Without trying to bash on you any more, I'd say that if the empowerment system failed at all here, it's that Xhenod was empowered at all. The fact that a character with half-assed RP who didn't have half the understanding of his religion he could get from reading the helpfile couldn't run around with full empowerment is the system doing exactly what it's meant to.

I find, incidentally, that newbies with previous RP exposure have an easy time with empowerment. People who just want to power to hero and raid hell for phat lootz don't, and that's okay.