Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
RP-ing and Evil Cleric (Faerun)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Ahnehnois" data-source="post: 6271014" data-attributes="member: 17106"><p>To its logical conclusion good is also self-defeating.</p><p></p><p>My perspective on these things is that anyone who isn't true neutral (which is to say, a rational person who takes into account everything he can and makes the best decision he can) is deluded, either by someone else or by some internal schism. In the context of evil, that suggests to me a few things.</p><p></p><p>Some evil might be based on prejudice; somehow the cleric has arrived at the belief that certain people are inferior, even though they are not. Perhaps he had a few nonrepresentative experiences in early life and jumped to the wrong conclusion, or maybe the bias was imparted on him by a specific individual or culture in general.</p><p></p><p>Many evil religions I suspect are overtly deceptive. The deity is selling some greater truth that supposedly hold the key to his followers achieving some goal (eternal life, or at least, a good afterlife, perhaps), even though this will not actually happen.</p><p></p><p>Some people might have no regards for themselves and be vindictive and spiteful, using their powers to impart suffering on others and not caring if they ultimately won't meet a good end themselves ("some men just want to watch the world burn"). Very possibly as a consequence of having been shaped by negative experiences themselves.</p><p></p><p>Some might simply be cases of collectivism; the deity holds sway because his followers band together and indoctrinate their children into the faith. They're raised on propaganda, so the evil is self-perpetuating and they never know any better. I suspect most racial evil deities could be described that way.</p><p></p><p>I also wonder about the statement that "good or neutral gods give you as good a powers and blessings as evil ones"; I don't know that this is true for each individual. It would not surprise me if some evil clerics were rejected from joining a good religion or kicked out (fairly or not); falls from grace are pretty classic.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ahnehnois, post: 6271014, member: 17106"] To its logical conclusion good is also self-defeating. My perspective on these things is that anyone who isn't true neutral (which is to say, a rational person who takes into account everything he can and makes the best decision he can) is deluded, either by someone else or by some internal schism. In the context of evil, that suggests to me a few things. Some evil might be based on prejudice; somehow the cleric has arrived at the belief that certain people are inferior, even though they are not. Perhaps he had a few nonrepresentative experiences in early life and jumped to the wrong conclusion, or maybe the bias was imparted on him by a specific individual or culture in general. Many evil religions I suspect are overtly deceptive. The deity is selling some greater truth that supposedly hold the key to his followers achieving some goal (eternal life, or at least, a good afterlife, perhaps), even though this will not actually happen. Some people might have no regards for themselves and be vindictive and spiteful, using their powers to impart suffering on others and not caring if they ultimately won't meet a good end themselves ("some men just want to watch the world burn"). Very possibly as a consequence of having been shaped by negative experiences themselves. Some might simply be cases of collectivism; the deity holds sway because his followers band together and indoctrinate their children into the faith. They're raised on propaganda, so the evil is self-perpetuating and they never know any better. I suspect most racial evil deities could be described that way. I also wonder about the statement that "good or neutral gods give you as good a powers and blessings as evil ones"; I don't know that this is true for each individual. It would not surprise me if some evil clerics were rejected from joining a good religion or kicked out (fairly or not); falls from grace are pretty classic. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
RP-ing and Evil Cleric (Faerun)
Top