Demigod is the same as it was. And if you're only example is in Eberron, it fails. All we know is that there are quasi-deities on that list and that the DM has to decide which they are. How is he going to decide. If he's only 5e, probably abitrarily. If he's familiar with past editions, he'll probably reason that prior demigods are still demigods.
Demigods in 5e cannot answer prayers and cannot grant spells. That is not the same as it was. The Eberron stuff is simply attempting to highlight that there is more than one explanation for the Acolyte text. You seem to be of the opinion that the only possible reasoning for it is secret demigods that you need to read older sourcebooks to discover their true natures. I just can't accept that that is the only possible explanation when we literally have four entries in appendix B that are not gods or pantheons, and therefore would qualify for a third category of "quasi-divine beings"
We have the best equipment. Take the equipment away and all the Marines in the America lose to armed rabble. An equivalent to the Marines would be if the Undying Court got it's power from lots of powerful magic items.
And picking apart my analogy serves what purpose again? Oh right, none at all except trying to continue pushing a false narrative. To repeat myself. If you keep insisting on "this single member of the court is CR 9" as some metric to measure the power of the entire court working in unison, despite that blatantly misrepresenting their power, then you are arguing in bad faith. There is nothing else to say to that. You are arguing in bad faith, because the entire point of the Court is that they are working in unison and the sum is greater than the parts.
And you have yet to prove that the Undying Court is on the list in any capacity. They are not a greater god. they are not a lesser god. They are not a quasi-deity. Yet they are there. So either they don't belong on that list and they are a mistake, or there are beings that don't fit the limited descriptions of divine powers in the DMG and yet still fall into those categories. Like demigods that ascend from mortal to demigod.
You choose? This is a true dichotomy. Either those limited descriptions in the DMG are all that falls into those categories or they are not.
No, it isn't a dichotomy. Yes, the list isn't exhaustive, but "demigod" is on the list. You are literally saying that how the DMG defines Demigod doesn't apply to demigods, because in older editions the definition was different. That isn't how things work.
You do know that the clerics would be entirely unaware that she isn't granting those spells, right? As well as her worshippers. And he is not doing all the work. She does her exarch work. Here, since apparently you've ignored what I said and are claiming that all she does is deliver messages, I'll link exarch for you.............................again.
Exarchs were the most powerful servants,[1] agents and champions of gods, demon lords, and other beings of great power.[2] They were low-ranking divinities and were often referred to as demigods.[3][4] In most cases, an exarch was a mortal servant of a god,[1] usually a greater god,[3][5] that...
forgottenrealms.fandom.com
I don't think you linked this before, and reading through it, I think you maybe didn't read this closely. First of all, I will point out that all of the information in that article is from either the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide in 2008 or the Divine Power book in 2009. 5e, to remind you, was released in 2014. This is all 4e information, none of it is from 5e.
Secondly, I would like to draw your attention to that text explicitly cited from Divine Power, (emphasis mine):
An exarch can be any Chosen, Demigod, Saint, archangel, or being of power that pledges their service to a particular Deity. The exarch gains no additional powers from this relationship as they are normally of considerable power already to earn the position.
To repeat: An Exarch gains no additional powers from becoming an Exarch. Zero. Nada. Nothing.
This, to me, explains A LOT about the changes we see in the 5e Sword Coast Guide. WoTC changed the definition of Demigod, to more closely resemble the common understanding and move away from the 2e and 3.5 understandings of the terms. However, this left them a bunch of figures that had become relatively important in the realms, that people wanted to see more of , but that no longer could fulfil their role. So, they made them Lesser Gods instead of Demigods. Not because it increases their power, but because the definitions changed. And they didn't have to change the Exarch information at all, because being an Exarch never came with additional abilities.
And, to quote the other relevant text "but are more often simply conduits from the mortal world
to the attention of the higher gods." The entire point was to take prayers and pass them on to the more powerful Gods, directing their attention where it needed to be. In 5e, that means that an Exarch has to be either some undefined thing that isn't on the list because it doesn't match up with anything, or they have to be a lesser god. Because Lesser Gods can hear prayers, and Quasi-Divine Beings, can't.
Nothing in her write up says anything about answering prayers or granting spells. It does show that she serves Tempus, though. In her temples are altars to Tempus.
And yet, as I literally just quoted. That is the job of an Exarch.
Which, actually re-reading the entry... She isn't even an Exarch anymore. The term "Exarch" never appears in the Sword Coast Guide. She just has altars to Tempus in her Temples. Nothing even says that Tempus grants the spells or answers prayers directed at her. So, yeah, the Red Knight is a full Lesser Diety who just respects and works with Tempus according to all of the 5e lore written about her.
Fear does not equate to worship. Not even close to 50% worships him.
Find me a quote that proves that. Because so far it seems that is your opinion, and nothing more.
