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<blockquote data-quote="Sepulchrave II" data-source="post: 9406738" data-attributes="member: 4303">From the 1e DDg:The source of a deity's god head is in some way connected to his or her earthly worshipers, though in what manner the gods derive this power is a mystery totally beyond mortal (or immortal) comprehension. However, it is true that a god's power often increases ordecreases as the number of his worshipers varies. Thus deities, and clerics as their agents, constantly try to increase the quantity and quality of their worshipers.The notion of the gods needing worship - and their power being proportional to their worshippers' number (and quality) comes to D&amp;D primarily through Leiber (Lean Times in Lankhmar and Under the Thumbs of the Gods) and Moorcock (where it's pretty ubiquitous), but the trope has a long history. Also in Fred Saberhagen, IIRC.The Epic of Gilgamesh suggests that the gods would starve without their worshippers' sacrifices; Aristophanes in the Birds has a flock block the smoke rising to the gods and threaten to starve them - these are related ideas.It crops up biblically - you defeat your neighbour, kill and enslave the population, steal the idol and other temple goods (usually to melt down) and disempower the god. Much more recently, Pratchett and Gaiman.I think it's a pretty persistent idea.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Sepulchrave II, post: 9406738, member: 4303"] From the 1e DDg: [I]The source of a deity's god head is in some way connected to his or her earthly worshipers, though in what manner the gods derive this power is a mystery totally beyond mortal (or immortal) comprehension. However, it is true that a god's power often increases or decreases as the number of his worshipers varies. Thus deities, and clerics as their agents, constantly try to increase the quantity and quality of their worshipers.[/I] The notion of the gods needing worship - and their power being proportional to their worshippers' number (and quality) comes to D&D primarily through Leiber ([I]Lean Times in Lankhmar [/I]and [I]Under the Thumbs of the Gods) [/I]and Moorcock (where it's pretty ubiquitous), but the trope has a long history. Also in Fred Saberhagen, IIRC. The [I]Epic of Gilgamesh[/I] suggests that the gods would starve without their worshippers' sacrifices; Aristophanes in the [I]Birds[/I] has a flock block the smoke rising to the gods and threaten to starve them - these are related ideas. It crops up biblically - you defeat your neighbour, kill and enslave the population, steal the idol and other temple goods (usually to melt down) and disempower the god. Much more recently, Pratchett and Gaiman. I think it's a pretty persistent idea. [/QUOTE]

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