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When did D&D gods first rely on their worshipers?
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<blockquote data-quote="Don Durito" data-source="post: 8270112" data-attributes="member: 6687260"><p>I do sometimes feel that D&D writers are a bit too wedded to the idea of gods gaining power from their worshippers.</p><p></p><p>It's fine if that's what you want, but it shouldn't be reflexive, it's hardly the only way things can work, and it tends to lead in practice to gods that are not particularly interesting. (Gods in D&D constantly feel like a wasted opportunity).</p><p></p><p>Why would Deities respond to mortal prayers? In order to pursue their agendas perhaps. I don't know. I'm not sure it's really an issue. In any case if gods only response to prayers is granting cleric spells, then it would seem to follow that there's no point anyone who is not a cleric doing any praying or worshipping, which feels weird. If the people of the village sacrifice a bull to the god of agriculture it really ought to be in order to ensure a good harvest.</p><p></p><p>There's also the possibility that the god gains power from mortals but not from actual worship (at least in the form of prayers and the like), but through the presence in the world of their area of influence. So the god of war gets more power the more war there is, but he doesn't really care all that much if people believe in him, he just cares that there should be lots of war.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Don Durito, post: 8270112, member: 6687260"] I do sometimes feel that D&D writers are a bit too wedded to the idea of gods gaining power from their worshippers. It's fine if that's what you want, but it shouldn't be reflexive, it's hardly the only way things can work, and it tends to lead in practice to gods that are not particularly interesting. (Gods in D&D constantly feel like a wasted opportunity). Why would Deities respond to mortal prayers? In order to pursue their agendas perhaps. I don't know. I'm not sure it's really an issue. In any case if gods only response to prayers is granting cleric spells, then it would seem to follow that there's no point anyone who is not a cleric doing any praying or worshipping, which feels weird. If the people of the village sacrifice a bull to the god of agriculture it really ought to be in order to ensure a good harvest. There's also the possibility that the god gains power from mortals but not from actual worship (at least in the form of prayers and the like), but through the presence in the world of their area of influence. So the god of war gets more power the more war there is, but he doesn't really care all that much if people believe in him, he just cares that there should be lots of war. [/QUOTE]
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