The Canon

Many faiths have a canon , or holy book. This work was written at some time in the distant past, either by the god or by a believer obeying the word of the god. This book usually describes important events of the past in which the god participated, explains the requirements the god makes on his followers, and explains the god's philosophy, goals, and concerns.

If the faith has a canon, then the priest will wish to have one. Books are expensive commodities: Assuming that it's a mere 200 sheets (400 pages) in length, according to the costs in the Player's Handbook, you're talking about 400 gp in paper alone (2 gp per sheet binding will cost another 50 gp, for a total of 450. Sometime between 3rd and 5th level, the priest should have saved or accumulated enough money to commission a copy of the canon; perhaps, if he is lucky, someone will gift him with one, or he will inherit one. Regardless, a priest who reaches 6th level without having acquired a copy of the canon will be viewed with some suspicion by commoners and his fellow priests, who will question his devotion.

The priest should carry the cannon wherever he travels, and if it is stolen should make every effort to recover it. The canon is not a magical work, and does not act as a Holy Symbol when used to confront vampires or similar monsters.

Not all faiths do have an individual, written canon. Some faiths share a common canon. Some transmit their canon orally; it is not written down anywhere. Some have none at all.