Sunday, January 17, 2021

Holmes Expanded: Clerical Spells

Holmes lists clerical spells from 1st to 2nd level, adding two new 1st level spells and two new 2nd level spells.  (See also "Clerical Spells" at Zenopus Archives.)

Greyhawk lists six clerical spells from 3rd to 6th level, as well as eleven 7th level spells (ten were originally listed, but "Gate" was added in the errata).

The spells in italics are reversed for evil clerics, suggesting that clerical spell books might come in two forms ("white" magic and "black" magic).


Book of First Level Spells:
1. Cure Light Wounds - from OD&D vol. 1
2. Detect Evil - from OD&D vol. 1
3. Detect Magic - from OD&D vol. 1
4. Light - from OD&D vol. 1
5. Protection from Evil - from OD&D vol. 1
6. Purify Food and Water - from OD&D vol. 1
7. Remove Fear - Holmes
8. Resist Cold - Holmes
A Book of First Level Spells includes the six 1st level spells from OD&D vol. 1 as well as two new spells.

Book of Second Level Spells:
1. Bless - from OD&D vol. 1
2. Find Traps - from OD&D vol. 1
3. Know Alignment - Holmes
4. Hold Person - from OD&D vol. 1
5. Resist Fire - Holmes
6. Silence: 15’ Radius - from Greyhawk
7. Snake Charm - from Greyhawk
8. Speak with Animals - from OD&D vol. 1
A Book of Second Level Spells includes the six 2nd level spells from OD&D + Greyhawk as well as two new spells.

Book of Third Level Spells:
1. Continual Light - from OD&D vol. 1
2. Cure Disease - from OD&D vol. 1
3. Locate Object - from OD&D vol. 1
4. Prayer - from Greyhawk
5. Remove Curse - from OD&D vol. 1
6. Speak with Dead - from Greyhawk
A Book of Third Level Spells includes the six 3rd level spells from OD&D + Greyhawk.

Book of Fourth Level Spells:
1. Create Water - from OD&D vol. 1
2. Cure Serious Wounds - from OD&D vol. 1
3. Neutralize Poison Turn - from OD&D vol. 1
4. Protection/Evil 10’ - from OD&D vol. 1
5. Speak with Plants - from OD&D vol. 1
6. Sticks to Snakes - from OD&D vol. 1
A Book of Fourth Level Spells includes the six 4th level spells from OD&D vol. 1.



A cleric casts Raise Dead on a deceased adventurer.  Illustration by David C. Sutherland III, from the AD&D 1e Players Handbook.

Book of Fifth Level Spells:
1. Commune - from OD&D vol. 1
2. Create Food - from OD&D vol. 1
3. Dispel Evil - from OD&D vol. 1
4. Insect Plague - from OD&D vol. 1
5. Quest - from OD&D vol. 1
6. Raise Dead - from OD&D vol. 1
A Book of Fifth Level Spells includes the six 5th level spells from OD&D vol. 1.

Book of Sixth Level Spells:
1. Animate Objects - from Greyhawk
2. Blade Barrier - from Greyhawk
3. Conjure Animals - from Greyhawk
4. Find the Path- from Greyhawk
5. Speak with Monsters - from Greyhawk
6. Word of Recall - from Greyhawk
A Book of Sixth Level Spells includes the six 6th level spells from Greyhawk.

Book of Seventh Level Spells:
1. Aerial Servant - from Greyhawk
2. Astral Spell - from Greyhawk
3. Control Weather - from Greyhawk
4. Earthquake - from Greyhawk
5. Gate - added in the Greyhawk errata
6. Holy Word - from Greyhawk
7. Part Water - from Greyhawk
8. Raise Dead Fully - from Greyhawk
9. Restoration - from Greyhawk
10. Symbol - from Greyhawk
11. Wind Walk - from Greyhawk
A Book of Seventh Level Spells includes the ten 7th level spells from Greyhawk, as well as "Gate" from the errata included in the 3rd printing.

Evil Cleric Spells:
Cause Light Wounds
Detect Good
Darkness
Protection from Good
Contaminate Food and Water
Cause Fear
Curse
Continuous Darkness
Cause Disease
Cause Serious Wounds
Protection from Good, 10’ radius
Dispel Good
Finger of Death
Energy Drain

2 comments:

  1. One interesting thing is how Gary's rulings on reversible spells changed over the course of the game's development. In OD&D it seems, Chaotic clerics could only cast the reversed forms of spells.

    In AD&D, it was possible for Evil clerics to memorize the "good" versions, while it was also possible for Good clerics to memorize the "evil" versions, though such could come at a cost, and too, it was specifically said that one could not memorize both the "good" and "evil" versions of a spell (AD&D PHB p. 43).

    And yet as early as G3: Hall of the Fire Giant King, we see a different practice, where Eclavdra has memorized both cause serious wounds and cure serious wounds, and Nedylene has exclusively cure wounds and no cause wounds spells memorized!

    Of course that was in the day when NPCs and monsters did not necessarily have to follow player-character rules, but still, it shows a lot more width to his vision on cleric spells, and makes me wonder how it really worked in his own campaigns...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In OD&D, I wonder if clerics were "locked in" to either "good" or "evil" (reversed) versions of spells after 7th level?

      I agree with you that clerical spell-casting was gloriously vague. There's even an example of Gary having an evil NPC cleric use "cause light wounds" as a ranged attack!

      I also wonder at what point did clerics lose their spellbooks? Certainly by AD&D 1e and Moldvay, they were gone.

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