31 thoughts on “So you’re a cleric, right? What sort of things would go through your mind if your Deity abandoned you?”

  4. Really dig.. How could you even imagine revenge against a GOD. Why would you be depressed? For what reasons? How do you think you would prove yourself? What would prove you worthy of your God’s reacceptance? Gimme the guts.

  5. Upholding the beliefs of my church against all adversity. I’d need to know HOW my god has abandoned me, tho. A lot of what I might do might look like what a real world church does, right? Because if, say, miracles have left the world along with my deity… That’s sort of what we’ve got.

  9. What are the repercussions of Deistic abandonment in your game?  Do the souls of the dead answer to their god, or does Death decide fates?  ARE there different fates for the dead?  Are any of the pantheon heroic mortal figures pulled up into eternal power?  Is the cleric monotheistic or did they stand decisively behind ONE of the X number of gods they recognize? 

  10. Sean Fager had some good points but also how would the temple people treat the character. Is this a normal thing or are they thought of as sick or just exiled? plus this holy person is now unbound so is there another in the pantheon wanting this person for some task or join another side.

  12. Let’s play with a world building example, then. Anyone is welcome to comment and build off each others ideas. Let’s develop the Gods and see how this pans out.

    Describe the nature of this current world. Is it Flat? Does the entire known world exist inside of something?

    How are Deity’s perceived?

  14. is cleric just a job with divine perks?  so random Joe can sign up and start using the spells after some ritual or minimum training period?  or do you people already attuned to a deity become clerics?

  15. most people are born into there religion but and rarely look outside of it.  but maybe you decide to become a cleric or priest after some divine inspiration or witnessing a miracle

  17. A traveler arrived out my dying town, staying at the inn.  Since the people where nice to him he asked about our problems and preformed a ritual at our well.  the town had been dying of drought but shortly after the ritual the well began to fill and the drought ended.  the traveler was a priest of Waywood, god of travelers and exploration.

  19. a few kids including myself followed him a short distance down the road when he left.  after a while he dissolved into a flock of ducks that flew off.  I later learned from a traveling bard about Waywood and that there was a shrine to his honor in a nearby town. I took up with the bard and started traveling with him.  after he retired I went to the shrine and asked to join the monks there.

    outside this story: I assume a lot of people work as clerics of a particular deity but only a few truly benefit from his/her notice and would represent the player class.  or am I wrong?

  20. How did the monks refer to this God? What troublesome information did you come to learn after you had spent a significant amount of time with them?

    OOC: I don’t know what you mean in the question you posed.

  21. OOC : There are many people called ‘cleric’ within a faith, just as there might be ‘pastors’ or ‘missionaries’.  But there’s only one Cleric.  Amongst any of the faiths.

    Waywood is often referred to as …. fickle.  His attention wanes quickly, and anything that isn’t new tends to be overlooked.  The monks treated visitors as a blessing, as tending to a traveler is more likely to bring them their god’s attention than all their stationary worship and day-to-day tending to the community’s faith and faithful. 

    Because of the relative lack of divine oversight a particularly nasty sub-sect, frowned upon but not shunned by the body of the faith, has sprung up amongst some of the monks of Waywood.  Their leader advocated constant new experiences – even if they can’t wander the earths they might draw their god’s attention through experimentation and discovery at the shrines.  The studies in alchemy and astrology brought many young minds to this sect, the orgies and slaking of abnormal appetites turned many away, but when the blood sacrifices and deals with evil forces from Beyond started, most of Waywood’s followers turned a blind eye and willful ignorance toward that denomination.  They occupy a few out of the way shrines, but members of the faith supportive to their efforts might be found in any gathering of Waywood’s followers.

  22. do you need the ability to cast divine spells, or the favor of your god that allows you to cast them, to be a cleric.  ie: a priest, part of the clergy.  or do all religions not allow you to take on that roll until you have the ability?

  23. These subsects were something of an up-an-coming faith of younger minds versus the “old ways” of the older priests. Teenagers found the dark arts more entertaining and interesting than the simple ways of travelers. Were you drawn more toward the darkness or did you rebel against it?

  24. The darkness, obviously.  There were the old dying badgers talking about  how the simple duties of tending to travelers and sharing known truths were our highest calling.  Then there were the up-and-comers who clearly had the favor of Waywood with all the nonsense they were getting away with.  Who wouldn’t pick the winning horse?

    And when you come back home after a pilgrimage to discover the newest iteration of “new-for-the-sake-of-new” was to sacrifice a follower of Waywood TO Waywood by burning, and that sacrifice was your sister, who wouldn’t slay their own congregation and rage against the fickle beast that allowed such a thing in their name?

  26. Oh, I was going for “While I was away attending to my spiritual development the rest of my church burned my sister to death to see if Waywood would get a kick out of it.  So I killed them and told Waywood that, although I had no idea how I was going to do it, I was coming for him next.”  Waywood’s “discovery” tag is just part of his nature, but it’s the one the darker side of his faith focused on, and I hold him responsible for not stopping his flock.

    I’d think if you signed up for a new god you’d keep the cleric base class, maybe get access to a compendium class.

  27. Ah, I see. So was the burning of your sister a task given to the villagers by Waywood himself? Is this why you hate him so? If so, why would he ask for this ritual  as he was courteous, it seemed, to travelers?

  29. I think Damian was exploring the very human, very religious idea of “this stuff is alright as long as its not turned against me and my people”.  Our cleric (Dawntay?) got into and benefited from the darker cult and their sacrifices but rebelled when his family was brought to the alter.  maybe Waywood was subtly hinting that this new offshoot was interesting but should slow down before it goes to far and turns people away from him.  maybe Dawntay is supposed to make this realization or in the killing of his brothers (other clerics) show others in the order that this shouldn’t have been tolerated. 

    also I don’t like the idea of any cleric being able to talk directly and without ambiguity to their deity.  it makes life to easy.  though you could swear vengeance on a god or religion, you cant really be sure anyone is listening (though maybe the loss of powers is a hint).  it should be ambiguous as to whether you lost the power because you rebelled or because you followed the offshoot to far.  or maybe he cut you off after you made him an enemy.  I kind of like the idea of a paladin swearing to destroy a god or religion and having to wonder why he still has the blessing of that deity.

  31. Waywood did not demand he stop.  he simply inspired another group of cultists to move into Dawntay’s home town and let nature take its course.  Dawntay happens to arrive when they are using his sister and he freaks out. 

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