DOMINANT

A dominant church is a massive, powerful organization that might rival the local government in terms of authority. (In fact, in theocracies, the dominant church might also act as the local government.) It boasts numerous temples or shrines, often among the largest and wealthiest in the area. A dominant church claims a sizable portion of a city’s population among its congregants. It is rare for a city to have more than one dominant church, and few have more than three or four.

A dominant church often encompasses a number of religious guilds and organizations, as well as several denominations (see Sect, below). It has vast resources at its disposal, and it might even be richer than the city in which it resides. It invariably holds some sway with the local government, with many congregants in high positions or serving as advisors to the local rulers.

Most dominant churches have reached far beyond the confi nes of any one particular community. Some boast cathedrals in every major city in the campaign world and a single center of power from which the highest priest, archbishop, pontiff, or prelate hands down dictates in the name of his deity.

Examples: Church of Pelor, Church of Kord.

Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (nobility and royalty), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Spellcraft.

Duties: Congregants of a dominant church must either donate 10% of their income or volunteer 1 hour a week to aid in maintaining the church’s temples and performing the faith’s works in the city. Unsurprisingly, most individuals choose the latter option. True members of the church must spend at least 20 hours a week devoted to religious and administrative duties, which might range from leading services to standing guard over church property to working in the church library. A DC 25 Diplomacy check allows a PC to count time spent adventuring with his companions toward this requirement, if the adventure specifi cally advances the cause of the church or if the PC is willing to tithe 10% of all treasure he finds to the church.

Favored Benefits: A member of a dominant church gains a +1 bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks involving anyone from the local government, major mercantile concerns such as guilds, or members of smaller churches in the city. Additionally, a member has access to the church’s library and records. He can take 20 on any Knowledge (history) or Knowledge (religion) check after he has been actively engaged in research in the church library (reading books and speaking to other members), a process that takes 1d4+1 days for each check.

Sample Contact: Archbishop Calapri (expert 12). Calapri will officially sanction an adventure or quest, allowing the PCs to freely cross borders anywhere the church is dominant, and expanding the PCs’ church-based Diplomacy and Intimidate bonuses to work in those areas as well. Once only.