A bit of a wordy title for a bit of a complicated question. Some back story.
So, I'm looking at religions in my current setting, which does use the standard multiple deities and polytheism/henotheism. However, I am adding an alternative religion which derives a lot of inspiration from Gnosticism. It teaches that the gods everyone worships are merely simulacra of a greater omnipotent overdeity (think Monad or Pleroma), created by a Demiurge-type overdeity who is itself a flawed simulacrum of the overdeity. The universe, the godly realms, and their afterlives are all flawed mirror images of a true heaven with the overdeity. Priests can gain powers from the Monad overdeity, while a select few heretics could gain powers from the Demiurge figure. My questions are:
1. What classes would fit best with gaining powers from the Monadic overdeity and Demiurge figure? Oracles would seem like a natural fit, but what about Inquisitors or Clerics?
2. If I were to allow clerics and inquisitors, what would be good domains and inquisitions for both the Monadic overdeity and the Demiurge figure?
Those are the only questions I have, but I'm sure I'll think of more.
Giving this the ol' bump!
Check the Dragonstar RPG (from Fantasy Flight, 3.5 compatible); it presents an interesting choice of dualistic religion.
1. Any of them.
2. Any of them. Since, as far as I can tell (I'm not too familiar with Gnosticism), your omnipotent overdeity is, y'know, alpha and omega, beginning and end, etc, then obviously everything is under his jurisdiction.
I was originally thinking about all the domains. But in looking at Gnosticism, the overdeity is generally thought of as good. So giving him Evil would be a bit odd.
My big worry is that by allowing any domain, it would give players less of an incentive to play a cleric of the normal pantheon. Since you can pick any domain.
It's really no different from a cleric of a philosophy or ideal.
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I was originally thinking about all the domains. But in looking at Gnosticism, the overdeity is generally thought of as good. So giving him Evil would be a bit odd.
My big worry is that by allowing any domain, it would give players less of an incentive to play a cleric of the normal pantheon. Since you can pick any domain.
How about having different orders/sects within the monotheistic religion? One group could be the "Orthodox" version and there could several other "Protestant" sects that are considered heretics by the Orthodox faction. Each sect could have a slightly different view of the deity, giving them access to different groups of domains.
Or if you want to stay within a single unified church, model the different groups like the different monastic orders within the Catholic Church. Maybe one order is focused on more scholarly pursuits giving them access to the Knowledge domain. Another one might focus on charity work (think of the Jesuits) and have access to domains like Community and Protection. A third order could be more militant, like the Knights Templar and depend on domains like War.
It's really no different from a cleric of a philosophy or ideal.
This is true. I'll definitely think about that.
I was originally thinking about all the domains. But in looking at Gnosticism, the overdeity is generally thought of as good. So giving him Evil would be a bit odd.
My big worry is that by allowing any domain, it would give players less of an incentive to play a cleric of the normal pantheon. Since you can pick any domain.
How about having different orders/sects within the monotheistic religion? One group could be the "Orthodox" version and there could several other "Protestant" sects that are considered heretics by the Orthodox faction. Each sect could have a slightly different view of the deity, giving them access to different groups of domains.
Or if you want to stay within a single unified church, model the different groups like the different monastic orders within the Catholic Church. Maybe one order is focused on more scholarly pursuits giving them access to the Knowledge domain. Another one might focus on charity work (think of the Jesuits) and have access to domains like Community and Protection. A third order could be more militant, like the Knights Templar and depend on domains like War.
This seems like a pretty good idea. I've got three sects already (those that worship the good monad, those that are evil and worship the demiurge, and those that believe the demiurge isn't actually evil but created a flawed universe). Some more would be cool.
You could make up a few custom domains to set them apart from other Clerics (and handily conceal that it's all sleight of hand by a trickster god...)
Quick question. I'm guessing clerics without deities do not get a favored weapon, correct?
Correct!
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Domains could be associated with saints of that religion thus providing some rationale (e.g. Saint McGee famous for his ocean faring pilgrimages)
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Knowledge is a must, since gnosticism is obsessed with secret knowledge
I like the idea of using "saints" to fill the gap of gods. For example, your cleric could belong to the Order of Saint Norris, with the Beards and Roundhouse domains. You don't exactly worship your saint, but you do study their teachings and pray to them in addition to the over-deity.
The sects and saint are really good ideas. I even already have a list of saints prepared when I was writing up my Santeria-inspired religion.
Classic gnosticism beliefs are that the overdeity is perfect spirit not observable by direct physical senses, a hidden truth at the center of reality, while the demiurge is closer to the false corrupt imperfect physical world.
So spirit, truth, good, and perfection type themes for the overdeity's associations while physicality and corruption for the demiurge. Lots of different ways to go in implementing those themes.
Overdeity could be Sun, Knowledge, Magic, Liberation, Law, and Good domains.
The demiurge could be trickery, Evil, Chaos, Artifice, Charm, and such.
Another option would be to have different sects/orders that emphasize different elements/interpretations of the faith (and thus provide domains relevant to that aspect.) Perhaps each sect has its own holy book, symbol, and/or even favored weapon.
Because of the "1 step" alignment rule in many PF worlds, many deities could have 3-5 alignment variants. Each sect might be an embodiment of that variant. Ezra from Ravenloft does this (though she doesn't grant domains by sect)- it is admittedly a world where the gods are distant (if they exist at all).
