I played some polytheistic characters that worshipped whole pantheon like the Seldarine or the Morndinsamman as well as dieties group such as the Dead Three or the First Circle in the FORGOTTEN REALMS.
Every Cleric is polytheistic because gods are very real in the world of DnD. You might worship Helm primarily, but you'll still give offering to Auril if you find yourself trekking through Icewind Dale. Or to Talos or Umberlee to ward off a coming storm while seaborn. Or to Chauntea for a good harvest.
That makes the world polytheistic. The Cleric of Helm in the case of traveling to Icewind Dale or sailing the seas may pay homage to Auril, Talos, or Umberlee, but if they do so, they would only out of pragmatism; they do not become a cleric of any of those three. They are not professing to be versed in the rituals and dogma of those gods nor to be a leader of any of those deities' followers.
Similarly, my cleric (above) might pray over a recently departed person and commend them to Kelemvor, but that does not make her a Cleric of Kelemvor. Similarly, she likes Selûne, and may even praise her and her moon, but she's not a cleric of the Moonmaiden, either. There's a difference between acknowledging or even praying to a god and being a representative of their church and their teachings.
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Just curious, how many of you have chosen to play as polytheistic?
It's probably not quite what you mean, but I have a cleric of Lathander who is also an auxiliary cleric of Chauntea and wears the symbols of both.
I played some polytheistic characters that worshipped whole pantheon like the Seldarine or the Morndinsamman as well as dieties group such as the Dead Three or the First Circle in the FORGOTTEN REALMS.
Every Cleric is polytheistic because gods are very real in the world of DnD. You might worship Helm primarily, but you'll still give offering to Auril if you find yourself trekking through Icewind Dale. Or to Talos or Umberlee to ward off a coming storm while seaborn. Or to Chauntea for a good harvest.
That's how polytheism works.
That makes the world polytheistic. The Cleric of Helm in the case of traveling to Icewind Dale or sailing the seas may pay homage to Auril, Talos, or Umberlee, but if they do so, they would only out of pragmatism; they do not become a cleric of any of those three. They are not professing to be versed in the rituals and dogma of those gods nor to be a leader of any of those deities' followers.
Similarly, my cleric (above) might pray over a recently departed person and commend them to Kelemvor, but that does not make her a Cleric of Kelemvor. Similarly, she likes Selûne, and may even praise her and her moon, but she's not a cleric of the Moonmaiden, either. There's a difference between acknowledging or even praying to a god and being a representative of their church and their teachings.