Made-to-Order Clerical Orders:
Helpful hints for clerical assemblies

by Michael Harrison

Temples are an important focal point of many AD&D® game campaigns,
because of the key role they play in both society as a whole and the lives of
player characters. A well-developed temple organization can be the DM?s
most effective means of guiding and constraining a cleric PC. It can also
provide occasional information and assistance to the players, while its
political interests can be a powerful source of intrigues and adventure
goals. At times a major threat can even test its full military, healing, or
financial resources.

In order to meet such challenges, a DM needs to know a great deal about
a temple and its members. This can be a problem if this information has
not been developed in detail. The following system is designed to solve this
problem by quickly enabling the DM to determine how many clerics
belong to a temple and what their levels are. Some additional information
is included that might prove helpful as a reference when a temple is being
developed in greater detail.
 

T e m p l e organization a n d hierarchy	Temple size	Leaders	Clerical levels	Physical design
Wealth	Defenses	Ceremony: Consecrate Temple	Dragon 142	Dragon

T e m p l e o r g a n i z a t i o n
a n d h i e r a r c h y
T o b e g i n w i t h , w e n e e d t o d e f i n e w h a t
c o n s t i t u t e s a t y p i c a l r e l i g i o u s o r g a n i z a t i o n
f o r g a m e p u r p o s e s . T h i s a r t i c l e a s s u m e s
t h a t t h e a v e r a g e t e m p l e c o n t a i n s q u i t e a
f e w n o n a d v e n t u r i n g c l e r i c s a n d l a y b r e t h -
r e n . T h e s e a r e N P C s w h o s e a c t i v i t i e s h a v e
l i t t l e t o d o w i t h e x c i t i n g g a m i n g b u t e v e r y -
t h i n g t o d o w i t h t h e " r e a l " f u n c t i o n s o f a
t e m p l e . ( W h a t a d v e n t u r e r w o r t h h i s s a l t
would willingly spend a lifetime copying
m a n u s c r i p t s o r s w e e p i n g f l o o r s ? ) T o g e t h e r ,
t h e a d v e n t u r e r s , n o n a d v e n t u r i n g c l e r i c s ,
a n d l a y b r e t h r e n o f a t e m p l e m a k e u p t h e
r e l i g i o u s o r d e r . I n t h e m a n n e r o f b u r e a u c -
r a c i e s e v e r y w h e r e , a d v e n t u r e r s a r e g e n e r -
a l l y s u b o r d i n a t e t o t h e i r a d m i n i s t r a t i v e
c o l l e a g u e s o f e q u a l r a n k .
 

N o n a d v e n t u r i n g c l e r i c s f o r m t h e b a c k -
b o n e o f t h e t e m p l e h i e r a r c h y . T h e y o v e r -
s e e t h e d a y - t o - d a y f u n c t i o n s o f t h e t e m p l e ,
p e r f o r m t h e m a j o r i t y o f i t s r i t e s a n d r o u -
t i n e s e r v i c e s t o t h e p e o p l e , a n d u n d e r t a k e
v a r i o u s s c h o l a r l y p u r s u i t s . H a v i n g l i t t l e
u s e f o r c o m b a t s k i l l , t h e y r a r e l y v e n t u r e
i n t o t h e w i l d e r n e s s , a n d o f t e n v i e w t h e i r
a d v e n t u r i n g c o l l e a g u e s a s v i o l e n t a n d
u n d i s c i p l i n e d ( t h o u g h n e c e s s a r y b e c a u s e
o f t h e g o l d , g l o r y , a n d p o w e r t h e y b r i n g t o
t h e t e m p l e ) . T h e y a d v a n c e i n l e v e l m o r e
s l o w l y t h a n a d v e n t u r i n g c l e r i c s , b u t w i t h
l e s s h a z a r d .

A t y p e o f N P C w h i c h f i l l s t h i s r o l e a d m i -
r a b l y i s d e s c r i b e d b y L e n L a k o f k a i n h i s
a r t i c l e " T h e C l o i s t e r e d C l e r i c , " w h i c h
a p p e a r e d i n D R A G O N ® M a g a z i n e # 6 8 . M r .
L a k o f k a l o c a t e s h i s c l o i s t e r e d c l e r i c s i n
s e p a r a t e a b b e y s w h i c h h a v e l i t t l e c o n t a c t

w i t h t h e o u t s i d e w o r l d , a l t h o u g h t h e y
m i g h t j u s t a s e a s i l y b e p l a c e d i n r e g u l a r
t e m p l e s . N o r m a l c l e r i c s w h o a r e r e t i r e d o r
h a v e s u b s t a n d a r d p h y s i c a l a b i l i t i e s c o u l d
a l s o b e s u i t e d t o t h i s p u r p o s e .
Most temples also include a sizable number
o f l a y b r e t h r e n d r a w n f r o m t h e g e n -
e r a l p o p u l a c e . T h e s e u n u s u a l l y p i o u s
l a y m e n f i l l o u t t h e r a n k s o f t h e o r d e r a n d
p e r f o r m a m u l t i t u d e o f m i n o r t a s k s f o r t h e
t e m p l e . T h e y w o r k a t u n r e l a t e d o c c u p a -
t i o n s i n t h e i r d a i l y l i v e s a n d l i v e i n o r d i -
n a r y h o m e s a w a y f r o m t h e t e m p l e
g r o u n d s . T h e i r c l e r i c a l p o w e r s a r e m i n i -
m a l ; t h e y h a v e u n d e r g o n e t h e c e r e m o n y
o f d e d i c a t i o n , b u t n o t i n v e s t i t u r e . Howe
v e r , t h e i r n u m b e r s m a y i n c l u d e i n v e s t e d
d e a c o n s && a r c h d e a c o n s w i t h v e r y l i m -
i t e d s p e l l - c a s t i n g a b i l i t i e s .
I f c l e r i c s a r e a l l o w e d t o u s e o r i s o n s
(clerical cantrips, presented in DRAGON
issue #108), they should be granted to
nonadventuring clerics and perhaps to lay
The official rules regarding followers for
PC clerics deserve a special note. The
brethren as well.

PH (page 20) states that an
8th-level cleric who establishes a place of
worship receives 20-200 fanatically loyal
followers of unspecified type who serve
without pay, in addition to a number of
men-at-arms whose exact types are
detailed in the DMG
(page 16). These provisions are clearly
geared toward the typical PC who establishes
a new religious stronghold, generally
in the wilderness. In such a case, the
20-200 followers represent zero-level
laymen who contribute a variety of skills
and occupations to the new community
and also serve as lay brethren in its temple,
while the men-at-arms constitute the
temple's guard force. However, these
figures may not be appropriate for an
established temple, especially in a settled
area. The system presented here is intended
for use in developing an established
temple. A newly constructed one will
evolve into a similar organization if it
survives its early years.

Temple size
In fleshing out a temple hierarchy, the
DM needs to begin by determining the
number of clergy in the temple. Start with
the total population of the town (or other
worship area), then decide what percentage
of the population actively serves as
clergy of one sort or another. While substantial
variation occurs from one place to
another, this figure is generally between
2% and 10% of a town's inhabitants. (If
these figures seem high, remember that,
since the gods are visibly real and active in
their world, a high proportion of the populace
is actively involved in their worship.)
Then, based on the number of temples in
the town and the popularity of each,
decide what fraction of the town?s total
clergy serve in the temple in question.
This allows an estimate of the actual number
of clergy in the temple. (The number
of nonclerical worshipers is 10-20 times as
great, but remember that many of these
attend only on major holy days, just as in
For example, the frontier town of
our world.) At least 10 clergy are normally
Almeira has a population of 10,000. As its
people are not noted for their piety, only
2% of them are active clergy -- about 200.
required for a temple to be viable.
Since the town has five temples, they
average 40 clergy each. The temple of
Chauntea, goddess of agriculture, is the
most popular, and has 80 clerical types.
The temple of Mystra, goddess of magic
and the moon, is the smallest, being frequented
by magic-users, alchemists, and a
few lycanthropes. It has 15 clergy.
In contrast, the city of Nap has a population
of over 50,000 and, being the capital
of a warlike theocracy, is a center of religious
and military activity. Its 5,000 actively
involved clergy (10% of the population)
are divided among 25 temples, and average
200 per temple. The largest temple is
that of Tempus, god of war, with over 400
clerics. The smallest is that of Ilmater, god
of the poor, which has only 27 clergy.
Next, decide what proportion each of
the three types of clergy accounts for
within the total just determined. The
actual ratio differs between temples, and
depends on the popularity and goals of
each deity. In most temples the bulk of the
clergy are lay brethren, especially if the
deity is a popular one. A popular deity's
temple might have a ratio of 10% adventurers
to 20% nonadventuring clerics to
70% lay brethren. The equivalent figures
for an unpopular deity might be 20%,
30%, and 50%. Secret or banned temples
are, of course, another matter and may
consist entirely of adventurers.

In making these calculations, precision is
not essential. A town of any size always
has room for one cleric more or less! The
percentages given above should be regarded
as no more than loose guidelines, so
estimates are fine -- but avoid having too
many round numbers in the final totals.
For example, the temple of Chauntea of
Almeira fits the 10 : 20 : 70 ratio typical of <>
popular deities -- clergy, having 8 adventuring
clerics, 16 nonadventuring clerics, and
56 lay brethren. The small temple of Mystra
has a higher proportion of adventurers
maintaining its fortunes. Its 15 clerical
types are in a ratio of roughly 25 : 25 : 50
-- 4 advrenturers, 3 nonadventurers, and 8
lay brethren (including 2 semi-retired
magic-users). The temple is notorious
locally for its shape-changing acolytes.
In Naf, the huge temple of Tempus also
has a high proportion of adventurers,
again with a ratio of about 25 : 25 : 50. In
this case, the reason is the warlike nature
of its deity. Its clergy includes 97 advrenturing
clerics, 102 nonadventuring clerics,
and 228 lay brethren. The temple of Ilmater
has relatively little use for adventurers,
since its clergy concentrates on ministering
to the poor. Its clerics include only 2
adventurers, 11 nonadventurers, and 14
lay brethren.

If a temple contains shrines to friendly
deities who have no local temples of their
own, 1-3 clerics of each deity may be
present, adventurer or otherwise.

Leaders
Now the levels of the temple's clerics
must be determined. The first step in this
process is to decide the leader?s level. A
temple can be led by any type of cleric
(adventuring or nonadventuring) of sufficient
level. (Of course, the larger the temple,
the higher this is likely to be.) If
random determination is desired, use the
following procedure which relates the
leader's level to the size of the temple. The
numbers in this procedure can be tailored
to fit the general spread of levels in a
particular campaign.

Add the total number of adventuring
and nonadventuring clerics in the temple.
Divide this number by five (rounding up)
to get the base level for this calculation.
Then add the roll of 2d4. The end result is
the level of the temple leader. The leader
of a temple must normally be at least 8th
or 9th level, so any result lower than this
should be rerolled except in special circumstances.
For example, the temple of Chauntea in
Almeira has 8 adventuring and 16 nonadventuring
clerics for a total of 24. Dividing
by five and rounding up yields a base level
of 5th. The roll of 2d4 produces a 6, indicating
that the leader is 11th level. The
temple of Mystra, has only 7 clerics, giving
a base level of 2nd. The roll of 2d4 produces
a 5, for a result of 7th level. Since a
7th-level cleric cannot lead a temple, the
dice are rerolled until a suitable result (9th
level in this case) is obtained.

Past a certain point, though, the leader?s
level cannot continue to increase in proportion
to temple size without becoming
impossibly large. An upper limit must be
set. Therefore, if the temple has more
than 60 clerics, the base level described
above (the total number of clerics divided
by five) does not increase above 12. Instead,
if the number of clerics is between
61 and 90, add the roll of 2d6 rather than
2d4 to the base level of 12; if it is between
91 and 120, add 2d8; and if it is above 120,
add the roll of 3d6.

For example, the temple of Tempus in
Nap has 199 clerics, making it the largest
temple in the Western Reaches. Because of
the upper limit, this number is treated as
if it were a 60, giving a base level of 12th.
Since 199 is more than 120, the additional
roll is made with 3d6 rather than 2d4.
This results in a 13, indicating that the
temple is headed by a 25th-level cleric (this
leader could have been anywhere from
15th to 30th level).

The temple leader can be either a deskbound
adventurer (25%) or a nonadventuring
(or cloistered) cleric (75%). Note,
however, that Lakofka's nun
cannot exceed 11th level. If you are using
this type, any result of 12th level or higher
has to indicate an adventurer.

Clerical levels
There are two ways to determine the
levels of a temple's remaining clerics; these
methods are as follows.

If a fairly even distribution of levels is
desired, roll the largest type of die whose
number of sides is equal to or less than the
leader's level, once for each cleric. If the
temple is large, roll for groups of clerics
rather than individuals.

If low-level clerics are desired as most
common, divide the temple's clerics into
groups of approximately equal size. Roll
1d4 for each cleric in the first group, 1d6
for each member of the second group, and
so on up to the largest appropriate die (the
type used for the first method above).

As a special note, the first method is best
for adventurers. An even distribution
seems reasonable in this case, since lowlevel
adventurers tend either to die or to
advance to other levels fairly quickly.
Either way, the short time they are likely
to remain at any particular (low) level
keeps their numbers down. The second
method seems better for nonadventurers,
since they progress more slowly than
adventurers, live in much safer conditions,
and spend a much larger percentage of
their careers at low levels.

The DM may wish to assign positions of
responsibility to some of the organization?s
higher-ranking clerics. These areas of
responsibility might include the following
duties, which can be combined or divided
up in whatever way seems appropriate.
 

If the temple is not too large, it may be
possible to develop each of its adventuring
clerics (and possibly nonadventuring clerics
as well) as detailed NPCs. Even if that
isn?t possible, a few NPCs could be developed.
Every PC cleric should be personally
familiar with at least one temple superior
who provides instruction, information,
and discipline.

For example, the temple of Mystra in
Almeira has seven clerics and a 9th-level
leader. Therefore, 1d8 is rolled to find the
level of each of the four adventuring clerics,
while 1d4, 1d6, and 1d8 are rolled for
the three nonadventuring clerics. The
levels of the former turn out to be 1st,
3rd, 6th, and 8th, while the latter are 1st,
4th, and 7th. The high priest oversees
level training. The 8th-level adventurer is
given responsibility for defense and supervising
the other adventurers, while the
6th-level cleric acts as quartermaster in
charge of upkeep, supplies, and lay brethren.
The 7th-level nonadventurer supervises
the treasury, the temple records,
scribes, and holy services. The temple is
too small to have a choir.

Physical design

The official rules contain many scattered
clues concerning the internal design of
temples. One of these is the Players Handbook
?s requirement (page 20) that an 8thlevel
cleric?s shrine must have a floor area
of at least 2,000 square feet, and a 9thlevel
cleric?s temple have at least 2,500
square feet. Since these areas correspond
to linear dimensions of 40? X 50? and 50?
X 50? respectively, this rule is not likely to
present much of an obstacle. Another
important comment is the DMG's paragraph on ?Evil Areas?
(page 66), which applies to both evil and
good temples. A scale area of up to 10? X
10? for a shrine, or up to 20? X 20? for a
temple, can be specially consecrated to
good or evil. Within this area, all turning
attempts by clerics of opposed alignments
are at a penalty ? a substantial one in the
case of a temple. (Interestingly, no extant
spell is known to cause such an effect. An
addition to the ceremony spell is proposed
at the end of this article in order to fill this
gap.) This rule has an important bearing
on temple shape and layout, since the
most vital rooms will be contained within
the bounds of the evil or good areas.
The temple's location and purpose help
answer some basic questions about its
physical design. Is it a shrine or a true
temple? An urban edifice, a country
estate, or a clifftop retreat? One building
or a cluster? How strongly is it fortified?
(Remember that a cleric can construct a
fortified temple for only half the usual
cost, thanks to religious help.) Are the
grounds walled or unwalled? Do they
contain any important terrain features
(streams, ponds, woods, etc.)? Is the temple
a self-sufficient entity, or does it
depend on nearby townspeople for its
needs? Its architectural style should be
considered too. Keep in mind that many of
the most striking and distinctive types of
architecture in the real world are associated
with religious edifices. Almost infinite
diversity is possible in a fantasy world.
DMs should be as creative as possible in
matching the form of a temple to the
needs of its organization. Nevertheless, it
may be helpful to define some terms commonly
used in traditional church architecture.
In the familiar cross-shaped church,
the long central area is the nave and the
side halls are transepts. The area contain.
ing the altar and seats for the clergy and
other functionaries is called the chancel.
This area is often raised above the others.
A pulpit or lectern may be present near
the altar. An apse is a vaulted, semicircular
area projecting directly behind the chancel;
this area most likely contains a large,
highly visible holy symbol. Adjoining the
chancel to or near the side is a private
changing room called the sacristy. Sacred
items and vestments are kept here. A
vestibule or narthex serves as the public
entrance to the nave. Overhead are galleries
or clerestories whose windows look
down on the roofs of lower structures
The public worship area should be large
enough to hold the full congregation on a
major holy day. This area can be any
shape, as long as the altar is clearly visible
from all points. The entire area is usually
adorned with as many fine paintings,
statues and sculptures, murals, wall hangings,
etc., as the temple can afford. The
colors of the deity are prominently featured.
A separate area for a choir may be
located to the side or rear, or in a loft.
The centerpiece of any temple is its
altar, which is placed to dominate the main
public worship area. The altar's specific
form depends on its function in the organization
?s rites, but it is certainly made of,
the finest materials, draped in the deity?s
colors, and surmounted by an enormous
holy symbol. It is likely to be heavily protected
by defensive magic and possibly
traps. Any item which is to be placed on
the altar must be purified by means of a
ceremony: consecrate item spell. If this is
not done, the offenders sustain damage:
2d6 if their alignments match that of the
altar?s deity, 3d6 if either ethics or morality
differ, and 4d6 if both differ.

Many temples also have a smaller, private
worship area and altar. This is especially
true of sects that practice secret
rites, which are usually carried out in an
inner sanctum seen only by the temple?s
priests and perhaps a favored few others.
Since an altar must be used in the creation
of a cleric's magical items, a private inner
sanctum is also useful for this purpose,
perhaps with a workroom and other necessary
equipment nearby.

The inner sanctum may also include or
adjoin the high priest?s sanctuary, which is
one of the most guarded rooms in the
entire temple. The sanctuary is the destination
of word of recall and succor spells.
It is also used for meditation and prayer,
for the seclusion required in the creation
of magical items, and as a resting place for
the high priest?s body when he is traveling
astrally or recovering from a resurrection
spell. It or a nearby room may feature a
magic circle, a thaumaturgic circle or
triangle, or a pentagram for use in summoning
an aerial servant (or for other,
darker rites of summoning). All of these
are excellent reasons why the sanctuary is
kept an inviolable refuge!
Somewhere in the vicinity of the altar or
inner sanctum can be found the fabulously
expensive font where holy or unholy
water is created (Dungeon Masters
Guide, pages 114-115). It is likely to be
placed in a manner that allows for comfortable
viewing when it is used for scrying
by means of the holy font spell. (The
concept of holy water seems a particularly
Christian one; DMs may wish to exercise
their imaginations to come up with other
substances that might serve the same
function for various deities.)
Some of the other features that might be
found in a temple complex (but not a
shrine) are listed below. Only a large temple
would include all of these:
 

For the contents of indoor areas, see
Appendix I to the DMG
("Dungeon Dressing," particularly the list of "Religious Articles and Furnishings")
and Appendix 2 to the DDG ("Temple Trappings").
Magical items that are
most likely to be used in a temple include
candles of invocation, a dicerion of light
and darkness, incense of meditation, a
necklace of prayer beads, clerical rods and
staves, various healing potions and ointments,
and a library of clerical and protection
scrolls.

Wealth
It may occasionally be important to
know how much money a temple?s leaders
have access to in an emergency (or when a
particularly brazen thief manages to break
into the treasure vault). A wilderness
stronghold?s standard income of 9 sp per
inhabitant per month (Players Handbook,
page 20) seems an insufficient guide to this
subject. The size of the treasury can vary
enormously from one temple to the next,
typically ranging anywhere from 100-
10,000 gp per cleric. A suggested method
of calculating a temple's wealth is
described as follows.

Multiply the roll of 1d100 × 100 gp to
find the average gp per cleric. (If desired,
this roll could be modified to reflect the
political fortunes of the temple, the
amount of greed inherent in its philosophy,
the wealth or poverty of its surrounding
area, etc.) Multiply this figure by the
total number of adventuring and nonadventuring
clerics in the temple (excluding
lay brethern) to determine the actual size
of the treasury. Of course, in a real emergency,
a temple might call in favors, appeal
to other temples of the same deity, or even
sell assets to supplement its resources.
For example, the temple of Tempus in
Naf is the flagship temple of the state
religion, and so has a + 50 bonus to its
1d100 roll. A 62 is rolled on the dice, for
an adjusted figure of 112. A figure of
11,200 gp per cleric multiplied by 199
clerics give its treasury the staggering sum
of 2,228,000 gp. Since the temple of Ilmater
follows a creed of poverty, ld30 is
rolled instead of the usual 1d100 A roll of
9 on this die gives a result of 900 gp per
cleric, for a net treasury 11,700 gp ?
poverty indeed for an urban temple!

Defenses
Almost every temple has many areas
where secrecy and protection are of paramount
importance, and the defensive
arrangements of each temple should
reflect this. A contingent of fighters is
often present to serve as guards, and some
temples even have castle-type fortifications
for them to defend. Paladins or cavaliers
may be on hand to lend assistance.
Thieves might be employed to install complex
locks and deadly (or immobilizing)
traps to guard vital areas (a magical forget
spell cast at the conclusion of the work
can help safeguard the temple?s most
important secrets from such hirelings if
the job was a quick one). The services of a
magic-user or illusionist might be engaged,
either to set magical traps or to serve as
permanent members of the guard force.
Additionally, evil clerics are likely to use
undead to augment their guard forces,
and major temples of any alignment may
be defended by appropriate creatures of
the Outer planes at times of special need.
But the temple?s clerics most frequently
employ their own spells. These include
glyphs of warding (see "The Glyphs of
Cerilon" in DRAGON issue #50 and "More
Pages from the Mages" in DRAGON issue
#69 for some excellent examples), symbols,
and short-term wyvern watch spells for
area defense. Forbiddance spells are used
almost universally to protect temples,
although many a high priest might find it
necessary to exclude certain public areas
from its effect so as not to embarrass
visitors of differing alignments who miss
their saving throws. Guards could be
imbued with spell ability, and might be
assisted by a golem or an aerial servant if
danger is suspected. Strategically placed
items can be brought to life via animate
objects spells, while magical vestment can
help a cleric caught without armor.
It goes without saying that a ceremony:
consecrate ground spell will have been
cast on the grounds of any temple before
construction, since the edifice would otherwise
be certain to collapse eventually
(see also the effect of this spell on graveyards).
Presumably, consecrated ground is
not vulnerable to dispel magic spells, otherwise
temples would be much too vulnerable
to their enemies. This can be justified
by assuming that the deity takes an interest
in maintaining the magical power of
the consecrated ground. Thus, the only
way to desecrate such an AREA is to ritually
defile its associated altar, as described in
the Dungeon Masters Guide (page 66). <cf. UA, ceremony>
If you think that desecrating or destroying
an altar is too easy for someone who

gains access to it, consider giving every
altar an inherent magic resistance ? perhaps
75% for a greater god?s altar, 60% for
a lesser god?s, and 45% for a demigod?s. If
the temple is abandoned, these figures are
lowered by 1% for every decade the altar
has gone unused, to a minimum of 10%,
5%, and 1% respectively. Furthermore, if
any character other than a high priest
attempts to desecrate an altar, there is a
chance equal to the altar's current magic
resistance than an aleax (FIELD FOLIO®
tome, page 11) emerges from the altar and
attacks. If several characters are participating
in the defilement, roll separately
for each. And remember the penalty suggested
above for touching an altar with a
unconsecrated item.

As mentioned previously, the creation of
areas specially dedicated to good or evil
requires a special spell. The following
addition to the ceremony spell is proposed
for this purpose. Its effect on opponents'
saving throws and clerical spells is in
addition to the undead-turning penalty
specified in the DMG.