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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 402489" data-attributes="member: 63">Well, it's not directly related to the topic that has sprung up, but taking a cue from the beginning of the thread, I'd like to present my personal preference of the sources of sorcery and spellcraft.I run a fantasy setting that has both standard D&D-esque pantheons and monotheistic religions, including Christianity (a few locations have been changed, as have a few names, but the religion is much the same).  I try to make sure that I, as DM, never tell the PCs what is true or false.  Just like the real world, you can claim whatever you want in the circles of religion, and it's nigh impossible to disprove you.  I like that, since it gives the world more verisimilitude in my opinion.A cleric of an Elvish pantheonistic deity believes that all gods are real, and that some are good, some evil, and that there was an overarching creator of the universe who has since been destroyed and absorbed by other divinities.A Gnomish mystic believes that there are spirits of all things, both living and unliving, and that what others call gods are just spirits of very powerful concepts.  You have the river spirit, the tree spirit, the wolf spirit, and your own spirit.  And then you also have the Death spirit, the Sun spirit, the Guardian spirit, and the War spirit.  There is also the all-powerful Creator, who is to be revered, but who only creates the world, never interfering directly.  You can revere one or many, or none (though that is foolish).A Christian priest will probably fall into one of two camps.  He might thinks that the followers of other gods are misguided but good-spirited (and perhaps they are even worshipping God but getting the name wrong).  The magic of other spellcasters might be from God (just with a different name), or from demons, or maybe it's just a type of alchemy that anyone can learn.  However, the priest might instead believe that worship of any other divinity is evil, and that other magical power comes from demons or other evil spirits.  They don't deny the existence of other dimensions, since you can travel there if you're powerful enough, but Christian priests believe that any 'gods' there are simply powerful beings that are full of themselves.In the same way, I think that I personally would prefer a setting based on Earth to be less centered on a particular religious model.  True, Christians might believe that the Flowering is because God has removed a shielding hand, but magical power shouldn't be limited to just Christians.  That doesn't mean that a Christian-oriented setting wouldn't be cool (hey, I'd enjoy it), but you then run the risk of type-casting all non-Christians as bad guys, by writ of divine law.  I prefer a setting where it is possible for both sides to believe they're on the right.  It's more convincing to me, less black and white.</blockquote>

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