Holy Symbols: are they God-specific? Can they be altered?

[Pinnacle]

Mind you that this is, of course, a roleplaying issue only and not a mechanical one. But if you're playing anything more than a kick-in-the-door, beer-and-pretzel game, then how a cleric might use an incompatible holy symbol is a question that shouldn't even come up, because no one should even suggest the idea.

I think I disagree. We're not just talking about symbols of other gods, we're talking about powerful magical items that the cleric can use to actually further his/her god's agenda.
Refusing to actually accomplish something because you'd have to use an item with another ideology's mark on it seems like it might actually annoy your god in some situations.

Of course the cleric should wield a symbol of his/her own god (and possibly several mundane ones), but if there's a good reason to also have another one (remember, clerics only need to wear the symbol, not hold it out or anything) he/she should probably at least consider it.

 

[Farstrand]

Of course the cleric should wield a symbol of his/her own god (and possibly several mundane ones), but if there's a good reason to also have another one (remember, clerics only need to wear the symbol, not hold it out or anything) he/she should probably at least consider it.

But the rules says that if you have more then one Holy Symbol on you none functions....

So if I use the Magic All Powerfulsymbol of Raven Queen, I can't wear my Pelor badge at the same time. Then none functions.


/Farstrand

 

[AverageTable]

Yup. By the standard rules, only one holy symbol at a time. The DM should probably permit you carry another in your backpack or something; but only one can actually be used.

Remember, also, that the standard rules also specifically forbid the use of a holy symbol not of your own deity (thus prompting this whole thread). And the only reason I can think of for including such a rule in the books is that the designers themselves have the same philosophy regarding holy symbols that I happen to have - that is, they aren't simply "magic items".

They are, I've always thought, something more like "conduits" for the power of the gods they represent. Thus, someone using a holy symbol is not simply using a "tool" the way he would be if he swings a magic sword. Rather, he is, quite literally, invoking and channeling the power of the god in question. This is why a holy symbol only works for clerics who worship the god in question - the god won't allow his power to be invoked by a cleric devoted to a different deity. When a cleric of a different faith calls on Pelor, for example, he simply won't answer.

Moreover, this is why it strikes me as ludicrous, from a roleplaying perspective, for a cleric to even consider using a holy symbol of a different deity. If he were able to do so, it would involve him calling upon another god than his own in order to channel the power of that other god. It is, once again, akin to a Rabbi (a person who has devoted his entire life to the devout practice of Judaism) praying to Jesus. It's something he's just never going to do. It would be blasphemy in the extreme.

There's no mechanical issue here; but there does seem to be a major roleplaying issue for anyone who cares about such things.