The reason I like Abrahamic type faiths for Dungeon Fantasy

[b-dog]

One thing that I always liked about the Dungeon Fantasy genre is that the starting place is sort of boring yet comfortable. Maybe the Lord of the Rings had this effect on early AD&D where the hobbits in the Shire lived comfortable boring lives until Gandalf came and brought the dwarves and they had the map. The same is true for dungeon delvers who are at a tavern and then find a map and then the dreams of adventure start coming. The thing about the Abrahamic faiths that are good for creating a boring town is the fact that they look down on magic and other gods and spirits. In a polytheistic faith interaction with many gods, magic and supernatural creatures are common and part of the religions. This would make the town exciting and dilute that magic of the unknown lands. The Abrahamic faiths keep the common people away from these exciting things and instead have them work the farm and do honest trades instead of dabbling in magic and other supernatural things. The town then becomes more mundane, the people live by faith and tradition and they fear to go outside of their town into forests or other wilderness areas. There are people coming in and out of these towns who know about the supernatural but they keep a low profile. And the town is not filled with summoned beings and supernatural creatures due to the fact that the towns people would reject this. They are content living a simple life and following their faith.

Once the adventure starts, the change begins. Strange supernatural creatures are common as is magic and supernatural powers. Monsters and evil also abound and then the the delvers find treasure and return to the boring yet comfortable town and repeat.

[Flyndaran]

Biblical stories are full of magic, other than that performed as miracles, and monsters all over the place.

[trooper6]

Also, you can have small, boring towns that aren't full of magic and demons in a polytheistic world by just...making the town a small farming town. Exciting people with power and special skills would probably want to go somewhere else other than the small, boring town.

[Buzzardo]

Personally and conversely, I prefer polytheistic worlds, with a god for anything and everything. Even mundane people have encounters with the divine and the magical. The adventurers are unique because they seek out the really dangerous stuff, hoping for the age-old trade-off of more reward for more risk.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Buzzardo

Personally and conversely, I prefer polytheistic worlds, with a god for anything and everything. Even mundane people have encounters with the divine and the magical. The adventurers are unique because they seek out the really dangerous stuff, hoping for the age-old trade-off of more reward for more risk.

My current fantasy campaign is neither monotheistic/Abrahamic nor, in the ordinary sense, polytheistic. It's more accurately describable as animistic, in a style closer to Shinto than to anything else commonly recognized as a religion now. There are spirits all over the place, with various powers over nature; there are magical practitioners such as shamans who have powers of their own; there are enchanted items—but there's no widely disseminated worship. It has the equivalent of Roman lares and penates and so on, but no Jupiter, Juno, or Minerva.

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by Buzzardo

Personally and conversely, I prefer polytheistic worlds, with a god for anything and everything. Even mundane people have encounters with the divine and the magical. The adventurers are unique because they seek out the really dangerous stuff, hoping for the age-old trade-off of more reward for more risk.

Outside the areas of Dominion there are all sorts of gods and there are some pagan tribes and many nonhuman groups who worship other gods. But the settled lands have monotheistic faiths.

I guess I just feel civilization has the boring comfortable religions while the wild areas are home to the pagan gods and the Infernal.

[b-dog]

Originally Posted by whswhs

My current fantasy campaign is neither monotheistic/Abrahamic nor, in the ordinary sense, polytheistic. It's more accurately describable as animistic, in a style closer to Shinto than to anything else commonly recognized as a religion now. There are spirits all over the place, with various powers over nature; there are magical practitioners such as shamans who have powers of their own; there are enchanted items—but there's no widely disseminated worship. It has the equivalent of Roman lares and penates and so on, but no Jupiter, Juno, or Minerva.

Well if the gameworld were like what you described it might be interesting enough that players might just stay there and explore instead of setting off on an adventure.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by b-dog

Well if the gameworld were like what you described it might be interesting enough that players might just stay there and explore instead of setting off on an adventure.

In my campaign that's not happening. They're exploring quite a bit, though they sometimes bring the adventure with them. But if you can run into interesting enough stuff to do while staying at home, that can make a damned fine campaign too.

[trooper6]

Originally Posted by whswhs

In my campaign that's not happening. They're exploring quite a bit, though they sometimes bring the adventure with them. But if you can run into interesting enough stuff to do while staying at home, that can make a damned fine campaign too.

Indeed! There can be adventures in the capital city...adventures on the manor...adventures can come in all sorts of ways.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by trooper6

Indeed! There can be adventures in the capital city...adventures on the manor...adventures can come in all sorts of ways.

Scooby Doo, where apparently monsters exist, otherwise no one would believe the locals. But the adventure is in getting to the bottom of it all.