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One of my players is playing a Blood Hunter from the D&D beyond site. He wants to have his character be the Ghost Hunter based subclass and have his backstory be that he grew up in a ghost hunting family/group, who all worshiped or looked to one or two gods. What mechanically is allowed to be a holy symbol?

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    \$\begingroup\$ I'm not sure I understand your most recent edit. Blood Hunters don't use Holy Symbols (like a cleric does). WHat is the relevance of Holy Symbols to this class and your question? \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Jan 22, 2019 at 14:24

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The rules text on holy symbols is pretty brief:

A holy symbol is a representation of a god or pantheon. A cleric or paladin can use a holy symbol as a spellcasting focus, as described in the Spellcasting section. To use the symbol in this way, the caster must hold it in hand, wear it visibly, or bear it on a shield.

There are a few different options listed in the rules - amulet, emblem, and reliquary - but they only differ in weight (1, 0, and 2 pounds respectively). They all have the same cost. Exactly what they are (beyond the regular English definition of the words) is not defined - it could be steel, gold, stone, etc. As long as it's worth 5 GP and has the appropriate symbology, it's a holy symbol.

The nature of a holy symbol is not a matter for the rules, because there are no mechanics behind it. Even within the same church, followers of a given deity may use different holy symbols. The themes and design of the symbols follow a pattern (in the Realms, Kelemvor uses a scale) but the exact construction varies.

In fact, the price is only an issue for buying something that qualifies for the game mechanical use of a holy symbol, which is only relevant to Clerics and Paladins. For a lay worshipper, a token of bone or wood with the right markings may just be good enough.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I think it's worth noting that whether the object is a "real holy symbol" could be relevant if the player chooses to multiclass to a relevant class later. They would probably become slightly miffed if the thing they were calling a "holy symbol" previously suddenly doesn't qualify. \$\endgroup\$
    – Kamil Drakari
    Jan 22, 2019 at 20:22
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Without a mechanical requirement, there is no limitation

The Blood Hunter class does not use a Holy Symbol, so there is no mechanical requirement that needs to be resolved here.

Because of that, you are only limited by what your DM decides is a holy symbol in their world. You'll need to ask your DM, or if you're the DM, you'll need to do a bit of world building.

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I mean I'm currently playing a Campaign as CN Paladin of Vengeance who worships Bhaal. My holy symbol is a greatsword that I'm RPing as a relic of Bhaal. Really whatever your DM allows it to be. I've seen holy symbols be whole suits of plate armor completely etched in holy runes.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Welcome! You can take the tour as an introduction to the site and check the help center if you need further guidance. Good luck and happy gaming! \$\endgroup\$
    – Sdjz
    Jul 30, 2019 at 9:29

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