wimlach wrote:
The trickier part is actually obtaining 'real' holy water that has been blessed by a suitable priest - I'd say that although there are many priests, only a very small number are pious enough to be able to truly bless water. And you can't really know until that moment of truth...
I don't support this idea based on the following.
We know certain creatures can't walk on consecrated ground. The suitability or piousness of the priest that performed the ritual that concentrated the ground is not questioned, so why do so for holy water?
If we look at crosses we know that they will work on vampires, hellions and hellrots (either drive them off or send them berserk). The faith or purity of the person making the cross is not taken into account.
Interestingly with crosses, while the faith of the user isn't a factor, a sorcerer receives a penalty when using them. A strong indication that their power is demonic in nature and they receive a small taint on their souls, making holy symbols less useful in their hands.
While on the subject of crosses, the rules around them were written when only the 4 original professions existed. Do they need revision? Should a warlock or an elementalist also receive a penalty? Does a priest receive a bonus?