Making Religion Matter in Fantasy RPGs

Religion is a powerful force in any culture and difficult to ignore when creating a gaming setting. Here's some things to consider when incorporating religions into your campaign.

Picture courtesy of Pixabay.​

The Question of Gods​

When we look at religion from a gaming perspective, the most interesting thing about it is that in many settings, the existence of deities is not in question. One of the most common arguments over religion is whether there even is a god of any form. But in many fantasy games especially, deities offer proof of their existence on a daily basis. Their power is channelled through clerics and priests and a fair few have actually been seen manifesting in the material realm. This makes it pretty hard to be an atheist in a D&D game.

While the adherents of any faith believe the existence of their deity is a given fact, having actual proof changes the way that religion is seen by outsiders. In many ancient cultures, people believed in not only their gods, but the gods of other cultures. So to win a war or conquer another culture was proof your gods were more powerful than theirs. While winning a war against another culture can make you pretty confident, winning one against another culture’s gods can make you arrogant. Add to that the fact you had warrior priests manifesting divine power on the battlefield, you are pretty soon going to start thinking that not only is winning inevitable, but that it is also a divine destiny. Again, these are all attitudes plenty of believers have had in ancient days, but in many fantasy worlds they might actually be right.

Magic vs. Prayer​

If a world has magic, it might be argued that this power is just another form of magic. Wizards might scoff at clerics, telling them they are just dabblers who haven’t learned true magic. But this gets trickier if there are things the clerics can do with their magic that the wizards can’t do with theirs. Some wizards might spend their lives trying to duplicate the effects of clerics, and what happens if one of them does?

The reverse is also interesting. Clerics might potentially manifest any form of magical power if it suits their deity. So if the priest of fire can not only heal but throw fireballs around, is it the wizards that need to get themselves some religion to become true practitioners of the art? Maybe the addition of faith is the only way to really gain the true power of magic?

Are the Gods Real?​

While divine power might be unarguably real, the source of it might still be in contention. A priest might be connecting to some more primal force than magicians, or tapping into some force of humanity. What priests think is a connection to the divine might actually just be another form of magic. As such, it could have some unexpected side effects.

Let’s say this divine power draws from the life force of sentient beings. As it does so in a very broad way, this effect is barely noticed in most populations. A tiny amount of life from the population as a whole powers each spell. But once the cleric goes somewhere remote they might find their magic starts draining the life from those nearby. In remote areas, clerics might be feared rather than revered, and the moment they try to prove they are right by manifesting the true power of their deity, they (and the townsfolk) are in for a very nasty surprise.

Can You Not Believe in Them?​

There are ways to still play an atheist character in a fantasy game. However, it does require more thought beyond "well I don’t believe in it." That's a sure way to make your character look foolish, especially after they have just been healed by a cleric.

What will also make things much tougher is having a character that refuses to benefit from the power of religion due to their beliefs. They might insist that if they don’t know what in this healing magic, they don’t want any part of it, especially if the priest can’t really explain it outside the terms of their faith. That this healing works will not be in doubt. So are they being principled or a fool? If the explanation for magical healing isn’t "this is just healing energy" but "it’s the power of my deity, entering your body and changing it for the better" the character might be more reticent about a few more hit points.

When it comes to deities manifesting on the material plane, it’s a little harder to ignore them. But this isn’t always evidence of the divine. A manifesting deity is undoubtedly a powerful being, one able to crush armies and level cities, but does that make them divine? While the power of a deity is not in dispute, the definition of what is actually divine in nature is a lot muddier. This is ironically harder in a fantasy world where lich-kings, dragons and powerful wizards can do all the same things many deities are supposed to do.

What Are Gods?​

So we come back to the question: Whether you are a cleric, adherent or atheist, of what actually is god? What quality of them demands or inspires worship beyond the fact they are powerful? Plenty of philosophers are still trying to figure that one out. While in a fantasy game their existence and power may not be in question, whether they are holy or even worthy of trust and faith might be much harder to divine.

 

[Cadence]

Going the other direction, I wonder how the gods/clerics would take it if a character gave each of them the appropriate sacrifice, but dedicated their focus to the universal all that the gods were only an aspect of and doing their best to fulfill their own appointed role.

 

[Cadence]

Coincidentally, I just got to "Ulan Dhor" in my reread of Dying Earth. It deals on great part with the power and role of belief, and of a god who can remake a city in minutes. Vance is still pretty good the third or fourth time through it.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Why is it assumed the atheist is mocking anyone?

Certainly if a character was being a jerk to the cleric I wouldn't expect them not to be regularly healed. Just like if the bard's singing were mocked or the warlord's coat of arms was mocked, I wouldn't expect them to either.

Denying (to the cleric's face) that the god they worship exits, is kinda insulting. Especially if you justify this belief by saying that the cleric is in fact a wizard and just lying to everyone about what magic they are using (it's all illusions) and that they are part of a massive global conspiracy to lie to everyone and tell them that gods exist even though they don't...

Mocking is a word for it.

Of course, expecting healing magic in that case is also hypocritical, since the cleric doesn't have any divine power to heal.

 

[Umbran]

And it's a thing in 5e as well.

A 10th level cleric can directly petition appearances from the deity and will be answered, on average, about once per ten days - a Faerunian week. Tends to make the whole "We never see the gods directly" thing a bit more problematic in settings where the gods are making an appearance every all the time.

So, this is like being a VP of a minor subsidiary calling the CEO of a multinational conglomerate every day asking for favors and assistance, until the CEO shows up at their desk. You know what that CEO is showing up to do? Deal with the mess you have obviously made, an then fire your butt for not being able to handle your job! If you need to call in the big guns every single day, you clearly have been promoted over your ability.

It is not appropriate to take the most extreme behavior logically possible under a ruleset, and consider that a proof of a general case that should have more realistic mitigating factors on it.

 

[Helldritch]

I have never seen a game where a god has just popped in to create a mountain in front of the PCs. And I find it odd that one would do so just to convert one unbeliever. But sure, that would be impressive!!!

Never did it myself. It was an extreme example to show that the gods can do pretty much anything.

I'm not sure it would prove they were worthy of worship.

I fully agree. But gods can be petty at times. Just remember the stories about Zeus...

I wonder if some of the impoverished, Ill, drought stricken, and besieged followers of such a deity who observed that would eventually start wondering why the deity didn't spend some more of that omnipotence helping them instead of making them wait for their low level local priest to get his spell or two back to chip away at it the next day.

Maybe, but if that deity can strike you down from the heavens, you'd better ask through payers.

Is Lolth a deity? Tiamat? Asmodeus? How do they compare to the lesser gods? Can lesser gods make mountains like that? (In old versions they couldn't even grant ninth level spells, could they?)

With the kind of power greater deities have. Why do you think that such "lesser" deities want to get more and more worshipers?

 

[Cadence]

Denying (to the cleric's face) that the god they worship exits, is kinda insulting. Especially if you justify this belief by saying that the cleric is in fact a wizard and just lying to everyone about what magic they are using (it's all illusions) and that they are part of a massive global conspiracy to lie to everyone and tell them that gods exist even though they don't...

Mocking is a word for it.

Of course, expecting healing magic in that case is also hypocritical, since the cleric doesn't have any divine power to heal.

Denying (to the cleric's face) that the god they worship exits, is kinda insulting. Especially if you justify this belief by saying that the cleric is in fact a wizard and just lying to everyone about what magic they are using (it's all illusions) and that they are part of a massive global conspiracy to lie to everyone and tell them that gods exist even though they don't...

Mocking is a word for it.

How did it even come up? The the cleric ask the non-believer about it? Demand some form of expressed belief from the non-believer? Try proselytizing? Nag them to go worship?

Of course, expecting healing magic in that case is also hypocritical, since the cleric doesn't have any divine power to heal.

Arcane magic of bards doesn't heal?

 

[Helldritch]

How did it even come up? The the cleric ask the non-believer about it? Demand some form of expressed belief from the non-believer? Try proselytizing? Nag them to go worship?


Arcane magic of bards doesn't heal?

In a perfect world and game. Bards would not exist or would be a subclass of the rogue. They would not cast spells and you could hang them as soon as you discover them. @Snarf Zagyg is perfectly right about them. I took their defense in the past, but they trump the logic of the universe way too much for their (and our) own good.

 

[Baron Opal II]

So for the umpteenth time, who says the atheist is mocking anyone? Why the assumption that atheists are militant.

Experience, I guess. If you came to me and said that you had a cool character you wanted to play, and that they were an actual atheist in my campaign world, I would assume that you were looking to cause chaos in my game. Because everyone else who has done that had the same objective; stir the pot and irritate the NPCs (i.e. me). It wouldn't be to explore an idea, or see how this belief would develop or change over time. It would be a major red flag that you want to screw around in my game.

Why would you and the atheist PC you play be any different from the jerks I've dealt with before?

Now, if you sat down with me and talked to me about your motivation for the character and I explained the supernatural aspects of my campaign, we could probably come to an accord. In my campaign the gods are real. Atheism is misinformed at best, insanity at worst. Maltheism would be more appropriate.

I'm other people's experiences and campaign settings differ.

 

[Cadence]

Experience, I guess. If you came to me and said that you had a cool character you wanted to play, and that they were an actual atheist in my campaign world, I would assume that you were looking to cause chaos in my game. Because everyone else who has done that had the same objective; stir the pot and irritate the NPCs (i.e. me). It wouldn't be to explore an idea, or see how this belief would develop or change over time. It would be a major red flag that you want to screw around in my game.

Why would you and the atheist PC you play be any different from the jerks I've dealt with before?

Now, if you sat down with me and talked to me about your motivation for the character and I explained the supernatural aspects of my campaign, we could probably come to an accord. In my campaign the gods are real. Atheism is misinformed at best, insanity at worst. Maltheism would be more appropriate.

I'm other people's experiences and campaign settings differ.

Sheesh, how many people have you had to play with that have turned out to be jerks?

 

[Helldritch]

But to add to the thread.
Gods can and will act IF other gods agree with them. The stronger the god, the more likely it is that the god will get his way. Yes gods prefer to work through agents as whenever they openly act, they also give the right to other gods to do the same. The escalation might be the downfall of a whole pantheon (or minimally, the god doing the act).

Remember that gods are not unlike mortal in the sense that they too, have enemies waiting for a sign of weakness. Pelor might be able to stop Iuz in his tracks but would it open it for a strike by Nerul? Incabulos? Hextor? or a god from an other pantheon? The DM is the sole authority on what might happen if a god would directly intervene but the possibility is there.

Comparing a god to a CEO isn't such a bad analogy when you come to think of it. You'd better have a good reason to call on direct intervention. Of course, no player or NPC would foolishly call upon a god for such a trivial reason as a non-believer but to call on the god to curse the perpetrator of bad behavior would not be so far off. This would be the equivalent of a CEO making a phone call on a bad behaving employee. (adventurers are, after all things considered, a special breed).

So yep, gods can and will make apparitions, sometimes to bolster the faithfuls, sometimes to make sure people know they exists. After all, a good CEO do come down his/her white tower to meet the lower employees or simply to make some PR announcement. Or announcing drastic changes (or in the case of a god, plagues, war and so on....)