Papyrus of Supplication

Wondrous item, rare

A papyrus of supplication is a specially prepared scroll upon a spindle of rare wood, and is always illuminated on one side in elaborate hieroglyphics that call forth the blessings of one of the core deities.

When unrolled, a character with proficiency in Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Religion) can use rare inks and pigments (costing at least 100 gp) to inscribe a prayer or request to that deity. With a successful DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Religion) check, the request inscribed on the papyrus of supplication is granted, subject to the restrictions below.

If the writer does not worship the deity to whom the papyrus of supplication is consecrated, he takes a -3 penalty on ability checks to use it. A divine spellcaster that worships the same deity gains a +2 on ability checks to use a papyrus of supplication.

The request made upon the papyrus of supplication must be one that is in keeping the nature, alignment, and areas of interest of the deity in question. It can duplicate the effect of any spell of 6th level or lower on the cleric spell list or any other spell of 4th level or lower. It can undo the effects of harmful spells as a wish, and it can produce other effects whose power level is in line with the above, as a wish.

Any spell created by a papyrus of supplication is DC 16. A papyrus of supplication can also create more mundane effects, such as protecting crops from storms or floods, warding off plagues and drought, ensuring (or preventing) healthy childbirth, or similar effects. These effects last up to one year and affect an area inversely proportional to the power of the effect. A papyrus of supplication that granted a +1 bonus on one specific kind of ability check, such as Intelligence (Religion), might affect an entire city, while one that spread a baneful curse might affect only one family, one business, one temple of a rival deity, or even a single creature.

The precise limits on what you can accomplish are subject to GM discretion, but must be consonant with the nature, alignment, and areas of influence of the associate deity.

Inscribing a papyrus of supplication takes 1 hour and must be done in an area hallowed to its associated deity, or with the papyrus spread on a permanent altar or shrine to that deity. When the duration of the effect created by the papyrus of supplication ends, the papyrus crumbles to dust, powerless. For non-instantaneous effects, if the papyrus of supplication is destroyed prematurely, or if it is taken into an area that is not hallowed to its associated deity, any effects it creates are likewise ended immediately.