OK difference in spells, access to armour, more hit points and a willingness to fight...but they are just mechanics, what marks a cleric in their faith? Clerics in my campaigns have sins and strictures they must follow - also they must tithe to the church...starts at 50%...
I have some basics - Tempest clerics cannot interfere with natural storms, Life clerics cannot kill, Death clerics cannot heal and so on, I also ask my players to take up a stricture every other level - they decide on how their faith will play out in the game and take control of it.
If they are to be representatives of the gods in the mortal realm then their faith (domain) should play out in the game - it must have an effect otherwise they are just armour bound wizards.
My basic deity line up is the Roman pantheon with the gods having been tricked into their celestial prisons by the evil Cthulhu worshipping Warlock Elves (Elves are banned in my campaign they are evil! Except Drow they split off and went to hide underground.)
From a magical perspective, clerics are divine casters, where wizards are arcane casters. This could mean somehting for some, nothing for others. I like to see the distinction between divine and arcane this way: the divine casters kind of "ask" the magic from an exterior source (gods for clerics, nature for druids); the arcane caster is more like an interior source (innate for sorcerer, undestanding for wizards...).
From a roleplaying perspective, every charcter has his/her own code (or not) according to their alignment.
OK difference in spells, access to armour, more hit points and a willingness to fight...but they are just mechanics, what marks a cleric in their faith? Clerics in my campaigns have sins and strictures they must follow - also they must tithe to the church...starts at 50%...
I have some basics - Tempest clerics cannot interfere with natural storms, Life clerics cannot kill, Death clerics cannot heal and so on, I also ask my players to take up a stricture every other level - they decide on how their faith will play out in the game and take control of it.
If they are to be representatives of the gods in the mortal realm then their faith (domain) should play out in the game - it must have an effect otherwise they are just armour bound wizards.
(Elves are banned in my campaign they are evil! Except Drow they split off and went to hide underground.)
Touché.
Clerics.... They can use better weapons, actually heal people, and later in game they basically become demigods of that domain.
DM in the kobold fight club "Yes i know this is insane, but my usual players are murderhobos." Birdman in adventures in faerun "Flapping wings" (telepathy) "The enemies are overwhelming us, i'll go break their minds." Irthos Bladesinger in trouble in timberbottom (DED) (All PbP)
Not to be that guy, but what do you mean? If you mean what are the tenets of any given Cleric's religion; well it really depends on the setting and the deity (or ideal, if one allows that type of cleric); because there are multiple settings and even more deities for them to worship. Torm (of Forgotten Realms) and Heironeous (of Greyhawk) have the same alignment and domains; yet their doctrines, while similar, are distinct. Torm is more about self-sacrifice and bravery, whereas Heironeous is more about fighting with honour and following the code of chivalry. That's just two of the WotC owned settings. Toss in Paladine of Dragonlance who's focused on just governance and protection and the differences start to mount, Eberron doesn't even have a LG deity who's only domain is War, rather it has Dol Arrah who shares Heironeous' focus on honour as well as the portfolio of sunlight as represented by the Light domain. There's also the Silver Flame which isn't even a deity per se but rather the combined spirits and power of a bunch of Couatls which seals a great evil, and the tenets of that faith are about protection and goodness.
It's about the in game effects and penalties of being a cleric. Do they preach, tithe, have sins and strictures to follow...or just say I pray and get my spells...
Again, that all depends on your campaign. As far as game mechanics are concerned, Wizards go over their spellbooks and Clerics pray for their god's blessings.
I'm not sure if you're asking this from a game mechanics standpoint or asking from a DM standpoint of what do you have your players do to earn their spells.
If it's the former, see the first sentence. If it's the latter, your method seems like it's penalizing the players for playing a cleric. Like, looking at your original post, a 50% tithe is absolutely ridiculous. Clerics aren't priests, and I think that's where you're getting your wires crossed. Priests, acolytes, etc... are all servants of their god. A priests' job is to express the ideals of their deity, leading by example. A cleric isn't a simple servant, but rather a conduit of their god's power and will. They go out into the world because it's what their god expects them to do. Just by BEING a cleric, they are doing their god's will.
I also find an issue with your Life clerics can't kill/Death clerics can't heal theory; after all, there are multiple deities in both fantasy and real life mythology who honor both sides of life and death. Life clerics understand that killing an evil creature will prevent more deaths (and that death is an inevitable part of life) and Death clerics understand that keeping themselves and their allies alive will enable them to succeed with their goals. Also, what's the difference between a Tempest cleric CAUSING a storm and a Tempest cleric directing one? Either way, you are forcing your will upon a storm/weather (with your god's blessing of course).
Now, I'm not saying you can't run whatever game you want: You're the DM, so you CAN. What I am saying is that pigeon-holing a cleric based on their domain is just another way of penalizing a player for playing a cleric.
You wouldn't tell an Illusionist Wizard that they can't cast an Evocation spell. You wouldn't rule that a Draconic (Silver) Sorcerer that they can't cast Fireball. Why would you enforce those kinds of restrictions on a cleric?
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
After all the max/min best build threads I get picked up on trying to introduce some role playing in to the RPG. I have played LARP systems with an 80% tithe for Priests. It is no surprise to my players about the requirements for each class. Please something more then mechanics...killing undead\demons\etc is always allowed they are outside the order of things. What use is a cleric unless their beliefs cause a problem (role play opportunity) or would you rather they just became another flavour of wizard?
My wires are not crossed in demanding my clerics work for a living spreading the word, they are just not fixed to one location.
It is not pigeon holing the domain determines their faith, faith determines beliefs that lead to how the power is expressed through spell. Having access to all cleric spells makes no sense if they clash with core beliefs..
But that's just it, your "role playing" is based on your campaign setting, but doesn't make sense as a whole.
"What use is a cleric unless their beliefs cause a problem..."? That's always been the reasoning for everyone hating on Paladins (until 4e came along and changed that), that their Superman-like LG code required them to save every kitten from every tree. There are plenty of ways of role-playing a cleric that have NOTHING to do with the things you've mentioned and especially nothing to do with player character conflict. Not all character conflict is good.
Your wires are indeed crossed in regards to thinking of clerics as priests. Clerics are not priests, they are so much more than priests could ever become. A cleric might someday retire and become a priest, but calling a cleric a priest is like calling a fighter a soldier or a bard a musician. There's such a complete and vast difference between the classes and their non-adventurer counterparts that it's kind of silly that you can't separate them in your mind. Even first level adventurers are so beyond the rest of humanity. There's a reason that heroes can go toe-to-toe with a band of goblins while that same band of goblins can ransack an entire town and lose only a handful of their kin.
Being a cleric isn't about spreading word about a deity, that's what priests and acolytes are for. The cleric is about seeing that their god's will is done. That's why they go on to be adventurers. A Life cleric could sit around town all day healing the sick and wounded and teaching people about their god, but their god would much rather they be in a long forgotten temple destroying the lich that is attempting an unholy ritual. That's the difference: the entirety of a cleric's life is spent trying to further the goals of their god. A god isn't about to waste that talent sending a cleric to hold a prayer ceremony. And that same deity isn't about to hinder one of its most valuable assets by requiring some ridiculous tithe. Literally every action the cleric makes is in service to its god. The entire reason the cleric ISN'T sitting in church every day is because its deity told it not to. Also, what happens if the player DOESN'T tithe? Do they lose their cleric powers/spells? Is it like the current major religions where there's a Sabbath and if you don't hold mass on the specified day, you are committing a sin? Because that dungeon might not be fully explored by the time Sunday rolls around...
Now, a player might decide that their character DOES hold prayer ceremonies whenever he can. But there are plenty of clerics out there who don't worship a god at all. What do those clerics do? Maybe the town you go to doesn't have a temple to that god (hell that's likely the case in like 99% of the towns, unless you worship the primary god of agriculture), what does the cleric do for tithing if it can't? Does the cleric have to travel to a major city every time a tithe is due?
As for domains: they aren't a dogmatic practice, they are an area of study and a form of specialization. Much like how a fighter/paladin/ranger picks a fighting style, a bard picks a college, or a wizard picks a school of education. It is simply what they choose to specialize in, not their sole focus. They are a conduit of their deity. They can and SHOULD use literally EVERY means at their disposal to ensure that their god's will is done. Now, does that mean a Cleric of Pelor should be using Create Undead? No... But that's not because he's a cleric of Life, it's because he's a cleric of Pelor and Pelor HATES undead. Chauntea, the goddess of agriculture probably wouldn't care if you summoned a few skeletons (though she'd probably care if you let them loose on the world, because she's a good deity after all). Hell, a deity like Helm would probably love it if you created undead guardians to protect something (again, so long as those undead don't get loose).
The dogmatic practice comes in when you talk about the deity that the Cleric worships. Some gods might require different things from their players. Eldath, goddess of peace, would probably not want her clerics killing, but Selûne, goddess of the moon, holds no such qualms about a cleric killing an evil foe (in fact an entire order of Selûnites are dedicated to eradicating evil lycanthropes). Hell, the moonblades that were given to the Silverstars (an order of Selûnites) not only had special properties designed to help destroy their enemies, but also required the user to be judged by their character (against all who wielded the blade before them) and if the user failed they were usually killed by arcane fire. That doesn't seem like a deity of life has any qualms about killing; even her own worshipers.
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
All squares are rectangles, not all rectangles are squares. (All clerics are priests, not all priests are clerics.)
By the way you way you can't use other campaign settings to argue against mine, it kind of misses the point - I offered up my campaign and ideas. (They work -> a whole national LARP organisation is based on them...players accept there are restrictions placed on them, with great power comes great responsibility.)
So many points so many to answer -
1) Yes if they don't tithe they lose their power until they make proper reparations. There may be holy days and they must be observed or else...(I am running a modified Roman deity system so there are small temples everywhere - each hamlet will have a small one. The money is left there. No one is stealing from the gods, er, they exist...
2) Druids hold two major services a year - look them up and yes they tithe too - give to the land and the land will always provide for you...they follow the Olde Faith - away from civilisation you will find the Druids, also the edges watching it expand...(stopping?)
3) The church demands tithes from all its followers, it has buildings and missions to uphold. When Brother Justin is part of the party that kills the dragon you can be sure the church is going to take a chunk of that money - (also so will the local city/state that they return the wealth too...economics 101)
4) The various clerics will be sat in town now and again castings heals/cure disease/etc....its say so in the DM's guide who do you think is casting all those spells you can buy in town or making healing potions.....the populace believe in the Gods and will expect real results for their tithing and following the rules. Kings/Queens and rulers will want advice and council - that person is going to have some power. At the top of each church is a cleric - not some priest - (accepting your distinction)
5) The domains are to be used as you see fit in your campaign - I have decided - I literally cannot be wrong - you are free to disagree and not use any idea you find here but beyond that c'est la vie...please don't get too caught up in what it says in the books. It's a game and it's meant to fun (some character conflict is good - mine are are going through the campaign wondering if they are the good guys. They had to stop a Gnoll problem - easy kill all the Gnolls and if you want the problem to stay solved that includes the women and children....
You know there's an official campaign setting, right?
Like, all of what I described is based on the official Forgotten Realms usage over the last two editions (and 3e was based off of Greyhawk which has similar standards).
So, when someone asks what the difference is between two classes, they are asking in terms of officially, not in some random LARP setting that you've adapted to your world.
As I've said before (and I'll likely have to say time and time again), you are free to do what you want in your own campaign, but when you are asking for actual information about the game, you can't use your personal setting and pass it off as an official one.
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
If you wanted to know what other people do to make their clerics stand out, that should've been the topic (or at least said ANYWHERE in your post).
There are new people who come here and read the forums to get a better feel about how the game works mechanically, and you do them a disservice by not wording your post in a way that represents that this is an opinion and/or a non-official campaign setting.
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
If that is not clear from my first post then you really need to read it. Beyond that this is an AD&D discussion forum - people need to have a certain INT score to play the game so can pick and choose what they want to take - there have been a number of official realms over the years and ways to join them, I've always been partial to Dragonlance (I nicked the three moons for my world.)
Don't get sour grapes because you got the wrong end of the stick or jumped in halfway through and until they change the game laws I don't have to use an official campaign, restrict my answers to an official campaign or give two hoots about anything written in any book I spend my hard earned money on - I would have love this over 30 years ago when I started playing but was restricted to my friends who played, now I can get crazy ideas from all over the world and share mine as well....
First post below with add highlights...second sentence...
OK difference in spells, access to armour, more hit points and a willingness to fight...but they are just mechanics, what marks a cleric in their faith? Clerics in my campaigns have sins and strictures they must follow - also they must tithe to the church...starts at 50%...
I have some basics - Tempest clerics cannot interfere with natural storms, Life clerics cannot kill, Death clerics cannot heal and so on, I also ask my players to take up a stricture every other level - they decide on how their faith will play out in the game and take control of it.
If they are to be representatives of the gods in the mortal realm then their faith (domain) should play out in the game - it must have an effect otherwise they are just armour bound wizards.
My basic deity line up is the Roman pantheon with the gods having been tricked into their celestial prisons by the evil Cthulhu worshipping Warlock Elves (Elves are banned in my campaign they are evil! Except Drow they split off and went to hide underground.)
True as that might be, this is the wrong place to discuss your homebrew stuff. There's a Homebrew & Houserules forum just above where the class forums start for a reason.
It sounds more like he's asking if anyone else here has any special rules for clerics or if anyone that plays a cleric has some roleplay ideas that separate the class from the other spell-flingers. The title of the thread could be more clear, but that's the title he chose and he's free to change it as he wishes within guidelines.
When did this turn into official rules/campaign only?!? if it is not clear from my first post in the the thread I set up what I am asking then I am seriously at odds with the role play community. Either we are adults (and some children) enjoying a game or we are shills for whoever writes this stuff. I am nearly 50 (damit!) and have been playing since I was 13....Runequest first but hey ho it's a game....and he wouldn't let anyone else read the rules.
D&D (AD&D) has been through many incarnations I got lost at 3rd Ed. - not a 3.5 or Pathfinder fan really but 5th ed..I played at a convention and really enjoyed it, simple rules - role playing - sorry - ROLE PLAYING!!!! - fun was had the rules were secondary and there to guide our fun.
I had a couple of books to go from when I first DMed but all this now is excellent - I am not going down the line of it is written so shall it be. Once we learn not to be so hide bounded then the RPG community will be better - as a far better man than me said "YOU ARE A TOY!" (insert clip here)...
Oh f##k it who tried to suck all the fun out of my game and turn me into corporate shill - it's a game - we all have valid ideas - some are s##t but they need to be aired so we can think..damn it lest anyone think and have an idea beyond what is written. I paid for the book it is mine to use as I please as long as I make it clear to my players (it is) and we go from there....
We stand between the candle and the star, the darkness and the light...enjoy the game for it is a game and meant to be fun - read the books, enjoy the books, they are not there is to life or the game....
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I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
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OK difference in spells, access to armour, more hit points and a willingness to fight...but they are just mechanics, what marks a cleric in their faith? Clerics in my campaigns have sins and strictures they must follow - also they must tithe to the church...starts at 50%...
I have some basics - Tempest clerics cannot interfere with natural storms, Life clerics cannot kill, Death clerics cannot heal and so on, I also ask my players to take up a stricture every other level - they decide on how their faith will play out in the game and take control of it.
If they are to be representatives of the gods in the mortal realm then their faith (domain) should play out in the game - it must have an effect otherwise they are just armour bound wizards.
My basic deity line up is the Roman pantheon with the gods having been tricked into their celestial prisons by the evil Cthulhu worshipping Warlock Elves (Elves are banned in my campaign they are evil! Except Drow they split off and went to hide underground.)
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
From a magical perspective, clerics are divine casters, where wizards are arcane casters. This could mean somehting for some, nothing for others. I like to see the distinction between divine and arcane this way: the divine casters kind of "ask" the magic from an exterior source (gods for clerics, nature for druids); the arcane caster is more like an interior source (innate for sorcerer, undestanding for wizards...).
From a roleplaying perspective, every charcter has his/her own code (or not) according to their alignment.
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I get that but in outcome very little difference, no. Yes each has an alignment but what must a cleric do to justify getting their magic?
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
Clerics must uphold the believes of his/her faith to keep using their power.
Yes but what are they? What hoops do you make your clerics jump through....?
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
Not to be that guy, but what do you mean? If you mean what are the tenets of any given Cleric's religion; well it really depends on the setting and the deity (or ideal, if one allows that type of cleric); because there are multiple settings and even more deities for them to worship. Torm (of Forgotten Realms) and Heironeous (of Greyhawk) have the same alignment and domains; yet their doctrines, while similar, are distinct. Torm is more about self-sacrifice and bravery, whereas Heironeous is more about fighting with honour and following the code of chivalry. That's just two of the WotC owned settings. Toss in Paladine of Dragonlance who's focused on just governance and protection and the differences start to mount, Eberron doesn't even have a LG deity who's only domain is War, rather it has Dol Arrah who shares Heironeous' focus on honour as well as the portfolio of sunlight as represented by the Light domain. There's also the Silver Flame which isn't even a deity per se but rather the combined spirits and power of a bunch of Couatls which seals a great evil, and the tenets of that faith are about protection and goodness.
It's about the in game effects and penalties of being a cleric. Do they preach, tithe, have sins and strictures to follow...or just say I pray and get my spells...
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
Again, that all depends on your campaign. As far as game mechanics are concerned, Wizards go over their spellbooks and Clerics pray for their god's blessings.
I'm not sure if you're asking this from a game mechanics standpoint or asking from a DM standpoint of what do you have your players do to earn their spells.
If it's the former, see the first sentence. If it's the latter, your method seems like it's penalizing the players for playing a cleric. Like, looking at your original post, a 50% tithe is absolutely ridiculous. Clerics aren't priests, and I think that's where you're getting your wires crossed. Priests, acolytes, etc... are all servants of their god. A priests' job is to express the ideals of their deity, leading by example. A cleric isn't a simple servant, but rather a conduit of their god's power and will. They go out into the world because it's what their god expects them to do. Just by BEING a cleric, they are doing their god's will.
I also find an issue with your Life clerics can't kill/Death clerics can't heal theory; after all, there are multiple deities in both fantasy and real life mythology who honor both sides of life and death. Life clerics understand that killing an evil creature will prevent more deaths (and that death is an inevitable part of life) and Death clerics understand that keeping themselves and their allies alive will enable them to succeed with their goals. Also, what's the difference between a Tempest cleric CAUSING a storm and a Tempest cleric directing one? Either way, you are forcing your will upon a storm/weather (with your god's blessing of course).
Now, I'm not saying you can't run whatever game you want: You're the DM, so you CAN. What I am saying is that pigeon-holing a cleric based on their domain is just another way of penalizing a player for playing a cleric.
You wouldn't tell an Illusionist Wizard that they can't cast an Evocation spell. You wouldn't rule that a Draconic (Silver) Sorcerer that they can't cast Fireball. Why would you enforce those kinds of restrictions on a cleric?
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“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
After all the max/min best build threads I get picked up on trying to introduce some role playing in to the RPG. I have played LARP systems with an 80% tithe for Priests. It is no surprise to my players about the requirements for each class. Please something more then mechanics...killing undead\demons\etc is always allowed they are outside the order of things. What use is a cleric unless their beliefs cause a problem (role play opportunity) or would you rather they just became another flavour of wizard?
My wires are not crossed in demanding my clerics work for a living spreading the word, they are just not fixed to one location.
It is not pigeon holing the domain determines their faith, faith determines beliefs that lead to how the power is expressed through spell. Having access to all cleric spells makes no sense if they clash with core beliefs..
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
But that's just it, your "role playing" is based on your campaign setting, but doesn't make sense as a whole.
"What use is a cleric unless their beliefs cause a problem..."? That's always been the reasoning for everyone hating on Paladins (until 4e came along and changed that), that their Superman-like LG code required them to save every kitten from every tree. There are plenty of ways of role-playing a cleric that have NOTHING to do with the things you've mentioned and especially nothing to do with player character conflict. Not all character conflict is good.
Your wires are indeed crossed in regards to thinking of clerics as priests. Clerics are not priests, they are so much more than priests could ever become. A cleric might someday retire and become a priest, but calling a cleric a priest is like calling a fighter a soldier or a bard a musician. There's such a complete and vast difference between the classes and their non-adventurer counterparts that it's kind of silly that you can't separate them in your mind. Even first level adventurers are so beyond the rest of humanity. There's a reason that heroes can go toe-to-toe with a band of goblins while that same band of goblins can ransack an entire town and lose only a handful of their kin.
Being a cleric isn't about spreading word about a deity, that's what priests and acolytes are for. The cleric is about seeing that their god's will is done. That's why they go on to be adventurers. A Life cleric could sit around town all day healing the sick and wounded and teaching people about their god, but their god would much rather they be in a long forgotten temple destroying the lich that is attempting an unholy ritual. That's the difference: the entirety of a cleric's life is spent trying to further the goals of their god. A god isn't about to waste that talent sending a cleric to hold a prayer ceremony. And that same deity isn't about to hinder one of its most valuable assets by requiring some ridiculous tithe. Literally every action the cleric makes is in service to its god. The entire reason the cleric ISN'T sitting in church every day is because its deity told it not to. Also, what happens if the player DOESN'T tithe? Do they lose their cleric powers/spells? Is it like the current major religions where there's a Sabbath and if you don't hold mass on the specified day, you are committing a sin? Because that dungeon might not be fully explored by the time Sunday rolls around...
Now, a player might decide that their character DOES hold prayer ceremonies whenever he can. But there are plenty of clerics out there who don't worship a god at all. What do those clerics do? Maybe the town you go to doesn't have a temple to that god (hell that's likely the case in like 99% of the towns, unless you worship the primary god of agriculture), what does the cleric do for tithing if it can't? Does the cleric have to travel to a major city every time a tithe is due?
As for domains: they aren't a dogmatic practice, they are an area of study and a form of specialization. Much like how a fighter/paladin/ranger picks a fighting style, a bard picks a college, or a wizard picks a school of education. It is simply what they choose to specialize in, not their sole focus. They are a conduit of their deity. They can and SHOULD use literally EVERY means at their disposal to ensure that their god's will is done. Now, does that mean a Cleric of Pelor should be using Create Undead? No... But that's not because he's a cleric of Life, it's because he's a cleric of Pelor and Pelor HATES undead. Chauntea, the goddess of agriculture probably wouldn't care if you summoned a few skeletons (though she'd probably care if you let them loose on the world, because she's a good deity after all). Hell, a deity like Helm would probably love it if you created undead guardians to protect something (again, so long as those undead don't get loose).
The dogmatic practice comes in when you talk about the deity that the Cleric worships. Some gods might require different things from their players. Eldath, goddess of peace, would probably not want her clerics killing, but Selûne, goddess of the moon, holds no such qualms about a cleric killing an evil foe (in fact an entire order of Selûnites are dedicated to eradicating evil lycanthropes). Hell, the moonblades that were given to the Silverstars (an order of Selûnites) not only had special properties designed to help destroy their enemies, but also required the user to be judged by their character (against all who wielded the blade before them) and if the user failed they were usually killed by arcane fire. That doesn't seem like a deity of life has any qualms about killing; even her own worshipers.
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“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
Character section Cleric: Priestly Champions look it up.
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
I tend to use the actual text of the books, not an incomplete description.
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“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
All squares are rectangles, not all rectangles are squares. (All clerics are priests, not all priests are clerics.)
By the way you way you can't use other campaign settings to argue against mine, it kind of misses the point - I offered up my campaign and ideas. (They work -> a whole national LARP organisation is based on them...players accept there are restrictions placed on them, with great power comes great responsibility.)
So many points so many to answer -
1) Yes if they don't tithe they lose their power until they make proper reparations. There may be holy days and they must be observed or else...(I am running a modified Roman deity system so there are small temples everywhere - each hamlet will have a small one. The money is left there. No one is stealing from the gods, er, they exist...
2) Druids hold two major services a year - look them up and yes they tithe too - give to the land and the land will always provide for you...they follow the Olde Faith - away from civilisation you will find the Druids, also the edges watching it expand...(stopping?)
3) The church demands tithes from all its followers, it has buildings and missions to uphold. When Brother Justin is part of the party that kills the dragon you can be sure the church is going to take a chunk of that money - (also so will the local city/state that they return the wealth too...economics 101)
4) The various clerics will be sat in town now and again castings heals/cure disease/etc....its say so in the DM's guide who do you think is casting all those spells you can buy in town or making healing potions.....the populace believe in the Gods and will expect real results for their tithing and following the rules. Kings/Queens and rulers will want advice and council - that person is going to have some power. At the top of each church is a cleric - not some priest - (accepting your distinction)
5) The domains are to be used as you see fit in your campaign - I have decided - I literally cannot be wrong - you are free to disagree and not use any idea you find here but beyond that c'est la vie...please don't get too caught up in what it says in the books. It's a game and it's meant to fun (some character conflict is good - mine are are going through the campaign wondering if they are the good guys. They had to stop a Gnoll problem - easy kill all the Gnolls and if you want the problem to stay solved that includes the women and children....
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
You know there's an official campaign setting, right?
Like, all of what I described is based on the official Forgotten Realms usage over the last two editions (and 3e was based off of Greyhawk which has similar standards).
So, when someone asks what the difference is between two classes, they are asking in terms of officially, not in some random LARP setting that you've adapted to your world.
As I've said before (and I'll likely have to say time and time again), you are free to do what you want in your own campaign, but when you are asking for actual information about the game, you can't use your personal setting and pass it off as an official one.
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“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
If you wanted to know what other people do to make their clerics stand out, that should've been the topic (or at least said ANYWHERE in your post).
There are new people who come here and read the forums to get a better feel about how the game works mechanically, and you do them a disservice by not wording your post in a way that represents that this is an opinion and/or a non-official campaign setting.
Click Here to Download my Lancer Class w/ Dragoon and Legionnaire Archetypes via DM's Guild - Pay What You Want
Click Here to Download the Mind Flayer: Thoon Hulk converted from 4e via DM's Guild
“It is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.” ― Oramis, Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
If that is not clear from my first post then you really need to read it. Beyond that this is an AD&D discussion forum - people need to have a certain INT score to play the game so can pick and choose what they want to take - there have been a number of official realms over the years and ways to join them, I've always been partial to Dragonlance (I nicked the three moons for my world.)
Don't get sour grapes because you got the wrong end of the stick or jumped in halfway through and until they change the game laws I don't have to use an official campaign, restrict my answers to an official campaign or give two hoots about anything written in any book I spend my hard earned money on - I would have love this over 30 years ago when I started playing but was restricted to my friends who played, now I can get crazy ideas from all over the world and share mine as well....
First post below with add highlights...second sentence...
OK difference in spells, access to armour, more hit points and a willingness to fight...but they are just mechanics, what marks a cleric in their faith? Clerics in my campaigns have sins and strictures they must follow - also they must tithe to the church...starts at 50%...
I have some basics - Tempest clerics cannot interfere with natural storms, Life clerics cannot kill, Death clerics cannot heal and so on, I also ask my players to take up a stricture every other level - they decide on how their faith will play out in the game and take control of it.
If they are to be representatives of the gods in the mortal realm then their faith (domain) should play out in the game - it must have an effect otherwise they are just armour bound wizards.
My basic deity line up is the Roman pantheon with the gods having been tricked into their celestial prisons by the evil Cthulhu worshipping Warlock Elves (Elves are banned in my campaign they are evil! Except Drow they split off and went to hide underground.)
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....
True as that might be, this is the wrong place to discuss your homebrew stuff. There's a Homebrew & Houserules forum just above where the class forums start for a reason.
It sounds more like he's asking if anyone else here has any special rules for clerics or if anyone that plays a cleric has some roleplay ideas that separate the class from the other spell-flingers. The title of the thread could be more clear, but that's the title he chose and he's free to change it as he wishes within guidelines.
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When did this turn into official rules/campaign only?!? if it is not clear from my first post in the the thread I set up what I am asking then I am seriously at odds with the role play community. Either we are adults (and some children) enjoying a game or we are shills for whoever writes this stuff. I am nearly 50 (damit!) and have been playing since I was 13....Runequest first but hey ho it's a game....and he wouldn't let anyone else read the rules.
D&D (AD&D) has been through many incarnations I got lost at 3rd Ed. - not a 3.5 or Pathfinder fan really but 5th ed..I played at a convention and really enjoyed it, simple rules - role playing - sorry - ROLE PLAYING!!!! - fun was had the rules were secondary and there to guide our fun.
I had a couple of books to go from when I first DMed but all this now is excellent - I am not going down the line of it is written so shall it be. Once we learn not to be so hide bounded then the RPG community will be better - as a far better man than me said "YOU ARE A TOY!" (insert clip here)...
Oh f##k it who tried to suck all the fun out of my game and turn me into corporate shill - it's a game - we all have valid ideas - some are s##t but they need to be aired so we can think..damn it lest anyone think and have an idea beyond what is written. I paid for the book it is mine to use as I please as long as I make it clear to my players (it is) and we go from there....
We stand between the candle and the star, the darkness and the light...enjoy the game for it is a game and meant to be fun - read the books, enjoy the books, they are not there is to life or the game....
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....