How Might D&D Religions Differ From Real Life Religions?

[jasper]

"Your deity doesn't exist"

"I'm sorry? I was just zapping someone with GODLASERS and you're telling me they don't exist"

Heretic! That is Blue Lighting Bolt from outer space. Now where did I put that feather duster. I will tick you until you pray to the great gawd Elmo! EVIL GRIN.

 

[cmad1977]

For me it’s the verifiable proof of existence. Cure wounds works 100/100 times.

 

[Voadam]

For me it’s the verifiable proof of existence. Cure wounds works 100/100 times.

Yeah, 5e bards are real rock gods.

 

[jasper]

In 3E and after, I think the lore changes for having non gawd healing were wrong. If you have temples with gawds visiting, and healing after prayer. I think atheists would NOT exist. And if they did, the gawds would get together on a zoom call and make sure healing spells did not work for that person.
I understand the reason for the change to be more inclusive play.
Bards are only rock gawds if they wear blue suede shoes.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Two thoughts that occured to me..

In the real world, we have had plenty of rulers/armies that claimed god was on their side... Sometimes both sides in a conflict claimed that the same god was on their side. So if the god is real and actually has favoured individuals/armies that gains blessing due to this, what would happen when said parties decide to go up against each others.

And the other thought is kind of similar: Does the god gain more power the more worshipprs they have? If so then does that mean that the god is stronger (and thus any powers that derive from the gods, like a clerics spell-casting) where there are more worshippers? If this is the case, then one side-effect might be that clerics that go out adventuring, and entering enemy territory might find their powers lacking and their opponents be much more powerful). This would of course also have a large effect on which god was the most powerful in an area. The goddess dealing with fertility and growth of crops etc would probably be much more powerful than any upstart city-god...

 

[ART!]

And the other thought is kind of similar: Does the god gain more power the more worshipprs they have? If so then does that mean that the god is stronger (and thus any powers that derive from the gods, like a clerics spell-casting) where there are more worshippers? If this is the case, then one side-effect might be that clerics that go out adventuring, and entering enemy territory might find their powers lacking and their opponents be much more powerful). This would of course also have a large effect on which god was the most powerful in an area. The goddess dealing with fertility and growth of crops etc would probably be much more powerful than any upstart city-god...

If gods get their power from worshippers, and can thus bestow more power to their clerics, that would motivate clerics of that god to evangelize - and clerics of an opposing god to de-evangelize.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Of course nobody would want their followers killing each other. AD&D deity would ask both sides to face a "divine test" to prove who is right about dogmatic/teologic conflicts. If we compare with the religions of the real world the teology of D&D faiths are relatively very poor.

In the "canon" novels of Forgotten Realms Ao (in the end of the avatars war) said the power of the deities would be acording the number of followers, and then like this the deities would rather to serve and not to be served.