Warhammer Quest
Priest of Manann

by The Custodian

Manann is the God of the Sea, and is justly feared by many Old Worlders for his power over that fickle element. For those living on the coast, or whose livelihoods depend on oceanic trade, or who take ship for adventure and profit’s sake, Manann is a God to be respected and placated. He is often perceived as indifferent to mortals, even to his priests, but his worship is considered necessary. Some seafarers, typically pirates, worship an aspect of the God they call Stromfels, a God of destruction and jealous retribution. This aspect is even more feared for its abandon and potential for devastation.
Priests of Manann nearly always come from seafaring stock, and are brought up with a proper regard for the majesty and power of the rolling oceans, not to mention the potential for catastrophe inherent in a life based on the sea. They tend towards short tempers and moods which wax and wane with the moons.
Many Priests join the Order of the Albatross and serve as navigators aboard vessels of many nations. They are acknowledged as the best in the Old World, and are paid accordingly, much of the payment making its way to the various Temples of Manann in the form of tithes. The biggest temple is in Marienburg, from which ships sail all over the Old World and beyond. There are plenty of opportunities for aspiring young clerics to gain experience in navigation and seafaring, as well as the inevitable need for self-defence against pirates, sea-creatures, Dark Elf Corsairs and whatever other dangers await beyond the horizon.

Starting as a Priest of Manann

EQUIPMENT

A Priest of Manann carries the following items
    Book of Tides
    Vial of Holy Water

BOOK OF TIDES

This book is a combination of almanack, mythology and devotional. By consulting it, the Priest can determine the best time or date to set sail, the likelihood of a storm, the direction of the wind or the chances of getting a good catch of fish. It also contains some of the many stories of Manann, often referencing his wrath at those who do not respect his awesome power! Yet there are also many passages of poetry and invocation to the God,, sea-shanties and work songs, and rituals for blessing any boat from battleship to coracle. Priests can read from the book to invoke miraculous occurrences if they are of sufficient interest to Manann.

BLESSINGS

Blessings may be cast by rolling 1D6 and adding the power dice. If the result beats or equals the difficulty level of the Blessing, it manifests. A Priest may attempt one Blessing per turn.
The book contains the following Blessings

Invigoration (7+)
A wind blows through the room, seeming to echo the Priest’s chanting. As it touches the Warriors they smell and hear the sea, and have a sense of its eternal persistence.
Each Warrior on the Board recovers 1 Wound

Sea Shanty – Men of the Storm Reaver (7+)
The Priest begins a vigorous song designed to encourage men in the midst of storms to redouble their efforts.
A selected Warrior gets +1 Attack this turn.

Curse of the Albatross (7+)
Cursing his foes, the Priest of Manann invokes the Albatross, the bird of fortune, which it is a sin and an offence to Manann to harm.
A selected Monster loses 1 Attack this turn. If it only has a single attack, it cannot use it at all.

VIAL OF HOLY WATER

The Holy Water is not, as in many cases, pure and drawn from a sacred spring. Instead, it is water drawn from the heart of a tempest at sea, on a specific auspicious day, and its power is not to soothe pain, but to inspire strength into its drinker. The water is salt, and may contain bits of seaweed and even small sea-creatures, but when drunk, the drinker feels the effects immediately. His stomach is immediately hit by the effects, which are said to be quite disturbing, and something of the fury and vibrancy of the storm enters him.
The Priest may drink from the Vial at any time, even on 0 wounds. He recovers 1D6 wounds immediately when he does so. If another Warrior wants to drink, they also recover 1D6 wounds, but on a roll of 1 are temporarily stunned by the effect of the salty raging water inside them that they miss the next Warrior’s Phase. If the Priest wishes to administer this to a Warrior on 0 wounds he may do so freely, but on a roll of 1 the Warrior will be unable to move until he has passed a Willpower test (7+) to silence the raging gale within him. He must take this test at the beginning of each Warrior’s Phase, and if he passes can act as normal.

WEAPONS

The Priest of Manann is armed with a Harpoon, which does normal damage but may be thrown as a spear, using the Priest’s ballistic skill. If thrown it has Strength 4. The Harpoon is lashed to the Priest’s wrist by a length of chord, and he may attempt to recover it to throw again during the battle by rolling a successful Strength test. He does this at the beginning of a turn in which he doesn’t have the Harpoon, and if successful he may throw it or use it in close combat in the same turn. If he rolls a 1 for the Strength test, the chord has snapped, and he will have to recover the Harpoon after the battle.
As usual, the Priest may only use the Harpoon as a range weapon if he is not adjacent to a monster.
Note that if the Priest gains multiple attacks in one turn, he can still only throw the Harpoon once.

ARMOUR

His long green or blue robes conceal a layer of leather armour reinforced with whalebone a bit like the corsets some rich ladies wear to maintain their figure. Few people like to risk making such a comparison in front of the Priest. They also have a hood, which can be pulled up to keep storm winds and rainwater out of the face.
His robes give him +1 Toughness.

PRIESTS OF MANANN & TREASURE

The Priest may not wear any other armour other than that with which he started. However, at his discretion, he may wear robes and furs if the climate or situation is deemed appropriate.
He may not carry a shield.
He may use any weapon that the Wizard can use, except that he will not use bows or crossbows, with which he is not trained, and which can be unreliable if their strings get wet or wood warped at sea. He will cheerfully use any type of throwing weapon and pistols, as well as large-scale crossbows, for example, if he should find himself on a ship armed with them.
The Priest may collect treasures and use treasure which is normally only associated with Wizards.

ADVANCED RULES

Many of the rules of the Priest of Manann are the same as those of other faiths, such as the Warrior Priest. Therefore, for rules about Initial Blessings and Spellcasting Treasure, refer there.

PRIEST OF MANANN IN SETTLEMENTS

As well as the normal shops and Special Locations, the Priest of Manann may also seek out a Shrine to Manann. Shrines always exist in Cities, never in Villages, and can be found in a Town on a roll of 7+ on 2D6.

Shrine to Manann

Depending on the size of the settlement, the proportion of the population who depend on the sea or river for trade and livelihood, and even the time of year, the Shrine may be a small alcove at the back of a Seaman’s Mission, or a dedicated building. Shrines are usually decorated with or constructed out of things reclaimed from the seas. The bones and teeth of whales, sharks and other marine life are often used. Sailors with time on their hands might carve devotional offerings out of whale ivory. Nets and fishing equipment are often given as offerings, and some Shrines make money out of selling these on. There is almost always a pot of fish stew simmering somewhere. It is expected that people attending the shrine will want something to sup on, and it represents the bounty of the seas, especially as it is usually surrounded with recovered wreckage representing the dangers. As well as this, the Priests of Manann often sell lucky charms and scraps of paper with blessings on them for superstitious (or god-fearing) sailors to keep with them or attach to their boats. If there is a Priest in residence, he will live near the Shrine, where he keeps his books and instruments of navigation; learning which is vitally important to the seafaring community.
The Priest of Manann can spend some time here, reading and hearing sermons in praise of his God. He may also lay an offering at the altar, worth 2D6x25 gold. If he does so, roll on the following table:

Special Powers (reroll duplicate results except 1-2)

As well as making devotions, the Priest of Manann can train at a Shrine and convert his Gold into Experience points if he so chooses.

Settlement Events

The Priest is a respected figure in any human society, especially so in costal settlements. If he is in a Port, may cancel any one event per visit that he doesn’t wish to face. It counts as an Uneventful Day.

TRAINING

As well as the usual profile changes as the Priest becomes more accurate and powerful in combat, the Priest gains more Blessings and may use more than one per turn. The changes are shown on his Battle Level table, where the first number is the total number available and the second is the number of Blessings he can attempt in one turn. Regardless of whether the Blessing succeeds or not, he may only attempt each one once per turn.

When determining which new Blessing the Priest has received, roll on the following table, re-rolling any duplicates.

11-13 Anchor of Faith

The Priest intones a blessing over the assembled Warriors redolent with meaning. They feel their apprehensions lifting as they prepare to face great horror with bravery and honour.
Whilst this blessing is in force, the Warriors affected gain a bonus to Terror and Fear tests. The Priest of Manann decides who is affected, although the blessing can only affect Warriors in squares adjacent to the Priest, and of course the Priest himself.
The table below shows how many Warriors are affected according to the Priest's Battle Level, and what bonuses to the Fear/Terror test that Warrior gains. Note that the blessing only lasts for one test; the Warrior does not gain that bonus for the rest of the adventure.

14-16 Sea Shanty – Heart of Oak

The Priest hums an old tune, which each of the Warriors recognises deep within, as a call to steadfastness and stoic endurance.
This Blessing gives a Toughness bonus to the Warriors for the turn.

21-23 Sense Shoals

Casting his keen eye over the surrounding terrain, the Priest quietens his thoughts and allows Manann to warn him of any dangers that lie ahead, unseen.
Priests frequently use this Blessing onboard a costal ship to warn them of submerged rocks, reefs, sandbanks or shoals which could wreck the ship. The principle can be used elsewhere. If the Priest uses this Blessing while a new room is being explored, he receives a chance to foil any ambushes or traps in that room. If such an event should occur, the Priest rolls 1D6 and if he scores the appropriate number then he suffers no ill effects. For an ambush, the foes do not get their extra attack. For a trap, the Warriors are warned. The trap is still sprung, but no wounds are caused, so if it is a pit, for example, the tile is still placed, but the Warrior is moved aside and doesn’t fall into it.

24-26 Invigoration

A wind blows through the room, seeming to echo the Priest’s chanting. As it touches the Warriors they smell and hear the sea, and have a sense of its eternal persistence.
Each Warrior in the same room as the Priest recovers 1 wound per BL of the Priest.

31-33 St Elmo’s Fire

Lightning and the fury of the storm seems to blaze in the Priest’s face as he stands before his foes, then an eerie humming fills the room and eldritch lights surround him, burning with a flashing light
All Monsters within range of the Priest are hit automatically and suffer 1D6 Wounds plus the Priest’s Battle Level, not modified for toughness.

34-36 Sea Shanty – Men of the Storm Reaver

The Priest begins a vigorous song designed to encourage men in the midst of storms to redouble their efforts.
Each affected Warrior gains +1 Attack this turn.

41-43 Water Blast

Opening a small bottle and with a wicked gleam in his eye, the Priest directs a powerful blast of water at his enemy, who falls back, spluttering!
The blast of seawater hits automatically and does an amount of damage equal to the Priest’s Damage Dice with strength dependent on Battle Level. Once damage is worked out, if the target is still alive, it is knocked over unless it can win a strength test versus the Water Blast (1D6 + target Strength versus 1D6 + Strength of blast).  If the target is knocked over, it may do nothing for one turn while it gets back up.

44-46 Voices of the Deep

Moaning with dread intent, the Priest causes the voices of those lost at sea to sound in sympathy with his own sepulchral tones, striking fear into those who oppose him.
The fear of death is put into the Monsters when this blessing is invoked. As soon as it is performed, any monsters with a Break point must make a test. In addition, every group not Immune to Psychology must test for fear. If the Priest rolls above the value given below on a D6, they are afraid and at –1 to all to hit rolls. Monsters that cause fear themselves get +1 on the roll, or +2 if they cause Terror. The effects last for the remainder of the Battle, or until the Priest is brought to 0 wounds.
Monsters which are afraid suffer –1 on all their to hit rolls, and –1 on their Spellcasting if applicable.
May only be used once per combat.

51-53 Curse of the Albatross

Cursing his foes, the Priest of Manann invokes the Albatross, the bird of fortune, which it is a sin and an offence to Manann to harm.
The Priest causes the Monsters to lose a number of attacks. The number is determined by title, and the attacks lost may be split between the Monsters as he sees fit.

54-56 Pearl Armour

“Those are pearls that were his eyes” murmurs the Priest recalling a passage from one of the tales of Manann, as his body becomes entwined with a milky mist that hardens into pearly armour, resistant to all damage.
This blessing lasts for one whole turn. The Priest’s body is protected by armour that affords him benefits based on his Battle Level, but restricts his movements. The armour bonus is on top of any he is already receiving.

61-63 Grace of the Dolphin

The sound of the sea and the cry of dolphins seem to echo dimly, and the Warriors find themselves moving swiftly, with a grace and agility foreign to their tired limbs.
Upon speaking this Blessing, the affected Warriors may chose to gain a bonus on either their Move, Pinning or Escape Table Roll this turn.

64-66 Sea Shanty – Brine and Brawn

This Sea Shanty sends a shiver through the Warrior’s limbs as they feel their mettle rise to the challenge, be it goblins or gales.
Each affected Warrior gains a Strength bonus this turn.

Battle-Level Table

Alternative Titles – Squallwatcher, Galerouser, Stormwarden