Switching Deities...

[Jesus_marley]

I was thinking of making a cleric lately and I had an interesting thought. What happens to a cleric who switches alignment? Or even simply chooses a different deity?

I'm sure there are times when a character would have a crisis of faith or a total breakdown of love and trust for their deity (hence the Blackguard PrC for Paladins). Just as in real life, many people try different faiths and religions until they find one that "fits".
What would happen to a cleric?

Would they simply switch domains and then get spells from the new deity without a hiccup?

Would they lose levels?

Incure the wrath of their old deity/church?

I would like to hear your thoughts on how you would handle such an occurance...

 

[ptolemy18]

I was thinking of making a cleric lately and I had an interesting thought. What happens to a cleric who switches alignment? Or even simply chooses a different deity?

The only book I've seen that had rules for this (although I'm sure there are many, just not any first-party ones I know of) is EGYPTIAN ADVENTURES: HAMUNAPTRA. It just suggests that clerics who switch deities lose 1 level. Unless they're already 1st level, in which case they're basically just apprentices, so they don't lose anything.

Alignment change might be a stickier situation. I've wondered about that ever since the old first-edition module AGAINST THE CULT OF THE REPTILE GOD, in which a good cleric is "charm personed" and becomes an evil bad guy who attacks the characters. Wouldn't he lose most of his abilities if he switched from worshipping some good god to worshipping some lame-ass snake naga who's not a real god anyway? :/

Jason

 

[Sheng Long Gradilla]

Doesn't this resemble Restore Cleric or Druid Spell Powers from the Atonement spell?

Read the spell description, as that may serve as a guideline.

My opinion is: It should cost XP to the cleric that is converting to a different faith, and that cost should depend on the cleric's level.

 

[Meeki]

Switching dieties and changing aligments I don't think requires a loss of level. Think about it this way. If a cleric forsakes his diety then he loses all spell casting ability, but still retains the ability to channel positive/negative energy assuming they are of the appropriate alignment. Until they atone with another god/goddess alignment willing then they will be basically a d8 HD, 3/4 base attack fighter. The atonement spell is a good way to do so. A level hit is very hard on a cleric, especially if he/she is roleplaying the switch that is just cruel.

 

[shilsen]

it's never come up in my game, but if it did, I'd use the method Meeki mentioned above.

 

[hong]

Switching deities is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity, unless you have the Quick Switch feat.


Hong "dual wields twin +5 thunder gods" Ooi

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

The other way to look at it is that the cleric loses 1, 2, 5, 10 xp levels (whatever) and then the new deity bestows the same number right back as a reward for such devotion by the cleric. This would be especially true for an evil god. I can easily see Set replacing the levels lost in order to recruit a LG cleric.

Of course, I'd require that there be an in-game reason to do so and not a simple "I feel like changing my deity today" ...

 

[MerakSpielman]

Assuming it was a major, once-in-a-lifetime kind of conversion on the part of the cleric, I'd allow it with no penalties.

If the PC makes a habit of it (no pun intended), I'd have the gods start shunning him. Why accept a new cleric when he's just going to waltz off and worship some other deity in a few weeks?

 

[jsaving]

I once asked Skip Williams this question, and he suggested it be handled as an atonement quest which once completed turns the cleric into an equal-level cleric of his new faith. Changes to the character sheet are to be kept to an absolute minimum -- the character must stick with his initial choices whenever possible and can alter the sheet only when required (for example if his new deity doesn't offer one of his domains).

There's actually a thorny issue here if you're switching from good to evil, because the PH explicitly states that clerics can never change the type of energy they channel (positive or negative). Skip suggested that in that case and that case ONLY, the cleric should be allowed to switch. This isn't part of the rules as written but I think it's a sensible house-rule, since otherwise you'd end up with some clerics who could neither turn nor rebuke undead.

 

[Quickleaf]

And for those of use who are in the habit of switching deities regularly, there is always the "command the gods" feat....

Command the Gods [Cleric] [Risky business]
By studying the hidden names of the gods, you can conjure rival deities to obey your commands. Your temple does not officially sanction this practice.
Prerequisite: Knowledge (religion) 6 ranks
Benefit: Once per day, you may attempt to cast any divine spell (of a level you can cast) from a god other than the one you worship as a spontaneous effect (e.g. a domain spell from a domain you don't know). You swap the chosen spell in for a spell of equal level. Command of the gods is not easy, and you must make a Spell-Casting Roll (see below). Each time you do this, however, you must make a Will save (DC 10 + spell level + 1 per each time you have used this power in the last week) or else your patron strips your domain spells for one week as punishment for your insolence, or until appropriate atonement is made. A second failure indicates you are divested of all spellcasting ability for one month and at the end of the month you must make appropriate atonement to regain your spells.

Special Rules: Spell-Casting Roll
Caster level check (DC = 14 + spell level)

Failing the check by more than 5………...the spell fails, the cleric is exhausted.
Failing by 5 or less…………………………………the spell fails and the cleric is fatigued.
Succeeding by 5 or less……………………….the spell succeeds and the cleric is exhausted.
Succeeding by more than 5…………….……the spell succeeds and the cleric is fatigued.