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View Full Version : DnD/Pathfinder: Explaining Clerics Getting Stronger



StoryKeeper
2010-12-27, 05:35 PM
So I was happily devouring the contents of my new Pathfinder Core Rulebook today when a thought about clerics came to me. Clerics, like most casters, gain new spells as they increase in level, but how do you explain this in-game? A fighter gains new abilities as his skill and experience increase. A wizard is researching new spells and committing them to memory and understanding. Even a bard is getting better at writing songs and playing his instrument. But what about clerics? A cleric's powers come from their divine patron, so why are they just now getting these powers? Surely the patron could have given them a level 9 spells when the cleric was first level, right? Is the cleric simply becoming more faithful? More popular with their diety? Is a schedule of regular exercise and adrenaline release somehow modifying their bodies to be more capable of receiving spells? What gives?

slaydemons
2010-12-27, 05:49 PM
well they spread the word of their deity and the deity allows more of his power to be bestowed upon the cleric


this is my opinion

Tael
2010-12-27, 05:55 PM
In D&D, XP is basically life force, or your soul. XP is the root of why adventures are better than normal people. They have more XP. (not counting PC/NPC classes). This explains why people can become so ridiculously powerful and skilled in such a short amount of time. (A 13 year old girl can go from level 1-20 in just over 2 months I believe.)
So as you gain more XP, you can channel greater energies that your god bestows to you. If a level 1 cleric received level 9 spells, their very essence would unable to handle it. Also, you just get better at casting spells.

eyelessgame
2010-12-27, 06:16 PM
Depends on how you view the theology/cosmology of the game world. Here are some potential rationales; they aren't all exclusive, and you can decide that some or all of them make sense.

- The physics/metaphysics of the world limit the ability of any mortal to channel godly energy, and that ability expands as they act in accordance with the god's wishes - attributes - service - requests. (This is basically the same as the way arcane power typically works, and is pretty much the default assumption. Note that wizards do not get more powerful by studying. They become better at magic by defeating monsters. That doesn't really make much sense either.)

- Gods cannot do all as they please; they are governed by some sort of compact that holds the world together (see Glorantha for this kind of background). As such, the amount of power they give their worshippers is limited by the agreement: they are only permitted to give power to their servants in accord with the prowess those servants demonstrate.

- Gods have only a limited amount of grantable power. They have to conserve it. Therefore, they allocate more of it to the worshippers who have shown themselves more worthy.

- Gods are so far above mortals that they barely notice their worshippers. Adventuring is how a cleric comes to the notice of her gods; cleric levels are more like "stealing" godly energy, or irritating your god such that he hands out gradually increasing power to you to make you leave him alone for a while.

- Gods worry about the potential for abuse. They don't trust mortals (and it's not like mortals are trustworthy -- it's that pesky free will thing). They reward mortals only gradually because there's no other real way to know the mortal will use power in the way the god likes than to give out a little at a time and watch them use it.

- Gods are inscrutable. Mortals can't understand them. They hand out power the way that they decide to hand out power, and no mortal should expect to be able to comprehend the reasons why.

Sarakos
2010-12-27, 06:45 PM
- Gods worry about the potential for abuse. They don't trust mortals (and it's not like mortals are trustworthy -- it's that pesky free will thing). They reward mortals only gradually because there's no other real way to know the mortal will use power in the way the god likes than to give out a little at a time and watch them use it.


This has always been my assumption

AslanCross
2010-12-27, 07:10 PM
The greater your faith, the more you can do in the name of your god. This is just my personal take, but I'd say the crunch side of that is that faith is a function of cleric caster level + Wisdom modifier.
This can work for almost any cosmology, even one where the gods are not close to people.

PairO'Dice Lost
2010-12-27, 08:14 PM
I use the AD&D explanation in my games. In 1e, cleric spells of different levels were granted in different ways:


Clerical spells, including the druidic, are bestowed by the gods, so that the cleric need but pray for a few hours and the desired verbal and somatic spell components will be placed properly in his or her mind. First, second, third, and even fourth level spells are granted to the cleric through meditation and devout prayer. This spell giving is accomplished by the lesser servants of the cleric's deity. Fifth, sixth, and seventh level spells can be given to the cleric ONLY by the cleric's deity directly, not through some intermediary source. Note that the cleric might well be judged by his or her deity at such time, as the clerk must supplicate the deity for the granting of these spells. While the deity may grant such spells full willingly, a deed, or sacrifice, atonement or abasement may be required. The deity might also ignore a specific spell request and give the cleric some other spell (or none at all). Your Dungeon Master will handle this considering a cleric's alignment and faithfulness to i t and his or her deity. Note that some cleric spells (and all druid spells) also require material ingredients in order for the desired effect to take place. Such components must be supplied by the cleric (or druid), as material is not bestowed.

Essentially, the more powerful a spell effect you want, the more powerful a being must be to grant it. Thus, clerics would have to be more powerful, more faithful, and more worthy to attract the attention of said powerful beings.