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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Li Shenron" data-source="post: 2728049" data-attributes="member: 1465">I often use the same approach. Instead of Pratchett's idea that what matter is people's prayers, I decide that what matters is people's deeds. So a god of war is stronger in times of war, and therefore he'll dictate their priests to spread the ideas that war is a good way to solve disputes. A god of lies grows in power the more lies are used as a key to success by the people.Worship isn't completely out of the fray, but it's more blurred.The goddess of earth may have the largest amount of followers who pray her for good harvest, good weather, health, etc. But if the people only prayed and didn't work the ground anymore, she would probably wane.OTOH an evil god of death doesn't have more than a handful of worshippers, but it may be feared by lots of commoners, and this may also plays some part in keeping him powerful. Maybe sometimes, a commoner's son is striken with disease; afraid he may die, the parents pray the good gods to save him, but prayers seem unanswered, so they secretely slip in the cellar and sacrifice a few farm animals to the evil death god to "take the animals' lives instead of the son's".Overall, it could be a mix of both. Anyway, it doesn't have to be necessarily understood how it works.</blockquote>