D&D (2024) I have the DMG. AMA!

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on Earth, sure, in D&D I can at least understand how a god would be able to grant power, I am far less convinced an idea could
The Outer Planes are a realm of ideals, philosophical concepts that manifest "force". Divine magic taps into these forces.

Where Arcane magic is more like engineering "math", Divine magic is more like metaphorical "poetry". Science versus symbolism.
 

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exactly like every other previous release.
2024 feels different.

"This is the default", is clearly said and adhered to with any "variants" being few and far between.

At the same time, "No, you really can do whatever you want", is also more clearly said.
 

Being more explicit restricts options, unless you explicitly open them up. New players only see the new stuff.
That's not always a bad thing. This DMG is very much geared toward new DMs. It looks to me like it will do a much better job providing them with advice and direction and help them become good DMs than the 2014 DMG, which is more like a random grab-bag of stuff that was more for veteran DMs.
 


That's not exactly how they are presenting it now though, is it?

Its how its always been. Its all just guidelines, Wizards cannot force you to do anything. If they want to continue the direction they are in, and quite clearly they are, all anyone who finds it distasteful can do, is make up their own setting.
 

Its how its always been. Its all just guidelines, Wizards cannot force you to do anything. If they want to continue the direction they are in, and quite clearly they are, all anyone who finds it distasteful can do, is make up their own setting.
Rules matter. Rules can empower a DM. Rules can empower a player.

I suspect, the removal of variants from the DMs Guide is for the sake of simplification for a newbie DM.

The rules that are there are well though out and nuanced.

The rules also empower the DM to worldbuild, to modify rules, and to invent.
 


Not in the cleric section. 3e was the last edition that had clerics lose their powers RAW. There is nothing in 4e about it either, but I think you had to retrain your channel divinity feat if you switched deities...
In 4e, clerics specifically did not lose their powers if they turned against their patron deities.

Exactly! Actual superpowers have to come from somewhere.
This is what 4e says on the topic, and I find it to be a perfectly cromulent explanation:
"As a cleric, your deity does not directly grant you powers. Instead, your ordination or investiture as a cleric grants you the ability to wield divine powers. Clerics are usually formally ordained by existing clerics who perform a special ritual to do so, but on rare occasions a deity moves to directly ordain a worthy worshiper without any sort of priestly hierarchy involved. What you do with your powers once you are ordained is up to you, although if you flagrantly and openly defy your deity’s tenets, you quickly earn the enmity of the faithful."
(The Paladin description focuses a bit more on personal devotion and rites, but essentially says the same thing).

I like this approach. It means that priestly hierarchies are probably going to be screening potential clerics pretty strongly before ordaining them – because once granted, ordination is not a gift that can be taken back. And should a cleric be misbehaving, it's up to the faithful to deal with the problem. The deity can't be bothered with individual priests.

I think this approach creates much more interesting story opportunities, particularly two: the Heretic and the Apostate.

The Heretic is a character who still considers themselves faithful to their deity, but disagree with other faithful on matters of doctrine. Since both sides are getting divine juice, you can't tell which side is right by seeing who gets to keep their powers.

The Apostate is a character who has actively turned away from their deity, but who are still using the deity's powers to fight that deity's followers. This could go both ways – just like you could have a fallen priest of Pelor, you could have a redeemed priest of Bane.
 


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