Roleplaying a religious character [Archive] - Wizards Community

Roleplaying a religious character [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
GilaMonster
09-09-04, 01:38 PM Hi all

I'm relatively new to DnD (playing for a year) and I'd be very grateful if those with more experience could give me some hints for roleplaying a devoutly religious character.

First some campaign details
It's a stargate-like campaign. All the characters are from earth and are exploring the campaign world on behalf of the UN (long story, not going there)
The world, called Perune, is a pretty standard fantasy world except for two things. Arcane magic is very very common, and divine magic is virtually unknown. From what I've worked out, up until about 300 years ago, divine magic was also very common. 300 years ago, the gods war occurred and by the end of it all the lesser gods had been destroyed, one of the greater gods was destroyed, two were bound and one was sleeping/disappeared. From that point onwards, there have been no clerics or paladins and no recorded incident of divine intervention of any form (Druids seem to be a separate matter. I can't get anyone to talk about them though). All that changed recently. As far as I can tell, it was our arrival in Perune that woke the sleeping god (Avion, true neutral, with mild good tendencies)

Second my character.
Diane is a NG cleric of Avion. Before joining the expedition to Perune she worked with the Red Cross in the war-torn areas of earth. She is predominantly a healer, although she has no problem with taking up weapons to defend the innocent and helpless. Before Perune, she was disenchanted about religion, having drifted from one to another over the years, always searching for something, but never finding it. She was raised buddhist and still partially follows that code. Shortly after she arrived in Perune she was 'chosen' by Avion. She is currently the only cleric (afaik) in the world. Hence there is a fair amount of awe from the common people and rumours are spreading like wildfire. She is concerned about this, having seen clearly what religion can drive people to do.
Stats: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 16, Chr 10
Currently level 5, looking at taking the Divine Disciple PrC (Forgotten Realms)
(and my DM's muttering some comments about a very noticable, very dramatic transcendence [lvl 5 class ability])

And lastly, my char's god
Avion is the only remaining greater god. He chooses his followers and according to the histories never had an established church or large body of worshippers but rather focused on maintaining the balance between Abbat and xoltan (the two bound gods. Abbat = good, Xoltan = evil)

I'm playing her as fairly quiet, self-assured, more concerned with actions than words. She is absolutely devoted to Avion, his presence been what she had searched for for so long. I can't go around quoting holy texts or the like, because there aren't any.

Comments? Advice?

Thanks
GilaMonster
09-09-04, 02:31 PM I posted the above during the temp period of the boards and had 2 replies. I'm going to try and reply to the one post that I did read, without having the actuall post anywhere (so if the author runs across this, please excuse mistypings)

If the disinterested neutral god is taking followers then it's unlikely that the other two will remain bound
I wouldn't be overly surprised. On the plus side, I know where Xoltan is bound and I will do everything in my power to ensure he stays there. That said, some recent hapennings and odd comments from my DM have given me the idea that Xoltan may not be completely bound. I won't be overly surprised if I run into evil clerics
So write the holy texts
Wow, that's a big order. Quite frankly I wouldn't have the vaguest idea where to start.
jnrhayz
09-09-04, 05:30 PM Well, I see her as being very devout. She will want to keep religion from affecting this world as it has affected earth in the past. Also, it was a religious war 300 years ago that caused the problems on this planet and she will wish to prevent that from happening again.

She would be concerned about passing her dieties' word on to the growing number of followers. So probably she would record all conversations she has with her diety. Of course she is still human and these texts would have her neutral good slant on life in the final version no matter what she does.

She will be glad to bring hope to people and probably does a lot of healing during down time.

Probably her current concern would be to locate the diety of good and loosen his bonds to bring about neutrality into the world. Maybe even free the good diety first if possible, to offset the damage already done by the evil one being partially free already.
Kindren Van Dohm
09-11-04, 01:48 AM Hi
I had a character like this once in a game. I think the biggest thing that you need to do is to stay true to the way you play the character. She loves her religon and thats important but the only way people are going to know ur god is if you talk about it. I say start out small and if people dont like it then stop its not hard.
JosephKell
09-11-04, 03:00 AM Just have your PC use expressions having to do with your Deity.

like how a Dwarf might say "That army goes on longer than Moradin's beard!" or "I've never seen stronger steel come from All Father's Forge."
GilaMonster
09-11-04, 11:51 AM One thing I forgot to mention is that, game time, we've only been in Perune for about 2 months. I still feel like I'm visiting a foreign country where I don't know the law or customs.

Well, I see her as being very devout. She will want to keep religion from affecting this world as it has affected earth in the past. Also, it was a religious war 300 years ago that caused the problems on this planet and she will wish to prevent that from happening again.
That's definatly a concern, and given the reaction she got the first time she used magic in public (healed a guy burned by dragon fire, left town a few hours later and nearly got mobbed when she got back.)
She would be concerned about passing her dieties' word on to the growing number of followers. So probably she would record all conversations she has with her diety. Of course she is still human and these texts would have her neutral good slant on life in the final version no matter what she does.
Ooh, I like this. Will discuss this with DM tomorrow.
She will be glad to bring hope to people and probably does a lot of healing during down time.
Busy setting up a hospital/healers school at the moment.
Probably her current concern would be to locate the diety of good and loosen his bonds to bring about neutrality into the world. Maybe even free the good diety first if possible, to offset the damage already done by the evil one being partially free already.
I have no proof that Xoltan is partially free. The in-game happenings are no where near enough to get Diane thinking that. The main reason I suspect something like that is a couple of things my DM said in passing and my knowledge of what he's been reading lately (which always slips into his games)

She loves her religon and thats important but the only way people are going to know ur god is if you talk about it. I say start out small and if people dont like it then stop its not hard. Will give that a try. Thanks
Just have your PC use expressions having to do with your Deity. Hard to do as she wasn't raised in that religion and 3 months ago had never heard of Avion. In my experience a person's habitual sayings are a reflection of how they grew up. (I still say that I won't touch something with a 10ft bargepole, despite the fact that I haven't been in England for 15 years)

Thanks for all the advice.
Morka
09-11-04, 07:27 PM Is there some old ruined temple of Avion that your character could explore in order to find some forgotten holy texts? Is there a library with the history of the cult of Avion?
GilaMonster
09-12-04, 05:59 AM Is there some old ruined temple of Avion that your character could explore in order to find some forgotten holy texts? I've found a ruined temple. It's been rebuilt thanks to some dwalves. Soon as I get 5th lvl spells I'll be reconsecrating the alter. No texts of any form there though. In fact, the only thing that was left intact was the alter itself
Is there a library with the history of the cult of Avion?We're busy tracking down an elven library at the moment, so it's a definate posibility.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
GilaMonster 09-09-04, 01:38 PM	Hi all I'm relatively new to DnD (playing for a year) and I'd be very grateful if those with more experience could give me some hints for roleplaying a devoutly religious character. First some campaign details It's a stargate-like campaign. All the characters are from earth and are exploring the campaign world on behalf of the UN (long story, not going there) The world, called Perune, is a pretty standard fantasy world except for two things. Arcane magic is very very common, and divine magic is virtually unknown. From what I've worked out, up until about 300 years ago, divine magic was also very common. 300 years ago, the gods war occurred and by the end of it all the lesser gods had been destroyed, one of the greater gods was destroyed, two were bound and one was sleeping/disappeared. From that point onwards, there have been no clerics or paladins and no recorded incident of divine intervention of any form (Druids seem to be a separate matter. I can't get anyone to talk about them though). All that changed recently. As far as I can tell, it was our arrival in Perune that woke the sleeping god (Avion, true neutral, with mild good tendencies) Second my character. Diane is a NG cleric of Avion. Before joining the expedition to Perune she worked with the Red Cross in the war-torn areas of earth. She is predominantly a healer, although she has no problem with taking up weapons to defend the innocent and helpless. Before Perune, she was disenchanted about religion, having drifted from one to another over the years, always searching for something, but never finding it. She was raised buddhist and still partially follows that code. Shortly after she arrived in Perune she was 'chosen' by Avion. She is currently the only cleric (afaik) in the world. Hence there is a fair amount of awe from the common people and rumours are spreading like wildfire. She is concerned about this, having seen clearly what religion can drive people to do. Stats: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 16, Chr 10 Currently level 5, looking at taking the Divine Disciple PrC (Forgotten Realms) (and my DM's muttering some comments about a very noticable, very dramatic transcendence [lvl 5 class ability]) And lastly, my char's god Avion is the only remaining greater god. He chooses his followers and according to the histories never had an established church or large body of worshippers but rather focused on maintaining the balance between Abbat and xoltan (the two bound gods. Abbat = good, Xoltan = evil) I'm playing her as fairly quiet, self-assured, more concerned with actions than words. She is absolutely devoted to Avion, his presence been what she had searched for for so long. I can't go around quoting holy texts or the like, because there aren't any. Comments? Advice? Thanks
GilaMonster 09-09-04, 02:31 PM	I posted the above during the temp period of the boards and had 2 replies. I'm going to try and reply to the one post that I did read, without having the actuall post anywhere (so if the author runs across this, please excuse mistypings) If the disinterested neutral god is taking followers then it's unlikely that the other two will remain bound I wouldn't be overly surprised. On the plus side, I know where Xoltan is bound and I will do everything in my power to ensure he stays there. That said, some recent hapennings and odd comments from my DM have given me the idea that Xoltan may not be completely bound. I won't be overly surprised if I run into evil clerics So write the holy texts Wow, that's a big order. Quite frankly I wouldn't have the vaguest idea where to start.
jnrhayz 09-09-04, 05:30 PM	Well, I see her as being very devout. She will want to keep religion from affecting this world as it has affected earth in the past. Also, it was a religious war 300 years ago that caused the problems on this planet and she will wish to prevent that from happening again. She would be concerned about passing her dieties' word on to the growing number of followers. So probably she would record all conversations she has with her diety. Of course she is still human and these texts would have her neutral good slant on life in the final version no matter what she does. She will be glad to bring hope to people and probably does a lot of healing during down time. Probably her current concern would be to locate the diety of good and loosen his bonds to bring about neutrality into the world. Maybe even free the good diety first if possible, to offset the damage already done by the evil one being partially free already.
Kindren Van Dohm 09-11-04, 01:48 AM	Hi I had a character like this once in a game. I think the biggest thing that you need to do is to stay true to the way you play the character. She loves her religon and thats important but the only way people are going to know ur god is if you talk about it. I say start out small and if people dont like it then stop its not hard.
JosephKell 09-11-04, 03:00 AM	Just have your PC use expressions having to do with your Deity. like how a Dwarf might say "That army goes on longer than Moradin's beard!" or "I've never seen stronger steel come from All Father's Forge."
GilaMonster 09-11-04, 11:51 AM	One thing I forgot to mention is that, game time, we've only been in Perune for about 2 months. I still feel like I'm visiting a foreign country where I don't know the law or customs. Well, I see her as being very devout. She will want to keep religion from affecting this world as it has affected earth in the past. Also, it was a religious war 300 years ago that caused the problems on this planet and she will wish to prevent that from happening again. That's definatly a concern, and given the reaction she got the first time she used magic in public (healed a guy burned by dragon fire, left town a few hours later and nearly got mobbed when she got back.) She would be concerned about passing her dieties' word on to the growing number of followers. So probably she would record all conversations she has with her diety. Of course she is still human and these texts would have her neutral good slant on life in the final version no matter what she does. Ooh, I like this. Will discuss this with DM tomorrow. She will be glad to bring hope to people and probably does a lot of healing during down time. Busy setting up a hospital/healers school at the moment. Probably her current concern would be to locate the diety of good and loosen his bonds to bring about neutrality into the world. Maybe even free the good diety first if possible, to offset the damage already done by the evil one being partially free already. I have no proof that Xoltan is partially free. The in-game happenings are no where near enough to get Diane thinking that. The main reason I suspect something like that is a couple of things my DM said in passing and my knowledge of what he's been reading lately (which always slips into his games) She loves her religon and thats important but the only way people are going to know ur god is if you talk about it. I say start out small and if people dont like it then stop its not hard. Will give that a try. Thanks Just have your PC use expressions having to do with your Deity. Hard to do as she wasn't raised in that religion and 3 months ago had never heard of Avion. In my experience a person's habitual sayings are a reflection of how they grew up. (I still say that I won't touch something with a 10ft bargepole, despite the fact that I haven't been in England for 15 years) Thanks for all the advice.
Morka 09-11-04, 07:27 PM	Is there some old ruined temple of Avion that your character could explore in order to find some forgotten holy texts? Is there a library with the history of the cult of Avion?
GilaMonster 09-12-04, 05:59 AM	Is there some old ruined temple of Avion that your character could explore in order to find some forgotten holy texts? I've found a ruined temple. It's been rebuilt thanks to some dwalves. Soon as I get 5th lvl spells I'll be reconsecrating the alter. No texts of any form there though. In fact, the only thing that was left intact was the alter itself Is there a library with the history of the cult of Avion?We're busy tracking down an elven library at the moment, so it's a definate posibility.