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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AFGNCAAP" data-source="post: 1420022" data-attributes="member: 871">I considered creating a sort of monotheistic religion for my "core D&D" homebrew, but I decided to take another route.Instead of trying to define deities with set portfolios/domains, I decided to focus on paths/sources for divine power.  Therefore, instead of having a list of various deities with domains divided amongst them or having a single deity & creatign multiple "aspects" of that deity to reflect different kinds of followers, I decided to use the sources of divine power as the structural point.For example, instead of selecting a deity, a cleric selects a Path (basically a general philosophy/spiritual viewpoint/belief system).  The 4 Paths available are Positive Energy/Light, Negative Energy/Darkness, Nature/Elemental, and Magic.  Each path has a fair number of cleric domains, but they all have domains that are unique/exclusive to that Path (for example, the Path of Positive Energy is the only one that has the Good domain; the Path of Negative Energy is the only one with the Evil domain; the Path of Nature is the only one with Animal, Plant, Air, Earth, Fire, & Water domains; & the Path of Magic is the only one with the Magic domain).Now, a cleric may claim to worship a particular deity, or even simply say he/she ascribes to a certain religious philosophy, but in the end, the cleric follows one of the aformentioned Paths.Clerics of the Path of Positive Energy are ones who follow (generally) benevolent deities.  They can have any non-Evil alignment, but they always channel positive energy (thus can spontaneously cast cure spells & turn undead).  These clerics are the only kind of clerics who can multi-class as good paladins (both the LG & CG versions), and take certain PrCs with a focus on positive divine energy.Clerics of the Path of Negative Energy are ones who follow (generally) malevolent deities.  They can have any non-Good alignment, but they always channel negative energy (thus can spontaneously cast inflict spells & control undead).  These clerics are the only kind of clerics who can multi-class as evil paladins (both the LE & CE versions), and take certain PrCs with a focus on negative divine energy.Clerics of the Path of Nature (generally) follow nature deities, or focus on some aspect of the natural world (such as agriculture, storms, etc.).  They aren't as devoted to the Path of Nature as druids are, though--they typically represent the urban/civilized priests of a nature-based faith.  Thier powers comes from a mix of the "force of nature" along with the equal mix of the four elements (air, earth, fire, & water) (though clerics who select the Air, Earth, Fire, and/or Water domains tend to draw a bit more on those forms of elemental energy than other nature clerics).  These are the ony clerics who can select to multi-class as druids, rangers, or similarly-themed PrCs.Clerics of the Path of Magic (generally) follow magic-based deities/philosophies, since magic is a major force within the D&D setting.  They draw on the "forces of magic" through devotion & faith, rather than through study (as wizards) or on sheer will & personality (as sorcerers).  These are the only clerics who can select to multi-class as an arcane spellcaster, or select certain PrCs like the Mystic Theurge).To give an example of what kinds of clerics would fit in this structure, I'll refer to some deities as depicted in Deities & Demigods, classic Dragonlance, and the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.Clerics of gods like Athena, Pelor, Re, Thor (as the protector of mortals), Anubis, Paladine, Sune, & Lathander would all be priests who follow the Path of Positive Energy/Light.Clerics of gods like Set, Loki, Hades (as a death god), Bane, Takhesis, Shar, Nerull, & Ares would all be priests who follow the Path of Negative Energy/Darkness.Clerics of gods like Obad-Hai, Demeter, Thor (as the storm god), Osiris, Silvanus, Hephaestus (as a volcanic/fire & earth god), Malar, & Mielikki would all be priests who follow the Path of Nature/Elemental Energy.Clerics of gods like Thoth, Isis, Hecate, Vecna, Boccob, Freya, Mystra, Azuth, & the 3 Lunar gods of Magic from Dragonlance would all be priests who follow the Path of Magic.I think this could be a viable option for a monotheistic sort of campaign, since different aspects of the deity, or at least different theological viewpoints in game, could be handled simply.  Besides, it gives players a (bit) more freedom with their selection of domains, but at the cost of mutli-classing options down the line (as well as a few AL-based restrictions up front).</blockquote>

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