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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gizmo33" data-source="post: 3202428" data-attributes="member: 30001">That's not what it says.  It says "the answers are correct within the limits of the entities knowledge".  Give me a little credit for speaking English.I think we can both agree that we have the right to design our games the way we want.  I'm just saying that the core rules IMO are decidedly unhelpful in simulating what you're describing.According to who?  There are times when the god himself is very clear.  Gods show up and tell their worshippers exactly what they're supposed to do all of the time.  "Build a boat", "stop worshipping golden cows", etc.  In fact, the more "legendary" the time frame (and presumable the magic content of a typical 3E game places it within that milieu) the clearer the deity is about exactly what they want.Sure they do!  That's exactly the contention of certain members of the big three.There is so much evidence against this that I could write a book on it.  The Oracle of Delphi is probably an interesting counter-example.Ok, maybe they're all Chaotic Neutral.  That's the not what the rules suggest though.Why not?  Suggest then, a legitimate, non-trivial use of the augury or commune spell.  Sounds like the only thing you can use it for is for things irrelevant to the moral component (if any) of the faith.For what it's worth, I quote wiki (regarding the Oracle of Delphi):  "It is a popular misconception that the oracle predicted the future, based on the lapping water and leaves rustling in the trees; the oracle of Delphi never predicted the future, but gave guarded advice on how impiety might be cleansed and incumbent disaster avoided." (the bold emphasis is mine)I completely agree, but how do you explain to a player why they're out of line for wanting to ask a question of piety with a Commune spell?  "I've got better things to do than tell you whether or not to wage a holy war on Lawful Evil people, but feel free to call back when you want to talk about which dungeon door to open."But trying to clarify questions of doctrine?!  That seems to be exactly what you're arguing against!  You're suggesting that the alignment issues I'm talking about are trivial when, in fact, for many characters - like the paladin in the OP - it's central to their ability to do their job.  In any milieu resembling that from which the idea of the paladin originates, it's hard to think of questions that are more important than those of morality.  To say that the gods don't care about that, IMO, means that the gods don't care about the central point of the paladin.  Anachronisms aside, I don't see the difference.  They represent the gods will to mortals (via divination) and the mortals needs/wants to the gods (via sacrifice).  That completely contradicts your use of Greek and Norse gods as examples.  Superheroes floating above the planet in a bitchin' orbiting headquarters is EXACTLY what they were - except that Valhalla didn't orbit.  Let me say it this way:  the real world is what you would call "grim and gritty".  The world of the actual legends is less so, but the gods have come down and told worshippers exactly what they wanted, they've taken sides in wars and fought personally, etc.  You seem to be taking a mix of real-life and legend, and it seems to contradict both.My basic contention is that without guilt-tripping the players into avoiding certain actions, the core rules make your cosmological philosophy hard to understand.  I'm not saying that your design couldn't be convincing in a novel - but how to actually make all those gray areas work in a game where the players abilities to get questions from gods I'm not clear on.  And it's not just spells - there are devas/servants, and the gods actually have an address.  They seem so much more substantial in the game than they do in the picture you're painting.  I could only see it working if you removed chunks of the core 3E game.  I can't think of many (any) examples of a character in legend casting Detect Evil - and even if so this is a power that a 1st level cleric has - so demographics suggests a startling possibility IMO.</blockquote>

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