Pale Regional Rules

Version 7: April 2006

A printable version of this document is available.

This document describes a number of rules specific to the Theocracy of the Pale for the Living Greyhawk campaign. The most current version of this document can be obtained from the Pale Web site, http://www.theocracyofthepale.com/.

The Theocrat's Fifth

People in the Theocracy of the Pale must donate 20% of all income to the Church, a donation that is referred to as "The Theocrat's Fifth." In Living Greyhawk play, PCs do not need to track this payment. All income from adventures is assumed to already have the relevant donation deducted from it.

Obtaining Divine Spells

Clerics of Pholtus are very common within the Theocracy of the Pale, while other divine casters are rare. Most Pholtan clerics are part of the Church of the One True Path. Most are also conservative and look down on non-Pholtans, while some are more progressive (and thus willing to aid those of differing perspectives). In most cases, a cleric of Pholtus can be found who is willing to cast a divine spell upon a PC, even if the PC is a nonhuman, a heathen or pagan (follows a non-Pholtan faith), or has a different alignment. Before using such divine power, the cleric will expect that the PC show sufficient respect and contrition towards Pholtus, combined with a donation to the cleric's religious efforts.

NPC clerics of Pholtus, though, still show favoritism toward their fellow believers. The minimum donation required for foreigners and pagans is equal to the cost described in the Player's Handbook, plus 10% of the spellcasting cost. (Costly material components are not marked up by this 10%.) To pay list price, a PC must be a cleric or paladin of Pholtus or a member of the primary Church-related meta-orgs — the Church of the One True Path (even the simplest Follower of Pholtus), the Prelatal Militia, or Pholtan Knights Valorous. Assume that a PC can find a cleric of the lowest level needed to cast the requested spell, unless the PC desires otherwise. Thus, for example, here are a few minimum required donations:

Remove Curse: 150 gp (5th-level caster x 3rd-level spell x 10 gp) list, but 165 gp (10% more) for nonbelievers
Regenerate: 910 gp (13th-level caster x 7th-level spell x 10 gp) list, but 1001 gp (10% more) for nonbelievers
Raise Dead: 5,450 gp (9th-level caster x 5th-level spell x 10 gp, plus 5,000 gp materials) list, but 5,495 gp (10% more on the casting cost) for nonbelievers.

In the Living Greyhawk Campaign Sourcebook (LGCS), Table 6-2: Town Size and Spellcaster Level indicates the maximum caster level available in typical settlements of various sizes. Since the Pale has many powerful clerics (the prelates and archbishops), the following information supersedes the ?Small City? and ?Large City? entries on the LGCS table. The levels are the actual caster levels of the prelates, archbishops, or bishops:

* (P) = Prelate. (A) = Archbishop. (B) = Bishop.

Note that 9th-level spells are available from Theocrat Theoman Baslett, but he will not cast 9th-level spells for PCs without Triad approval.

A Judge may always decide that some spells are not available; for instance, no clerics of Pholtus cast spells with the "evil" or "chaos" descriptors.

1) Druidic spellcasting by NPC druids of Pholtus (the Shapers of Sun and Stone) is available in or near all Pale cities, up to a caster level of 5th. The head of the order, a 7th-level caster, resides in Ogburg.

Clerical spellcasting by demihuman NPCs is also available in or near all Pale cities, up to a caster level of 9th. The races vary by city: halflings in any city; dwarves near the Rakers or Griffs (Rakervale, Landrigard, Eltison, Ogburg, and Calbut); elves near the forests (Hatherleigh, Atherstone, and Stradsett); and gnomes near the Flinty Hills (Ogburg and Stradsett). Demihuman clerics follow a variety of deities, but the highest-level clerics generally follow the chief deity of their racial pantheon (Yondalla, Moradin, Corellon Larethian, Garl Glittergold). The Senior DM has the final say in determining whether a cleric of a particular demihuman deity may be found.

2) Demihuman PCs may freely seek the aid of any demihuman cleric, but the Church of the One True Path considers it beneath a "proper" human to do so. If a human PC receives spells from a demihuman cleric NPC, that PC must make a DC 12 Bluff or Diplomacy check (player's choice). If the PC fails the check, he or she may instead spend a Favor of Pholtus to smooth over the situation. Failing the check and not spending the Favor means that the PC begins to get a bad reputation from the Church, which should be marked as a note on the AR: "Caught receiving spell from demihuman cleric". This reputation could affect the PC?s future relations with the Church.

3) Non-Pholtan human divine casters ("pagan priests") in the Pale are rare to begin with and are (wisely) secretive. Unless such an NPC is specifically included in a scenario, it takes time, effort, and risk to find one. Use the following mechanic:

After a Pale Regional scenario or Interactive, a PC may spend 1 TU and make a Gather Information check. The level of the pagan priest found equals one-half of the check result (rounded down) , to a maximum of 15th level. To avoid the attention of the Palish authorities when making the Gather Information check, the PC must also make a Bluff or Diplomacy check (player?s choice, DC = 5 + the level of the priest found). Failing this check means that the PC does not gain the services of the priest and is instead sent to a New Dawn Camp for 1 additional TU. For example, a PC achieves a result of 19 on the Gather Information check and therefore finds a 9th-level pagan priest (half of 19), but must then make a DC 14 (5+9) Bluff or Diplomacy check. Taking 10 is allowed on both checks, and other PCs may aid the checks if they also spend the TU, but using spells (such as divine insight) or other short-term aid (such as a bard's inspire competence ability) is not allowed. Members of the Natural Order or the Council of Faith receive a +10 circumstance bonus on the Gather Information check and do not need to make the Bluff or Diplomacy check. Pagan priests generally follow Beory, Pelor, or other nature-oriented deities, but priests of other deities (such as Boccob, Xan Yae, or Trithereon) are possible. The Senior DM has the final say in determining whether a priest of a particular deity may be found.

Favors of Pholtus

Favors of Pholtus are influence points granted to PCs for services rendered to the Church of the One True Path. These influence points may be redeemed in a variety of ways, such as joining some Pale meta-game organizations, including running a business or owning land. At the Judge's discretion, Favors can be redeemed with various organizations in a scenario, to get assistance or information.

Please note: you may no longer use Favors of Pholtus to reduce the cost of obtaining divine spells from an NPC cleric.

Non-Pholtan Holy Symbols

It is illegal for adventurers to display a human holy symbol other than that of Pholtus in the Pale.

The intent of this rule is to properly depict the flavor of the Pale as a single religion theocracy ruled over by the Church of the One True Path and not to create player-vs.-player conflict. It is meant to enhance the role-playing of living under a religious government that does not allow freedom of religion.

PCs displaying the holy symbol of any human deity other than that of Pholtus should be fined and their holy symbol should be confiscated for destruction by the Palish authorities. The amount of the fine varies by APL: APL 2, 90gp; APL 4, 130gp; APL 6, 180gp; APL 8, 260gp; APL 10, 460gp; APL 12, 660gp. The confiscation and fine should take place as soon as any Palish authorities notice the holy symbol. This may leave a non-Pholtan cleric without his holy symbol for the adventure, as non-Pholtan holy symbols may not be purchased in the Pale without taking special actions. Non-human PCs are exempt from this law when displaying their racial deities? holy symbol(s). Non-humans are heathens who cannot even recognize the glory of Pholtus due to their beliefs in their own racial deities. If they can be brought to the light of Pholtus, this is good and perhaps they can be redeemed, but if they do not, it is of no consequence. Non-humans wearing the holy symbols of a human deity are treated the same as a human wearing a non-Pholtan holy symbol as they have shown that their souls have chosen to acknowledge human beliefs and culture, and they should, therefore, be brought to the truth of Pholtus.

Some deities require special adjudication for this rule due to their positions within non-human cultures as well as within human cultures.

• Bleredd — Considered a human deity due to his origins as an Oeridian deity and continued worship by Oeridians.
• Ehlonna — Considered an elven deity when worn as a holy symbol by elves only. This is due to special dispensation and negotiations with the Phostaldaron to allow for continued use of the Treaty Road through the Phostwood and into Tenh for the liberation and relief efforts in that region. All non-elves will be penalized as if violating the law even if they are not human as Ehlonna is considered to be a human deity.
• Fortubo — Considered a dwarven deity as he has withdrawn his support from the Suel, where his origins lie, in favor of fighting against the derro and their evil deity.
• Jascar — Considered a human deity, his origins are Suel and his primary worshippers still include many Suel.
• Nazarn — Considered a half-orc deity, since even though his origin is Suel, he was a half-orc himself and is venerated primarily by half-orcs.
• Ulaa — Considered a human deity due to her position as the wife of the Oeridian god, Bleredd, and her worship by humans.

Deities with Special Consideration due to their status:

• St. Cuthbert — Clergy loyal to St. Cuthbert were found to be working with clergy loyal to an infernal deity in the past. Displaying the holy symbol of St. Cuthbert is as offensive as displaying the holy symbol of a force of Chaos. See the next entry for worshippers of Chaotic deities.
• Chaotic Deities — Worshippers of Chaotic deities are fined double the usual fine, for being Agents of Chaos.
• Evil Deities — If a PC is found to be carrying the unholy symbol of an evil deity, all normal actions will be taken, and a geas/quest is cast on the PC to keep him from touching the unholy symbols of evil deities in the future. (The above assumes that the PC is not actually a cleric of the evil deity, since that is prohibited in the Living Greyhawk Campaign.)

No PC may enforce this rule through combat or offensive physical actions. Player-vs-player conflict will be adjudicated as a violation of the RPGA General Rules, as always. If one PC chooses to report another PC to the authorities for a violation of this law, he will also be questioned and detained as to why he was associating with such a heathen, but will not be penalized.

For fair adjudication of this rule in the Theocracy of the Pale, some in-game rules are required for skills like Bluff and the hiding of non-Pholtan holy symbols:

1. To locate a non-Pholtan holy symbol in the Pale requires a DC 25 Gather Information check and the holy symbol will cost twice the standard price listed in the Player's Handbook price.
2. To craft a new wooden holy symbol requires a DC 15 Craft (jewelrymaking) or (woodcarving) check.
3. Seeing a holy symbol in its normal location around the neck as a necklace unless engaged in conversation or within a normal conversational distance from someone is a DC 10 (the average Pale legal authority has an average Spot skill of +2). Holy symbols worn as other pieces of jewelry are not readily recognized as holy symbols at this time and require a DC 20 Spot check to notice followed by a DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check to identify the holy symbol since it is a non-standard holy symbol; it is the same Spot check even if engaged in conversation as most people look to the neck to notice holy symbols.
4. It is a Bluff check or Sleight of Hand check (player?s choice) opposed by Spot checks may be used to cast a spell using a holy symbol without the other person being able to see the holy symbol being used to cast the spell. The person attempting this has a -5 circumstance penalty due to the requirement of forceful presentation of holy symbols to cast spells where they are required as the divine focus.
5. It is a DC 10 Knowledge (religion) check to identify the holy symbol of most deities. Some more obscure deities require a DC 15 and some extremely obscure deities may require a higher check to identify their holy symbols. Judges should use their best judgement on this, but a simple guide is if the deity is listed in the Player's Handbook or is a greater deity according to the LG deities' document, it is probably only a DC 10 check. If you haven't heard of the deity before, the deity is probably obscure.

Arcane Registration

Arcane magic is distrusted in the Theocracy of the Pale. Thus, the law requires all arcane spellcasters to register with the government. (Registry with the government is not the same as membership in the Arcanist Guild, which is a meta-game organization.) The Church is very diligent about informing foreigners of this law, so most traveling spellcasters are promptly registered as well.

Any PC who is found not to be registered as an arcane spellcaster within the Pale will be arrested and confined to service within a New Dawn Camp for a period of 4 TU (one month in game terms). The arcanist will immediately be registered as such in the Pale as a part of his arrest.

In Pale Regional scenarios, city guards or other officials may ask any known arcane casters to show proof of registration. As the player of an arcane caster, you may download and print the Arcane Registration Certificate from the Pale regional website (http://www.theocracyofthepale.com/downloads/ arcane_registration.pdf). If you are judging a scenario, you might want to print some certificates, in case any players with arcanist PCs have not done so for themselves.

Just because a player has failed to print this certificate for his character is not a reason to punish his PC; if the player just did not have the opportunity or means to print a certificate, you may assume he is registered if he says he is though you may wish to document this on his AR. Once an arcanist has been arrested, he is registered in the Pale and this should be documented on his AR. It does not matter if he destroys his certificate or not as the Pale keeps diligent records of the registered arcanists and this information is transcribed to the registration books throughout the Pale once a month.

Arcane spellcaster characters may attempt to utilize forged documents if they so choose. It requires a Bluff check opposed by the Sense Motive check of the authorities attempting to verify the PCs registration paperwork to succeed at this ruse. Failure results in arrest for not being registered and an additional 500 gp fine for forging official Pale documents. (If the PC has the ability to forge documents, this check may be used in lieu of his Bluff check).

Improved Familiars

Improved Familiar (included in the Dungeon Master's Guide v3.5 and expanded in Complete Warrior) is a Core feat in Living Greyhawk. The Pale Triad has chosen not to limit access to any of the familiars in those books, but the following list can give some guidance on fitting your familiar into the Pale. The central lands of the Pale are generally too civilized to find most of these creatures, but the mountains, forests, or hills along the borders are suitable habitat. A PC with a special familiar is assumed to have obtained a permit to keep it in the Pale, but some businesses might still prohibit large or typically dangerous beasts, stables might charge extra, and so on.

Blink dog: Although blink dogs are very rare in the Pale, Tenh supported a population of blink dogs and some of them escaped the Ether Threat by fleeing to the foothills of the Griff Mountains. These lawful good creatures are welcome in the Pale.

Formian worker: These lawful outsiders are ideally suited to life in the Pale, though their insectoid appearance may spook citizens still fearful from the Ether Threat of CY 592-3.

Hippogriff: Hippogriffs inhabit the southern Rakers and northeastern Gamboge Forest; since they sometimes prey on livestock, the Pale has sponsored hippogriff hunts to control the population. Citizens in the southern Pale often look askance at hippogriffs in their settlements.

Krenshar: These predators are rare, but a few live in the forests or foothills. As with hippogriffs, krenshars may draw stares of suspicion from Pale citizens.

Pseudodragon: These elusive creatures can be found in the Gamboge Forest or Phostwood.

Shocker lizard: These creatures are not native to the chilly Pale, so the master probably found the shocker lizard in a warmer country and brought it back here.

Stirge: Seen only occasionally in the Pale, stirges are usually considered pests.

The following improved familiars are off-limits to PCs without campaign documentation, because they require that the master have an unusual type or subtype: celestial hawk (or other celestial animal) (Good subtype); elemental, Small (air, earth, fire, or water) (appropriate elemental subtype); homunculus (Undead type); ice mephit (Cold subtype).

Dust mephit or salt mephit (Pale special options): These outsiders have become common in the devastated lands of Tenh. The ARs of most Pale Regional scenarios, minimissions, or interactives set in Tenh include access to attract a dust mephit or a salt mephit as an improved familiar. The PC must be at least a 7th-level arcane spellcaster capable of attracting a familiar.

Note that Chapter 6 of the LGCS expressly prohibits evil familiars for PCs. This list includes the following: fiendish Tiny viper snake (or other fiendish animal), hell hound, howler, imp, quasit, winter wolf, and worg.

Other creatures are allowed only with campaign documentation. If you want access to a familiar not on the list above, consider asking the Triad for a Special Mission, also called a Quest. For more information about Quests in the Pale, look in the Game Rules section of the regional website.

Curses and Suspect Items

The Church Militant carefully observes the influence of evil or chaotic magic, but the Living Greyhawk campaign has created a few opportunities for PCs to obtain curses (even if they seem beneficial), cursed items, or evil or chaotic items.

It is illegal to possess any items that radiate evil or chaos, as well as those that bestow negative levels on good or lawful wielders. It is also illegal to be under the influence of curses that indicate an allegiance to evil or chaos. Such curses include, but are not limited to, the Mark of Avernus (from the Core series To Serve the Greater Good, by David Christ), lycanthropy, the curse from PAL1-09 Bewitched, and the Curse of the Demongrasp Rod from PAL4-04 Leap of Faith. PCs with the tattoo from COR4-04 Red Tide, showing loyalty to the Scarlet Brotherhood, are not considered cursed or evil and are not persecuted by the Theocracy.

If your PC is discovered by the Palish authorities to have a suspect item or curse, he will be penalized, as follows.

Evil or Chaotic Items: The Church sends a Church Militant squad of overwhelming strength to arrest the PC and confiscate the item. The PC must serve a sentence in a New Dawn Camp, depending on the list value of the item: 2 TU for an item worth 5,000 gp or less; 4 TU for an item worth 12,000 gp or less; and 6 TU for a more valuable item. The PC loses the item without any refund of gold.

Curses: The PC is arrested and forced to pay an NPC spellcaster to cast the necessary remove curse, break enchantment, or similar spell. The PC must also serve time in a New Dawn Camp: 1 TU per level of the required spell (such as 3 TU for a remove curse). If an item is the source of the curse, the Church confiscates it without compensation to the PC.

Persistent Curses: Some curses cannot be removed by normal spells. If your PC has such a curse, he must first pay (both gold and TUs) for a break enchantment, as described above, even though it fails. The Church then releases the PC, provided he returns for periodic lessons on staying pure against corruption; in game terms, the PC must spend an extra 1 TU (free Standard Upkeep) after any Pale Regional scenario in which he still has the curse. Your judge should sign your Adventure Record when the initial payment is made, so the PC only has to pay for the failed spell once, and you should show this AR to future judges of Pale Regional scenarios when you pay the additional TU.

If you have questions about suspect items or curses in the Pale, talk to your DM, the convention coordinator, or a Triad member.