monotheism in D&D

[Aristotle]

This is an exceptionally watered down summary, but...

In my homebrew (yeah I know, everyone has one) the most denizens of the world recognize a single creator entity that brought about all things, but he was killed by his children (the demons). Later a savior was born among the mortals who banished the demons. The largest single religion on the planet worships that savior, although most do so through patron saints. Only the clergy may worship the savior directly.

Even though the Savior is the only true god in the entire setting, there are still other powerful beings who have devout followings. The patron saints are not gods, but they are very powerful. The demons, while their power has diminished, continue to invade the mortal realm through the manipulation of cults.

One distant, and foreign culture, is known to worship "living gods" that pass from one living host to another. They are really nothing more than very powerful spirits (or perhaps some sor tof symbiotic life form, I haven't decided yet). Some cultures worship nothing at all (atheists), while many worship things that don't actually have any power at all (i.e. The lizard-men who inhabit a jungle continent worship the sun, but it has no actual power or presence).

 

[Bendris Noulg]

The game I'm gearing up for is monotheistic... Primarily.

Essentially, I have drawn a line between God and Deity.

God: There is only one. God is unknowable, undefinable, infinite, and ever present. However, God is also (appearantly) in-absentia. God's priesthood is actually comprised of a Prestige Class built from the Fading Suns d20 Psi System. God does not grant spells, make miracles occur, or answer prayers. Rather, the practicioners of the Church of God (which rules the Empire alongside the military) see the cosmos as an evolutionary stage, with each being obligated to become more than what it is (hence the heavy psionic involvement).

(Metaplot: God existed before all things. God is the cosmos, but as the cosmos was born, the "will of God" became seperated, with each atom in the cosmos containing an infintismal "sliver" of God's awareness. As such, God's "plan" continues towards its ultimate conclussion, but what that is cannot be fathomed... God is also neither male nor female and is never regarded as either.)

Deities: There are many, but they are not "gods" in the same manner as God. They are limited, definable, and even defeatable. In essence, a deity is (often) a mortal that has evolved (or been possessed/overwhelmed/mutated) by some comsic force and now exist as an extension of that force. In effect, each deity is a single "face" of God, but as a result, each deity is driven by the forces that its "face" represents. The worship of deities is generally forbidden (even good deities), as they are "false" gods that distract from the goals that God intended mortals to pursue.

The elements of the above distinctions and their role in the campaign is generally derived from several sources, including:

-Dune (God is unknowable and appearantly non-existant, but things happen that make you wonder anyway...)
-Shaman (2E Accessory in which Spirits are a psychic reflection of a people's belief, inspiring the psionic relationship)
-Planescape (deities need worshippers to grow more powerful and can die without them)
-SpellJammer (other worlds have been fooled by the "false gods" and require "cleansing", with a planar "sea" used to travel between worlds)
-Mindscape (mortals can obtain so much psychic power that they can become "god minds", although, in the end, they are still deities)

I think the philosophical/metaphysical quandries the game will introduce, and how the players react/respond to them, should make for an interesting campaign.

(Note: This is a prequal campaign... The CoG exists in the current campaign, but only in isolated pockets hidden away from most civilizations, and many of these sects have been perverted in some way. With their powers being psionic rather than divine, the priesthoods don't realize that they've "gone astray" as they still wield the powers attributed to their most ancient predessessors. Only one or two "true" sects remain, and the PCs have yet to find them. On top, deities are starting to gain ground as there is no sizable force capable of stopping their slow invasion into the world any longer. The prequal campaign is intended to solve a mystery as to what happened to make Empire fall as well as expose the "foe" that still lurks in the shadows of the "preset day" campaign.)

 

[shadow]

Well, in my homebrew that I've been working on for some time I'm using a monotheistic model. First of all I decided to make true clerics (who can cast spells) rare. This fits with the low magic theme of the campaign (although not 'grim-n-gritty', characters are still larger than life). Most clerics are simply experts with some ranks in knowledge (theology). True clerics are considered prophets and saints. Players can pick any two domains (except evil and destruction) to represent their ministry. The only mechanical change is that spells used for an evil purpose automatically fail. Also alignment is very important. Clerics must be good. Clerics must always be concious of their acts. Evil acts or disobeying the will of the Deity can result in loss of spells and powers. Of course their are evil clerics that worship demonic entities. They function pretty much the same (although opposite) of normal clerics.
Druids represent a more primal and pagan religion. They get spells, not from a deity, but from nature itself. Through meditation and trance, they are able to cast spells much like a mage. (Although they claim that their spells are 'divine', not 'arcance'!)
The setting is still a work in progress, so I can't comment on how it has worked out in game.

 

[Pants]

In the homebrewed world I'm working on, there is only one god, Anauthor, who represents the purist of good (NG), Justice (LG), and Law (LN). Most people don't really believe that Anauthor exists... at all. Commune spells that are directed toward him either A) Completely fail or B) are redirected to either powerful celestials or one of the champions.

Anauthor is served by the Seven Champions, Barachiel, Domiel, Erathaol, Pistis Sophia, Raziel, Sealtiel, and Zaphkiel. They are not gods, but essentially powerful outer-planar beings.
Clerics of Anauthor usually choose to follow one of the Champion's dogma. Those who choose to follow Raziel, for example, represent the Crusaders, those who go out and actively pursue evil.
Followers of Sealtiel are usually Protectors, they devote their lives to protecting the people.
Followers of Pistis Sophia are usually Monks. They seek to achieve a state of moral and physical perfection. They journey to both enlighten themselves and others.
Seers, scholars, and loremasters follow the teachings of Erathaol, who seeks the pursuit of knowledge and how it can help the world.
Domiel's followers are very similar to those of Raziel, however, they deal more with secrecy, rather than gung-ho crusading.
Barachiel's followers seek to rally the spirits of the oppressed and the downtrodden.
Zaphkiel is one of the least popular champions. The crede of Zaphkiel's followers is similar to those of Erathaol, only magnified. They usually distance themselves from the world and seem to follow a dogma of 'watch and wait.'

Unfortunately, the followers of the champions often disagree vehemently on how to handle situations. Corruption has seeped into the church before as well. During a time known only as 'the crisis,' when the church began a bloody and violent crusade against the various 'cults' that existed on the continent, all clerical power was stripped away from Anauthor's worshippers.
After this happened, the church was reformed, and the rule of the Empire was handed to the noble houses. Clerical power was restored shortly afterward.

Druids usually either worship the Green Mother (Nature) or they worship the guardinal lords. Some of them also worship the Archomentals or Morwen, Queen of the Fey.

Evil people often become cultists of the Devils or the Demons. Others favor the Evil Archomentals.

Those are only cults, however as most of the populace revere Anauthor... just not very much.

I like pimping my stuff

 

[s/LaSH]

I took the simple expedient of saying 'clerics cast magic like wizards' and thus severed all absolute ties with the outer planes. Which is a good thing, because my homebrew campaign is set in medieval Europe, where there are at least three religious factions: Christians, Muslims, and Grecian Pantheonists. None of them will let on that the others are real. I won't, either. The only logical solution (other than granting only one monotheistic faction clerical power, thus proving that they're right and allowing them to conquer the world - 'lesser gods' such as the Grecians are allowed, if not encouraged, under Christian theology, although I can't speak for Islam) was to deprive them of absolute knowledge of divinity. They don't get their powers from God, they get them from magic. (Probably by channeling energy from elemental planes, but clerics concentrate more on the energy planes. Same principle.)

And it works perfectly, to my eyes. Thoughts?

 

[talinthas]

wow, bendris, your campaign sounds remarkably like modern Hindu philosophy =)

on topic, a few years ago, Ray Winnager did a series of articles for dragon called Dungeoncraft, in which he went through the motions of developing a monotheistic setting. they were great articles, and worth taking time to read.

if i were gonna make a monotheism, i'd make the diety TN or alignmentless, and have various groups worship aspects of the diety. For ex, if the Sun was the god, there would be good groups worshipping the light and life provided, and evils going for the destruction of fire and heat and stuff.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

[snip]

In the homebrewed world I'm working on, there is only one god, Anauthor, who represents the purist of good (NG), Justice (LG), and Law (LN). Most people don't really believe that Anauthor exists... at all. Commune spells that are directed toward him either A) Completely fail or B) are redirected to either powerful celestials or one of the champions.


[/snip]

Just outta curiosity, what's the name of the major evil deity? Aneditor?

Just kidding. Y'know, I think it's pretty cool how you use the material from Book of Exalted Deeds. Puts an interesting spin on the game--more of an integral part of the setting, rather than something that's just been tacked on.

 

[Pants]

Just outta curiosity, what's the name of the major evil deity? Aneditor?

Damn, my secret is revealed

Just kidding. Y'know, I think it's pretty cool how you use the material from Book of Exalted Deeds. Puts an interesting spin on the game--more of an integral part of the setting, rather than something that's just been tacked on.

Well, it serves two purposes actually.
1) I thought the Celestial Lords were cool and I wanted to use them in an active fashion
2) It helps to further distinguish how different worshippers of the same god can be. The different domains they have access to and the philosophies.

Hopefully I'll get someone to play a Cleric in that homebrewed world.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

wow, bendris, your campaign sounds remarkably like modern Hindu philosophy =)

Ehr... Wow. You're right. Surprised I didn't notice it myself.

 

[Eosin the Red]

I use a monothiestic church....The Great Fellowship but there are two schisms the Mendicants and the Patriarchs. The "gods" from standard D&D worlds are angels in my homebrew and there are 4 sects of angels not counting the fallen. The eastern sect are called the Jann, while the northern sect is called The White Fortress. It is both diverse and easy to "get."


No one has mentioned it but Guy Kay's historical fiction has one of the best "fantisiations" of religion. He has the worshippers of Helios, then a sect that revere his son who gave his life by flying his chariot (iirc) into the sun to save men. The barbarians in the north revere the countless stars as gods [pagans], and the desert men of the east revere the moon [Islam]. I cannot remember the jewish faith but it is in his books. Overall, nice familiarity with the real world BUT different enough that there is littleto find offensive about it.'