Writober! Altars! Shadowdark Post-a-Day In October

This month is Drawtober: 31 drawing prompts related to the Shadowdark RPG, 1 a day, throughout October. But I’m borrowing the prompts for short essays. Today’s prompt is “Altar”.

Altars are the centerpieces of religious ceremonies.  Everything from great temples to druidic stone circles.  They help to channel divine magic to augment the effects of a spell cast there. Here are several possibilities:

• Augury (2): The priest receives a phrase as an answer instead of just “weal” or  “woe”.
• Bless (2): Each person touching the altar receives a luck token.
• Commune (4): Like augury, the priest is given a phrase as an answer to each question.
• Cure Wounds (1): Each person touching the altar is cured.
• Divine Vengeance (5): The effect doesn’t start immediately. Instead, the priest may activate it any time during the next 24 hours in lieu of their action or movement during a round.
• Dominion (5): The summoned beings stay in this realm for 24 hours.
• Heal (5): Each person touching the altar is cured.
• Holy Weapon (1): The weapon remains holy for 24 hours. Only one weapon can be enchanted by the altar at a time.
• Judgement (5): The spell can affect creatures up to double the caster’s level.
• Lay To Rest (3): The spell affects a number of creatures within near equal to the caster’s level.
• Plane Shift (5): The spell affects all willing creatures within near.
• Prophecy (5): If you succeed on an additional spellcasting check, you don’t have to complete a penance.
• Restoration (3): All of a target’s afflictions are expunged.
• Speak With Dead (3): The dead body must answer with phrases, not just “yes” or “no”.

The above are most priest spells, but not all.  Several spells don’t make sense to extend their duration, range, or other effects.

Here are our previous Writober posts so far:

1. Torch – Rules for magic torch items (each is a single use magic effect spell like alarm or detect magic).
2. Skull – Goblin shaman who can turn victims’ skulls into ways to store spells.
3. Fiend – Lists of talents that Devils & Demons typically have for making your own.
4. Shadow – Easy ways to make other creatures into shadows.
5. Contagion – Discussing the purpose of diseases.
6. Valkyrie – A new 3rd party class.
7. Toadstool – A new 3rd party ancestry.
8. Witchlight – Alternate sources of “witchlight”.
9. Luck Token – Alternate ways a GM may allow a luck token to be used.
10.  Rage – The signature ability of a Barbarian class.