How do clerics pray for spells in a dungeon?

[Menexenus]

Since the game is called *Dungeons* & Dragons, it is no surprise that many adventurers find themselves underground for long periods of time. Clerics are supposed to pray at certain pre-specified times of day in order to recover spells. But if they are underground (and there's no such thing as a wristwatch), how do they know when to pray? Does their god remind them somehow (like, for instance, by giving them a "spider-sense tingle" when it is about time to pray)? Or do they just have to guess (and forfeit their new spells if they guess wrong)?

I'm curious how other people handle this, as well as how it is "supposed" to be handled according to the rules.

Thanks.

 

[Jdvn1]

Well, clerics don't have to pray at specific times of day, they just usually do. If they have to pray at a different time, it's not a problem.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Each cleric must choose a time at which he must spend 1 hour each day in quiet contemplation or supplication to regain his daily allotment of spells.

Doesn't really say one way or the other that once they pick the time of day they pray, if they can change it or not on a day to day basis.

 

[Infiniti2000]

How do clerics pray for spells in a dungeon?

Quietly.

Seriously, though, I just assume they can tell time, roughly. Otherwise, it's a huge hassle and I have more important and fun things to do than to "roleplay" whether or not the cleric can tell time. This gets especially absurd when deciding if the wizard slept 8 hours or not. I can't even imagine a reasonable scenario where the DM says, "Oh, I'm sorry, you only rested for 7 hours 45 minutes. You don't get any spells today."

 

[Menexenus]

I just assume they can tell time, roughly. Otherwise, it's a huge hassle and I have more important and fun things to do than to "roleplay" whether or not the cleric can tell time. This gets especially absurd when deciding if the wizard slept 8 hours or not. I can't even imagine a reasonable scenario where the DM says, "Oh, I'm sorry, you only rested for 7 hours 45 minutes. You don't get any spells today."

I agree with you whole-heartedly that being picky about this is no fun for anyone. Still, why did the designers include these time-specific mechanics in the game when we are playing in pre-industrial fantasy settings that have no clocks or watches? (Please, don't bother posting that there are "water clocks" or candles that burn down at calculable rates.) The point is, why not come up with some other mechanic for casters to recover spells?

After all, I find my parties adventure for about 45 minutes a day, and then sit around in a camp for the remaining 23 hours waiting to recover spells. That's not much fun either. Why didn't the designers of 3E anticipate this and the previous difficulty and come up with a better mechanic for recovering spells? (That's the impetus behind the question I asked.)

 

[werk]

I think the current system is an attempt to avoid the behavior that you describe. Rather than fight, recover, repeat, action is broken into days so they MUST manage their resources for an entire day lacking any other option. If you allow them to rest for 23.5 hours, that's the problem.

It may also be based on tying 'praying for spells' to prayer as it exists for real world religions, that, predating timepieces, still require prayer at specific times during the day...say dawn, or dusk, or mid-day. The problem appears to actually be caused by lack of a way to track the sun because they are underground, much as they are currently trying to figure out how the world's first muslim in space is supposed to keep his prayer schedule.

I think the best solution to this problem is a little hand waving from the DM. "You know when to pray."

 

[Nail]

"How do clerics pray for spells in a dungeon?"

Errrr.....Is this kinda like the question: "How do politicians put on a pair of pants?" I'm unclear.

 

[Malum]

On knees with candle, yelling praises to patron diety with a very nervous, concerned & bleeding party surrounding him, waiting for a new batch of healing spells. "Oh lord I ask for guideance and protection in the after life of my soon to be dead companions with their ineveitable doom close at hand, Oh lord damn them not for their heathenist ways, help us in our last hour on this plane and welcome whats left of us into your heavenly abode hope you have a mop.

 

[irdeggman]

It does say that they must pray at a certain time of day, but also that they can pray at the first opportunity if something prevents meeting the time of day requirement.

PHB pg 179

Time of Day: A divine spellcaster chooses and prepares spells ahead of time, just as a wizard does. However, a divine spellcaster does not require a period of rest to prepare spells. Instead, the character chooses a particular part of the day to pray and receive spells. The time is usually associated with some daily event. Dawn, dusk, noon, and midnight are common choices. Some deities set the time or impose other special conditions for granting spells to their clerics. If some event prevents a character from praying at the proper time, he must do so as soon as possible. If the character does not stop to pray for spells at the first opportunity, he must wait until the next day to prepare spells.

 

[The Forsaken One]

I just wing it, or grant some level 0 or 1 spell that lets them know the position of the sun or moon above so they can know what time it is. Else like stated before its a huge hassle and kinda needlessly complicating for the game.