Clerics with no gods

[Quasqueton]

By the RAW, a cleric does not *have* to worship a deity. How often do you see this concept played?

How about for those Players who don't want to play a cleric because they don't like the whole "worship a god" thing? Is the non-god cleric an acceptable character?

Quasqueton

 

[Crothian]

I never see it and no it is not really acceptible. If one wants to play someone who doesn't worship a god there are pletny of other classes that do that.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Since alignment is such a central force in the D&D universe, it is no problem not to worship a specific god. Clerics can be servants of alignment, just as many gods are.

 

[reveal]

Is the non-god cleric an acceptable character?

I would think it is acceptable by some since they made the Favored Soul class and it seems to play towards the particular person who uses a cleric that way.

Personally, I think clerics should have gods because their spells need to be granted to them by something.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I never see it and no it is not really acceptible. If one wants to play someone who doesn't worship a god there are pletny of other classes that do that.

Yeah, but the cleric is the best healer.

I see where you're coming from in a story sense, but in a metagame sense, it can be more complicated.

 

[Gunton The Terrible]

I do not allow non-god clerics in my campaign. Whats the point?

Although I have never had a player ask about it. It has always been assumed in my group that a cleric worships a diety of some sort.

As far as not wanting to play a PC that worships a god, I don't have a problem with it.

I have no problem playing the role of a fantasy character whose entire existance is devoted to the worship a fantasy diety, and I am an athiest. So why would any one else have a problem with it.

 

[kenobi65]

Can't say I've ever seen it. For that matter, I've seen very very few PCs without a patron deity, cleric or not.

Then again, a lot of my play of late has been in FR, where that's not an option. (It's also not an option in Living Greyhawk.)

 

[kenobi65]

I have no problem playing the role of a fantasy character whose entire existance is devoted to the worship a fantasy diety, and I am an athiest. So why would any one else have a problem with it.

I don't think it's safe to assume that just because you don't have a problem with something, that others can't have a legitimate problem with it.

 

[mattcolville]

I have a player in my game who's so offended by real-world religion that he cannot play a character who worships a god. He wanted to play a cleric, and so used the rule that you can be a cleric who worships no god.

The rest of the players, or at least a couple of them, find this kinda silly and make fun of his character. "Godless." They accuse him of serving an evil god, since he will not confess which God he serves.

I generally think it's silly when people let their real-life prejudices affect their play.

 

[Gunton The Terrible]

I don't think it's safe to assume that just because you don't have a problem with something, that others can't have a legitimate problem with it.

I know some have a problem with it. I just don't understand why. In this case I would argue that there is no legitimate reason to have a problem with it.

Its a game.