D&D General The DM Shortage

[Mort]

House rule it and try it. Who cares what other people think? Maybe you'll love it. If it's a good idea, it'll catch on.

I couldn't care less what other people think but it's sad to see people so closed minded.

My initial reservation is that it potentially creates an issue where every time they run into serious trouble, players start having their characters pray to the gods. It could get silly very quickly.

Depends how it's implemented. If all it does is stabalize a PC, then it's mostly flavor.

If it can accomplish something more serious (actually Grant HP, for example)? Attach some costs that are interesting, flavorful and most importantly consequential.

As important as they're supposed to be, Gods have very little actual impact in most campaigns. If there is some interest in changing that - stuff like this might be a way.

 

[James Gasik]

I couldn't care less what other people think but it's sad to see people so closed minded.


Depends how it's implemented. If all it does is stabalize a PC, then it's mostly flavor.

If it can accomplish something more serious (actually Grant HP, for example)? Attach some costs that are interesting, flavorful and most importantly consequential.

As important as they're supposed to be, Gods have very little actual impact in most campaigns. If there is some interest in changing that - stuff like this might be a way.

Ideally there should be a mechanic for this. Devout players can accrue "favor" with the Gods (or disfavor!), based on their actions. Over time, a God or one of their servants might intercede on their behalf, but only if it benefits their goals to do so, which burns some of that favor.

Other followers of that god, as well as priests and the like, would be more favorably disposed to characters with high favor as well.

But this is only if you want gods and their works to be integral to your game, of course. The Cleric's divine intervention ability not only undermines other characters possibly having a relationship with deities, but it actually forces gods to be active, unless the DM is willing to replace the ability with something else!

"In my campaign, the Gods are distant and uncaring."

"Huh, great. Well I'm going to have my Cleric attempt Divine Intervention...awesome, success!"

"....."

 

[Art Waring]

I have done what I can to stop the DM shortage. I have many times run short term games to help get groups up and running, then passed off to one of them. I even ran intro games at stores and cons and exchanged emails and face books with people who were going to try to DM.

Not all of them stayed in touch. Not all of the ones that stayed in touch stayed playing and/or DMing. However The longer I am on enworld the longer I wonder if doing that has helped at all.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.

At least you are trying, that matters to me at least.

 

[MNblockhead]

House rule it and try it. Who cares what other people think? Maybe you'll love it. If it's a good idea, it'll catch on.

My initial reservation is that it potentially creates an issue where every time they run into serious trouble, players start having their characters pray to the gods. It could get silly very quickly.

Depends on the game you and your players want to run. In a world where people are devout, especially one with such obvious signs of divine favor and intervention, why wouldn't people be praying, beseeching, and thanking the gods constantly? Certainly this is behavior seen among devout believers of many religions and cultures in the real world, even without such clear signs for the existence of gods.

I think that this could be handled, as another poster mentioned, with divine favor or what I've seen called "concordance" in other systems. By acting in ways that the god favors, any character could earn points that can be used to increase the percentage of success.

 

[Cadence]

Depends on the game you and your players want to run. In a world where people are devout, especially one with such obvious signs of divine favor and intervention, why wouldn't people be praying, beseeching, and thanking the gods constantly? Certainly this is behavior seen among devout believers of many religions and cultures in the real world, even without such clear signs for the existence of gods.

I think that this could be handled, as another poster mentioned, with divine favor or what I've seen called "concordance" in other systems. By acting in ways that the god favors, any character could earn points that can be used to increase the percentage of success.

Does a world like that with active gods feel like the kind of world where paladins and cleric would likely lose powers for straying?

 

[MNblockhead]

Does a world like that with active gods feel like the kind of world where paladins and cleric would likely lose powers for straying?

Knee-jerk reaction is yes, but typical D&D worlds have many gods, often with competing agendas. Players should have agency to change their PC's faiths. That could be a major element of the story that emerges in play. So, in practice, in my games, I would likely be more of social and political challenges that arise from turning your back on your church, cult, etc. But how far I would lean into that as a DM would depend on adventure, world, and most importantly, what the players are into.

 

[overgeeked]

Knee-jerk reaction is yes, but typical D&D worlds have many gods, often with competing agendas. Players should have agency to change their PC's faiths. That could be a major element of the story that emerges in play. So, in practice, in my games, I would likely be more of social and political challenges that arise from turning your back on your church, cult, etc. But how far I would lean into that as a DM would depend on adventure, world, and most importantly, what the players are into.

I think there’s a bit of modern bias in this tangent. The ancient Romans, for example, didn’t care what a person believed, only that the performed the right rituals at the right time, orthopraxy (right practice). In modern times we center having the right beliefs, orthodoxy. This is a split in polytheism, which favors orthopraxy, and monotheism, which favors orthodoxy.

Applying that to a truly polytheistic world like your typical D&D setting and all you’d need to do to switch deities is pick up the rituals and practices of your new god. Though the specifics of the mortal organization accepting you would be a different matter entirely.

But then that would seem to point to the person themself having the power and the deity being the conduit. Can you be a cleric or paladin devoted to an ideal instead of a religion? Why not?

 

[Clint_L]

Thinking more about it, this would be an impossible rule to implement in my campaigns, since most characters aren't religious and would be disadvantaged compared to the ones that are able to pray for (and potentially receive) divine aid.

 

[Maxperson]

No. Stop fighting it and have five minute epic fights…and as many as you and the players want in a given day.

Those don't exist in 5e. A 5e minute fight is beyond easy for the party to beat. Even easy fights take longer than 5 minutes.

 

[Maxperson]

I actually get what you're saying, sure.

But, if the world has magic or is magic? Shouldn't there be magic herbs that could solve the problem? Could even be the basis for an adventure. You ARE solving the problem with magic, just not with the typical spell or PC ability.

Herbs for the most part are mundane, even if a combination of them can be used to create a magical potion of say healing. A flat out magical herb that all by itself cures mummy rot is still going to magic for the solution. You've just changed it from "spell" or "magic item" to "magic herb."