Cleric Roleplaying help

[Zeromage1]

Hi, everyone,

We are playing in a pathfinder campaign and the cleric is a brand new player to the entire genre of RPG's. The world is monotheistic, the deity is a lawful good one. The player is HORRIBLE at roleplaying, he tosses bodies aside after they die, just wants to smash stuff, etc. Do you have any tips of subtle advice to give without hurting his feelings?

[Geddy2112]

A new player is going to have a difficult time playing a lawful good cleric, in both roleplay and mechanics. I am hesitant to let a 1st time player use a full casting class, particularly one that prepares spells.

Your player is not horrible at roleplaying, they are just not roleplaying a typical lawful good cleric. Their actions are more along the lines of a chaotic neutral fighter or barbarian, but depending on their religion, I think you could find some common ground.

I would make sure you explain the religion, your view of alignment and what a cleric is in detail with this player. Maybe they picked a class and concept on whim or not fully understanding what it means. Ask what they want to play and see if a better build or alignment is fitting, then they could roll a new character.

The other option is meeting them halfway. A cleric of a lawful good religion does not have to be a pacifist do gooder constantly healing the sick and feeding the poor. Sure, these concepts fit, but law and good exist in the world because people uphold it, and when needed you use force. A nation is secure thanks to soldiers, and laws are upheld thanks to police. A cleric could be the town priest, or the sheriff, but both follow the same god and are lawful good. If you have seen The Patriot then he can be like the minister, and when Mel Gibson's character asks why he is joining them with a rifle, he responds "A Shepard sees to his flock, and sometimes, this means fighting off the wolves." He fights to protect the innocent, bringing his study of god to battle.

Since you have monotheism in your setting, you can look to the real world monotheistic religions and find plenty of Lawful Good holy people who were soldiers. The Torah, New Testament and Koran all have stories of military leaders and holy warriors.

A cleric can be one step from their deity, so this player could play a Lawful Neutral or Neutral Good cleric. Lawful Good cleric would be "I uphold the laws and will of my god, because they are righteous and it is my duty to do good". Lawful neutral would be "I uphold the laws and will of my god because it is my duty" and good would be "I do the right thing, because my good is good, even though what is good might not be right by church doctrine." A militant cleric might fit better as LN or NG, depending.

If your cleric wants to kick ass and take names for god, then make encounters that facilitate that. If they want to kick in the door and kill everything behind it, then have the door be an entrance to a den of murderous demons. Have your deity's favored weapon be something big and smashy. Set up encounters with undead so the player can use the divine energy of their god as a weapon, not just as healing.

Lawful good is not lawful nice, so let them grab a big weapon, throw on a suit of armor, and go into battle with the faith that comes from years of studying and learning about god. Both the Crusader and Divine Strategist would fit this kind of cleric playstyle better than the vanilla, so consider having them use one of these archtypes.

Remember, clerics have 99 problems, but a lich ain't one

[Karl Aegis]

Bonus experience for adding fun to the game.

From what you've described, your player is well within the bounds of a Lawful Good Cleric, but you aren't having fun for him behaving this way. As their behavior becomes more to your liking, award bonus experience less frequently.

Someone might tell you basic learning theory can only be used on dogs, but it works in social settings.

[Grek]

Well, what's the setting's only god about? "Lawful Good" isn't enough description, you gotta have more than that. Maybe it's a god who's OK with smashing the infidel upon the rock that is this cleric's faith.

[goto124]

Worship a different god :P

By the way, why do people play clerics?