Dr. Strangemonkey
First Post
Looks like this thread is just about done, but I couldn't resist posting my pet theory on different alignments under the same aligned deities.
In 2e I once ran across a diety who was the first person to discover the way to be a cleric and pray to the gods properly. Ever since I've been fascinated by the idea that a clerics faith might have power or significance that was distinct from the power and significance actually granted to the cleric by a deity.
In that particular dynamic an evil cleric could be a result of a situation in which his own particular faith forced divine power from the deity or his religion. This would allow for heresies and give a whole new level of evil to evil religious figure or movements.
A similar dynamic would be for a character to gain clerical powers that he or she could only use in certain tasks or situations. Even if those situations were limited to good ends an evil cleric could still use them for his or her own gain or defense.
Also, even the most active DnD deities don't go around invoking armageddon like cullings of the good from the evil that often. There is always leeway.
More on Topic: I think nearly any religious model allows for that Medieval Europe feel as long as there is an active, powerful, organized, and universal church present through the majority of the world.
In 2e I once ran across a diety who was the first person to discover the way to be a cleric and pray to the gods properly. Ever since I've been fascinated by the idea that a clerics faith might have power or significance that was distinct from the power and significance actually granted to the cleric by a deity.
In that particular dynamic an evil cleric could be a result of a situation in which his own particular faith forced divine power from the deity or his religion. This would allow for heresies and give a whole new level of evil to evil religious figure or movements.
A similar dynamic would be for a character to gain clerical powers that he or she could only use in certain tasks or situations. Even if those situations were limited to good ends an evil cleric could still use them for his or her own gain or defense.
Also, even the most active DnD deities don't go around invoking armageddon like cullings of the good from the evil that often. There is always leeway.
More on Topic: I think nearly any religious model allows for that Medieval Europe feel as long as there is an active, powerful, organized, and universal church present through the majority of the world.
