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The Cleric's Handbook This guide includes the basic points covered in the main body of the SRC Charter for this topic, as well as additional rules, clarifications, and examples. This guide is considered part of the SRC Charter. This guide is subject to frequent revision, so please return at least monthly to be certain you are working with the latest available set of rules. Updated information will be added in the appropriate section of this guide. When an update for this guide is issued, the guide name and date of most recent update will appear on the Revisions page. Clerics The term "Cleric" is used represent any and all healers, members of all religious orders regardless of rank or alignment, and cybernetics technicians. In most forums Clerics can do anything Healers can do, and a great deal more, so SRC has chosen to do away with the Healer class altogether. The Cleric class covers anyone who is capable of returning a character's lost health points, be it through magic, medical science, prayer, or computer technology. Cleric characters may define themselves as anything they feel is appropriate to the character; shamans, druids, clerics, healers, physicians, doctors, midwives, street docs, neurosurgeons etc. are all Clerics. Players who wish to play healers are still considered Clerics, whether they have any religious affiliation or not (i.e. it is not necessary to be religious to fall into the Cleric classification). By the same token, characters who are of a religious calling need not ever heal, even though they are capable of doing so. Cleric Alignment - It is acceptable for any Cleric to be of
any alignment. One character's belief that another character's god is evil does not make
that belief a universal truth. Additionally, followers of neutral or evil paths are no
less in need of healing or spiritual guidance than good paths, and gods of evil or neutral
paths are no less in need of servants. Finally, because a Cleric in SRC need not be of any
religious affiliation at all, it seems unfair to put an alignment limitation on the class.
A street doc from a Shadowrun sprawl may be as evil and self-serving as they get, but
he'll still save your life, no questions asked---for a price. Varying alignments give the
roleplaying world texture and depth, and have as much place in SRC as any other aspect of
roleplaying The concept of a character keeping track of their health in an online game with potentially thousands of other players is still in its infancy. As with gold, there is no real way (save through peer pressure) to regulate such things. It must all depend on the player's honesty. There is nothing to stop KillerJoe from saying he magically healed himself (or for that matter, simply ignoring the damage altogether) of those 18 points of damage he took while running from a failed AA except Joe's PLAYER's sense of honesty and good roleplaying. In fact, it is so common for players (and therefore their characters) to simply ignore damage that especially at first, a Cleric may be hard pressed to earn enough gold and experience to make being a Cleric worth while. It is almost a given that if Cleric characters want to advance, they will have to spar or have another line of work in addition to performing Cleric services. SRC hopes that by providing more clear and rational rules in this area, it will gradually help change the attitudes that view most Cleric services as optional. Clerics earn xp for healing others at a rate of 10xp per point healed. No XP is granted
for healing after normal spars, as these are considered not to actually cause damage. The
word "healing" covers most areas such as bandaging wounds, and curing poisons
and disease. There is a maximum amount of xp a Cleric can earn from healing any one
victim, and this is based on the victim's dice; you can't heal more damage than can be
done. So, if the victim is 2d, the maximum xp to the Cleric is 200xp; if the victim is 3d
the maximum xp to the Cleric is 300xp, and if the victim is 4d the maximum xp to the
Cleric is 400xp.
Some things that would normally require a Cleric, but which do not require healing, per se, can still earn xp for the Cleric. These activities are usually role-played out, but still require that a log be turned in for xp, even if no die rolls are made. The Cleric must do more than simply be in the room in order to claim xp. For example, birth assistance is worth 50xp, but if the Cleric turned in a log that merely demonstrated they were in the room during the birth, the dicemaster or GC can legitimately disallow the log for xp purposes. If on the other hand, the Cleric did an excellent job of roleplaying the birth assistance, the GC or dicemaster can, at their discretion, award more than the standard 50xp. As a general rule, in situations that are role-played rather than dice-based, the Cleric must have at least 10 lines of speech or action in order to qualify for the minimum xp award. Certain healing functions are much more difficult than others, so Clerics are encouraged to work together on them. Two of the three most difficult generally have some spiritual aspects as well. These difficult activities are also worth more experience, to reflect the added difficulty. The three most difficult Cleric functions are turning a human to a cyborg, doing a soul-transfer, and doing a resurrection. A Note on Resurrections: Any Cleric involved in a
resurrection (whether the attempt was successful or not) must report this to the
Chancellor of Records. The standard way of doing this is to cut and paste the last few
lines of the log of the attempt into an email, being sure that both the victim and the
cleric appear in the log, and that it is clear from the log whether the attempt succeeded
or failed. Failure to file this report may result in invalidated logs, xp fines, or in
severe or repeat cases, exile. Mods and Spells for Clerics Many Cleric characters will use magic to do their healing, although most of the rolls unless otherwise stated are actually skill rolls, not magic rolls. For those who choose to use magic, there are healing spells that are specific to Clerics as well as a few new mods items that are available only to Clerics. These items and spells will state "Cleric only" or "Cleric-Mage only" in their descriptions in their respective catalogs. To use any type of healing spell, you must be a Mage or Cleric-Mage unless the spell description states otherwise.
XP gained for religious ceremonies is generally based on the Cleric's ability and willingness to roleplay. As with other activities, logs (with the ritual or ceremony stated at the beginning, or at least in the subject line of the email) must be kept and turned in for xp to be awarded. The more intricate the ceremony, the higher the xp gained. The Cleric must have a minimum of 10 lines of speech or action in the ritual to qualify for the base amount of xp listed in the charts. However, if the Cleric actually puts some work into roleplaying the ritual, there are modifiers to this base xp. For a Simple Ritual, the Cleric has 10 to 29 lines of speech or action. This is the base for figuring xp, and no modifier applies. For an Intermediate Ritual, the Cleric has 30-75 lines of speech or action. This level requires at least some thought on the Cleric's part, and possibly even a little planning, and so earns the Cleric 1.5 times the base value of the ritual. For an Intricate Ritual, the Cleric has 76+ lines of speech or action. This is the all-out formal ritual. This level requires quite a bit of prior planning and creativity on the Cleric's part, and so earns double the base value of the ritual.
Payment for Cleric Services Clerics can and should request payment for many of the services they perform. If a character comes to a Cleric for a service, generally speaking the Cleric has a right to charge them for it. If the Cleric simply steps in to help, they CANNOT charge for the service. For example, if a character is wounded in a match and asks the Cleric for healing, the Cleric may charge for it, but if the Cleric takes it upon themselves to heal that character without being asked, they cannot ask for payment. Any time a Cleric intercedes, they are considered to be volunteering their services. If the Cleric intends to charge for a service they must state in the log BEFORE the service begins how much the fee will be, and the character who is to pay for it must agree to and pay for that service. For things like weddings, the discussion of payment is not likely to take place at the beginning of the actual ceremony, so the Cleric should keep a log of that negotiation session in their records. Some Cleric services usually earn only xp unless other characters choose to make gifts to them. These are stopping or preventing a death match, sermons, and confessions. Although it is conceivable (and acceptable) for someone to hire a Cleric to attempt to stop a DM, this is probably going to be unusual. In most cases, if two characters agree to a DM, they are not going to request that a Cleric come in to try to stop them, therefore stopping a DM is a voluntary act. Sermons and other religious teachings are usually for the purpose of promoting one's beliefs and/or deity to others, and is therefore not a paid service, unless the Cleric has a "church" which pays them (see Churches, above). Hearing confessions, like preaching, is usually a service provided by a church, and a Cleric should probably not charge for it. Suggested Fees For Cleric Services - as discussed above, certain Cleric functions are not often paid services. The Cleric may set their own fees for most services, however there are some guidelines available. As a general rule for services requiring die rolls, services the Cleric earns 10xp or less per hit would pay 1gp per hit; services that earn more than 10xp per hit should pay no less than 2 gp per hit, but no more than twice the gold equivalent of the total xp awarded for the service. For example, if a Cleric heals a dragon (4d), they might charge 40 gp to do so; to resurrect that same dragon they could charge anywhere from 80 gp to 3200 gp. For services that do not require die rolls, a Cleric may not charge more than 10 times the xp value of the service. For example, a Cleric may not charge more than 1000gp for a wedding ceremony. Generally 1or 2 times the total xp value of the service is a good average fee. This keeps the costs reasonable to the characters paying for the services (thus bringing the Cleric more "customers") while still allowing the Cleric to make a little gold for the work they do. Cleric Organizations Cleric characters who work well together, or find themselves working together often may want to consider organizing into a hospital or church. These are registered as businesses, and charge for some or all of their services. They may created and run by one character, however this is discouraged. It is preferred that these organizations have at least two members (owners, or an administrator and one or more employees). Hospitals and churches must have at least one public room, and should either have someone available in that room most of the time, or have a regular schedule (which should be posted on the SRC Website once the business is registered). Churches and hospitals take a lot of time, and those considering starting one should take that into consideration. Churches and hospitals can lose their registrations if they are frequently unavailable during their posted hours. Note that the words "hospital" and "church" are used here for convenience and clarity, but the organization can be called whatever the creator wishes (clinic, parish, asylum, whatever). For business classification purposes, they are referred to as hospitals or churches. Hospitals A hospital charges for all healing services, and may also sell such items as drugs and medicinal herbs. It should ideally be owned/administrated by one Cleric with d60 or higher, and may employ up to 10 additional Clerics of any dice level. Employees may either be paid a salary, or may be paid on a case-by-case basis, where the Cleric who does the healing is paid directly for that service by the victim. Owners should be careful of paying salaries, however, as this can lead to situations where one or two Clerics of a staff of 10 actually do the work, while the other 8 sit back and get paid for doing nothing. Like all businesses, hospitals must be registered, and the registration must be renewed monthly. Frequent complaints of a particular hospital being unavailable during its scheduled hours is grounds for the Minister of Commerce not to renew that hospital's registration. Additionally, the administrator may be fined. A hospital must have at least one public room which should be manned for several hours daily, or at the very least should have regular hours during which it is open. It may have additional private rooms, such as surgeries or recovery rooms. The main room would primarily be like the waiting area or reception desk of the hospital, while the "work" would actually take place in other rooms. This setup is suggested so that 2 or 3 Clerics are not all working with different victims at the same time, making for very confusing (and easily miscounted) xp logs. The administrator may set a hospital up they way they choose---the additional room(s) is only a suggestion. Hospitals may also include pharmacies, thereby bringing in still more money. Administrators may find this more headache than it is actually worth, however, and should read the Merchant's Handbook carefully to learn what is involved. Like most of the General Merchandise items, drugs and herbs are provided for the sake of roleplaying rather than for the fact that they actually do anything (in other words, at present they do not affect die rolls -- this may change as the SRC system advances). A hospital administrator may find that including a pharmacy simply adds unnecessary paperwork, without really benefiting the hospital in any way. It is perfectly acceptable to establish a pharmacy in a hospital for a month just to see how it works, because like all businesses the pharmacy's registration must be renewed each month. Note on medicines: A Cleric can recommend that a patient acquire medication, however they cannot require or prescribe such. Certain mods add to the Cleric's ability to heal a victim, if possessed by the victim, however, and Clerics should familiarize themselves with these items and can recommend them to characters they find themselves healing often. Churches A church is any registered (as a business) Cleric or group of clerics who perform services on a regular schedule in a public room. As with hospitals, frequent complaints of the church being unavailable during the scheduled hours may result in the church's registration not being renewed and/or the administrator being fined. Because churches are registered as businesses, their registrations must be renewed each month, as with any other business. The church must have at least one public room, and it is suggested that it maintain one or more private rooms in which such services as confessions take place. The church should provide a link to the main room in its listing on the SRC website. Generally, even though registered as a business, a church will make little or no profit, and may survive primarily on gifts from its faithful. Churches charge for some services but not for others, the same way solo Clerics do. For instance, they would charge for such things as weddings, but not for sermons. The administrator (High Priestess, call them what you will) may pay the Clerics who work for the church salaries, which is the only way a Cleric normally would get paid for doing such services as sermons and confessions. Salaries are usually paid out of the total amount the church earns for the services they do charge for and from gifts, divided (equally, or based on experience, or however the administrator chooses) among the Clerics who work for the church. As with hospitals, care should be taken in this case to be sure that one Cleric is not doing the work that three are getting paid for. Churches may also pay Clerics on a case-by-case basis as described for hospitals, above, wherein the Cleric receives payment for each service they perform. In this case, any gifts to the church might be divided among the Clerics as a bonus. Churches may sell such related items as holy books or holy symbols (normal or mods, but if mods are sold, the normal mods rules must be observed). Most of these items are made available primarily for role-playing purposes, although some holy items are available that do modify die rolls. Clerics should be aware of these items if they relate to the Cleric's religion, or to any services they normally perform. Church administrators may find that the gain from the sale of such items does not significantly increase the amount of gold the church has available, and may in fact be far more trouble than it is worth, as the amount of paperwork involved can be rather daunting.As noted with hospitals and pharmacies, a church may wish to try adding a shop for holy items for a month or two; if it works, fine, if not, the registration can just be dropped the following month. Note: A Cleric or church cannot require a follower to purchase a holy item. They can only recommend it.
Revisions: |
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Standardized Rules
Conference