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Need advice: Making Religions, Not Just "Here's The Gods. Pick One"
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<blockquote data-quote="5Shilling" data-source="post: 6889686" data-attributes="member: 6849897"><p>I would suggest starting by thinking about the themes of your campaign and/or campaign setting (eg secrets, sacrifice, good vs evil, etc). You can use the gods and religions to underline or reinforce the themes of the world as a whole, or of the individual cultures which worship them. Write down these themes and decide which ones apply to which religions.</p><p></p><p>Next ask some questions:</p><p></p><p>1: Beginnings & History. How did the religion start, and when?. Do all religions date back to the dawn of time or a some newer than others? Was religion X founded by a prophet, a group, or did the god intervene directly? Are certain places, people or things tied into the early days or other important periods of the religion?</p><p></p><p>2. Priesthood. How is the priesthood structured? Is there a strict hierarchy? Do they have names for the prests of religion X or are there different names for different ranks? How powerful is the person/people at the top, relative to kings or other rulers? Are there restrictions on who can become a priest? What kind of temples do they build? What other assets do they have? Is there even a priesthood, or is everyone free to worship in their own way and be their own priest? Are there well-defined sects within the religion and if so how do they get along?</p><p></p><p>3. Worship. What kind of people are drawn to religion X? Is it based on location, race, social class, profession or something else? Is worship mandatory? If it is then by law or by social pressure? How do they worship? What kind of offerings are made? When and where do they meet to worship? How involved can a layperson be in the running of the temple or religion? What do non-members think of them? Do the priesthood freely teach everything about the religion and god or are there secret doctrines and mystery cults?</p><p></p><p>Use wikipedia to explore real religions with the above three aspects in mind. Look at one or two religions you find particularly interesting and one or two religions that you think you know very little about. Then like Li Shenron said above you can start mixing, matching, adjusting, renaming and springboarding.</p><p></p><p>I used this approach recently when I wanted to create a monotheistic religion for a horror-themed campaign. I knew I wanted something politically powerful and oppressive so I read a lot about the medieval catholic and orthodox churches. I learned a lot and ended up with a result I am pleased with, in which clerics choose a domain based on their patron saint (each is very loosely based on a real abrahamic saint). It's not a fast method, but it is rewarding.</p><p></p><p>For a quicker method there's always the fast mashup - pick any two religions, or a religion and a culture from different continents, and smoosh them together!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="5Shilling, post: 6889686, member: 6849897"] I would suggest starting by thinking about the themes of your campaign and/or campaign setting (eg secrets, sacrifice, good vs evil, etc). You can use the gods and religions to underline or reinforce the themes of the world as a whole, or of the individual cultures which worship them. Write down these themes and decide which ones apply to which religions. Next ask some questions: 1: Beginnings & History. How did the religion start, and when?. Do all religions date back to the dawn of time or a some newer than others? Was religion X founded by a prophet, a group, or did the god intervene directly? Are certain places, people or things tied into the early days or other important periods of the religion? 2. Priesthood. How is the priesthood structured? Is there a strict hierarchy? Do they have names for the prests of religion X or are there different names for different ranks? How powerful is the person/people at the top, relative to kings or other rulers? Are there restrictions on who can become a priest? What kind of temples do they build? What other assets do they have? Is there even a priesthood, or is everyone free to worship in their own way and be their own priest? Are there well-defined sects within the religion and if so how do they get along? 3. Worship. What kind of people are drawn to religion X? Is it based on location, race, social class, profession or something else? Is worship mandatory? If it is then by law or by social pressure? How do they worship? What kind of offerings are made? When and where do they meet to worship? How involved can a layperson be in the running of the temple or religion? What do non-members think of them? Do the priesthood freely teach everything about the religion and god or are there secret doctrines and mystery cults? Use wikipedia to explore real religions with the above three aspects in mind. Look at one or two religions you find particularly interesting and one or two religions that you think you know very little about. Then like Li Shenron said above you can start mixing, matching, adjusting, renaming and springboarding. I used this approach recently when I wanted to create a monotheistic religion for a horror-themed campaign. I knew I wanted something politically powerful and oppressive so I read a lot about the medieval catholic and orthodox churches. I learned a lot and ended up with a result I am pleased with, in which clerics choose a domain based on their patron saint (each is very loosely based on a real abrahamic saint). It's not a fast method, but it is rewarding. For a quicker method there's always the fast mashup - pick any two religions, or a religion and a culture from different continents, and smoosh them together! [/QUOTE]
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