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Worldbuilding Assumptions: The Nature of Gods
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<blockquote data-quote="Amrûnril" data-source="post: 9136789" data-attributes="member: 6841183"><p>In discussions of D&D, I often see arguments based on the assumption of unambiguously real, universally acknowledged gods. While this framework certainly describes many settings, I don't think it's fair to take as given in a game played in as many different settings as D&D. I also think the degree to which the official books emphasize this assumption is overstated. The DMG presents "Gods oversee the world" as a core assumption, but it does so in a section specifically about how DMs might choose to modify those core assumptions. And while the PHB and MM make plenty of references to gods, few of them have mechanical weight, and most are presented in a form that could be regarded as in-universe belief just as easily as established canon.</p><p></p><p>Personally, I have a strong preference for worlds where the existence and nature of gods is left deliberately ambiguous. A setting where the players and characters definitively know the answer to religious questions, in my view, takes away many of the dynamics that are key to making religion feel like religion. Rather than contemplating faith in the face of uncertainty, characters are simply choosing how to interact with powerful characters.</p><p></p><p>I recognize, though, that this view isn't universal, and I'm curious as to others' preferences. How do you prefer that D&D settings handle these elements of in-world religions?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Amrûnril, post: 9136789, member: 6841183"] In discussions of D&D, I often see arguments based on the assumption of unambiguously real, universally acknowledged gods. While this framework certainly describes many settings, I don't think it's fair to take as given in a game played in as many different settings as D&D. I also think the degree to which the official books emphasize this assumption is overstated. The DMG presents "Gods oversee the world" as a core assumption, but it does so in a section specifically about how DMs might choose to modify those core assumptions. And while the PHB and MM make plenty of references to gods, few of them have mechanical weight, and most are presented in a form that could be regarded as in-universe belief just as easily as established canon. Personally, I have a strong preference for worlds where the existence and nature of gods is left deliberately ambiguous. A setting where the players and characters definitively know the answer to religious questions, in my view, takes away many of the dynamics that are key to making religion feel like religion. Rather than contemplating faith in the face of uncertainty, characters are simply choosing how to interact with powerful characters. I recognize, though, that this view isn't universal, and I'm curious as to others' preferences. How do you prefer that D&D settings handle these elements of in-world religions? [/QUOTE]
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