The Church of the D20.

[D20ragon]

In the beginning, there was nothing. Rumors persist that perhaps beings by the names of Leiber,Tolkien,Burroughs, and a host of others before him,but these are dismissed as only rumors,despite evidence to the contrary. And so, there was nothing, save the Great D20,also called DM of the multiverse. And the d20 grew restless, and created all other dice to aid it. And this was good.
And so, the d20 rolled upon its random terrain tables,and a great multitude of reality came forth. And though it was chaotic, the d20 seperated it into many worlds, called planes. And this was good.
And the d20 rolled once upon its random encounter tables, and a host of beings sprang into being, and populated these planes.
But the plane of the most interest to us, is the one called the material plane. For this was the last of the planes to be created, and so, the great d20 spoke. "**** it," it said. "I must rest."
And so, the Dm of the newly created multiverse created two exarchs to take care of this, the material plane. And the exarchs were named Gary Gygax,and Dave Arneson. And they were smart. And so, they sought to bring joy to this plane. And in there seeking, they created the Divine Game, which men call D&D. And it was fun, and the replay value great. And to aid them in this quest, they created many to aid them. Skip Williams, Monte Cook, and many others. And all was well. And many were the games, all echoes of the Divine Game. And thusly, the chosen people of the D20, the gamers, live in peace.

Although I be a simple D12 I put forward the following scripture to elucidate what I believe to be the intended words of the Most Holy Prophet D20ragon
For His words, while holy are intended for a world not our own, a utopian society free of dissent and disharmony such that Henderson came about

While it is our struggle to create a world where His teachings may be universal and free of translation, to do so They must be so translated.

While the Great D20 is God Above, the Deity of All He cannot encompass all, this is evident by the creation of the Most Holy Gygax among others
Thus I propose there exist lower Gods. Not demigods as other theologians have theorised but truly divine beings
PunPun the God of RAW, enforcing the scriptures be followed from the Holy Tome selected by the person, holding them accountable for their chosen text, even should they adopt one of the other major Sects of the Great D20 such as 4e or the original texts of the 1st edition. While maligned he serves a vital role in the cosmology. Lawful
Ruby Knight Windicator the God of Power, showing the power of minmaxing, how the pursuit of a single purpose grants power beyond dreams
Batman Wizard, God of preparation. Players and DMs alike are shown the shining example of preparing for the situation with this arcane divinity.
Drake Maximumus Percival Charleston. God of Equality. While reviled by many the divine version of the DMPC is the link between players and DMs showing that all must gain entertainment not just one side of the table
There are many more, as many as the Greek Pantheon of old, including gods of house rules, storytelling, Henderson etc. but my time is sorely lacking to fully elucidate this expansion of the Holy Prophet's words

Hymn of the D20.
O great D20,thou who critical most successfully and who smites thine foes with thy natural one,hear my prayer. May my dice be infused with thy spirit. May all gamers who respect thy name be blessed,that they may know the glory that you bring to the characters that thou hast favored. May they gain XP rapidly. May the random treasure tables shower them with items of great power. May their DM's house rules treat all equally,and may the bane of the Dm-PC never overshadow their table.
And,above all else,when they perish,let the clerics supply of diamond dust be sufficient.


Join the Church of the D20 today! The first 5 who join get the title Dm of the D20 or other,of their choice.
The next 12, D12 of the D20.
The next 10, D10.
The next 8,D8.
The Next 6,D6.
The next 4,D4.
All others get the title PC of the D20.

If you join,paste your title to your sig,along with a link to this thread.

Hope you enjoy.

[MikelaC1]

I think Edgar Rice Burroughs preceded Tolkien.

[Grinner]

Can I go ahead and found the Diceless Heresy, or do I actually have to join first?

[The Oni]

Did someone say HERESY!? *blam*

[The Fury]

What of the Ancient One? The one that placed the numbers on the faces of the Cosmic Icosahedron and gave it new purpose as the Great D20?

[ambrosearchibal]

Thanks for sharing useful information.

[SiuiS]

What of the Ancient One? The one that placed the numbers on the faces of the Cosmic Icosahedron and gave it new purpose as the Great D20?

None of that gnostic heathenry! This is clearly the place for orthodox deetwentiests.

E: oh man, screw DM of D20. I'm gonna call myself a holy roller!

[D20ragon]

I think Edgar Rice Burroughs preceded Tolkien.

Some scholars speak of Burroughs,but they are only heretical mutterings.
Are they hinting at something to come?

Also, how many of you embrace the d20's teachings?

[Eldan]

Even if Burroughs doesn't count, and he should, Howard predates Tolkien by a few years.

[TheCountAlucard]

So, there's no d100? Fine, I'll declare myself such!

[D20ragon]

Even if Burroughs doesn't count, and he should, Howard predates Tolkien by a few years.

I'm not saying these people didn't exist, only that they aren't part of the standard scripture. Only the advanced theologians know of their existence.

[D20ragon]

So, there's no d100? Fine, I'll declare myself such!

Actually,that's a mistake on my part. I'll fix that.


[EDIT] I fixed the first post. Now only the first 5 get to be a Dm of the D20 or a title of their choosing.

[Eldan]

I'm not saying these people didn't exist, only that they aren't part of the standard scripture. Only the advanced theologians know of their existence.

That makes no sense. Tolkien may be the big name today, but D&D owes just as much, if not more, to Leiber and Howard. Sure, Tolkien gave us the non-human races and a few monsters.
Leiber gave us everything else about D&D. The standard adventure structure with exploration, dungeons, monsters and treasure. Many of the classic monsters. Evil cults. Dark Temples. He defined the classes and even what weapons each class gets.
The story structure of Tolkien is very little like that of a D&D adventure. But any given Fafhrd or Conan story can be almost directly be ported into a dungeon crawl.

[D20ragon]

This is very true, and I am surprised I forgot this. To the first post!

[Eldan]

None of that gnostic heathenry! This is clearly the place for orthodox deetwentiests.

E: oh man, screw DM of D20. I'm gonna call myself a holy roller!

I don't know about "orthodox"... Pythagoreanism is quite old.

[Alejandro]

I nail 95 critical hits to the door.

[MikelaC1]

The story structure of Tolkien is very little like that of a D&D adventure.

Especially when you consider the end of LOTR would mark the end of a campaign and its PCs, whereas Fafhrd and Conan keep going.

[Volcan]

i will join and become a dm i think, but i will be called "The Critical Chance"

[Jay R]

Well, I love the shapes of my classic dice, but my love for them isn't religious; it's Platonic.

[The Fury]

Well, I love the shapes of my classic dice, but my love for them isn't religious; it's Platonic.

HA! I GET IT!

[Just to Browse]

I nail 95 critical hits to the door.

Take all of my internets.

[SiuiS]

I don't know about "orthodox"... Pythagoreanism is quite old.

Unfortunately, the answers to all your queries involve actually discussing religion, which is a no-no.

Well, I love the shapes of my classic dice, but my love for them isn't religious; it's Platonic.

You sir, win a prize!

[Tychris1]

I EMBRACE THE HOLY POWER OF THE D20!

BASK MYSELF, OH MIGHTY YEE, WHO SO BLESSED MENWITHRHE POWER TO ONESHOT OUR CAMPAIGNS FINAL BOSS DURING THE FIRST SEESION! I OFFER MYSELF WHOLLY OVER TO YOU AND YOUR WICKEDLY PUNISHING WAYS!

I wish to join as a DM called The Save-or-Die.

[Lord Raziere]

I will blaspheme and speak heresies!

The D20 is not an object to be worshipped!

It is nought but a channel, a tool that we are masters over! Not a thing that is master over us! I bring roleplaying enlightenment! Look not to experience tables, look not to the numbers, the loot, the dice! Look instead to the imagination inside of ye! Look instead to roleplay your character to the best of your ability! Look instead to capture their emotions, their feelings, their thought processes! Look instead to embody them as best you can! Flesh them out as much as you can, hone your craft of making your characters fluff to its utmost! We seek enlightenment and calm in the fluff! For we are people who tell stories in roleplaying are we not?

For this is the Way of the Flavorful Backstory. When your character is all fleshed out, and made unique from all other characters in their own little way, all will be good in GM and Player, Heaven and Earth, Character and World. Through great imagination and creativity, harmony is achieved in all things. Meditate on this.

For I am Sensei Raziere of The Way of the Flavorful Backstory. I look forward to teaching you my ways.

[Tengu_temp]

I don't care much for orthodoxy which equates DND to all RPGs. Open your eyes, learn of other gamer churches, and start a dialogue with them!

[Lord Raziere]

The Way of the Flavorful Backstory, however cares not for what system the character is made from. The Way only cares that the character is made, and made well in their flavor, their fluff, their personality, their story. What dice you use to channel the character is of no consequence, whether or not your character is a well-made one that makes one happy to play them is all important to The Way. We accept all who come to learn of The Way's wisdom, regardless of what system they like, rpg church they attend or dice they roll.

[Geostationary]

Can I go ahead and found the Diceless Heresy, or do I actually have to join first?

Us heretics must stick together in our rejection of orthodox D20 theology! Though originally formed from those who see past the need for randomizers, we ally with all who reject the tenets of the Church of the D20.

We'll have to come up with suitably pretentious titles though.

[Morph Bark]

I love how this backfired in a good way.

The story structure of Tolkien is very little like that of a D&D adventure.

The Hobbit is very much like a D&D adventure, as is the the Fellowship of the Ring, even though his later works may not be.

And who's Leiber?

[Eldan]

Fritz Leiber. He wrote the Lankhmar series. Short stories and novels about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, a duo of adventurers. They are basically D&D novels written before D&D was invented. Fafhrd is a barbarian (though his class is more ranger, he never rages), Mouser is a Rogue with ranks in UMD who specializes in daggers and slings.

Modern readers may know it from Discworld. Rincewind runs into characters inspired by the duo just outside Ankh-Morpork in Colour of Magic. The city of Ankh-Morpork was, in early versions, also inspired by Lankhmar, especially the idea of criminal guilds at war with each other.

[D20ragon]

Us heretics must stick together in our rejection of orthodox D20 theology! Though originally formed from those who see past the need for randomizers, we ally with all who reject the tenets of the Church of the D20.

We'll have to come up with suitably pretentious titles though.

Is this ironic that I created the church of the D20, yet love storytelling more then anything?

The church regrets the fact that you have thrown off its beliefs, but wishes the Way of the Flavorful backstory luck, for we realize that without story, D&D is nothing but math, and tedious math at that. Instead of being rivals, let us be allies, each representing a half of D&D, each relying on the other!