Religious Philosophy

Prior to becoming a cleric, an individual serves as a novitiate, following a thorough education that teaches them knowledge and the power to commit to memory teachings and prayers. It is this background that enables the cleric, upon reaching 1st level, to cast spells.

So long as a cleric does not rise up physically against others of his or her religion, and so long as they do not desecrate the holy articles, shrines and tenets of their religion, the gods care little for the day-to-day actions of clerics. Many clerics are corrupt, self-serving, greedy, lusting, cruel or callous, without this ever affecting their spellcasting abilities. Other clerics of the faith may seek to punish a brother who has made too many enemies … but the gods rarely concern themselves with the quibbles of mortals.

Clerics who have roused a god’s anger, through committing those sins described above (physical attacks against believers or desecration) will most certainly be ‘put on trial’ by their judges, the gods - which shall begin with a suspension of the cleric’s powers (the cleric shall become like a fighter). If the gods judge the cleric’s actions correct, atonement shall be offered. If incorrect, the cleric shall be excommunicated.

If excommunicated, a cleric may willfully join another religion. A particularly devastating attack at the former church may, or may not--in the view of the gods--render the cleric greatly desired, or strongly opposed by another religious order. This is for the DM, as the voice of the gods, to decide.

A new religion is unfortunately limited by the cleric’s previous knowledge. Once the one true God has been comprehended, paganism is impossible. An excommunicated pagan cannot change to any other pagan pantheon, since in fact all such pantheons are dominated by the same gods, known by different names.

Thus, a pagan, a Jew or a Moslem may become a Christian; Christians may become Moslem; a Catholic may become a Protestant, and vice versa; any religion may turn to Buddhism or Zoroastrianism. No other religious changes are possible.

Atonement, when it is allowed, shall take two forms:

• first, to right the wrong that has been done, by rebuilding, remaking or replacing that which was desecrated
• second, to redress the wrong done to another member of the faith, through service done to him or to his chapter or sect. This time of redress will typically last one year.

Clerics may wish to change their religion at will; they will be accepted by the new religion if it is a matter of choice; but the pathways are the same as those described above. It is 90% unlikely that the cleric’s first deity will accept him or her back into the fold after falling away, unless some special redemptive agency is involved.

Once a paladin has gained clerical spells, he or she must obey the rules described above, if they wish to continue to gain spells.

See Cleric