Help me with a Cleric Oath..... Thank you. - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Help me with a Cleric Oath..... Thank you.

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
october_darkness
May 17, 2009 16:48:55 I didn't feel this would be related to any game mechanics in the Leaders forum, so I put it here. My DM wants me to have a Cleric code, kinda like the Paladin code of honor. Since I'm playing a Lawful/Good Dwarven Cleric, any suggestions on what to put in?
#2
salla
May 17, 2009 17:25:06 Cleric of what god, cause, or philosophy? More info needed.
#3
october_darkness
May 17, 2009 17:48:23 Lawful/Good Dwaren Cleric of Moradin
#4
gregt_314
May 17, 2009 23:38:56 Your cleric wants it; get him to submit you a draft. He's basically telling you that he would have fun roleplaying in a way that gimps his character - all you need to do as DM is say:

a) go for it,
b) make sure your code doesn't require you to be a jerk, and
c) I'll lower the difficulty a tad to compensate for your commendable desire to play sub-optimally.

As an aside, the most fundamental roleplaying opportunity you can have involving religion is giving players the chance to work out what their religion means for them. Get him to actually spend time asking dwarves what Moradin means to them, and encountering relics of the lives of past clerics of Moradin, and suchlike. There's an opportunity for this to be a whole character arc for your player.
#5
october_darkness
May 17, 2009 23:48:25
Your cleric wants it; get him to submit you a draft. He's basically telling you that he would have fun roleplaying in a way that gimps his character - all you need to do as DM is say:

a) go for it,
b) make sure your code doesn't require you to be a jerk, and
c) I'll lower the difficulty a tad to compensate for your commendable desire to play sub-optimally.

As an aside, the most fundamental roleplaying opportunity you can have involving religion is giving players the chance to work out what their religion means for them. Get him to actually spend time asking dwarves what Moradin means to them, and encountering relics of the lives of past clerics of Moradin, and suchlike. There's an opportunity for this to be a whole character arc for your player.

Thanks, Greg. I'll definitely discuss this with him. I'm bad at writing up code of honors, so this will make it easier.
#6
kouk
May 18, 2009 3:37:02 I don't think a code of honor has anything to do with playing suboptimally unless the code is one of "nonviolence" or "poverty" in D&D.

Moradin's writeup in the PHB gives a solid base for what his followers usually do and that's most of the "code" any follower of his would tend to need. You can easily incorporate those points.

Look at some of the other deities' tenets: Some of those may be useful to you as well.

If you have to make up a code for followers of Moradin, then the easiest way to do it is to just write down how you plan on playing your character anyway.

If your cleric is a good guy, and wouldn't kill or steal from innocents, then rule #1: "Don't steal from or kill innocents."

If your cleric wants to kill monsters, then rule #2: "Defeat monsters to make the world a safer place for good people."

If you want your cleric to try and convert everyone he comes across, then rule #3: "Spread the teachings of Moradin." Alternately if you really don't want to deal with trying to convert people, rule #3 becomes: "You can speak about Moradin, but don't force your religion on others."

What you want to avoid are parts of the code that will interfere with your typical adventuring life or cause problems for the other players. Steering clear of minor details is also good, so you don't forget to "Tip your hat to blacksmiths in each new town" or something trivial like that.
#7
gregt_314
May 18, 2009 3:48:50
I don't think a code of honor has anything to do with playing suboptimally unless the code is one of "nonviolence" or "poverty" in D&D.

Less things your PC is allowed to do = a less powerful PC. Maybe only a tiny bit less powerful, but still less powerful. It's deliberately taking a handicap.

I don't mean that as a criticism. It's called roleplaying and it's something I want lots of at my table. I just mean that the 4E encounter balance makes the default assumption that your players aren't deliberately handicapping themselves, and to the extent that they are you'll need to adjust.

Small handicaps (ie refraining from swearing) are unlikely to really require change (unless you have some sort of fey creature that can easily be driven off by vulgarity as a common enemy).

But codes of honour commonly contain all sorts of things that can be a real problem in combat (aid the vulnerable, stand your ground in the face of evil, never leave a friend behind, never refuse a challenge, fight injustice wherever you see it, never strike a woman, never strike an animal, never strike a child, never refuse surrender, never strike an unarmed opponent). If your player really wants to play with one of those self-imposed handicaps, it should totally be encouraged, and part of that encouragement will need to be making sure it doesn't immediately get your entire party killed.
#8
pfunked
May 18, 2009 9:34:38 My dwarf cleric of Moradin doesn't have an oath, but does have a saying/mantra.

"Justice comes not only by the hammer, but most of the time it'll do."
#9
mellored
May 18, 2009 12:06:54
never refuse a challenge, fight injustice wherever you see it, never strike a woman, never strike an animal, never strike a child, never refuse surrender, never strike an unarmed opponent).

What would you do if if a young female monk/druid would challenge you to a one on one dual?
#10
arizonagoatee
May 18, 2009 14:18:13 I agree that codes of conduct can be a great way to introduce some role-playing and interest to a character. I also agree that this needs to be handled pretty loose by the DM, or you have the paladin, probably the most problematic class of any edition. If your DM seems like a pretty decent guy, and just wants you to roleplay, I'd come up with some things like the previous posters have mentioned, and then I'd even add in a couple minor things that might actually be inconvenient for your character. Like, maybe he always has to perform a ritual blessing if called upon, but he really doesn't like public speaking, that sort of thing. After all, internal conflict is a great source of characterization. However, I wouldn't do this if your DM is the kind to take advantage of this sort of thing to screw you over. Also, as mentioned by others, I wouldn't take oaths that would be to your detriment in combat, as game balance is a pretty serious thing now.
#11
gregt_314
May 18, 2009 18:28:47
What would you do if if a young female monk/druid would challenge you to a one on one dual?

Have a really great roleplaying moment.
#12
funkyv
May 18, 2009 22:43:24 Ok...he's a dwarf...so. All you have to do is this.
Ye shall not kill a lad that surrenders...unless he be an ORC.
Ye shall allways help them that be needin yer help...except ORCS.
Allways accept a free drink...except from an ORC...well, guess that's ok...but don't ye be thanking him.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 october_darkness May 17, 2009 16:48:55	I didn't feel this would be related to any game mechanics in the Leaders forum, so I put it here. My DM wants me to have a Cleric code, kinda like the Paladin code of honor. Since I'm playing a Lawful/Good Dwarven Cleric, any suggestions on what to put in?
#2 salla May 17, 2009 17:25:06	Cleric of what god, cause, or philosophy? More info needed.
#3 october_darkness May 17, 2009 17:48:23	Lawful/Good Dwaren Cleric of Moradin
#4 gregt_314 May 17, 2009 23:38:56	Your cleric wants it; get him to submit you a draft. He's basically telling you that he would have fun roleplaying in a way that gimps his character - all you need to do as DM is say: a) go for it, b) make sure your code doesn't require you to be a jerk, and c) I'll lower the difficulty a tad to compensate for your commendable desire to play sub-optimally. As an aside, the most fundamental roleplaying opportunity you can have involving religion is giving players the chance to work out what their religion means for them. Get him to actually spend time asking dwarves what Moradin means to them, and encountering relics of the lives of past clerics of Moradin, and suchlike. There's an opportunity for this to be a whole character arc for your player.
#5 october_darkness May 17, 2009 23:48:25	Your cleric wants it; get him to submit you a draft. He's basically telling you that he would have fun roleplaying in a way that gimps his character - all you need to do as DM is say: a) go for it, b) make sure your code doesn't require you to be a jerk, and c) I'll lower the difficulty a tad to compensate for your commendable desire to play sub-optimally. As an aside, the most fundamental roleplaying opportunity you can have involving religion is giving players the chance to work out what their religion means for them. Get him to actually spend time asking dwarves what Moradin means to them, and encountering relics of the lives of past clerics of Moradin, and suchlike. There's an opportunity for this to be a whole character arc for your player. Thanks, Greg. I'll definitely discuss this with him. I'm bad at writing up code of honors, so this will make it easier.
#6 kouk May 18, 2009 3:37:02	I don't think a code of honor has anything to do with playing suboptimally unless the code is one of "nonviolence" or "poverty" in D&D. Moradin's writeup in the PHB gives a solid base for what his followers usually do and that's most of the "code" any follower of his would tend to need. You can easily incorporate those points. Look at some of the other deities' tenets: Some of those may be useful to you as well. If you have to make up a code for followers of Moradin, then the easiest way to do it is to just write down how you plan on playing your character anyway. If your cleric is a good guy, and wouldn't kill or steal from innocents, then rule #1: "Don't steal from or kill innocents." If your cleric wants to kill monsters, then rule #2: "Defeat monsters to make the world a safer place for good people." If you want your cleric to try and convert everyone he comes across, then rule #3: "Spread the teachings of Moradin." Alternately if you really don't want to deal with trying to convert people, rule #3 becomes: "You can speak about Moradin, but don't force your religion on others." What you want to avoid are parts of the code that will interfere with your typical adventuring life or cause problems for the other players. Steering clear of minor details is also good, so you don't forget to "Tip your hat to blacksmiths in each new town" or something trivial like that.
#7 gregt_314 May 18, 2009 3:48:50	I don't think a code of honor has anything to do with playing suboptimally unless the code is one of "nonviolence" or "poverty" in D&D. Less things your PC is allowed to do = a less powerful PC. Maybe only a tiny bit less powerful, but still less powerful. It's deliberately taking a handicap. I don't mean that as a criticism. It's called roleplaying and it's something I want lots of at my table. I just mean that the 4E encounter balance makes the default assumption that your players aren't deliberately handicapping themselves, and to the extent that they are you'll need to adjust. Small handicaps (ie refraining from swearing) are unlikely to really require change (unless you have some sort of fey creature that can easily be driven off by vulgarity as a common enemy). But codes of honour commonly contain all sorts of things that can be a real problem in combat (aid the vulnerable, stand your ground in the face of evil, never leave a friend behind, never refuse a challenge, fight injustice wherever you see it, never strike a woman, never strike an animal, never strike a child, never refuse surrender, never strike an unarmed opponent). If your player really wants to play with one of those self-imposed handicaps, it should totally be encouraged, and part of that encouragement will need to be making sure it doesn't immediately get your entire party killed.
#8 pfunked May 18, 2009 9:34:38	My dwarf cleric of Moradin doesn't have an oath, but does have a saying/mantra. "Justice comes not only by the hammer, but most of the time it'll do."
#9 mellored May 18, 2009 12:06:54	never refuse a challenge, fight injustice wherever you see it, never strike a woman, never strike an animal, never strike a child, never refuse surrender, never strike an unarmed opponent). What would you do if if a young female monk/druid would challenge you to a one on one dual?
#10 arizonagoatee May 18, 2009 14:18:13	I agree that codes of conduct can be a great way to introduce some role-playing and interest to a character. I also agree that this needs to be handled pretty loose by the DM, or you have the paladin, probably the most problematic class of any edition. If your DM seems like a pretty decent guy, and just wants you to roleplay, I'd come up with some things like the previous posters have mentioned, and then I'd even add in a couple minor things that might actually be inconvenient for your character. Like, maybe he always has to perform a ritual blessing if called upon, but he really doesn't like public speaking, that sort of thing. After all, internal conflict is a great source of characterization. However, I wouldn't do this if your DM is the kind to take advantage of this sort of thing to screw you over. Also, as mentioned by others, I wouldn't take oaths that would be to your detriment in combat, as game balance is a pretty serious thing now.
#11 gregt_314 May 18, 2009 18:28:47	What would you do if if a young female monk/druid would challenge you to a one on one dual? Have a really great roleplaying moment.
#12 funkyv May 18, 2009 22:43:24	Ok...he's a dwarf...so. All you have to do is this. Ye shall not kill a lad that surrenders...unless he be an ORC. Ye shall allways help them that be needin yer help...except ORCS. Allways accept a free drink...except from an ORC...well, guess that's ok...but don't ye be thanking him.