WizarDru
Adventurer
Clavis said:Besides, a "cleric of no god" could also describe some Buddhists.
More often than not, though, you could effectively cross out 'God' and write in 'Buddha' or 'Bodhisattva' and get the same net effect. Intoning a chant on behalf of Kwannon (or Quan Yin, if you prefer) or Amida Buddha or Acala (or Fudo Myou, if you prefer) instead of some other higher power yields the same net effect in many legends and myths. On the other hand, there were more than a few mountain ascetics who certainly fit the bill of 'cleric of no god', especially some Zen Buddhist sects. Taoism probably would qualify, as would lots of proponents of ancestor worship.
Wulf has a pretty good point about the domains and Corellian. It pretty much, to me, short changes any argument against abuse, unless you assume that some of the core entries in the PHB themselves are flawed, which I can't recall anyone ever claiming.
While I find the idea of "Bob, the guy who has a good outlook on life" is far more flavorless than "Bob, The Light of Pelor" or "Bob, who pays fealty to the spirits of his ancestors", I don't see any reason to force a player to a concept, necessarily, if he doesn't want one....unless it messes up some aspect of the DM's design.