Bastion of Faith is a 96-page sourcebook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition released in December 1999.
Official synopsis[]
Secrets of priests and temples—revealed at last!
Who are the priests your player characters turn to for cures and healing? What is the temple like where they line up for holy water? What is the patron church for the zealous party paladin? Where did your party's clerics and priests train, and where do they go when the time comes to learn higher mysteries? Bastion of Faith has answers to these questions and many more!
Bastion of Faith a complete temple of priests and affiliates (holy warriors, devout rogues, and pious wizards) that can be placed into any campaign or adventure. Bastion of Faith follows the format of the popular Den of Thieves and College of Wizardry sourcebooks. This 96-page book contains:
- A complete roster of the priests and affiliates of the temple called the Bastion of Faith, including detailed descriptions for the templeís upper hierarchy.
- Rules for incorporating nonpriest characters into the temple as affiliates.
- Maps of the temple, its public spaces ... and the tainted catacombs beneath it.
- New priest spells and new blessed magical items.
- Four mini-adventures for priest or nonpriest characters.
- The full story behind the Bastion's "Secret Doctrine" and the consequences for the temple should the truth ever get out!
For Dungeon Masters and players of all levels
Content[]
Bastion of Faith is set primarily in the World of Greyhawk, and is dedicated to describing a temple of Heironeous. Adaptions are made for other settings, including various suggested deities in the Forgotten Realms, Kiri-Jolith of Dragonlance, or Haelyn of Birthright.
The work details the temple, its history, a complete roster of its members, its system of hierarchy, and its secret doctrine. It defines rules for specialty priests of Heironeous, called Gloryaxes, after that deity's favored weapon in AD&D 2e.
It introduces various spells: detect breath, lesser brand of Heironeous, lesser glyph of warding, shield of Heironeous, vigilance, bless missile, hand of Heironeous, vengeful fist of Heironeous, abstention, greater glyph of warding, greater brand of Heironeous, simple justice, bolt of glory, call templars, bastion, personal savior, and the 7th level spell miracle; the secret spells peace of dissolution, lure of the beast, inexorable restitution and refresh; and the Hextorian spells mantle of Hextor, battlearms, and arouse discord; and the spell exorcise, It also details a set of glyphs, which have magical effects, and rules for specialty priests of Hextor, called Battlescourges.
It details various magic items: dicerion of light and darkness, dicerion of good and evil, dicerion of health and sickness, dicerion of fire and ice, unblemished alb, skin-of-stone cassock, chasuble of sheen, sovereign chasuble of sheen, cope of far seeing, dalmatic of hiding, fleet mitre, surplice of protection, surplice of sanctuary, holy water, consecrated water, incense of prayer, holy incense, censor of perpetuation, thurible of the gate, everfull aspergillum, snuffing bell, prayer beads of spell storing; and the holy weapons Liberator and Torrent.
It also includes a detailed description of the various rooms which can serve as the basis for short adventure modules:
- Observership & Hard Choices, for one to six characters of levels 1 to 3
- To Serve and Obey, for three to six characters of levels 3 to 6
- I'm on a Mission, for three to six characters of levels 4 to 7
- Call of the Templar, for three to six characters of levels 9 to 12
- The Bastion of Evil, a suggestion for any number of characters of any level
Development and release[]
Development[]
The book was written by Bruce R. Cordell. Art was provided by Tony Szczudlo and David Martin.
Release[]
Bastion of Faith was released by Wizards of the Coast in December 1999 for $16.95 US or $24.95 Canadian.
On May 2, 2017, it was re-released in digital format. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $4.99.
Reception and influence[]
Critical reception[]
As of 2023, Bastion of Faith reached the rank of Silver seller on DriveThruRPG.
Influence on other works[]
Bastion of the Faith was cited as a resource for the D&D third edition sourcebook Defenders of the Faith (2001). That work featured the spell bolt of glory.
External links[]
References[]