As I have been running Servants of Gaius adventures, I started bringing the gods into the campaign more and more. However I am not a fan of the GM simply decreeing that a given PC is special or singled out for divine punishment. I find a procedure is helpful. So I took the mechanic from our Ritual Skill (which uses the pattern found below) to establish a procedure for my own campaigns. I also may post it on my blog if I am happy with it in play, and then down the road if people like it include it as an option in a supplement.

Curious for feedback on this one. I was going to make it a bit more detailed (kind of like stages for the Ravenloft powers check system) but felt being more open-ended makes it easier to use in play and makes it more adaptable to different situations.

Unleash the gods
The gods are fickle and petty in Servants of Gaius. What pleases Jupiter one day, might anger him the next. Use these optional rules to bring the gods into your campaign. They work off the pattern established in the Ritual Skill roll, but extrapolate for a wider range of scenarios.

The gamemaster should be careful when gods and PCs interact. It is easy to opt for the best plot hook or most interesting result. This can be an obstacle to fairness and the integrity of your setting. Sometimes it helps to have a mechanic mediate these sort of in-game relationships so the outcome is never certain from the GM’s or player’s point of view and to keep from playing favorites.

Anytime a player character accomplishes a heroic  feat or performs a wicked act that would attract the god’s attention roll a d10. As a general rule the god in question should be the most appropriate deity (even a non-Roman one in some cases) to the situation. On a result of 1, the PC has angered the god. On a result of 10 the god is pleased. In both instances you roll once more to determine the extent of the god’s response.  Results of 2-9 indicate divine indifference.

If the god was angered, roll another d10. On a result of 1-9, the god merely issues a minor curse upon the player character (see effects below). On a result of 10, the god unleashes his wrath upon the character (see wrath below).

If the god was pleased, roll another d10. On a result of 1-9, the god issues a small blessing (see below). On a result of 10 the god is so pleased he favors the mortal in some way (see below).

Curse         
The god takes a brief interest in the mortal, issuing a small curse that impedes his ability to function properly or produces embarrassment. This will have tangible effects such as tremors, persistent drooling or abnormal growths (horns for example). This imposes -1d10 penalty to skill group related to gods area of power. The curse generally lasts a month or so. This can get worse with time if the PC displeases the god again. If the mortal continues to displease the god, he may find his condition permanent.

Wrath
The god the god takes an immediate interest in the mortal and singles him out for divine punishment, hounding him to the ends of the earth.  He may simply smite the poor fellow on the spot or he could send his minions to do his dirty work over the course of months or years.

Blessing
The god takes slight interest in the mortal’s deed, granting a minor blessing. This usually takes the form of something vague but palpable such as greater clarity of mind or sharper sight. Blessings normally last about a month and bestow a +1d10 to related skill group.

Divine Favor
The mortal is special and worthy of the god’s efforts. He chooses the mortal for some special purpose, becoming his chosen. This is a tremendous honor but usually comes with great risk. Being the servant of one god can make a man the enemy of other gods.  

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Heroic Feats and Wicked Acts are exceptional. Simply saving a person’s life is not a heroic feat, since it happens all the time and is frankly of no interest to the gods. But saving the emperor’s life or discovering a lost artifact after a long quest are heroic. A wicked Act must also be more than merely bad. It requires a level of malevolence and evil that would attract the attention of the gods. Betraying an entire village so its inhabitants are slaughtered could be a wicked act.

Remember heroic feats and wicked acts can both attract either the gods pleasure or anger. A PC who does something vile, may be rewarded for it but he may also be punished.

I would probably eliminate the possibility of a god immediately killing a character out right from the Wrath description, but otherwise I like it.