What counts as a shrine?

[NecroDancer]

For the spell word of recall specifically

My cleric is an arcana cleric who is a field researcher and a professor of divine studies at Mage U (Magician University). He is a devote follower of the goddess of Ioun. I was thinking his shrine would be one of three things.

1). His office/workspace where he keeps his notes and and maps. It's covered in various chairs, books, and half eaten muffins. He often allows people to take what they need freely from the office and it has become an unofficial faculty library/workroom/lounge area.

2). A clean lavatory where all the best ideas come from.

3). An actual temple to Ioun (this is the most boring).

What would you consider the bare minimum for a shrine?

[Mith]

I think 1) works as it is the centre of his dedication to the Goddess. I would sort of merge 1) and 2) with the office being more of a work center design to allow him to fully dedicate his efforts to his research.

[Drackolus]

Word of recall only requires a sanctuary. His office would surely meet that requirement.

[NecroDancer]

Word of recall only requires a sanctuary. His office would surely meet that requirement.

Sweet, I also love the idea of my character having to escape a monster and arrive in the perfect place to research on it.

[Vogonjeltz]

For the spell word of recall specifically

My cleric is an arcana cleric who is a field researcher and a professor of divine studies at Mage U (Magician University). He is a devote follower of the goddess of Ioun. I was thinking his shrine would be one of three things.

1). His office/workspace where he keeps his notes and and maps. It's covered in various chairs, books, and half eaten muffins. He often allows people to take what they need freely from the office and it has become an unofficial faculty library/workroom/lounge area.

2). A clean lavatory where all the best ideas come from.

3). An actual temple to Ioun (this is the most boring).

What would you consider the bare minimum for a shrine?

An alter or wall with the holy symbol of a deity, presumably a quiet vaguely enclosed space (for example, a shrine in a woodland setting might be a block of stone with the symbol of a deity carved or inlaid in some other material in a small thicket).

[IShouldntBehere]

Any space altered by mortal hands for the specific and sole purpose of worship. A small pile of stones at the side of the road would be as much a shrine as a grand cathedral. It's also fine if the shrine is used for other things, while a shrine is created solely for worship it doesn't cease to be one just because someone decides to start selling goats on the temple grounds.

None of the things you've described would really seem to qualify as a shrine for me but as others have pointed out I don't think a shrine would really be required in this case. So really any place he has control over and can secure would work, shrine or otherwise.

[Slipperychicken]

I'd let your office count if you put at least a nightstand-sized shrine there. At least one lamp-sized statuette or image of Ioun in a central location visible from your main work area, a holy book, maybe some scented candles, symbols against vecna, and other religious paraphernalia such as wall-scrolls displaying common prayers or prayer-carpets in the style associated with Ioun. All must be arranged properly and kept clean and in good condition. You'd have to maintain the place well, pray there regularly, make sacrifices (at least the occasional meal left out for Ioun. Muffins are okay if reasonably fresh and uneaten), and take great care to stop anything that could be construed as sinful or disrespectful to Ioun from happening in there.

tl;dr: Your average office is a nonstarter. An office that has been so faithfully, rigorously, and meticulously maintained that it might as well be a shrine is acceptable.

[Grizl' Bjorn]

I dissent from SllipperyChicken and wish to offer a more lenient opinion.

I think that any place your character can demonstrate is of ongoing religious signficance, and is used for a religious purpose on an ongoing basis is acceptable. The space must not be used for any secular purpose which is contrary to its religious purpose, and any secular activity which occurs very regularly in such a space must be in harmony with the religious theme of the shrine.

Thus the ordinary office of a cleric of knowledge is probably sufficent. An ordinary wood grove is probably sufficent for a cleric of nature. A hospital or clinic is probably acceptable for a cleric of life and so on.

[Ninja_Prawn]

The text of the spell says "a location... dedicated to or strongly linked to your deity."

So I wouldn't allow an ordinary office; that's tangentially related at best. I interpret 'strongly linked' as a spiritual (as opposed to conceptual) thing, so either a holy site where Ioun once walked, or a place where Ioun worshippers have gathered for centuries. If you wanted to Word of Recall back to your office, you'd need somewhere that's been specifically dedicated, typically an alcove or niche with some kind of symbol or idol. Something like this is probably the minimum I'd allow:

https://margieinitaly.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/a-1-shrine-1024x679.jpg

[JellyPooga]

My interpretation is more lenient still. The spell states;


You must designate a sanctuary by casting this spell within a location, such as a temple, dedicated to or strongly linked to your deity.

So there are two requirements;
1) That you cast the spell there.
2) The location is dedicated or linked to your deity.

For me, this in no way implies a permanent structure; a "portable shrine", holy relic or other consecrated object of significant value (so no, your spare Holy Symbol doesn't count, unless it used to belong to a saint or something), left in a location and then casting this spell in that location seems fitting enough as a "mark" to return to. Of course, such a portable "shrine" carries the danger of being removed, defaced or destroyed, negating it's efficacy of being used upon further castings of Word of Recall to return to that location.

I would also be inclined to allow a Hallow spell to count as a location "dedicated to your deity".

Remember that this is a 6th level spell, which for most of your career (even once you have access to it) means that you're only casting this once a day, which means preparing a location the day before you actually want to use it. This limits it to more strategic use than tactical.

So to address the OP;

1) Office: I would allow this on the assumption that as a Cleric of Ioun, your office is likely cluttered with objects devoted to your deity (and seriously, you really should have Hallowed it by now, if you haven't already).

2) The Can: Unless your, uh, throne has a bog-seat that was used regularly by a saint or something, or you have a significant holy relic on the wall (or, you've Hallowed it, I guess...could be handy with the Silence or Extradimensional Interference effects; no-one wants to be disturbed while they're, umm...taking care of business!), then probably not.

3) Actual Temple: Certainly (but as you say, a little dull).

[Sigreid]

I would say a shrine can be anywhere where the ground has been blessed/sanctified by the religion.

[MrStabby]

I just use the hallow spell for this. Any temple is assumed to have it in place, any where where it is cast is deemed to be Hallows

[Laserlight]

A specific site on which a rite of consecration has been performed and devoted exclusively to worship. Given that it's Ioun, I'd allow a research lab. if your office has a dedicated alcove, I'd probably allow that.