Philotomy Jurament
First Post
I think it's campaign-specific.
Slightly tangentially, I always liked the OAD&D approach, where the gods are only directly involved in the more powerful spells:
1st and 2nd level spells are gained through personal knowledge and faith.
3rd - 5th level spells are gained by prayer, but are granted by supernatural servants or minions of the god (minions ranking up to demigod status).
6th - 7th level spells are gained by prayer and are granted directly from the deity.
So Zeus doesn't need to be bothered with every little prayer/spell request, even from his priests -- his minions handle most of that. But the "big boy" spells demand his special attention.
The reason I like this is because there are so many interesting twists you can pull with an arrangement like this. For example, a sect could worship an non-existent "false god" and still have 1st and 2nd level spell effects because of their faith. A heretical sect could rise under a rebellious minion keeping a low-profile, and still use 3rd-5th level spells. You could have clerics invoking the assistance of minions (much like some religions pray to or invoke "saints" or angelic beings), and you could have minions that have spheres of influence or personality. You could have a faithful and orthodox cleric saddled with a rebellious or heterodox minion granting his spells -- boy, that's a pickle for the unfortunate cleric.
Anyway, lots of cool RP-ing opportunities.
Slightly tangentially, I always liked the OAD&D approach, where the gods are only directly involved in the more powerful spells:
1st and 2nd level spells are gained through personal knowledge and faith.
3rd - 5th level spells are gained by prayer, but are granted by supernatural servants or minions of the god (minions ranking up to demigod status).
6th - 7th level spells are gained by prayer and are granted directly from the deity.
So Zeus doesn't need to be bothered with every little prayer/spell request, even from his priests -- his minions handle most of that. But the "big boy" spells demand his special attention.
The reason I like this is because there are so many interesting twists you can pull with an arrangement like this. For example, a sect could worship an non-existent "false god" and still have 1st and 2nd level spell effects because of their faith. A heretical sect could rise under a rebellious minion keeping a low-profile, and still use 3rd-5th level spells. You could have clerics invoking the assistance of minions (much like some religions pray to or invoke "saints" or angelic beings), and you could have minions that have spheres of influence or personality. You could have a faithful and orthodox cleric saddled with a rebellious or heterodox minion granting his spells -- boy, that's a pickle for the unfortunate cleric.
Anyway, lots of cool RP-ing opportunities.
