Rituals (3.5e Variant Rule)

Rituals
''Don't you see? The universe is logical. Rational. There's an explanation for everything if only you understand how it works. And that's just what I do. My book? These are the formulas needed to make the world move around us. It's simply like a see-saw, you see? Push one side down, the other goes up. Recite this incantation or burn that incense, and one gains the ability to become invisible.''

'''A gnome checks his thick book, applying a smidgen of lye, pure quartz and a small pinch of faerie dust into the small cauldron that bubbles with no source of heat. Just a few more ingredients and his companions would all be able to fly.'''

''Raven. Wolf. Bear. Stag. All of these are the beasts that have seen my ancestors through harsh times, and now they see me. Through them I can face any challenge, and with their help I can break any foe, overcome any obstacle. I make offerings to them, and they listen to my pleas, and help me just as they did for all those of my tribe.''

'''The diary is filled with inane scribbles and incomprehensible marks that cause the mind to blur and a feeling of vertigo. The pale young woman holding the book twitches as she recalls another nightmare. Her material components each represent a part of her dream as she prepares to introduce the madness that dwells within her mind into the real world, drawing it from her psyche and imprinting reality with her mark.'''

''Your body, your beliefs hold power. These tattoos that line my body are webs that stretch farther than simply my being. They connect me to a greater source of power than any could understand. Through them I am able to understand the world better, feel it better, and use that power to influence objects around me. Come, and let me scribe upon your skin as well so that you too may understand what happens here.''

'''A small set of cups holds representations of each of the elements; air as incense, smoke curling to the sky. Earth a precious gem, dug from deep below the soil. Water a precious elixir, distilled from the purest of springs. And last fire, a glowing ember. Within the square a woman calls out to the elemental spirits, beseeching them for aid in a time of need. She only needs to finish her incantation before they respond.'''

''The stars--do they talk to you too?? They whisper things--strange things! That one day, a glorious and terrible force will come from below the sea, that it will sweep away the world, that it will destroy everything! EVERYTHING!! But its time is not here yet--the stars are not yet right for that to come to pass. But all of these people--the stars tell me that it's time they die! As long as I listen to the whispers, I will have the power to end them all!!''

'''Holy symbols and relics line a soft circle made in sand as a quiet woman in a simple white gown prays within it. Her words flow out as she rocks back and forth on her knees, hands clasped together as she feels power thrum within her. She is a container, a vessel for her god's will. Soon she will fill up to the top, and then will her god's will would be made manifest.'''

''Oh great demon of the Abyss! Oh lord of temptation and greed! Hear my call and answer! For it is I, your faithful servant who calls upon you this day! Grant me your power that I might make my enemies rue your existence! Make me into your sword, and strike down those who would turn their ears from your insidious whispers! Bring fire, fire and brimstone upon them, and let the earth shake and the skies rumble with your fury!''

What are Rituals?
Rituals are a way of bringing player agency and world-shaping abilities to games that lack spellcasters such as the wizard or cleric. They give such powers to all characters--after all, why should only the spellcasters have the ability to change the world around them? Rather than giving only traditional spellcasters such abilities, this variant grants them to all characters.

Mechanics
Rituals require an amount of time to enact, and duplicate some sort of effect. While many rituals appear in the world, most can only be cast by a character of a certain character level (CL from now on), and that character must have at least 9 Intelligence and Charisma. The following table defines at what CL characters can cast a ritual of what level:

Casting a Ritual
There are a number of components to casting a ritual. Depending on the ritual's nature, it has either a short casting time (one minute), medium casting time (ten minutes), or long casting time (one hour).

Rituals require special materials, incense, or other components to cast; this cost is equal to the effective character level x ritual level x 35. A caster may reduce their effective caster level for the purpose of ritual up to the minimum required to cast said ritual in order to minimize the cost. If the ritual duplicates a spell with expensive material components or an experience cost, the cost of the material compontents must be added into the original ritual cost, as well as 5 gold per experience point that would be spent were the spell cast normally. These components are consumed regardless of whether the ritual succeeds or fails.

Characters require a Charisma check to successfully cast a ritual, made at the end of the ritual's casting time. The DC for this check is equal to 10 + ritual level. If the ritual duplicates a spell, the caster level is equal to the caster's character level. If the ritual duplicates a power, the manifester level is equal to the caster's character level, and the effect is automatically augmented to the character's level as well. Any DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 character level + Charisma modifier. If you cast a ritual from a ritual book that is not yours you take a -5 penalty to the Charisma check. If you have the spell that the ritual duplicates prepared (for clerics, druids, and wizards) or known (for bards and sorcerers) or the power the ritual duplicates known (for psions, psychic warriors, and wilders), then you automatically succeed at the Charisma check (even if you had prepared it and already cast it during the day) without any need to expend the spell.

Rituals may be interrupted at any time, as per the Concentration skill (replace all instances of "spell" with ritual). All rituals are considered to have a somatic and verbal component.

A ritual may be made permanent if it normally could using the Permanency spell or the Incarnate power (as appropriate) by extending the casting time by two hours and paying the equivalent of the experience points normally spent as mentioned above (5 gold per experience point otherwise spent).

Collecting Rituals
Rituals can be found or researched; either way, recording them requires a ritual book (identical to a spellbook). Alternative materials can be used to record a ritual as per Alternative Spellbooks (Complete Arcane 186). Each ritual requires 100 gp per ritual level in special inks, adhesive dust, or similar material to record, and takes a single page of the ritual book. Each ritual requires at least one hour to copy into a ritual book, and due to the amount of attention needed to understand a ritual, only one person may copy a single ritual at a time.

While many rituals are found, they can also be researched. Characters can research rituals that are at least one level lower than the highest-level ritual they can cast, and researching a ritual requires 1,000 gp per ritual level to research as well as three days per level of the ritual.

Characters cannot share ritual books (though they can use rituals from any book they find or that another character owns at the penalty mentioned above), but grow familiar with certain rituals they cast time and again. A character may have a number of rituals that have been copied to his ritual book that are on his preferred list, and these are his preferred rituals. A character can prefer a number of rituals whose total levels do not exceed his character level. Thus, a level 10 character could have two third-level rituals and a fourth-level ritual on his preferred list. Upon scribing a new ritual to one's ritual book, a character may add it to his preferred list as well though he must remove a number of rituals from his preferred list to accommodate the new ritual's level.

Preferred rituals have a number of benefits; first of all, one does not need a ritual book on hand to cast them, and one receives a bonus on the Charisma check to cast them equal to one-half one's character level or +5, whichever is higher.

Sample Rituals
Here are a number of sample rituals to get you started. Remember that specific rituals may be missing from a campaign altogether at the DM's discretion. Use the following rituals as guidelines for your own.

Animate Rope

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Animate Rope.

Astral Traveler

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Astral Traveler.

Augury

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Augury.

Body Equilibrium

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Body Equilibrium. Range is changed to Touch.
 * Special: If cast as a second-level ritual, you may reduce the casting time to Short.

Call Weaponry

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Call Weaponry.
 * The duration is changed to one hour per level.

Destroy Warp Anchor

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Destroy a Anchor Point you can touch.

Detect Aspect

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Detect Evil except that you may attempt to detect any specific creature type (and subtype where applicable) or alignment.

Detect Magic

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Detect Magic.

Detect Poison

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Detect Poison.

Detect Secret Doors

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Detect Secret Doors.

Detect Snares and Pits

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Detect Snares and Pits.

Feather Fall

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Feather Fall, except it applies to the next time one falls at least 10' in the next 10 minutes.
 * Special: If one hangs or quickens this ritual, it may be unhung as an immediate action.

Float

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Float.

Ghost Sound

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Ghost Sound.

Hold Portal

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Hold Portal.

Identify

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Identify.

Know Direction

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Know Direction.

Light

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Light.

Mending

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Mending.

My Light

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates My Light. Range is changed to Touch.

Purify Food and Drink

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Purify Food and Drink.

Read Magic

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Read Magic.

Speak with Animals

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Speak with Animals.

Speak with Plants

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Speak with Plants.

Synthestate

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Synthestate.

Status

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Status.

Undetectable Alignment

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Undetectable Alignment.

Unseen Servant

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Unseen Servant.

Ventriloquism

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Ghost Sound.

Whispering Wind

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Whispering Wind.

Alarm

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Alarm.

Align Weapon

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Align Weapon.

Animal Messenger

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Animal Messenger.

Animal Trance

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Animal Trance.
 * Special: One cannot hang or quicken this ritual.

Break Enchantment

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Break Enchantment.

Commune With Nature

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Commune With Nature.

Comprehend Languages

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Comprehend Languages.

Create Food and Water

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Create Food and Water.

Detect Thoughts

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Detect Thoughts.

Disguise Self

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Disguise Self.

Dispel Magic

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Greater Dispel Magic.

Endure Elements

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Endure Elements.

Establish Warp Anchor

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Creates a Anchor Point at your location.

Find Traps

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Find Traps, except that the bonus to Search is +5 and doesn't change with CL.
 * Special: The ritual may be cast with a medium casting time to increase the bonus to +10, or a long casting time to increase the bonus to +20.

Ghost Touch Weapon

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: A single weapon (or up to 50 pieces of ammunition) gain the Ghost Touch property for one minute per CL.

Hypnotism

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Hypnotism.
 * Special: One cannot hang or quicken this ritual.

Knock

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Knock, except that instead of automatically unlocking the portal it instead reduces the open lock DC by 10.
 * Special: This ritual may be cast with a long casting time to instead reduce the DC by 20. One cannot hang or quicken this ritual when used this way.

Misdirection

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Misdirection.

Scent

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Psionic Scent. Range is changed to Touch.

See Invisibility

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates See Invisibility. Range is changed to Touch.

Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions.

Telepathic Bond, Lesser

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Lesser Telepathic Bond. Range is changed to Touch.

Arcane Sight

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Arcane Sight.

Clairaudience/Clairvoyance

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Clairaudience/Clairvoyance.

Contact Other Plane

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Contact Other Plane.

Daylight

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Daylight.

Detect Scrying

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Detect Scrying.

Divination

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Divination.

Find the Path

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Find the Path.

Hypnotic Pattern

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Hypnotic Pattern.
 * Special: One cannot hang or quicken this ritual.

Invisibility

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Invisibility.

Levitate

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Levitate. Range is changed to Touch.

Object Reading

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Object Reading.

Silence

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Silence. Range is changed to Touch.

Speak with Dead

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Speak with Dead.

Stone Tell

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Stone Tell.

Suggestion

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Suggestion. While the suggestion must be decided upon at the start of the ritual, you have one minute upon finishing to cast the ritual to lay the suggestion on someone as a standard action.

Tongues

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Tongues.

Vision

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Vision.

Air Walk

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Air Walk.

Analyze Dweomer

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Analyze Dweomer.

Arcane Eye

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: DuplicatesArcane Eye.

Commune

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Commune.

Fly

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Fly.

Locate Object

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Locate Object.

Pursue Warp

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Pursue Warp.

Quintessence

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Quintessence.

Scrying

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Scrying.

Telepathic Bond

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Telepathic Bond. Range is changed to Touch.

Warp

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Warp.

Animate Dead

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Animate Dead. One cannot hang or quicken this ritual.
 * Special: You cannot control more than 2 HD of undead per CL with this ritual.

Animate Objects

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Animate Objects. One cannot hang or quicken this ritual.

Animate Plants

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Animate Plants. One cannot hang or quicken this ritual.

Astral Caravan

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Astral Caravan.

Awaken

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Awaken. One cannot hang or quicken this ritual.

Lesser Dimensional Lock

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Dimensional Lock. The duration is changed to one round per level, and the area is changed to a 100' emanation.

Arcane Sight, Greater

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Greater Arcane Sight.

Guards and Wards

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Guards and Wards.

Overland Flight

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Overland Flight. Range is changed to Touch.

Passage of the Warp

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Passage of the Warp.

Plane Shift

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Plane Shift.

Prying Eyes

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Prying Eyes.

Dream Travel

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Dream Travel.

Scrying, Greater

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Greater Scrying.

Teleport

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Teleport.

True Seeing

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates True Seeing.

Volcanic Eruption

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Volcano. The volcano does not continue erupting or growing after the initial effect.
 * Special: One cannot hang or quicken this ritual.

Brain Spider

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Brain Spider.

Dimensional Lock

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Dimensional Lock.

Discern Location

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Discern Location.

Gate

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates the planar travel version of Gate though with no maximum concentration time.

Imprisonment

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Imprisonment, but the target must either be willing or helpless.

Mind Blank

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Mind Blank. Range is changed to Touch.

Prying Eyes, Greater

 * Casting Time: Medium
 * Effect: Duplicates Greater Prying Eyes.

Genesis

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Genesis except that if this ritual is cast again the original demiplane is destroyed and creatures within it are expelled where the original Genesis spell was originally cast.

Hypercognition

 * Casting Time: Short
 * Effect: Duplicates Hypercognition.

Indoctrinate

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: You know everything that the subject knows and remembers, and can change any and all parts of the character's memory and personality. This has a Permanent duration. The target must be either willing or helpless and present throughout the whole ritual.

Metafaculty

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Metafaculty.

Teleportation Circle

 * Casting Time: Long
 * Effect: Duplicates Teleportation Circle.