Post by Sardinal on May 20, 2017 15:59:14 GMT -5
In theory, a God is the driving force behind a religion. As the God decrees in heaven, so do his faithful act on the world. In practice, however, Churches are constructs of mortals, forever flavored by their foibles, cultures, and ideals. A denomination is a branch of a Gods faithful that worship him in a manner somewhat different than the mainstream of that faith. On worlds as large as Severall, Gods can have hundreds or thousands of denominations. Some spring from simple racial differences. For example, the faith of Thelin is prominent in both elven and dwarven lands. The way they practice their faith is very different, though. For dwarves, The Thelinite religion is an orderly expression of their rigid and traditional clan structure. They worship him as Thelin Clanlord, and the faith has a deep focus on the Family and Nobility aspects of their God.
For Elves, on the other hand, the worship of Thelin is celebrated on bright summer days as the Light that gives life to the forest. His religion is practiced in a more relaxed manner as the Sunlord and the Divine Healer.
Differences is region, culture, and race can all conspire to create different expression of worship for the same god. This section can be used by anyone who wants to describe the specific way a given deity is worshiped in an area they are creating or working on.
Polytheistic Churches
Polytheistic Churches are specific organizations that give worship to 2 or more of Severall's as part of a singular ideology. These often represent highly specific dogmas concerning the areas where the Gods in questions broader ideologies overlap. The Hierarchy of Darkness faith of the drow religion is a perfect example of this. The three broad faiths of Katdoral, Koric, and Cyian are interpreted through the specific lens of drow culture producing a religion wholly their own.
When creating a polytheistic church use the following guidelines.
Alignment: A polytheistic church must have an alignment common to all the gods it worships. Its dogma and strictures must adhere to the alignment or alignments clerics of the church could possess. If more than one alignment is possible, it's ideology must reflect all possible alignments. For example, a Church that worships both Rawruun and Nathis could have clerics with alignments of CN or TN. The churches dogma and beliefs must reflect both those alignments or the Church must limit access to only one of them. A church worshiping both Sierra (CG) and Dardanis (N) could have either NG or CN clerics so its dogma must either reflect both those aligments, which would be difficult, or be limited to one or the other.
Domains: Clerics of a polytheistic faith may still only access domains from one of the churches gods unless they take a pantheon feat for that church. Pantheon feats for polytheistic churches must grant access, and automatically do, to any alignment domain that all gods of the faith have in common. It may offer no alignment domains not shared by all gods. The pantheon feat may also grant access to two domains from each god aside from alignment domains if the church only has two gods, and one domain from each god if the faith worships three or more gods. For example, a church worshiping Rawruun (CN), Samma'el (CN), and Sierra (CG) would offer a pantheon feat to its clerics with the Chaos domain automatically as well as a single other domain from each God. A church worshiping Sierra (CG) and Dardanis (N) could offer a Pantheon feat with any two domains from each of the Gods except Chaos and Good. When choosing domains for a Pantheon feat for a Church you are designing it choose those domains that most closely reflect the dogma and nature of the faith.
While the broader churches of the Gods have followers of many alignments other than the ones its Clerics and Warriors of Faith can have, small denominations and polytheistic churches are generally, thought not always, narrower in scope and seldom attract many adherents outside of its primary alignments.
As always, these rules are general guidelines. GM's may break or bend them for specific story needs or certain necessary exceptions. The Drow pantheon feat is an example of this, offering one more domain than it strictly should.
For Elves, on the other hand, the worship of Thelin is celebrated on bright summer days as the Light that gives life to the forest. His religion is practiced in a more relaxed manner as the Sunlord and the Divine Healer.
Differences is region, culture, and race can all conspire to create different expression of worship for the same god. This section can be used by anyone who wants to describe the specific way a given deity is worshiped in an area they are creating or working on.
Polytheistic Churches
Polytheistic Churches are specific organizations that give worship to 2 or more of Severall's as part of a singular ideology. These often represent highly specific dogmas concerning the areas where the Gods in questions broader ideologies overlap. The Hierarchy of Darkness faith of the drow religion is a perfect example of this. The three broad faiths of Katdoral, Koric, and Cyian are interpreted through the specific lens of drow culture producing a religion wholly their own.
When creating a polytheistic church use the following guidelines.
Alignment: A polytheistic church must have an alignment common to all the gods it worships. Its dogma and strictures must adhere to the alignment or alignments clerics of the church could possess. If more than one alignment is possible, it's ideology must reflect all possible alignments. For example, a Church that worships both Rawruun and Nathis could have clerics with alignments of CN or TN. The churches dogma and beliefs must reflect both those alignments or the Church must limit access to only one of them. A church worshiping both Sierra (CG) and Dardanis (N) could have either NG or CN clerics so its dogma must either reflect both those aligments, which would be difficult, or be limited to one or the other.
Domains: Clerics of a polytheistic faith may still only access domains from one of the churches gods unless they take a pantheon feat for that church. Pantheon feats for polytheistic churches must grant access, and automatically do, to any alignment domain that all gods of the faith have in common. It may offer no alignment domains not shared by all gods. The pantheon feat may also grant access to two domains from each god aside from alignment domains if the church only has two gods, and one domain from each god if the faith worships three or more gods. For example, a church worshiping Rawruun (CN), Samma'el (CN), and Sierra (CG) would offer a pantheon feat to its clerics with the Chaos domain automatically as well as a single other domain from each God. A church worshiping Sierra (CG) and Dardanis (N) could offer a Pantheon feat with any two domains from each of the Gods except Chaos and Good. When choosing domains for a Pantheon feat for a Church you are designing it choose those domains that most closely reflect the dogma and nature of the faith.
While the broader churches of the Gods have followers of many alignments other than the ones its Clerics and Warriors of Faith can have, small denominations and polytheistic churches are generally, thought not always, narrower in scope and seldom attract many adherents outside of its primary alignments.
As always, these rules are general guidelines. GM's may break or bend them for specific story needs or certain necessary exceptions. The Drow pantheon feat is an example of this, offering one more domain than it strictly should.
