Abilities uses in sermons by a mundane priest? Note, I'm talking about a priest somewhat more dodgy than the average, not the kind, pious and relaxed priest one assumes most placed would have. But one not foreign to whipping up a frenzy og using his sermons to condem.
is there one single ability, or will he use those social abilities most apporpriate to what he is trying to achieve?
Profession: Priest? Leadership (to intimidate), Intrigue (to lure), Charm (to sweet talk)???
This is the sort of thing that has to be judged by every SG, according to their game and feeling for the rules.
I'd say that "Charm" is personal, more "one on one" - hard to charm a crowd with a winning smile and a wink. After the sermon, greeting the congregation at the door, yes - but not until then.
And there is probably a "Craft: Sermon" skill, for truly impressive elegies - but that would only impress the learned, those who cared about such. Might get a point across better, but that would be more a "lesson for today" sort of thing.
"Leadership" sounds like the winner. "Follow you", "inspire fear" - that doesn't always mean fear of you, nor follow down a trail or into battle. I'd go with that one, maybe with a specialization in "oratory" or "swaying crowds" or something.
Oh so many abilities are needed for a skilled priest making a sermon.
I'd go with a combination of Artes Liberales (Grammar, logic and rhetoric). 'Rhetoric is the study of .. knowledge of the sort of tricks that an orator can use, rather than the ability to use them.' and Speak skill 'artistic compositions in the language and telling existing tales with verve and passion' to compose the sermon beforehand as well as the skill with which it is delivered.
Folk Ken can be used to represent the priest knowing his congregation well enough to get a bonus on composing the sermon.
Awareness to see how they are reacting to the sermon, in case you have made a botch and need to recover.
Leadership is all forceful and could be useful if you are threatening sinners with damnation.
Guile is about lies and feigning emotions, so if the priest is putting on anger that he doesn't feel for dramatic effect to combine with the leadership this should help.
Charm is the least applicable after all is 'on a personal basis', so one on one chats with the congregants in confession and so forth.
I don't think there's any need to make a roll for a sermon (the character is, essentially, just talking) unless the priest is trying to accomplish something with the sermon.
Depending upon the goal, Latin, Artes Liberales, Teaching, Folk Ken, Dominion Lore, or Church Lore could all be appropriate. Sermons using Leadership might be used as part of exerting Holy Influence, but as this usually a seasonal activity, there's not really any point in rolling for the individual sermons...
You can use the debate rules in HoH:S... There's no "active adversary", but it shouldn't be any harder than adapting the combat rules to do stuff like shooting an apple at a distance.
Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure there were "sermons", not like we have today. Services were very formulaic, very ritualized, and 100% in Latin - and so only a very few would understand it. It was all full o' mystery n' such.
But as far as any "chatty" stuff in the local tongue about lessons and how to act, aimed at the peasants - I'm not sure that was accepted doctrine as part of a service. Some biblical passages might have been translated and explained. But it might have been seen as presumptuous, or even heretical, to break from form.
(Any medieval religious scholars out there to confirm/deny?)
Not an ability per se but check out the inspirational virtue.
It took me forever to figure out where I'd read this, but: there are some rules for Preaching (a Profession Ability) on page 13 of Art & Academe. The mechanic set out there is that after a purposeful sermon, the preacher can make a Communication + Preaching + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 12; success means that the audience will follow the preacher's instructions for a limited time. (Actions that run counter to the religion's tenets have higher Ease Factors.) The size of the affectable audience is at most ten times the preacher's Leadership score.
Someone give greg a brownie point. That's an impressive find.
You could always invent a new virtue that works in a similar way to Enchanting Music, and call it 'Inspiring Oratory' or 'Divine Preaching' or some such thing. These don't, however, seem like the sort of thing that would be possessed by the priest to which you alluded, UV.
Yes! I knew the forum uses would be able to help.
Profession: Preaching it is, but Leadership and Folk Ken also seems important. With Guile, Charm etc. coming in third tier.
The type of priest I'm looking for might or might not be apporpriate for "Enchanting Music" variations.