07-25-2016, 04:39 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
The simple way to have a monotheistic faith in DF style high fantasy game world. Just make all supernatural beings be affected as though they are evil. For example, a good cleric in a typical DF game is able to turn undead and resist evil powers from demons and so on. They only have power over those that are violating the rules of the gods or the supernaturally evil beings
A monotheistic cleric would have the powers of the standard cleric but also be able to treat neutral or good supernatural beings the way the standard cleric treats evil supernatural beings. Thus a monotheistic cleric can turn the fey and they can exorcise the temple of a good polytheistic faith (to the monotheistic cleric that was a temple to a false god). What do you think? |
07-25-2016, 04:48 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New England
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
So, no supernatural beings can be good? If this resonates with your players, sure, why not? But it seems pretty B&W.
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07-25-2016, 05:05 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
Yeah, lots of supernatural beings are good, it is just that the monotheistic clerics have powers over them as if they were evil. Say a monotheistic cleric were to encounter a fairy, he could turn it as if it were undead and resist it's fairy powers as if it were evil even though the fairy is good.
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07-25-2016, 05:11 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
Quote:
No they aren't. They're evil. In a monotheistic setting, the one god is the only good. |
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07-25-2016, 05:12 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Sep 2004
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
Quote:
Where that goes depends on the metaphysics you want. A thought that occurs to me is that while undead, etc., are powered by diabolic forces (and can be turned), blessings are actually something of a 'booster' to the soul, so they fey can neither be blessed nor turned (nor really affected by any 'divine' power). Which is exactly the type of thing to make theologians nervous in the same ways they were historically.
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07-25-2016, 05:27 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
To the standard cleric there is good and evil while to the monotheistic cleric there is good and evil and false good (good that is not derived from the monotheistic god)
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07-25-2016, 07:31 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: USA, Arizona, Mesa
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
I've got a setting fairly well described by that thread subject. The primary deity of the setting is the Lord of Light, and as far as most of the civilised and/or adventuring population is concerned, there is no other god. The world is thusly divided up three ways:
The way this works out in play happens to be almost exactly like standard Dungeon Fantasy when using Dungeon Saints/Divine Favour. My, my, imagine that? |
07-25-2016, 07:38 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
Nobody cares what the cleric thinks. What you have established is that the polytheistic cleric is objectively wrong. And evil. And inferior in every way so there's no reason to ever become one.
Last edited by David Johnston2; 07-25-2016 at 07:51 PM. |
07-25-2016, 08:56 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
This seems to be a running theme in these particular threads, actually. Why, as a player, would I play a polytheistic cleric when I'm nerfed in this particular manner?
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07-25-2016, 09:12 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: USA, Arizona, Mesa
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Re: Monotheism in Epic Fantasy (Just like DF but with culture)
Quote:
The two ideas are mostly (not entirely) incompatible. I think GURPS Religion goes into this, but it's been too long since I've read through it in detail to remember. |
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