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ZeroGear
2019-09-29, 04:20 PM
As a preface, I am solely talking about in-game theology, nothing from the real world, ok? Are we cool? Ok Good.

So, this is more a question of "has anyone done this" or "would anyone bother to do this":

When it comes to D&D and similar games, it is generally assumed that divine magic comes from praying to a patron deity and channeling ones faith through a holy icon in order to cast a spell. On the whole, most players at the table declare "I am casting [X]", then proceed with the rolls. In a game with a higher focus on RP, some players will come up with little prayers that they will utter to cast their spells. My question here is if anyone has taken the time to create an entire book of fictional scripture for their character.

I was kinda wondering that because of how the Dark Souls series treats Divine Magic:
Miracles are cast by reciting the deeds and legends of powerful forces. Lighting Spear, for example, is the take of Lord Gwyn's battle against the dragons, while Homeward is a story about one's place of birth.
I was kinda wondering if anyone took the time to write a fictional scripture for their character so they could recite it's passages when casting spells. If possible, I'd live to hear examples of it.

Luckmann
2019-09-29, 04:58 PM
Since I always run my divine casters as Spontaneous Divine Casters (for thematic reasons; I think it makes a lot of sense, rather than praying for specific spells in advance, and it also really helps differentiate clerics - the only except I've considered making are for dwarven runecasters, because, well, they draw runes) it's fairly simple to come up with one minor prayer for each spell you know and can cast spontaneously.

That said, I can't think of any in particular right now (and they'd be in Swedish...), but I usually kept it pretty short and generic, so it's not that exciting. Some of them were basically small sermons, like a parable of Lathander on the Mountain, etc.

Imbalance
2019-09-30, 02:44 PM
Not exactly player-made, but an example:

https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_36_Lessons_of_Vivec

Slipperychicken
2019-09-30, 08:03 PM
I tried doing that a few times, but it's a ton of work when you have like nine different spells you could cast at any given time, and dozens more that you might prepare later.

Later I just started saying stuff while casting spells. Not even necessarily the same stuff each time, just something that fits the spell well enough that you can usually tell what it is. Saying stuff like "Be healed!", "Let God_Name guide your hand!", "The power of God_Name compels you!", "By God_Name's will, this curse is undone!", "Let God_Name provide here the foodstuff to sate thy hunger!", etc etc.

Changing it up fits with the improvisational nature of roleplaying and keeps it from getting old. It also feels like you're making a statement in addition to filling the requirements of casting a spell, which is a handy prompt to shove roleplaying bits in there.

Satinavian
2019-10-01, 08:40 AM
I have never done actual scripture. Fragments and apocryoha, sure, but not the complete holy book of a fictional religion. I don't think i could do that convincngly. And i have never seen anyone else do it.

Now, in-depth description of the religion, some important stories, doctrines of faith... stuff like that i have done and seen other people do. It is important.


What i personally have not done but many people did, was making huge prayer collections. And songs. And liturgical rules for ceremonies. The most extreme version i have seen on a larp with a group not performing three hour long ceremonies every single day but also having a choir performing newly composed songs in latin for that fantasy religion to melodies of Gregorian chorals. The amount of effort and training to pull that off for a weekend larp is impressive.

LibraryOgre
2019-10-01, 12:52 PM
Someone mentioned the 36 Lessons of Vivec, but I'm also thinking the Chanters of Dragon Age... people who have taken a vow to speak only in the words of Andraste, by responding to everything with scripture.

In actual tabletop? Totally. We had a player in a Palladium Fantasy (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/226767/Palladium-Fantasy-RPGR-2nd-Edition?affiliate_id=315505) game who was a Warrior Monk of Wolvenar, from a !Norse pantheon (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/231739/Dragons--GodsTM-for-Palladium-Fantasy-RPGR-2nd-Edition?affiliate_id=315505) (gods including Od, Locknar, Hoknar, and so forth). He would regularly spout epigrams from Wolvenar as part of his actions. Wish we'd written them down, it was fantastic.

Anonymouswizard
2019-10-01, 02:25 PM
I was kinda wondering if anyone took the time to write a fictional scripture for their character so they could recite it's passages when casting spells. If possible, I'd live to hear examples of it.

No, and I've generally stayed away from having actual scripture quoting being a thing for divine magic. If I have an Arcane/Divine split it's one of the clear ways to tell the difference between them, Arcane magic requires the same thing every time in a specific language, while Divine magic just requires you to ask your god to 'do the thing' in whatever language you want and has no inherent need for specific phrasing (although that might be a thing based on the specific character's beliefs and/or deity of choice). Most religions have scripture and rituals, but most of them don't use them to request miracles (scripture is often about teaching and lessons, rituals are more about organised worship).

Although I also don't follow a 'one religion per god' rule, which is partially to allow PC priests more say in how their character worships. The only real restriction is that priests have to worship regularly to retain their powers, but the player can decide exactly how often they worship and if that has anything to do with their invocation of miracles. But characters quoting scripture is encouraged, and they don't even have to keep it all consistent as long as it all ties together in a loose fashion.

LordCdrMilitant
2019-10-01, 02:47 PM
I have never done actual scripture. Fragments and apocryoha, sure, but not the complete holy book of a fictional religion. I don't think i could do that convincngly. And i have never seen anyone else do it.

Now, in-depth description of the religion, some important stories, doctrines of faith... stuff like that i have done and seen other people do. It is important.


What i personally have not done but many people did, was making huge prayer collections. And songs. And liturgical rules for ceremonies. The most extreme version i have seen on a larp with a group not performing three hour long ceremonies every single day but also having a choir performing newly composed songs in latin for that fantasy religion to melodies of Gregorian chorals. The amount of effort and training to pull that off for a weekend larp is impressive.

Are you sure this is a LARP and not just a religion if they have three hour long daily religious sermons? ;)

mucat
2019-10-01, 03:09 PM
My warren-dwelling ratling merchant was no cleric, but every time he visited his home town of Queenswarren, he made sure to attend mass. The sheer poetry of the liturgy brought him to tears:

"Post florentissimamque vitam propagetis: tu autem vade, vivet *** magna mater rat. Et habet totum cuniculum complesset plena cibum!"

("After a productive life, you will go live with the Great Rat Mother. She has a whole tunnel full of food!")

notXanathar
2019-10-02, 02:05 AM
I read somewhere about an idea from the early editions that I thought was pretty neat, although it was from the time when clerics could only have 7th level spells. It works like this: the knowledge of scripture only powers low level spells, let's say up to third for modernities sake. From 4th to 6th they are mediated by the servants of your deity, and at top level they are direct godly intervention. I think that it's pretty cool, but would also limit the number of spells that you'd need scripture for.