Death of Majore Religious Figures in Game can cause what?

[swordsmasher]

Hey, with the death of the Pope, i got to thinking, How could the death of a major religious figure in my campaign affect the pc's and the world around them? One idea right off the back was rival religions trying to gain in power of course, but i was looking for some other ideas also. tenks

 

[Gadodel]

Are you using a homebrew world? If so, we'll need more details...

 

[adwyn]

Civil war, or at least the threat of one, is always a risk if the successor is politically chosen. Or it could require certain individuals to travel to a central location for one of them to be chosen - perhaps everyone born on X day so as to include one or more PC's.

How about the the death triggering the end of a truce or alliance with outsider forces. Maybe there isn't even anything official, they were just afraid of the guy.

 

[cybertalus]

True Resurrection? Unless the death was a natural one of course.

If the religion were already divided over some issue, the death of the leader who has just barely been holding things together could trigger a schism. Which was exactly what the assassins from a rival country wanted, because the schism could very easily become a civil war.

It could also trigger retirement for the PC cleric who steps in to take the leader's place.

Or maybe it's not just the main leader, maybe it's all of the high ranking church officials who all die in one night. The deity's angry at something his followers have been doing and wants to send a really loud message about what types of behaviors won't be tolerated. Or some other deity pretending to be him does.

 

[Starglim]

There will be a period of uncertainty, transition and debate, probably involving conclaves of important clerics and the issuing of proclamations and homilies. The church could falter in its importance for a while, or become more respected if the new leader is already well-known.

The new leader and his backers will probably introduce a shift in church doctrine or emphasis gradually over a few years (or immediately hold a secret ceremony using the church's high relics to summon a demon lord to devour the world, one or the other).

Some high-ranking clerics will be demoted and other medium-rank people who have languished in the provinces will gain high positions.

The former leader may be canonised as a saint or minor deity of the faith.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

If religion and politics are contentious, just imagine religious politics.

David Eddings' Elenium had some pretty good church politics -- that sort of thing would make for a great politically-based adventure. Imagine the internal infighting as various factions supporting various potential candidates maneuver for power, the conservative and liberal wings are pitted against each other ... and meanwhile the half-fiend dark horse candidate gains power.

I understand Catholic Church politics back in the middle ages and Renaissance were quite rough and tumble, what with assassinations and other underhanded tactics.

Another adventure idea might be finding/retrieving some key artifact designed to select the next successor, or facilitate the transfer of power. Or PCs could guard one key candidate that others are trying to assassinate.

 

[Starglim]

The former leader may be canonised as a saint or minor deity of the faith.

Just to expand on this a little, making a new saint isn't an instant process. It will probably take several months (decades, in the real world) of debate and preparation, followed by an elaborate ceremony and the consecration of new temples. The deification of pharaohs and emperors could provide more examples for this.

The dead cleric will probably have a lavish tomb (or, alternatively, a very austere funeral for religious reasons) and many fine new statues and reliefs. In a reasonably old city, this will most likely involve knocking down some existing statues and reliefs of historic figures who are no longer well-known, leading to the displeasure of ancient ghosts, breaking of wards and vows of long ago, and discovery of hidden things.

All of this will give rise to still more factionalism and debate, but not in the full view of the populace who no doubt find it abstruse and uninteresting. Various deals could be done and subtle insults applied by the dead leader's surviving enemies.

 

[Chimera]

Starglim gives the most likely scenario for any sect of worth.


In my Homebrew's current regional setting, there is a small sect, that of Miros, the Goddess of Light and the Sun ("Our Lady of the Light") which is in jeopardy. There is only one Cleric of 9th level or higher (the old "high priest" level) who can cast Raise Dead or other 5th level spells necessary for the proper functioning of a regional sect (ie, Atonement, Commune, Hallow, etc). This Cleric is in his late 80's and has no obvious successor.

For my next campaign, I have it written in that he will die of old age about 4 years into the campaign. If there are no PCs of that sect of 9th level or higher (or NPCs aided by the PCs to the point of reaching that level), then the sect will fall into 'cult' status.

At that point, the sect will begin a death spiral, losing worshipers and new recruits to the clergy, until it dies out in this region.

 

[Templetroll]

The new leader may decide to move the leadership bureaucracy out of the traditional city it was in to a location in his own country, so that he has greater power within and outside the church to back up his dictates. This could set up the schism/civil war scenario.

 

[Tonguez]

I've used the premise a few times

in one scenario based in an Alternate 16th Century Europe it allowed the Iberian born,. demon possessed leader of the Inquisition (named Torquemada of course) to be appointed as the new Pontiff. He then set about stamping out all use of Magic and any other heresy and established a theocracy which at the time of the game dominated much of Southern Europe.

In another homebrew setting the death of the Prelate allowed the Emperor to move in an appoint himself head of the Church this lead to a major Schism between the apparent majority who supported the stability of the Empire and those who beleived that the Faith should remain free of Political interference. The PCs were placed on the side of the Faithful rebels fighting the Emperor

Third had a Prophet who was hanged and ascended to godhood his followers initially fled persecution from the larger established Cults which were hunting down known members until the PCs assisted them to escape to a safe city far to the north