So what if the pagan gods in the EMP are all fallen angels? It helps to answer some of the ontological questions raised before, but is it a satisfactory answer? Clerics can worship and draw power from beings other than God, but if we cast other divine beings as fallen angels then haven't we cast all PCs who take this road as 'evil'?
An interesting take that requires some more thought for sure...
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Remember the movie Excalibur? Merlin makes some line about the old (pagan)gods fading back into nature and the one God taking their place and it being a time for men instead of spirits. Maybe the idea that the pagan gods are tied to the earth and not the spirit realm would work.
ReplyDeleteGod would be the ultimate source of good, those that oppose him actively are evil, and those that are neutral are tied to the physical realm, ie earth.
It actually works out well with the base D&D system. Only the quasi-christian clerics can cast raise dead. Druids are limited to reincarnation. You can even take away raise dead and Resurrection (and healing) from evil clerics and allow them to cast the reverse of the spells. So Satan's followers can take life, but not grant it.
That's a good idea too. I'm still not sure how I want everything to fall in place in terms of the metaphysical workings of it all. I know the mechanics I want (Christian, Protestant, Pagan Clerics; Druids; Paladins; etc.) and now just have to marry a worldview to it at some point.
ReplyDeleteI split things into three groups:
ReplyDeleteCivilization
Natural Order
Demonic
Civilization views the natural order deities to just be demons in disguise, all rejects cast out of paradise. Hell is a prison. Of course god the the gods of civilization always work through an intermediary (A prophet, a saint, a god-king or messiah).
The natural order are powerful nature spirits (perhaps titans) that think "heaven" and "hell" are just ant hills with a delusion of grandeur. Heaven is built up, and the material to build's removal creates a hole, that hole is hell.
The demons of hell claim there is no god or natural order. Just one more plane out of an infinite number to fall to the crawling and every expanding abyss. Best for souls to jump ship now while they may still be able to get a descent rank in the new order of this plane.
Of course all three can't be right, one is right and two are wrong. But the players need never know. If there is a paradise and a god then they first have to make it through the realm of the dead to get there (unless the demons or nature spirits are right and it is all a sham).
The long rambling point is that you should make sure the players don't know the one true way. If there is an absolutely correct one true way then it makes a very different game than one with mystery and doubt.
"The long rambling point is that you should make sure the players don't know the one true way. If there is an absolutely correct one true way then it makes a very different game than one with mystery and doubt."
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, I agree 100%.
I wouldn't say so. Maybe the *gods* are evil, but the characters might not know everything about their patrons. Not sure exactly how it can work out.
ReplyDelete___
call Nepal
Yea, all I have is the idea I want a poly-deitious (I just made up that word, thank you) world. Or at the minimum, preserve many of the different types of magic in D&D while still having a sensible "Earth"
ReplyDelete