DM Q&A: New Character Creation and Faith Selection
Oct 4, 2022 12:54:30 GMT -5
Munroe, DM Grizwald, and 7 more like this
Post by DM Hawk on Oct 4, 2022 12:54:30 GMT -5
Howdy folks,
I'd like to post here to clarify for some feedback we received by players trying out the new character creation system.
bit limiting on some parts, such as deity selection and order selection.
I made this char, both to test out a bunch of new features (because we all know I do that any time I get a new toy to play with.. and this update had a lot of them, I am happy) but also because I knew it would be a nightmare character to run threw the thing.
1st. God selections.. are a bit painful, it is making none clerics follow the cleric alignment rules, which is.. not always the case in lore, clerics must be 1 step from there god, but a follower of a god can be any alignment (what there god thinks of them or what they did to be that far from there alignment.. is up to the god themselves admittedly), it looked like racial gods were also being considered, which there are rare occasions that a race will worship a god of another race, but that is rare admittedly.
The DM Team wanted the new character creation process to continue true to source where reasonable.
Faerun is home to polytheistic societies where people pray to gods of all sorts depending on their circumstances. For example, it is common for characters of every alignment to pay homage to Umberlee before setting out on a voyage by sea.
The selection of a character's Patron Deity is a little different, more personal, and a character may have only one Patron Deity at a time.
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting provides guidance about alignment and the selection of Patron Deities under Character Description, Religion, Choosing a Patron on page 39.
In the Forgotten Realms, all divine spellcaster classes (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) have patrons and follow the one-step rule, with noted exceptions like Sune with her paladins and the faiths of Mystra and Kossuth.
When choosing a patron if you are a divine spellcaster, you follow the "one-step" rule described in the Alignment subsection of the Cleric section of Chapter 3: Classes in the Player's Handbook. Your alignment may be up to one "step" away from your patron's. For example, a chaotic neutral ranger can choose Malar (a chaotic evil god) as his patron, but could not choose Mielikki (a neutral good goddess).
For all other characters:
Having a patron deity implies some true personal attachment to that deity. Given this relationship, it is practically unheard of for a character to have a patron with a radically different alignment than her own. For example, it is essentially impossible for a chaotic good rogue to feel a close personal connection with Bane, the lawful evil god of tyranny and fear.
This is not as tight as the one-step rule and selection is only limited at the opposite end of the alignment spectrum, so that a chaotic character may not choose a lawful patron or an evil character may not choose a good patron for example. Exceptions exist such as Sune, Mystra, and Kossuth as mentioned above and other faiths that support a Paladin or Monk order but would not normally have lawful followers.
The selection of a Patron is not limited by race in the new Character Creation process and characters of any alignment may choose to be Faithless.
The DM Team agreed that these scenarios should be represented in FRC's new character creation model to better represent the setting and help with roleplay immersion. These scenarios are not retroactive to characters created in the past before this system was in place, so this applies only going forward.
I'd like to post here to clarify for some feedback we received by players trying out the new character creation system.
bit limiting on some parts, such as deity selection and order selection.
I made this char, both to test out a bunch of new features (because we all know I do that any time I get a new toy to play with.. and this update had a lot of them, I am happy) but also because I knew it would be a nightmare character to run threw the thing.
1st. God selections.. are a bit painful, it is making none clerics follow the cleric alignment rules, which is.. not always the case in lore, clerics must be 1 step from there god, but a follower of a god can be any alignment (what there god thinks of them or what they did to be that far from there alignment.. is up to the god themselves admittedly), it looked like racial gods were also being considered, which there are rare occasions that a race will worship a god of another race, but that is rare admittedly.
The DM Team wanted the new character creation process to continue true to source where reasonable.
Faerun is home to polytheistic societies where people pray to gods of all sorts depending on their circumstances. For example, it is common for characters of every alignment to pay homage to Umberlee before setting out on a voyage by sea.
The selection of a character's Patron Deity is a little different, more personal, and a character may have only one Patron Deity at a time.
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting provides guidance about alignment and the selection of Patron Deities under Character Description, Religion, Choosing a Patron on page 39.
In the Forgotten Realms, all divine spellcaster classes (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) have patrons and follow the one-step rule, with noted exceptions like Sune with her paladins and the faiths of Mystra and Kossuth.
When choosing a patron if you are a divine spellcaster, you follow the "one-step" rule described in the Alignment subsection of the Cleric section of Chapter 3: Classes in the Player's Handbook. Your alignment may be up to one "step" away from your patron's. For example, a chaotic neutral ranger can choose Malar (a chaotic evil god) as his patron, but could not choose Mielikki (a neutral good goddess).
For all other characters:
Having a patron deity implies some true personal attachment to that deity. Given this relationship, it is practically unheard of for a character to have a patron with a radically different alignment than her own. For example, it is essentially impossible for a chaotic good rogue to feel a close personal connection with Bane, the lawful evil god of tyranny and fear.
This is not as tight as the one-step rule and selection is only limited at the opposite end of the alignment spectrum, so that a chaotic character may not choose a lawful patron or an evil character may not choose a good patron for example. Exceptions exist such as Sune, Mystra, and Kossuth as mentioned above and other faiths that support a Paladin or Monk order but would not normally have lawful followers.
The selection of a Patron is not limited by race in the new Character Creation process and characters of any alignment may choose to be Faithless.
The DM Team agreed that these scenarios should be represented in FRC's new character creation model to better represent the setting and help with roleplay immersion. These scenarios are not retroactive to characters created in the past before this system was in place, so this applies only going forward.