D&D 5E Everybody's got to have a Patron deity. Where did it come from?

[MoonSong]

I mean, I kinda get the idea of a patron deity, it is in Greek Myths with Jason and Hera, it is kinda related on how certain guilds and professions have patron saints, and some cultures toy with similar ideas on specific cases. Of course it is kind of a given with clerics -clerics of a philosophy notwithstanding- and recently with paladins. But how did it go from that to "Everybody and their dog must have a patron deity"? Is it a recent thing? Is it very old? Did it come from a setting like Forgotten Realms or was it always a "core" D&D thing?

 

[Caliban]

I don't think it's ever been a rule that everyone "MUST" have a patron deity. In previous editions it was a rule that Clerics and Paladin's had to have a patron deity, but that's about it.

A lot of players choose to have their characters follow a specific god, but outside of clerics (and depending on the campaign not even them) it's not really required.

There may be a campaign specific rule about it, if the DM so desires.

 

[hastur_nz]

...how did it go from that to "Everybody and their dog must have a patron deity"? Is it a recent thing? Is it very old?

Where do you get that idea from? I've never seen it, never played the game that way..

Please read Appendix B, PHB (5e)...

 

[Kobold Stew]

Rather than look to the Greeks, I'd point to some of the more recent fiction that shaped the game:
Conan's relationship to the distant and unfeeling Crom, and Elric's relationship to Arioch seem much more important for the sense that one has a patron deity (which was much more deeply inscribed in the game in first and second editions, I feel, than it has been since 3.0).

 

[Staccat0]

I think that it stands to reason that any world in which gods were demonstrably real would be very different from our own. In a world where clerics could bring people back to life or strike people dead would see a lot more faithfully observant people. So to me (assuming I understand the premise of your question) it seems likely that any organization or archetype would be a reflection of one of these world shaping forces in some way.

Like, would we have organized crime if everyone truly 100% believed there was a god who would punish them for eternity for commuting crimes? I dunno. However, if there was a trickster god who promised people great reward for such things and we 100% knew he was real I can guarantee we'd have thieves guilds.

So to me, it's a logical extension. A world where some gods are real and encourage certain behavior would probably hinder the growth of all other behaviors.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Where do you get that idea from? I've never seen it, never played the game that way..

In some editions, there's a spot for it on your character sheet. If you weren't supposed to fill in something, then it wouldn't be there.

 

[Fanaelialae]

We've always played that if you play a faithful character (even if they aren't a cleric) you have a small chance to receive divine intervention if you get into serious trouble. Not sure how many people play that way, but it's always been a significant motivator for us. Characters tend to get into a lot of trouble after all, so there have been several times when this has averted an otherwise guaranteed TPK.

 

[MoonSong]

Where do you get that idea from? I've never seen it, never played the game that way..

Please read Appendix B, PHB (5e)...

It's a recurrent meme. Not that I like to play like that, but I've seen it many times. Some DMs that insist you fill up that space, even if playing on a homebrew setting and some people I've played with consider it a necessary thing to have a complete character. And like @Saelorn said, many character sheets, fanmade and official feature Deity on a very visible place.
Recently @Ilbranteloth mentioned in the FR thread that "everybody picks a patron" is intrinsic to D&D and not a Realms thing, and it got me wondering about where did it come from.

 

[Fanaelialae]

It's a recurrent meme. Not that I like to play like that, but I've seen it many times. Some DMs that insist you fill up that space, even if playing on a homebrew setting and some people I've played with consider it a necessary thing to have a complete character. And like [MENTION=6775031]Saelorn[/MENTION] said, many character sheets, fanmade and official feature Deity on a very visible place.
Recently [MENTION=6778044]Ilbranteloth[/MENTION] mentioned in the FR thread that "everybody picks a patron" is intrinsic to D&D and not a Realms thing, and it got me wondering about where did it come from.

FWIW, there was a time in FR where those without a deity could look forward to an afterlife of being human bricks in a wall (because they were faithless and therefore no deity would take them into their afterlife). So you arguably wanted a deity in FR if you cared the least about your character's soul.

I think I read somewhere that it's changed since then, but I'm not particularly informed about FR so it may be that I am mistaken.

 

[Demetrios1453]

In some editions, there's a spot for it on your character sheet. If you weren't supposed to fill in something, then it wouldn't be there.

Which, like any form that has "Children:" with a blank after it, simply allows someone to write in "none" if they wish. Otherwise, based on this statement, the existence of forms with "Children:" on them would presuppose that everyone must have children!