Clerics with no gods

[The_Universe]

Not necessarily. I would just wonder where the cleric gets their spells from. How can an ideal give you spells? Wouldn't there need to be some sort of entity that grants them?

It's magic. Duh.

Seriously, others have said it better - why does it even matter? For all I care, Clerics can get their power from a turtle on the backside of the moon who sings bar-ditties and farts divine energy at the faithful. Or it's a biproduct of breathing oxygen. Or its gamma radiation.

It *doesn't* make sense. Not at all.

 

[VirgilCaine]

I find it interesting that returning to the old concepts of D&D is often seen as becoming more like a video game.

Because RPG video games came from original D&D, and in some ways they are very similar.
D&D moved on from that, and harkening back to the roots is now seen as video gamey.

 

[reveal]

Isn't it a little ironic that people are poo-pooing the idea of a non-god worshipping cleric because it doesn't make sense? Because elves, halflings riding dogs, half-orcs and magic in general makes a lot of sense, right?

Lighten up. It's a role-playing GAME not a role-playing Philosophy.

einan

No one's play the heavy here, so no need to lighten up, IMO.

 

[TheGM]

I don't allow it in my worlds. Your power comes from your deity, thus not having a deity equates to no power.

I know that others do it differently, but that's the ruling I've laid down, and even players who aren't thrilled deal with it okay because they do have the option of not playing a cleric.

 

[TheYeti1775]

Why would it be a problem?

Especially if the Player does have real religious reasons for it.

Our game was blasted by various religious leaders for the "worship of false gods" thing, not too long ago. So why ostracize (sp?) someone for wanting a mono-god outlook their character. Have it be a small faith pocket in your world, very few and far inbetween. Let that pocket grow as your character grows. Maybe there are certain spells that wouldn't be available or something along those lines. But I say work with the Player.

 

[reveal]

Paladin's do not have a deity, by the RAW. Choosing a deity for a paladin is like choosing a deity for a fighter or wizard.

Quasqueton

Well, the RAW also states that the cleric doesn't need a diety and I'm cool with that if other people want to do it.

Personally, I think the paladin should choose a diety, but that's just me and I don't want to derail this thread since we're talking about clerics.

 

[Crothian]

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.

If someone wanted to play a healer that did not worship the gods then I'd make up a new class for them; and that's exactly what I did when this happened. She was not as good of a healer as a cleric becasue she did not have divine backing, but it worked for the story and for the metagame.

 

[reveal]

It's magic. Duh.

Seriously, others have said it better - why does it even matter? For all I care, Clerics can get their power from a turtle on the backside of the moon who sings bar-ditties and farts divine energy at the faithful. Or it's a biproduct of breathing oxygen. Or its gamma radiation.

It *doesn't* make sense. Not at all.

Well, it would matter to me as a player, not as a DM.

 

[JimAde]

For me, it's a campaign-specific thing. In my current game, clerics have to have a deity. The main plot centers around a resurgence of an old cult and their machinations to take over several kingdoms. So quests from deities, old religions, and all that good stuff are central to the story.

In my next game, I might have no gods at all and every cleric will serve a philosophy. It's all just world-building.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

I guess what I'm getting towards is that I can't hold that some *icon* of faith has more power than faith itself. Thus believing is the source of divine magic, not what you believe in.

I do like the concept. The point is that when playing one of these character, you understand that faith is the important part. Essentially willpower allows you to shape the world itself, just that a lot of gods have duped mortals into thinking you need to believe in THEM to get power.

Due to this fact, I am still waiting for SOMEONE I know to run D20 Modern so I can play a cleric of money. He'll be a rapper who wears a giant golden $ around his neck. Gives new meaning to "worshipping the almighty dollar".

Still, in a D&D game it is more than possible to use these characters without any problem. They are just like any other cleric except they worship forces rather than a specific being. Have them mention their domains a lot and treat them as if they were alive.

For instance: "I must smite you and destroy your chaotic influence in the world" (law) or "wounds must be healed for life to continue"