Poll: Do you worship a God in RPGs?

[TheAmokz]

In neverwinter nights 2 my character always worships Mielikki.
In other games, it depends what class/race my character is.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Nope, worshipfulness is not part of my character neither here in the real world nor any fictional character I would ever identify with.

And I suppose playing an atheistic Star Elf Bard who dual wields two longswords, dancing and singing into combat, making entire cadres of enemy forces cower in their boots with a mighty warcry, before wading into the blood and gore, is far more identifiable than a religious bard...

... who wades into combat singing and dancing, whilst swinging two longswords and making entire cadres of troops cower as they hear her mighty battlecry.

There's a reason why they call it roleplaying games. If you have a setting where the Gods are undeniable (forces that you may actually beable to speak to no less) ... who guarantee you (provenly) an afterlife beside them if you provide them with a life of service .... are you really going to say 'can't identify with a religious character'?

Personally I thin unreligious characters are fucking retarded in most D&D settlings (and a alot of VG medieval rpgs and pnp systems)... it's a bit hard for a character to say 'I'm an atheist' ... when they are bleeding out, and about to get hit by a second bout of poison damage to their constitution and there's a cleric nearby that can rectify it all.

I think playing a religious character only makes sense in settings like Forgotten Realms and such .... bit hard to say you don't believe in gods when you're about to die and a Sunite cleric heals you simply by laying her hands on you and intoning some hymnals of Lady Firehair.

Hell, if a Christian preacher put a hand on my head and my wounds suddenly closed ... or if I actually watched them raise someone after having their head cut off with a battleaxe I thinl anybody would start praying to atleast a single deity they admire.

 

[zabour]

Not really, I don't worship irl or in a game.

Thinking about it, I alwayse choose "Nature/shamanistic" magic/powers instead of "diving/light".

 

[Gigano]

...

And I suppose playing an atheistic Star Elf Bard who dual wields two longswords, dancing and singing into combat, making entire cadres of enemy forces cower in their boots with a mighty warcry, before wading into the blood and gore, is far more identifiable than a religious bard...

... who wades into combat singing and dancing, whilst swinging two longswords and making entire cadres of troops cower as they hear her mighty battlecry.

There's a reason why they call it roleplaying games. If you have a setting where the Gods are undeniable (forces that you may actually beable to speak to no less) ... who guarantee you (provenly) an afterlife beside them if you provide them with a life of service .... are you really going to say 'can't identify with a religious character'?

Personally I thin unreligious characters are fucking retarded in most D&D settlings (and a alot of VG medieval rpgs and pnp systems)... it's a bit hard for a character to say 'I'm an atheist' ... when they are bleeding out, and about to get hit by a second bout of poison damage to their constitution and there's a cleric nearby that can rectify it all.

I think playing a religious character only makes sense in settings like Forgotten Realms and such .... bit hard to say you don't believe in gods when you're about to die and a Sunite cleric heals you simply by laying her hands on you and intoning some hymnals of Lady Firehair.

Hence my choice of the term "worshipfulness", rather than "believer".

Of course I'll gladly roleplay a character who accept that gods exist when there's copious evidence for that in his particularly fantasy world; I just won't roleplay one who follows any of them.

 

[spectrenihlus]

No. I'm strongly anti-theistic, and wouldn't sully any character with the belief in an ultimate authority.

Ok but what if your character lives in a world where the workings of the gods occur almost on a daily basis. I think being an atheist or anti-theist (especially with benevolent gods) just makes your character rather thick headed.

 

[Greenhand]

Yes. It helps to immerse me more fully in the game, and provides great ways to make my character seem more 'real'.
In Oblivion, I usually play as a scholarly/rogue fellow, so I tend to go with Hermaeus Mora; keeper of secrets. It turns every little jaunt into someone's home into a form of worship; by finding their secrets and making them my own, I pay homage to Mora.

 

[spectrenihlus]

Elder Scrolls- good ol' Akatosh has never steered me wrong
My Dalish elf converted to the chantry after her dealings with the urn of Andraste
My cmdr Shepard believes in God
My fallout 3 character was more of realist but believed in something higher.
My fable character was more of an agnostic and didn't really think about it.

And that is pretty much it as far as I can remember.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

...

And I suppose playing an atheistic Star Elf Bard who dual wields two longswords, dancing and singing into combat, making entire cadres of enemy forces cower in their boots with a mighty warcry, before wading into the blood and gore, is far more identifiable than a religious bard...

... who wades into combat singing and dancing, whilst swinging two longswords and making entire cadres of troops cower as they hear her mighty battlecry.

There's a reason why they call it roleplaying games. If you have a setting where the Gods are undeniable (forces that you may actually beable to speak to no less) ... who guarantee you (provenly) an afterlife beside them if you provide them with a life of service .... are you really going to say 'can't identify with a religious character'?

Personally I thin unreligious characters are fucking retarded in most D&D settlings (and a alot of VG medieval rpgs and pnp systems)... it's a bit hard for a character to say 'I'm an atheist' ... when they are bleeding out, and about to get hit by a second bout of poison damage to their constitution and there's a cleric nearby that can rectify it all.

I think playing a religious character only makes sense in settings like Forgotten Realms and such .... bit hard to say you don't believe in gods when you're about to die and a Sunite cleric heals you simply by laying her hands on you and intoning some hymnals of Lady Firehair.

Hence my choice of the term "worshipfulness", rather than "believer".

Of course I'll gladly roleplay a character who accept that gods exist when there's copious evidence for that in his particularly fantasy world; I just won't roleplay one who follows any of them.

Sorry ... but that still doesn't make much sense to me.

I apologize but I forgot to add this to my original post before you quoted me...

"Hell, if a Christian preacher put a hand on my head and my wounds suddenly closed ... or if I actually watched them raise someone from death after having their head cut off with a battleaxe I think anybody would start praying to atleast a single deity they admire."

Which I think makes sense.

You take Forgotten Realms for example ... the deities demand worship. And there's two specific things that can happen when people die if they failed to (sincerely) venerate a deity. And both are not nice fates ... one of them you end up a lemure, the other you're imprisoned in a wall of souls.

In most settings of D&D you can actually visit the places where people's faith is rewarded.

Anmyways, as I said before ... in settings like FR my characters tend to worship multiple Gods ... particular if playing a bard. A prayer to Lliira when trying to arrange a mercantile charter within a nation. A hymn to Corellon when you're about to charge the enemy. A plea to Sune for guidance when attempting to seduce a particular individual.

I think it's far more identifiable at the very least in said setting to worship the Gods, not simply believe they are there.

If only because they physically operate within your world and within your experience. Particularly given that your character probably has an upbringing no different from those who do the same thing (as in, pray to different Gods in order to guide them in different aspects of their life).

Edit: Oh ... and in a fantasy settings as such where there are multiple gods, unless you're really a cleric you don't have to follow any God's doctrines to the letter of their law ... as I said, my bard characters worship multiple Gods because it takes multiple Gods in order to find guidance in all things.

You might pray to Malar when you're about to close in for the kill, but if you're writing a ballad about love and hope you're probably best to pray to Hanali Celanil for advice on your music.

I still think that's 'worship' ... and I think it's the most reasonable attitude a character would have in said settings.

 

[similar.squirrel]

No. I'm strongly anti-theistic, and wouldn't sully any character with the belief in an ultimate authority.

Ok but what if your character lives in a world where the workings of the gods occur almost on a daily basis. I think being an atheist or anti-theist (especially with benevolent gods) just makes your character rather thick headed.

If there is overwhelming evidence in favour of a God's existence, then the acknowledgement of that fact does not constitute religious belief. Worshipping said deity does, and I believe that to be idiotic. I don't worship Francis Crick, but I do believe that he made a significant contribution to molecular biology because it is a well-documented fact.

 

[spectrenihlus]

No. I'm strongly anti-theistic, and wouldn't sully any character with the belief in an ultimate authority.

Ok but what if your character lives in a world where the workings of the gods occur almost on a daily basis. I think being an atheist or anti-theist (especially with benevolent gods) just makes your character rather thick headed.

If there is overwhelming evidence in favour of a God's existence, then the acknowledgement of that fact does not constitute religious belief. Worshipping said deity does, and I believe that to be idiotic. I don't worship Francis Crick, but I do believe that he made a significant contribution to molecular biology because it is a well-documented fact.

Ok but we aren't talking about a biologist here. In this realm we are dealing with beings that may or may not keep the sun from crashing into the earth(or your fantasy equivalent). Take the elder scrolls for example in Oblivion you have Akatosh basically save the world from Mehrunes Dagon wouldn't that be something appropriate of worship?

 

[Gigano]

...

Sorry ... but that still doesn't make much sense to me.

I apologize but I forgot to add this to my original post before you quoted me...

"Hell, if a Christian preacher put a hand on my head and my wounds suddenly closed ... or if I actually watched them raise someone from death after having their head cut off with a battleaxe I think anybody would start praying to at least a single deity they admire."

Which I think makes sense.

You take Forgotten Realms for example ... the deities demand worship. And there's two specific things that can happen when people die if they failed to (sincerely) venerate a deity. And both are not nice fates ... one of them you end up a lemure, the other you're imprisoned in a wall of souls.

In most settings of D&D you can actually visit the places where people's faith is rewarded.

Anmyways, as I said before ... in settings like FR my characters tend to worship multiple Gods ... particular if playing a bard. A prayer to Lliira when trying to arrange a mercantile charter within a nation. A hymn to Corellon when you're about to charge the enemy. A plea to Sune for guidance when attempting to seduce a particular individual.

I think it's far more identifiable at the very least in said setting to worship the Gods, not simply believe they are there.

If only because they physically operate within your world and within your experience. Particularly given that your character probably has an upbringing no different from those who do the same thing (as in, pray to different Gods in order to guide them in different aspects of their life).

Edit: Oh ... and in a fantasy settings as such where there are multiple gods, unless you're really a cleric you don't have to follow any God's doctrines to the letter of their law ... as I said, my bard characters worship multiple Gods because it takes multiple Gods in order to find guidance in all things.

You might pray to Malar when you're about to close in for the kill, but if you're writing a ballad about love and hope you're probably best to pray to Hanali Celanil for advice on your music.

I still think that's 'worship' ... and I think it's the most reasonable attitude a character would have in said settings.

Well, it's never something I really speculated about. Magic is magic as far as I'm concerned, and I didn't feel any particular gratitude or interest towards whatever deity powered my cleric in Might & Magic, as long as there were healing spells.

I don't even think that the idea that there should be something so great that it could supersede your own will and ethics is something I can even understand (nor want to understand, as I fiercely oppose the notion). I can see the whole "contract" approach - you give a prayer, you get the ability to bless an item - but beyond that any lasting sense of grovelling before another being, however powerful, is not something I'd want to concern myself with.

I suppose I'm ultimately just more the Raistlin Majere type.

 

[spectrenihlus]

nope. If I learned anything from Morrowind it's that gods (Aedra and Daedra alike) dont give a crap about you. It's like - "Oh hey, another possible Nerevarine. Let's see how long will he last".

Ok then what about the avatar of Akatosh coming in and saving the day. Or when they helped you to defeat Umaril

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Well, it's never something I really speculated about. Magic is magic as far as I'm concerned, and I didn't feel any particular gratitude or interest towards whatever deity powered my cleric in Might & Magic, as long as there were healing spells.

I don't even think that the idea that there should be something so great that it could supersede your own will and ethics is something I can even understand (nor want to understand, as I fiercely oppose the notion). I can see the whole "contract" approach - you give a prayer, you get the ability to bless an item - but beyond that any lasting sense of grovelling before another being, however powerful, is not something I'd want to concern myself with.

I suppose I'm ultimately just more the Raistlin Majere type.

That's what makes pnp fantasy rpg games (and to a certain extent VG rpgs)so interesting. That good and evil are not simply matters of personal opinion and moral groundworks nor is it any personal meta-ethical contemplation. They are solid, core constructs by which are unavoidable.

Devils are always lawful evil, demons are always chaotic evil. Archons are always lawful good, eladrin are always chaotic good.

Fixed concepts.

Whilst your worship doesn't always generally reflect the truth of your character, your devotions to ideals (and which Gods embody these ideals the best) is what matters. It creates a world by which is destined for conflict, hardship, and allows heroes to be heroic and villains to be villainous.

Where Gods bless their champions and fight against all odds to achieve lasting results in the eternal war against a hated force of malevolence and malice.

I suggest if you play in such high fantasy settings that you kinda keep this in mind x.x

 

[Smartys]

I don't really worship any gods in the game I play (RuneScape) even though there are gods in it. However, in RuneScape you do use 'Prayer' to do things like boost stats or protect you from things, but I'm not sure if that counts.

 

[the7ofswords]

Well, of course I don't worship gods in games.

My characters sometimes do, depending on the personality & backstory I give her or him.

 

[cerapa]

Dont know if you consider them RPG, but I worship the RNG in roguelikes.

He is the most powerful and treacherous of gods and requires giant flaming piles of burning goat corpses. Or maybe I just think that that is hilarious. *shrug*

 

[Freeze_L]

In D&D my permanently drow characters worship Eilistraee.

while personally being anti-theistic in real life, I find it different when in a fictional world where the gods are real and this continues to be confirmed.

Well i disagree with anti-theism i have to thank you for saying you are an anti-theist instead of an atheist (god does not exist, but not against the idea) or a non-theist (does not believe in god.) the differences are small but it is nice to see someone who is radical admit it. So thank you for being honest.

I am a Pro-Theist by the way.

In games i like to mix up my characters a lot and do actual role playing. I have played characters who defined themselves by their faith or lack their of, and characters who could care less. I believe putting yourself in someone else's shoes and living their life for a small bit of time can teach you much of what you believe and you learn more about yourself.

In a non gaming example that i find relevant, i have taken to writing in first person narratives for a group of stories i am working on. One character believes that religion is a lie. One character is a Wiccan. One character is a Catholic. One character is Muslim. The last character holds no beliefs in any way and only observes the actions of the others, it is the narrator who is the hardest character to write. Each of these characters are very different from one another for a number of reasons more than faith, but writing each of them lets me put my self into someone else's situation and reacting to a situation not as i would do but they would do teaches me a good deal about why other pepole do things. If pepole where to really be someone else in the form of gaming or writing for just a little while imagine what it must be like i think the world would be a Utopia.

 

[kane.malakos]

I hate to sound so utilitarian, but I only really do it if it gives my character some benefit. Without that, I'll accept that the exist, but not actually worship them. The only exception I can think of is The Elder Scrolls games. I really liked Azura, so I would go out of my way to do quests for her.