Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Priest_of_Shaundakul 04-28-06, 09:22 PM	Basically, this thread is so I can get an idea of how other players RP a priest/druid/favored soul/paladin who is LG/CG/NG/LE/CE/NE, and yet their god is CN/LN/N Are you any less "good" as a Paladin of St Cuthbert than a comparable Paladin of say, Heironious? How about being far removed from a Neutral deity like Boccob or Kossuth, and being Chaotic Good, for example? Any helpful contributions towards this area of discussion would be most appreciated :)
SythusShadowhart 04-28-06, 09:30 PM	only thing i really have to say about this is that back in 2nd edition one of my group members played a paladin of Tempus, and it didn't turn out well. I told him that it would be really hard to roleplay the paladin thing when he worships the god of war. War is just not what a paladin is suposed to be about in my opinion. dont know if that conserns you at all though
Shaggy_Shaggs 04-29-06, 04:36 AM	For a situation like that, I tend to focus on the deity's agenda and ask myself "How can my being <insert mismatched alignment component here> help me to advance this agenda?" Then when the answer comes to me I just go with it. For example, if I were playing a NG cleric of the TN Obad-Hai, I'd probably work on diplomacy and healing and herbalism and whatnot, and focus spells on restoratives, life enhancers and the like. I'd be a healer through mundane and magical means, work to enhance the beauty and providence of the wildlands around me, and always give credit to my god for the good things I could do. Befriend people where I could, and try to win folks over to the faith and a life more in tune with nature via kindness, favors, and showing them the benefits of such a life. You know, show them how appealing the work and realm of Obad-Hai can be, so they want to worship and go back to nature.. For a NE cleric of the TN Obad-Hai, on the other hand, I'd probably work on craft: poisonmaking (to refine naturally occuring poisons only, of course), intimidate, and focus feats and such on cranking up the power of my summoning and offensive weather-based spells, etc. I'd conduct raids on civilized areas with summoned animals, animate plants, fire and lightning and earthquakes and such, attempting to return the worked stone and steel and civilized people to their natural states by force. Destroy the development that dares encroach on Obad-Hai's wildlands! Forget appeal and adulation, I want people to worship Obad-Hai out of fear. Basically being a bully, thug, and predator type. I played a LN monk/cleric of Obad-Hai once. I made a point of shunning the temptations of the easier but ultimately self-destructive human advancements, and was adamant about avoiding waste - never taking more than I needed from anything, finding ways to reuse things that I no longer needed or return them to raw states to be reincorporated into the wilderness. I believed in survival of the fittest as it is in nature, worked hard to remain as fit as possible myself (and of course constantly tested myself as a proper monk should), and would 'advise' people that weren't living up to the same standards of the folly of their ways. I was very methodical and careful and found a lot of success because of it, and tried to be an example to others of the importance of maintaining close ties with the natural world, and shunning the decadence of the 'civilized' ways. YMMV, but it's something to think about anyway.
Edwind 04-29-06, 04:47 AM	Wow, shaggy thats so cool...Do one for Wee Jaz with LG and LE.
Shaggy_Shaggs 04-29-06, 05:32 AM	Wee Jas... hmmm. I think to be a LG cleric of Wee Jas, I would be extremely attentive to respect for the dead. You'd often find me at sites of battle and war, famine or plague, to ensure the deceased got their due last rites and proper burial, cremation or whatever was appropriate. Knowledge of history would be a strong point (the better to be familiar with ancient funerary rites and revered individuals centuries deceased), as would knowledge of religion even more so than for most clerics (the better to know the funerary customs of various faiths and sects, and to understand the undead to prevent their accidental formation and lay those that already exist to rest in a respectful manner). I would do most of my work for those that couldn't afford someone to do the proper rites and treatment for their deceased friends and relatives otherwise, and I would be sure to let them know that I do this for them in service of my goddess (not that I would bribe and blackmail them, but I would wish to direct their gratitude to my church, rather than my own altruism if any). I'd live a spartan existance, not profiting from my services and instead only seeking knowledge to pass back to my home temple in exchange for my work, and the chance to instruct others in the proper care of the dead and Wee Jas' edicts. I think my interaction with the undead would be mixed. I'd probably be in favor of willingly created tomb guardians and the like, but eager to put those undead that are tortured by their existance, like ghosts - or those that disturb the graves of others, such as ghouls - to eternal rest. I'd probably find myself in frequent opposition to careless necromancers that used the undead strictly for power and no greater purpose, and be quick to go to the defense of any community that found itself threatened by such a beast. The key here, I think, is to gain the gratitude of those who've lost friends and loved ones and may be looking for spiritual answers, and those who've been threatened by abusers of the dead, in order to score converts. For a LE cleric of Wee Jas, I'd still be pretty concerned with respect for the dead, but I might have a somewhat looser definition of 'respect'. The dead and undead can be potent tools for acquisition of the lore and magical power the church of Wee Jas desires, after all, and one must respect the right tool for the job. Again Knowledge skills would be important, but all of them I could learn, in this case - the better to stay a step ahead of my rivals and outstrategize them in any potential conflict. I would have no qualms with use of undead spies and the like, nor would I be troubled in the least by calling in contractual debts my debtors could not repay, and taking them as indentured servants as a result. Blackmail of those who may foolishly open up to me may also be useful. As a LE cleric of Wee Jas I don't think I'd be big on interaction with the living, other than those I could gain as servants via contractual obligation, church-assigned underlings or whatever - those I could keep under my thumb and working for my purposes. No, I'd leave spreading the influence of the church of Wee Jas to others, and focus my own activities on increasing the church's power by seeking out long-lost tombs, ruins of destroyed civilizations, and potentially artifacts and tomes of lost knowledge and the like therein. These I would bring home and increase my standing in the church heirarchy, while increasing the resources of the church as a whole. Spell and feat selection would be geared heavily toward influence of the undead - as they tend to frequent the areas I would visit most often - and pressing them into service to advance my quests to gather information and temporal power for my church. The key here is to be be restrained, but willing to do whatever it takes to seek out the knowledge and magic the church desires, within the limits of Law of course.
Hippokrene 04-29-06, 07:50 AM	Priest of Shandukal: "Basically, this thread is so I can get an idea of how other players RP a priest/druid/favored soul/paladin who is LG/CG/NG/LE/CE/NE, and yet their god is CN/LN/N" That's really, really, really broad. Different gods are neutral for different reasons, every alignment choice offers a wide range of play styles, and every class you listed has a different role within the temple of that god. "Are you any less "good" as a Paladin of St Cuthbert than a comparable Paladin of say, Heironious?" No, and don't let anyone tell you different. (Unless it's your DM.) Think of St. Cuthbert as the god of divine retribution. He's like a grizzled war veteran who constantly broods over the work yet undone while organizing the forces of good. Think of Heironious as a young knight atop a white horse wearing gleaming platemail. He's seeks honor and glory as he travels the land, battling what evil he comes upon and aiding those in need. Neither of these are less good. Neither will tolerate evil or unjust laws. A cleric of St. Cuthbert can't be evil or channel negative energy. St. Cuthbert is more neutral due to his viewpoint as a 'general.' He understands that you sometimes have to sacrifice unit A so unit B&C can get into position. He's also a god of wisdom while Heironious is a god of valor. He's as interested in converting uninformed and keeping the faithful from backsliding as he is in smiting the wicked. It's not enough for him to fight evil; he needs to help create the structures (just trials, free citizens, education, a strong guard and military) that allow goodness to flourish.
Hippokrene 04-29-06, 07:53 AM	Wee Jas is a rather cruel goddess. It would be difficult to be good in her service, especially at her levels.