About Religious Skills
Because of the major among Hârn's churches, GMs/groups will need to make decisions about the scope of Burning Wheel's various religious skills (e.g. Does a given skill apply generally, to all churches? Or are these skills Church-specific?)
This page provides suggestions on how to address this question on a skill-by-skill basis.
The Scope of Religious Skills
Below are my suggestions for interpeting the scope of Burning Wheel's religious skills in the Hârnic setting:
Burial Rites: Can be
used generally, for any church. Disadvantage
penalties can be applied when a priest is performing rites for a member
of a different chuch.
Burial at Sea Rites: Can be used generally; not church-specific.
Church Law: Can be used generally, for all churches. Disadvantage penalties can be applied when dealing with canon law of a different chuch.
Demonology/Empyrealia: These skills could represent knowledge of the divine servants of all of Hârn's gods, or of just a few of them (e.g. Demonology could be used for the so-called Dark Gods-- Agrik, Morgath, and Naveh). The group should agree upon the scope of these skills at the time they are taken.
Doctrine: Can be used generally, for all of Hârn's ten churches. Disadvantage penalties can be applied when dealing with the beliefs/teachings of other churches.
- Cult Doctrine: Provides knowledge of the
teachings of a specific order, cult, or fringe religious group. GMs/players
should agree on the specifics at the time skill is taken.
- Foreign Doctrine: Provides knowledge of
beliefs and teaching of other churches and peoples (including Hârn's
barbarians).
- Heretical Doctrine: Provides knowledge of beliefs and teachings of heretical groups. This will usually be church-specific.
Exorcist Ritual / Monastic Ritual: Can be used generally, for all churches. Disadvantage penalties can be applied if dealing with specific practices of another church.
History (Religious): Can be used generally, for all churches. Disadvantage penalties can be applied for dealing with the history of another church.
Religious Diatribe: A general social skill; can be used equally well to harangue one's co-religionists or adherents of other gods.
Ritual: See the Ritual page.
Suasion: A general social skill; can be used for all sorts of religious pesuasion, comforting and argument, both among adherents of the same god and across faiths. Disadvantage penalties can be applied when dealing with adherents of another church.