Godless D&D Setting

[Andraste]

Would it work to have a D&D setting with no deities? There could still be religion, because people might still believe in gods, but there wouldn't actually be any. Clerics could still exist, they would just gain their power from another source and believe that it was from a deity. What other problems would there be with this/ways to deal with these problems?

[Innis Cabal]

It's called Eberron, perhaps you've heard of it?

[Jjeinn-tae]

It's called Eberron, perhaps you've heard of it?

Except there is at least one god in existence there, The Silver Flame. I also speculate The Traveler exists, but that's personal theory.

[Ravens_cry]

I like Eberrons ambiguity on the issue. After all, clerics still get spells, but is this because of their belief in the thing they are calling a god, or the thing itself? Both interpretations are valid and allow a dogmatic disagreements and other intriguing possibilities without out and out saying "There is no God(s)"
Has anyone ever done a monotheistic campaign successfully?

[Andraste]

I have heard of Eberron, I just know very little about it. From what is being said, it seems to be fairly similar to what I was thinking, which was that there are some deitie(s), but only powerful beings know their true nature, and the things that are worshiped are not actual beings. It was somewhat inspired by the Deverry Cycle series that I read a long time ago, where there are sources of magical power that religions think are gods, but powerful sorcerers know to be non-sentient.

[under_score]

Except there is at least one god in existence there, The Silver Flame.

Certainly the most tangible "deity," but even still it doesn't ever express itself or in anyway demonstrate it's veracity. For all Karrnath cares, it's just a big mindless flame (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/continualFlame.htm).


I also speculate The Traveler exists, but that's personal theory.

Exactly the point. Which is awesome.

However,

One or more of the characters in my game met the Traveler. He/they just don't know it.

@Balford

Basically, there are deities. Or there aren't. It's never expressed definitively in any source. Most of the population submit to one of a number of religions. Clerics get there spells. But the gods (IF they exist) never show themselves. Ever.

For this reason, commune doesn't work in my game as a rule (barring certain possible exceptions) unless it's used to commune with a very powerful non-deific outsider.

[Winds]

It would, in many ways, be like life here. Belief means a lot. As far as clerics go, there's also alternate forms like the Favored Soul, which is to clerics as sorcerers are to wizards-in a godless setting, they would likely be more common than 'normal' clerics. But the short answer to your original question would be yes, you can have a godless setting. All you have to do is find or construct one that suits your purpose.

[ffone]

Would it work to have a D&D setting with no deities? There could still be religion, because people might still believe in gods, but there wouldn't actually be any. Clerics could still exist, they would just gain their power from another source and believe that it was from a deity. What other problems would there be with this/ways to deal with these problems?

Almost every homebrew setting is no-gods.

[Innis Cabal]

Except there is at least one god in existence there, The Silver Flame. I also speculate The Traveler exists, but that's personal theory.

A God that doesn't put it's hand in creation is the same as no God at all.

[Timeless Error]

Has anyone ever done a monotheistic campaign successfully?

I'm currently running a campaign with only a single deity, but that deity has many different "aspects", or different manifestations of that deity's power (good, evil, nature, civilization, war, peace, magic, swordsmanship, etc). Kind of like a schizophrenic goddess. (There's also a demon that's trying to attain godlike power.)

[Boci]

Basing a setting off an already existing one can lead to this. I played a game based of the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 world, and it was pretty clear the gods were just objects of worship.

[KillianHawkeye]

Dark Sun has no gods, although it's a pretty atypical campaign setting.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Just make a homebrew setting, give it a single overdeity no one knows about, and have primal spirits give clerics and druids spells.

[Mutazoia]

Would it work to have a D&D setting with no deities? There could still be religion, because people might still believe in gods, but there wouldn't actually be any. Clerics could still exist, they would just gain their power from another source and believe that it was from a deity. What other problems would there be with this/ways to deal with these problems?

I remember a thread with this exact topic not more than a few days ago. Again I would suggest looking at Iron Hero's. No gods, almost no magic what so ever...

Basically, If the Clerics still exist and get their power from another source besides the Gods, then your not really changing anything but fluff.

Otherwise you would have to delete Clerics altogether and re-vamp the way characters heal from wounds. Adding some skills that do more than "first aid", making the rest to regain HP time shorter (a LOT shorter), etc.

Since it sounds like you want to keep Clerics, your just replacing all instances of the word God(s) with...I dunno....The Force.

[Andraste]

Since it sounds like you want to keep Clerics, your just replacing all instances of the word God(s) with...I dunno....The Force.

I think they would be similar to wizards, that they're just doing magic from whatever the normal source of magic is, but they think that it's coming from their deity.

[Geigan]

I personally go with the astral sea power method. It's an endless sea of divine energy that divine casters tap into. Of course only for godless divine characters and I have no idea how the astral sea is actually supposed to work.

[Tvtyrant]

Ethereal plane/conduits= Arcane.
Astral Plane/conduits=Divine would work if you distinguished between the inner and outer planes.

It assumes you have any of those things in your cosmology however; you could just make arcane and divine flipsides of each other, they are each from the same source but used in an inverted manner.