D&D (2024) Are Bishops "Clerics" or "Priests"

[Stalker0]

Its a subtle thing noted in the one dnd document on clerics, but in the document it mentions how rare clerics are supposed to be. They are a unique exception in the world, a rare thing.

So when you think of the typical holy man in a village, or religious leader in a big city (like bishop) does the narrative assume these are the clerics, or are these still just "priests".

And if they are priests what is the difference? Do priests not get spells from their gods? Does that mean only clerics are generally capable of healing in the world (and so is healing actually very rare?).


This is a world building element I've often thought about, and so what do you all think?

 

[Gorck]

IMO, "Priests" are holy people that reside in a church, temple, or other holy building, who spread the faith and do good in the community. "Clerics" are priests who go off adventuring (don armor, wield weapons, carry a backpack & bedroll, etc.). By those definitions, I would conclude that "Bishops" are more like priests who move diagonally.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Just like most scholars arent wizards and musicians arent all bards, most priest arent cleric.

Cleric (like the other class) is an Adventuring Class, a path taken by the rare few gifted enough to take those ''jobs'' and make them their way of life.

So no, in my game at least, the members of the church dont cast spells. Their god watch over them, sure, but it does not give them the same tools they give to the holy pilgrim questing in their name.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Its a subtle thing noted in the one dnd document on clerics, but in the document it mentions how rare clerics are supposed to be. They are a unique exception in the world, a rare thing.

So when you think of the typical holy man in a village, or religious leader in a big city (like bishop) does the narrative assume these are the clerics, or are these still just "priests".

And if they are priests what is the difference? Do priests not get spells from their gods? Does that mean only clerics are generally capable of healing in the world (and so is healing actually very rare?).


This is a world building element I've often thought about, and so what do you all think?

That is a goofy thing to say in the document and should be cut, because Clerics AREN'T rare in all D&D settings or locations. In the Old Empires regions and Drow cities, etc... clerics are common, even Thay had alot of Clerics, and its a Magocracy that rebelled against its Gods.

 

[CleverNickName]

I've always thought it was weird that everyone in D&D who goes to church has to be a spellcaster of some sort. Just like every town guard has to be a heroic Fighter, and everyone who plays a lute must also be a bard. Do regular people even exist?

In my D&D campaign, all of the the members of the local temple--from regular attendees to the leadership offices, and all of the staff and clergy in between--are no different from the other people in town. They might have proficiency in Religion or Medicine or History, and maybe one or two of them has access to the Ritual Caster feat at best...but the religious folks in my game world aren't demon-slaying crusaders or miracle-workers by default. Even the highest-ranking church officials are just regular people, doing regular things.

 

[Yaarel]

Its a subtle thing noted in the one dnd document on clerics, but in the document it mentions how rare clerics are supposed to be. They are a unique exception in the world, a rare thing.

So when you think of the typical holy man in a village, or religious leader in a big city (like bishop) does the narrative assume these are the clerics, or are these still just "priests".

And if they are priests what is the difference? Do priests not get spells from their gods? Does that mean only clerics are generally capable of healing in the world (and so is healing actually very rare?).


This is a world building element I've often thought about, and so what do you all think?

With regard to the question:

• "Bishop" = a background
• "Cleric" = a class

All bishop characters have the Bishop background (or something equivalent enough).

A few of these bishops are also members of the Cleric class.



With regard to the term "Priest":

"Priest" is an unfortunate gaming term for a group of classes (Paladin, Cleric, Druid).

"Priest" mischaracterizes what a D&D Paladin is. It also mischaracterizes many reallife religious traditions, and privileges the Western cultural assumptions.

"Cleric" is a good term because it is truly cross-cultural for any kind formal responsibility for any kind of religious tradition. The "cleric" might be a priest or a deacon, a nun or brother, a rabbi or cantor, a scholar, an imam, a shaman, a sage, a processor of temple offerings, a seer, a holy warrior, or so on. The only requirement is some kind of formal function within a socially recognizable sacred institution. Even a Cleric class character without affiliation is still a kind of socially recognized "itinerant" holy person.

 

[Blue]

To me, classes are not in-world constructs. Inside the world, there's no such thing as a "cleric" as defined by the player-facing balanced-against-other-classes rules set forth in the PHB and expanded in other books. This is pretty much official - if you look at NPCs in the various books, they are not built with PC building rules. You have a "Druid" in the MM that has 4th level casting but no wideshape. You have lots of other NPCs that evoke certain classes without being that class from the PHB.

Brandar walking down the street is called a "warrior". If they are a PC, they might be a fighter, barbarian, maybe some other class/subclass like a kensai monk. Or as an NPC is whatever I build that the in-world natural language of "warrior" would describe.

Now, onto "cleric" vs. "priest" - the same thing holds. PC casters linearly tie casting level to, well, "how advance they are". That's not true in world. Last religious figure they met in my game was the elder and well respected bishop over the capital city of a duchy. He could cast 2nd level spells and that's it. I have religious people who can't cast at all, just like that MM Druid can't wildshape.

TL;DR: PHB is player facing, as a slim player-balanced facet of what's actually in world. In world they describe people using natural language and not classes. Since the MM does the same thing with NPCs, we know this is correct.

 

[Andvari]

Temples in adventures seem to always have a bunch of clerics. Forgotten Realms at least. There’s a bishop in the adventure I’m currently running. He’s the highest level cleric in town.

Looking at the next adventure I’ll be running, the leader of a local temple is a high priest who is a 12th level cleric. Zhentil Keep is also part of the adventure, and is ruled by clerics. Patrols there often have 4th level clerics with them.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

In our world all magic is rare, so clerics are indeed unique and more like champions of their gods. Priests and Bishops spread the word; clerics enforce it!

 

[Fifinjir]

Priests don’t always have cleric levels and don’t always have spells, but level 1-9 spellcasting isn’t the only way to portray a divinely gifted character.