Roleplaying in Dungeons and Dragons is about fantasy becoming real, and I have decided to make the fantasy real by making the fantasies of our world unquestionably real. Religion, gods are real. How I have done that is to make religions into cults; the old definition of cults—secret knowledge that is passed along as a religious figure increases in power, the knowledge gain in the cult powers the spell advance. I have also added bonuses for when the true Gods notice when you do their will. They don't care why you do it, but that it has been done. The blessing is given to whom ever completes the requirement for the blessing. The blessing of the god is pretty significant, it might make you want to repeat it, do the will of the God in question. The ability to cast a higher spell than you are capable of, for discovering forgotten knowledge, might lead you to look for greater and greater lost knowledges. Pulling off elaborate pranks to receive Advantage on dice roles, might be a reason to become more chaotic by pulling pranks on party members. Giving money to the poor to gain a blessing. Killing things to get a blessing. Killing those that use Necromancy. Holding an oath with difficulty. To get a special advantage, to get power. Because the gods always honour people who do their bidding—something that never happens in our world, because gods are fantasy.
Fantasy becomes real in a fantasy world. In Fantasy, gods are real.
The Cleric of Stomida:
1st level; the Weather Goddess, the Goddess of Agriculture, is also the Goddess of jokes and lies
3rd level; those that get away with elaborate pranks get her Blessing. ( advantage on all saving throws for a day.
5th level; know your base. When the Red Sun eclipses the Yellow, the day is dark; the green leaves and the the green in the feilds all go black, but they do not wilt or die, for they are nourished by her light. Stomida is e goddess of Agriculture.
7th level; when the Red Sun is dominant, so are you! (cast one spell that day as one spell level higher)
9th level; Stomida is the Goddess of Storms and storms are erratic in nature. The Tempest will often leave a a simple structure undamaged and obliterate a strong one. (When Wrath of Storms is evoked, you may chose another target, other than the one that provoked)
The Clerics and Druids of Xeric
1st level; Xeric dispises undead as they are a defilement of the life cycle.
3rd level; those that kill someone who interrupts the natural cycle of life have his ire. Those who kill these enemies have Xeric's blessing. (Xeric's blessing allows the use of raise dead and resurrection spells without gaining Xeric's ire.)
5th level; when the moon of Xeric is bright and the night is clear one needs not worry about seeing at night. Cast your eyes up to him, his gazer is filled with blue and white; the white is always changing swirls upon the blue like clouds over water.
7th level; when casting spells made of water, one only needs to say Evoke Xeric's name to have him take over control of a spell, no concentration needed
9th level; for the home of Xeric is water and is constantly in motion and is not a place for the weak, water creatures are the highest form and they, for a Druid, will have maximum (hp) strength
For the other characters, they have a lesser connection with their gods. There is a paladin of Scoria, a ranger who revers the Gray Warder and a fighter who fights for Hestuim.
The blessing of Scoria is granted when you keep an oath through great temptation, the blessing allows you to make a Greater Oath of Scoria, the penalty for breaking the Greater Oath is a wisdom save, instant death or half maximum hp damage. If the Oath is freely given, the oath breaker takes 200% maximum hp damage, save for half.
A ninth level paladin gets to cast as a third level spell, Scoria's Lesser Oath, which causes the casting Paladin's leve x d8 damage, constitution save for half. Cast as a ritual with a knowing participant the oath breaker takes the paladin's level x8 damage no save.
The Ranger.
The Ranger as a class sucks in 5th edition. A ranger knows its quarry inside and out, they know how to hurt them. When a ranger hits a enemy creature, they add their Proficency bonus to the damage.
As a faithful follower of the Gray Warder, by uttering praise to the Gray Warder when fighting a chosen enemy you gain advantage. One must praise the Gray Warder with every attack, if all attacks are successful, you gain another attack as a reaction to your success.
The Fighter
As a warrior dedicated to Hestium, if you should protect an innocent from harm or death, you shall gain 5 temporary hit points, only one gain per innocent.
The is one player who when I asked him what deity his character worships, he said none. He said his character believes in gods, but thinks that they are just more powerful people. No belief means no favour from any god. No special powers for him…
… except that leaves him open to greater influence. At tenth level he will have a dream, sponsored by Drogath offering him power. A little at first then once every level a bit more. Because its not fair that they should get special powers and not him. The first time at tenth level he will offered a equalizing payment. Every-time another character invokes praise of their god to gain power, he can equalize things by stating the unfairness of it all, that's not fair, you cheated, or something similar and you will get a one point advantage, +1 to hit, +1 save, +1 ability check, +1 to your spells save threshold; only one. At 11th level he will be offered a greater temptation, by 12th level it will become clear that Drogath is behind the offering, shift alignment one step to evil…
… if he is not tempted at 12th level he is granted membership in to the Priesthood of the Hidden goddess and he can see her in her temple, reveal her on her holy days, and see the Blue Sun, he also is granted her blessing. Her priests do not get spells. A truly agnostic god. If he is not tempted to evil, he would be granted the Blessing of Scoria, for staying true though temptation, and get a greater Oath of Scoria.
No comments:
Post a Comment