Ideas for parties with diverse religious leanings

[ourchair]

After the first four levels of play, I've discovered that the players in my Eberron game are of widely differing faiths. No I don't mean that I have a Scientologist on one end of my table and a Mormon on the other. Rather, at level 4 they took it upon themselves to settle on a chosen deity and they've been a mixed hodge podge.

I've got:

Tiefling Barbarian, who follows the Blood of Vol ("My infernal heritage gives me strength!")
Human Cleric, who follows the Traveler ("Mischief and mayhem! Change for change's sake!")
Minotaur Runepriest, who follows the Shadow ("Light must beget the shadow.")
and an Eladrin Paladin, who follows Dol Dorrn ("I seek to perfect my skills in battle.")

The question is, what ideas would you have for trying to pull at these strings. I feel like such a mixed group would cause conflict, but so far they're all agreeable enough to work with one another (and Eberron permits gray areas in so far as the relationship between roleplay personality and chosen deity goes).

Still, I'd like to tug at these. The players agree that conflict is likely, but I have't any ideas where to take that. I don't think this necessarily means party-breaking scenarios - though it could, depending on where it takes the story - but eventually the PCs will realize that they have to take turns making compromises so that other PCs can fulfill their interests. Any suggestions thoughts and ideas.

Anyway... thoughts? ideas?

 

[Stumblewyk]

Threats dire enough that all four deities would see fit to set their followers against them? Or at least 2 or 3 PCs that can see their deity being interested in stopping the threat/advancing a common goal? I don't know enough about Eberron (played maybe...4 session in the world back in 3.5) to really try to tie those faiths together...

 

[Nifft]

Eberron's deities are non-interventionist. The gods don't walk around smiting people for misbehavior or heresy. So it's entirely up to the PCs to come up with reasons -- supported by doctrine or whatever -- why they are allowed (or required) to hang out with each other.

I had a Cleric of the Traveler whose goal was to redeem the Traveler in the eyes of good people everywhere. His MO was to do good deeds, then (once he had some credibility) give a sermon first on redemption, then on how to deal with misfortune and the Dark Six. He never came out and said it, but he juxtaposed "change for the better" and "redemption" with his mentions of the Traveler as often as possible.

Cheers, -- N

 

[LuckyAdrastus]

Well, it sounds like you have invested role-players, which is a good start! Beyond that, try to talk to and work with the players to make sure they are making decisions which balance advancing a concept of their character, with advancing the goals of the campaign (which likely include party unity).

Looking at the specific religions, I think the most trouble may be with Dol Dorn or the Shadow. Blood of Vol (as generally worshipped) and The Traveler are unaligned relgions -- although they have bad reputations, their actual tenets aren't directly harmful towards others. Members of other religions who get to know a worshipper of either of those faiths personally should be able to overcome any prejudices.

Dol Dorn is unaligned and all about militarism and personal perfection. If the worshipper of Dol Dorn is focused on training himself, rather than eradicating non-Vassals (worshippers of the Host) he/she should be fine at dealing with worshippers of more unpopular faiths on a personal level. Might lead to more opportunities to fight! Think of Kord in the Points of Light setting, who was child of the original evil goddess of Winter, Khala, and joined her in a war against the good gods until convinced to switch sides. So long a the Dol Dorn worshippers fellow PCs aren't trying to destroy the world, overtly harm innocent without justification, it shouldn't be too hard to pull off.

Shadow could be very tough, based on which direction the player takes it. If they worship the Shadow as a neccesary patron of their magic powers, then it shouldn't be any "worse" than having an infernal pact warlock, or party friendly wroshipper or Vecna, Bane, or maybe even Gruumsh from Points of Light. On the other hand, if they seek the often implied greater goal of the Shadow to corrupt living things (the Shadow is CE, after all) then it could be more troublesome.

Basically, the faiths should be able to get along if the players keep their goals mostly internalized. If the Dol Dorn guy tries to lead a crusade against worhsippers of the Six, the Blood of Vol guys tries to raise an undead army to crush Thrane, the Traveler guy decides to assasinate King Boranel to spread anarchy, and the Shadow guy tries to turn the Eldeen Reaches into a shadow mockery of nature, that is likely to cause party harm.

 

[Cormacolinde]

After the first four levels of play, I've discovered that the players in my Eberron game are of widely differing faiths. No I don't mean that I have a Scientologist on one end of my table and a Mormon on the other.

That's what I thought you had! It's interesting that although most of my group is made of atheists, we have one staunch catholic.

Considering the evil organisation they've been fighting so far is based off the damn catholic church I thought he'd have problems with it but he seems to take it in stride so far.

 

[ourchair]

Eberron's deities are non-interventionist. The gods don't walk around smiting people for misbehavior or heresy. So it's entirely up to the PCs to come up with reasons -- supported by doctrine or whatever -- why they are allowed (or required) to hang out with each other.

I had a Cleric of the Traveler whose goal was to redeem the Traveler in the eyes of good people everywhere. His MO was to do good deeds, then (once he had some credibility) give a sermon first on redemption, then on how to deal with misfortune and the Dark Six. He never came out and said it, but he juxtaposed "change for the better" and "redemption" with his mentions of the Traveler as often as possible.

Cheers, -- N

Yeah, that whole non-interventionist angle of Eberron deities was something I already grokked. Of course, there's always the exception to the rule, which is why I kind of had it in my mind that my Traveler Cleric -- who was the first to have declared his deity cause he's a cleric -- has a deity who has actually walked the earth (supported by Eberron lore itself) and is currently still at large trying to weave change into the fabric of Eberron itself.

I'm still unclear as to what my cleric's ultimate interests are, but I think that's because the player (our strongest RPer) is likely waiting for me to present opportunities to him.

Looking at the specific religions, I think the most trouble may be with Dol Dorn or the Shadow. Blood of Vol (as generally worshipped) and The Traveler are unaligned relgions -- although they have bad reputations, their actual tenets aren't directly harmful towards others. Members of other religions who get to know a worshipper of either of those faiths personally should be able to overcome any prejudices.

Good point(s).

Yeah my understanding is that Vol/Traveler means their goals can easily be self-directed ("strength inside/confuse your enemies") rather than being about inflicting large-scale effects on society or accumulating power.

Shadow could be very tough, based on which direction the player takes it. If they worship the Shadow as a neccesary patron of their magic powers, then it shouldn't be any "worse" than having an infernal pact warlock, or party friendly wroshipper or Vecna, Bane, or maybe even Gruumsh from Points of Light. On the other hand, if they seek the often implied greater goal of the Shadow to corrupt living things (the Shadow is CE, after all) then it could be more troublesome.

The thing I'm having trouble figuring out and fitting into a story is that the PC who reveres The Shadow is a minotaur of divine class and is actually more good-aligned than most of the PCs. I tried talking her out of taking the Shadow but she insists that the minotaur believes that "light cannot exist without the Shadow," and is struggling to navigate his own personal 'shadow' (akin to the themes of self-mastery established in PHB3).

 

[hamishspence]

Given how that there are some Evil characters devoted to good deities in Eberron, typically believing that the ends justify the means, and blind to their own corruption (Cardinal Krozen springs to mind)- then a Good (or near-good) character devoted to an Evil deity doesn't seem so implausible.

They might feel that "the balance" mandates that evil deities must exist- but those deities can be revered without actually doing evil things?

 

[Nifft]

They might feel that "the balance" mandates that evil deities must exist- but those deities can be revered without actually doing evil things?

"It's not reverence! What I'm an expert in is helping people avoid the attention of the Dark Six. Would ye hire a rat-catcher who never read up on rats? An' if he did read up on 'em, would ye call him a rat-worshiper?"

Cheers, -- N