Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-15-2016, 05:43 PM   #31
scc
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
The two work differently. I also assume that the mage-haters have access to some kind of man-dampening bracelets to keep enemy wizards in check. Maybe a relic that blasts wizards. This doesn't work on the saints.
Note to self: Play female mage so that the mage-hunters can't track me down and stop me
scc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-15-2016, 07:55 PM   #32
simply Nathan
formerly known as 'Kenneth Latrans'
 
simply Nathan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Wyoming, Michigan
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by scc View Post
Note to self: Play female mage so that the mage-hunters can't track me down and stop me
Actually it just means the bracelets won't make you damp.
__________________
Ba-weep granah wheep minibon. Wubba lubba dub dub.
simply Nathan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2016, 01:49 AM   #33
Jürgen Hubert
 
Jürgen Hubert's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Oldenburg, Germany
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
Wouldn't they just just pray for instructions?
Looking at the list of Learned Prayers, there is no sample miracle that explicitly says: "You will get the answer to a theological question".

Furthermore, it could be argued that asking for a theological interpretation by one's deity means that the petitioner has doubts about their faith - which could very well weaken their Divine Favor abilities.

For Yrth, I prefer it if the following is true:

- The "living saints" (receivers of Divine Favor) must be genuinely devout people of their faith.

- It is clear to outside observers that something happens in answer to their prayers, but it is not at all clear who or what answers. The living saints of course believe that it is their deity answers their prayers - because if they doubted that, they would receive no miracles. If praying, they might receive information about this world (a vision where the orc horde is approaching from, where the prisoners are located, and so forth), but no answers about the Great Beyond.

- However, people from all sorts of different faiths have gained this power. The living saints either believe that people from the "wrong faith" are getting their powers from demonic sources (or other gods, if pagan), or are being ecumenical about this ("God speaks to all of us") and concentrate on doing good works (however they define it).


Adding Divine Favor to the setting of Yrth doesn't mean that those who are able to receive it are "in the right" about their religion. They likely believe so, and so do many who witness them, but in the end it's best to keep "the Truth" unknown.
__________________
GURPS Repository Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles - translating German folk tales into English!
Jürgen Hubert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2016, 01:53 AM   #34
Jürgen Hubert
 
Jürgen Hubert's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Oldenburg, Germany
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k View Post
One thing I would point out, however, is that even if someone has Faith in the existence of a Higher Power, that still leaves how they interpret how to best serve that Higher Power. There's absolutely no reason a particularly devout Archbishop who holds his esteemed position in good faith would be less likely to achieve Divine Favor then a small parish priest. Even if his interpretation of Serving God revolves more around enforcing Orthodoxy and Glorifying God through his Church, as opposed to just tending to the poor and the sick. He might even see himself as being supportive of those common priests who do such things, as by making the Church strong, it can then give support to those priests.
Maybe so, but (a) on Yrth, being an Archbishop is an intensely political position, and (b) they will likely have studied theology and its complexities very intensely before getting to that position.

While most Archbishops are likely still believers, the worldly burdens of this office make it very hard to maintain the "Simple Faith" these abilities require.
__________________
GURPS Repository Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles - translating German folk tales into English!
Jürgen Hubert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2016, 05:57 AM   #35
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jürgen Hubert View Post
- It is clear to outside observers that something happens in answer to their prayers, but it is not at all clear who or what answers. The living saints of course believe that it is their deity answers their prayers - because if they doubted that, they would receive no miracles. If praying, they might receive information about this world (a vision where the orc horde is approaching from, where the prisoners are located, and so forth), but no answers about the Great Beyond.
There should also either be no resurrections, or they should give ambiguous answers about that same Great Beyond.
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2016, 08:56 AM   #36
Jürgen Hubert
 
Jürgen Hubert's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Oldenburg, Germany
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
There should also either be no resurrections, or they should give ambiguous answers about that same Great Beyond.
Or they have no memories of the Great Beyond, beyond possibly seeing a "tunnel of light" like some people who have near-death experiences report.

The Healing spell Resurrection does exist in the setting, but is considered pretty heretical. A Christian (or Muslim or Jewish) "living saint" who manages to pull of a Ressurection will be viewed with a lot of suspicion by the Church authorities... although real world saints have also allegedly managed this feat.

Thus, again, there is space for Divine Favor within the setting. To my mind, the more important question are:

(a) Is there a player in the group who can actually pull playing such a "living saint" off?

(b) Is such a player character suitable for the campaign?


Because such a character will inevitably attract a lot of attention, and his actions and comments will shape the campaign to a much larger degree than those of a mundane priest, or maybe a powerful wizard who could pull off similar but mundane feats.

If the campaign is about fighting some "great evil", then having someone with Divine Favor might be suitable. If it is more about typical "morally grey" adventuring, then it likely won't work - because the living saint is unlikely to compromise on their faith in order to accommodate the others.
__________________
GURPS Repository Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles - translating German folk tales into English!
Jürgen Hubert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2016, 03:02 PM   #37
malloyd
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by simply Nathan View Post
Actually it just means the bracelets won't make you damp.
Which is a setting dependent advantage. Not so useful on Yrth, but rather valuable in settings where magicians melt on contact with water.
__________________
--
MA Lloyd
malloyd is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2016, 06:02 PM   #38
sir_pudding
Wielder of Smart Pants
 
sir_pudding's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jürgen Hubert View Post
Looking at the list of Learned Prayers, there is no sample miracle that explicitly says: "You will get the answer to a theological question".
Divine Guidance p. 10.
sir_pudding is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-16-2016, 10:45 PM   #39
Jürgen Hubert
 
Jürgen Hubert's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Oldenburg, Germany
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Quote:
Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
Divine Guidance p. 10.
...okay, I missed that.

For Yrth, I'd probably stick to omens and other things that are vague to interpret, with better results if it sticks to questions about the "material world".
__________________
GURPS Repository Sunken Castles, Evil Poodles - translating German folk tales into English!
Jürgen Hubert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-17-2016, 04:36 AM   #40
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: Adding Divine Favor to Banestorm

Or it could be that everyone gets the answers appropriate to them. So Christians get Christian-type answers, Muslims get Muslim-type answers and who knows what the gnostics and syncretists get...
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
banestorm, divine favor

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:56 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.