2T4U/Supernatural Beings Abilities/Faith Mage Abilities

Faith Mage Abilities

A faith mage (priest, priestess, shaman) is a being (normal or supernatural) who through belief and ritual can use magic.

• Faith: Faith mages must believe in a faith that has a significant number of believers for there to be an appreciable magical effect. This can be from any faith, from Christian to Voodoo to Wicken.
  • Faith magic requires absolute belief in a given faith to function. The slightest doubt will ruin a ritual.
• Rituals: Faith magic requires rituals that are generally written down in religious text, or passed down from generation to generation.
  • Rituals require components.
    • Generally the more powerful the ritual the more components it requires.
    • Most rituals require spoken components, usually holy text.
    • Most rituals require a series of physical gestures.
    • Most rituals require a focus of some sort, be it a crucifix, holy book, or blessed dagger.
    • Some rituals require ingredients, materials that range from relatively common to impossibly rare.
    • Some rituals require a staged scene with an alter, candles and the like.
    • Some rituals can benefit from and/or require multiple magi casting in unison.
• Holy Items: Many faith mage rituals can imbue normal items with magical properties.
  • Relics are the most common type of holy item, and don't require a ritual to produce. Relics are ancient items with some kind of spiritual significance to the faith, like the bones of a saint or the crucifix of a pious pope.
  • Jewelry is the second most common type of holy item, with holy symbols far outstripping other types of jewelry.
  • Potions also exist in some faiths though they are less common. Holy water is very common, however most of it is nothing more than water as it needs to be prepared by a magi of unwavering faith and conviction, which is in short supply.
  • Other items are much less common, and can be just about anything, from a pebble to a building.