicated by the table below:
{table=head]Successes|Degree of Silence
1| -10 to perception checks
2| -15 to perception checks
3| -20 to perception checks
4| -25 to perception checks
5| Complete Silence (Perception checks to listen are impossible)[/table]

Travellers' Feast
Level: 4
Category: Exploration
Time: 1 hour / check (DC 7)
Duration: 1 day / success
Component Cost: 35 gp (1 success)
Market Price: 175 gp
Key Skill: Nature
As Travellers' Feast from the PHB, except as noted above.

Water Walk
Level: 2
Category: Exploration
Time: 1 minute / check (DC 19)
Duration: 1 hour / success
Component Cost: 20 gp (1 success)
Market Price: 100 gp
Key Skill: Nature
As Water Walk from the PHB, except as noted above.

Gralamin
2009-06-04, 11:01 PM
Reserved, Just in case we get a massive amount of rituals made.

Gralamin
2009-06-06, 12:30 AM
Bump, since It's been 25 hours. Maybe its perfect :smallwink: