Running clerics as spiritual counselors?

[hong]

I'd say that most PC clerics will tend to be spiritual _enforcers_ rather than counselors. Smite the unnatural and all that business.

 

[Sound of Azure]

To clarify, I think that trying to enforce that the other PCs treat the party cleric as their spiritual counselor is silly. However, if the cleric is intended to be a spiritual counselor - as most priests in most religions have traditionally been - then role-playing him as one should be effective enough for that purpose.

That would be dependent on the deity of the Cleric in question, one would think. A Cuthbertite would react differently to a priest of Yondalla or one of Olidammara, surely.

 

[hong]

That would be dependent on the deity of the Cleric in question, one would think. A Cuthbertite would react differently to a priest of Yondalla or one of Olidammara, surely.

Or even a cleric of Erythnul....

 

[pawsplay]

Or a cleric of Fire and Travel.

 

[theemrys]

Although it hasn't happened often, sometimes clerics in my game get into the religeon side. In my current game, the cleric follows a god of the elements (water cult). Doesn't get preachy to party but always manages to slip in comments to "stear them morally" his way. (Even went as far as to take Brew Potion instead of Scribe Scroll as he felt is was a more "pure" method to his god...)

 

[lukelightning]

One "spiritual guide" aspect is that clerics can cast atonement, though I've never seen anyone actually use that spell.

They can also cast commune; that would certainly give a very direct method of spiritual guidance: "Pelor says you shouldn't get married...Pelor says your granny is happy in the afterlife....Pelor says it was a bad idea to take combat casting instead of skill focus: concentration..."

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

That would be dependent on the deity of the Cleric in question, one would think. A Cuthbertite would react differently to a priest of Yondalla or one of Olidammara, surely.

Sure, they will have different answers to life's questions... but in general, they will have answers. They are proxies for the will of their deity, and in most cases, they are tasked to attend to the needs of the congregation and enlarge it.

And enlarging the congregation is usually done by showing that the deity in question cares for their needs - even if the people aren't aware of these needs yet, in which case they need to be convinced of them. Since the clerics are the proxy of the deity, that means that they have to care about the needs of the people around them - or at least appear to. Asking about the thoughts of the people around them is an important step.

And yes, all this should probably appliy to clerics of Erythnul, too (though I am not too familiar with Greyhawk). After all, the cult needs to spread somehow - and they might make inroads if they show that wanton slaughter is a great way of releasing stress and inner turmoil.

 

[lukelightning]

Or a cleric of Fire and Travel.

Ah, a follower of St. Combustus, patron saint of itinerant pyromaniacs?

 

[DragonLancer]

From my impressions, it seems that clerics in D&D campaigns are spellcasters with a focus on healing spells first and foremost. Sure, they have some religious angle, but that's usually limited to following a certain code of behavior, trying to convert others to their faith, or simply as another way of building and interacting with a political power base.

But throughout history, priests have primarily been counselors - people to whom other members of a community turn for advice and mediation. If someone has trouble of any kind, they will talk to the priest about it. If they have a dispute with someone else about property or other issues, they will ask the priest to mediate it.

And I feel that this aspect of priestly duties often comes too short with cleric PCs. How often do the other members of a party come to the cleric for advice - other when they are discussing combat tactics? How often do clerics mediate disputes between party members?


What are your thoughts on this issue?

In my campaign, there are two types of priests - clerics and lay members. Lay members are the non-spellcasters who perform the majority of church duties and interaction with with the community. Clerics are the rarer breed who are gifted with spells and powers by their divinity.

 

[hong]

And yes, all this should probably appliy to clerics of Erythnul, too (though I am not too familiar with Greyhawk). After all, the cult needs to spread somehow - and they might make inroads if they show that wanton slaughter is a great way of releasing stress and inner turmoil.

I think this is starting to stretch the definition of "counsel".