Spheres of Access Just as wizard spells are divided into schools of magic, priest spells are
organized into spheres of access. A sphere of access represents a group of related
spell powers granted by a particular deity, so a power of war usually grants
access to the spheres of combat and war, a power of nature usually grants access
to the spheres of animal and plant, and so on. All priestly spheres of access
are organized in the same scheme—there are no variant organizations like the
schools of effect or thaumaturgy for wizards.
While wizards generally have the ability to learn spells from any school
unless specifically stated otherwise, priests are strictly limited to the spheres
their deity grants them access to. In other words, the organization of priest
spells governs which spells a priest can cast, while wizard schools govern which
spells a wizard can’t cast. This makes it difficult to create new spheres of
priest spells, since a great deal of work must be done to retrofit any new spheres
to existing priesthoods that should have had influence in the new sphere.
The standard spheres from the Player’s Handbook are the spheres of all, animal, astral, charm, combat, creation, divination,
elemental (with the lesser spheres of air, earth, fire, and water), guardian,
healing, necromantic, plant, protection, summoning, sun, and weather. In
addition, the Tome of Magic adds the spheres of chaos, law, numbers, thought, time, travelers, war, and
wards.
All: Spells of this sphere represent the basic class abilities that should be
available to all priest characters, regardless of specialization. Spells that deal
with direct manifestations of a deity’s power, such as bless, chant, and gate are included, as well as a few spells that are so general that all priests may
make use of them, such as detect magic, remove curse, and atonement. The sphere of all has been greatly expanded in Player’s Option: Spells & Magic in order to balance the spell powers available to different kinds of specialty
priests.
Animal: Spells that influence or alter creatures are found in the sphere of animal.
Most animal spells do not affect people. Powers of nature or husbandry often
grant spells of this sphere.
Astral: The astral sphere deals with communication and movement between the various
planes of existence. Priesthoods of philosophy or travel sometimes have access to
this sphere.
Chaos: Priests with access to this sphere command spell powers that increase
randomness and confusion to the world around them. Deities of mischief and ill luck
often grant spells of chaos.
Charm: Charm spells usually affect the attitudes and actions of people. Powers of
love, trickery, or art often grant access to this sphere. The sphere is also
useful when dealing with hostile enemies or unbelievers, and many expansive faiths
deal with this sphere as well.
Combat: Naturally, combat spells are used to attack or injure the enemies of the
faith. Since most priests have an interest in self-defense, a great number of faiths
have access to the sphere of combat.
Creation: Creation spells allow the priest to produce food, water, light, or other
things from nothing. Create water and continual light are good examples. Prime creator powers often grant access to this sphere.
Divination: This useful sphere allows the priest to discern the safest course of action,
detect hidden things, or discover hidden knowledge. It is the province of
deities of learning and wisdom.
Elemental: The four basic elements of creation—air, earth, fire, and water—are dealt with
in this sphere. Powers of nature or powers with elemental interests typically
grant access to at least part of this sphere. Very few priests have access to
all four elements.
Guardian: Priesthoods charged with the protection of holy places often have access to
this sphere. Spells that help a guardian to perform his task are included as well
as spells that create or enforce magical barriers over a person or area.
Healing: This sphere deals with all forms of healing spells, except those which restore
life or manipulate the subject’s life force.
Law: The sphere of law is the antithesis of the sphere of chaos. Law spells
concentrate on the principle of obedience and the strength of the group over the
strength of the individual. Deities of rulership and community are likely to have
influence in this sphere.
Necromantic: Spells of the necromantic sphere deal with the forces of life and death,
including raise dead and resurrect. These spells are also quite useful in dealing with undead monsters.
Numbers: Priests with access to this sphere believe that numbers and mathematical
relationships can provide insight into the nature of the universe. Powers of
knowledge and arcane lore occasionally grant access to this unusual sphere of spells.
Plant: This sphere deals with plants and vegetation of all kinds, from agricultural
to wilderness settings. Priests of nature or agriculture are often granted
access to this sphere.
Protection: While this sphere is related to the guardian sphere, protection spells
generally enable the priest to protect people, not places. Many of these spells are
very useful in combat, and militant priests often have access to this sphere.
Summoning: Summoning spells call creatures to serve the priest. Even extradimensional
creatures can be summoned at higher levels. This sphere has been revised to
include a modest selection of spells suitable for dismissing summoned creatures.
Sun: Solar spells deal with light of different qualities in a variety of ways.
Spells such as starshine and Sol’s searing orb are included in the sphere of sun.
Thought: The sphere of thought is composed of spells that deal with the interaction of
the thinker, the thought, and the subject of the thought. In effect, priests
who have access to this sphere believe that thought itself has a certain reality
that can affect the physical reality of the world around the mind. Powers
concerned with the mind or knowledge are found within this sphere.
Travelers: Spells of this sphere provide aid and comfort to travelers and pilgrims.
Deities of wayfarers both peaceful and militant may make these spells available to
their followers.
War: Unlike the sphere of combat, the sphere of war deals specifically with magic
useful on the battlefield in clashes between armies. War spells can affect
hundreds of soldiers at a time.
Wards: The sphere of wards includes spells that provide protection for clearly
defined areas, ranging from single objects to whole communities. It is related to the
sphere of guardian, but the sphere of wards only creates barriers or obstacles
to deter intrusion; ward spells do not necessarily enhance the priest’s
ability to defend the area. In addition, many ward spells are cooperative in nature
and provide protection for bodies of believers instead of holy sites.
Weather: This sphere is concerned with the forces of weather, including wind, fog,
lightning, and weather control. Powers of nature and tempests often have influence
in this sphere.
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