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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nyeshet" data-source="post: 5158995" data-attributes="member: 18363">I'm not even sure where to begin with this.Here, this is how I understand the system to work in D&D and similar games: The deities receive their power from the worship of their followers. Some of this power is re-invested back into the company so as to maintain the followers, attract new followers, and encourage continued worship. This power is usually invested into specific persons who act as guides and leaders amongst the followers - ie: clerics. The clerics use this power to guide the followers in decisions and behaviors that will increase the likelihood of having their prayers granted (various divinations, etc), to aid the followers (cure, remove disease, plant growth, make whole, etc), to protect the community (via defensive and offensive spells), and to and to display the great power of their patron deity (various higher level spells). The reason this power is not given to everyone is: 1) the deity has only so much power to offer out, 2) not everyone is so devoted to the patron deity that the power can be trusted with them, 3) most peoples in D&D worlds worship multiple or even all the deities (as was true in most polytheistic societies in classical and ancient times), and 4) the occasional fortuitous / unexpected granting of a prayer request is enough. The latter I've seen used by DMs multiple times, when during or after some sudden act honoring a deity the character suddenly receives the benefit of Cure Wounds, Bears Strength, etc. As an example, a character slays an evil foe who is a member of a race that follows an enemy of the character's deity, and as he strikes the killing blow he calls out "For <deity's name or title>!" In such situations I've seen a DM tell the player that the character just received a Cure Moderate Wounds, or that as the strike occurred the weapon glowed with power from a Greater Magical Weapon spell - dealing exceptional damage, or that the sign suddenly appeared - granting the character and other worshippers of the deity a +2 morale bonus for the remainder of the day. Granted, not all DMs utilize such. I knew another DM that allowed player's to tithe a small % of their experience to their patron deity as a sign of their devotion. Every few thousand xp thus tithed, a servitor of the deity might appear and grant a minor boon - from information to a minor but useful magic item or the use of a moderate level spell - perhaps one that was just a level out of reach but would really be useful at that particular time. Clerics were required to tithe at least 5% of their xp (as much as 15% allowed, although the highest I ever saw tithed was 10%), but this also meant that such servitors of their patrons tended to visit them somewhat more often. Giving everyone orisons is very powerful and very altering of the presumed setting. Consider this: if everyone can cast orisons (and only orisons) the following is possible: create 1 gallon of water at will, purify food and water at will, mend any minor tear or break at will, create light at will, stabilize or gain 1 temp hp at will, +1 to any check or save at will. These, by themselves, will utterly alter a setting if everyone can do them. There is also the question of how higher level spells are 'spread out' through all the classes? Will it be a spellcraft check to cast such? If so, why does arcane magic require slots instead of such checks. Actually, considering all that can be done with just divine magic, why has anyone ever bothered to develop / learn arcane magic in the first place? If a fighter can retreat for a round or two in combat and call upon his deity to heal him, what is to prevent their foes from doing the same - in effect leading to a never ending fight so long as either side can ever manage to retreat for a round or two to call for such. Also, does a deity care more for the worship of 100 people or just one person? What about 100 peasants praying for protection from a 5th level PC or NPC? What if each of the 100 peasants prayed for 'Produce Flame' to use against a NPC or PC aggressor? That is 1d6 fire damage, range 120 ft, ranged attack throw. Granted, most will miss, but this still is potentially a powerful attack if even a quarter of them hit. How do you prevent misuses like this? If you state that only PC classes can make use of divine spells, why do the deities overlook the vast majority of their worshippers to only invest power in the few [PC classed characters]? Isn't this the same argument for placing the power in the clerics, druids, etc? And don't forget, what works for the PCs works for their foes as well. If the PCs gain power via this redistribution of divine power, so too do their foes from evil (or just non-allied) deities. Hera was not evil, but through her power and the actions of her followers and allies Hercules suffered greatly. These are just a few of the issues Prometheus needs to consider in placing the power of the gods in the hands of every mortal.</blockquote>

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