Fantasy. Moving up the scale, perhaps the deities have some involvement with mortals when they aren’t too busy and some mortals may gain their favor but the gods only take an active role when necessary. Celestial: Each god is a constellation in the sky. WINNER 2020 RELIGIOUS FICTION BEST BOOK AWARD (The Eden Stories 1) Terry Toler. This is another place where your imagination could run wild, but you should temper that instinct due to time restrictions and because it may be good to add more details later. In other cases a deity’s strength might be related to his relationship with the other gods (whether that is predetermined as the first son of a father-god or changes as a god builds influence among his peers) or be based on the desires of a very small number of ancestor gods. 100 Archeological, Spiritual, & Historical Mysteries & Artifacts, Deck of Beasts II Kickstarter Ends on Nov 11th at 11pm US Eastern, More Magic Sources Patreon Map Icons Previews. Ray Winninger has two key laws in his “Dungeoncraft” articles: #1 Never force yourself to create more than you need. But even if your religion is monotheistic, there may be a number of prominent heralds and leaders under the god such as Angels, Prophets, and Saints. Thank you for your continued contributions to the community. There was only chaos until the gods tricked the forces of chaos to create the world. World Builder’s Guidebook gives several ideas: A few others ways religions could be organized: The next factor to decide is how involved is the religion. Many of the god’s priests will have skills related to sailing. Grand Marshal – General Ron Mangum (Ret. In some cases (particularly for lawful deities) it may be important to have a strict hierarchy. These customizations can be minor ones that have no impact on the game such as the character’s holy symbol, the color of any energy released during a prayer, etc. Instead, the focus here is how to make a game […], […] Religion: One key attribute of a culture is the religion of the people. Founded shortly after the Hospitallers, the Knights of St Lazarus were also based in Jerusalem, possibly arising around a pre-crusade leper hospital. Universal: The world has one religion. Etc. The universe. They may frequently answer their followers’ prayers by granting favors and expecting sacrifices. When designing religions for your game world, keep in mind that religions exist primarily for two reasons: Your religion(s) should address these macro-issues. These accommodated men and women who lived communally according to particular religious rules, the origins of which lay in Continental Europe. Should Christians avoid fantasy literature? There are many ways to build effective leadership for a fantasy army. Some examples of these stories are: Then there are sagas where the gods play a periphery or behind the scenes role, and mortals are the main characters: Let your imagination run wild with these stories. Family: The gods are an extended family with roles and friction based on their status in the family. For example, you might have an order of “Physicians” who serve the God of Disease, “Khelios.” Khelios hates humans with a rank passion and is always trying to torture and destroy them. Some of them, like the Knights of St John and the Knights of St Thomas, also cared for the sick and poor. The order was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals. In 1572, the Order of Saint Lazarus in Italy was merged with the Order of Saint Maurice under the Royal House of Savoy to form the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, which still exists today, just like the many misconceptions about the knights themselves. Worshipers: Based on the domains the religion influences and the religion’s nature so far, who would be part of this religion or worship each god in the pantheon? From a young age, Henry VIII was given the best education available from the current leading tutors. The orders were the Merciful Shield, the Judicious Blade, the Council of the Righteous Hand, the Sacred Tears and the Oculi. Some examples are: But other divine myths exist describing the gods’ accomplishments and emotions and interactions among themselves. The religion design choices to make are endless, but the text above describes the major options available for the major design choices. (And of course virginal sacrifices are almost always required.). The notion of multiple pantheons often gets overlooked in fantasy games or relegated to simply the elves have a few different gods as do the dwarves, etc. When a group of her worshippers were driven underground, they became bitter and began praying to her for vengeance, for the power to trap their enemies and, finally, each other. Church Board: Governing authority of Templar Church & USA Grand Priory1. Consider putting some time into designing these if it will add depth and prove useful to your game. ... An Epic Science Fiction & Fantasy Novel (The Portal Series Book 1) Russell L. Martin. Henry was fluent in French and Latin. “Do-It-Yourself Deities” by Stephen Kenson. (Same with “the lord of the flies”, a volcano god, a God of storms, etc.). Leave the morals to the mortals, just like in the real world. Holidays: These should be celebrations of the religion’s important events. Hades’ entrapment of Persephone causing fall and winter. Wow Joe this is not a blog post its a paper! This also gives you an opportunity to see how the players react to your religion’s skeleton and build on what they like and what is important to your evolving setting and story. Monotheistic religions or religions without particular gods are also often overlooked in fantasy settings. For the […], […] other concept first or in depth and in tandem with the local area. Non-combatant members of the order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, developing innovative financial techniques that were an early form of banking, and building fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land. Mixed: A combination of the other ways the religion is organized. This name generator will give you 10 names for holy books, scriptures and similar works of the divine. . Viceroy : Attorney Timothy Whitley8. Divine beings often play an active part in the story, usually in the role of antagonist, but on other occasions, the deities are only part of the game's mythology and lore. Mortals may play a role here settling conflicts between the religions as each religion tries to have more influence than the others. The Knights of St Lazarus. If we listened to The Truth in its raw, unadulterated form, we wouldn’t be able to wage war upon one another, based upon differences that are, at best, semantic. The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitalier or Hospitallers, is the medieval Catholic military order that continued into the contemporary Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which remains a sovereign subject of international law. There’s enough of it left in the religious text for the teachings to ring true, but it’s the fantasy that we fight wars over. Army) See: TheKnightsTemplar.org/general-ronald-mangum6. It was recognized by King Fulk of Jerusalem in 1142 and canonically recognized as hospitaller and military order of chivalry under the rule of Saint Augustine in the Papal bull Cum a Nobis Petitur of Pope Alexander IV in 1255. It was headquartered variously in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, until it became known by its current name. “Down to Earth Divinity” by Ed Greenwood. In this they were largely unsuccessful, due in no small part to their political allegiance to the Church. Founded as Milites Sancti Sepulcri attached to the Augustinian Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, recognised in 1113 by Papal bull of Pope Paschal II and of Pope Calistus II in 1122. The wind goddess is also goddess of the moon and autumn. In the past a great deal of attention was payed to a deity’s and his followers alignments matching. In addition to class or ability changes, a fully formed fantasy religion needs to provide several other things to provide the campaign setting with color and depth. If you already have a religious concept in mind that is key to your game world keep that in mind as you consider these next decisions. 1: Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition) 1a: pg. Depending on the specific culture and religion, followers of various religions may or may not believe gods from other pantheons are real or in the case of monotheistic and atheistic religions people do not believe any other gods are real. In a world with little science the people will use religion to explain their world. These themes may be expressed directly, or through allegory and symbolism. Get new icon sets each month and vote on icon set themes as well as upcoming Worldographer features. Military fantasy comes in many flavors, from alternate history with battles reshaped by magic, to high fantasy that takes readers out of the royal court and onto the battlefield. Further you may want to search for resources (a good book on the religion/mythology you are borrowing or a detailed on-line resource) to help you better understand the motivations and personalities of the gods or people who are part of the chosen religion. After the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 during the First Crusade, the organisation became a religious and military order under its own Papal charter, charged with the care and defence of the Holy Land. The author said that Christian fantasy/fiction is an "oxymoron." If you can, it will very likely be interesting. The pope is sovereign of the order. In 1496, Pope Alexander VI vested the Grand Magistry in the Papacy. If a character’s alignment doesn’t match his god’s alignment he may be asked to do things outside of his comfort area. (IMC- in my campaign.) The Stubborn Bulls Sources. There may be some regular, daily requirements such as reading a scripture each day or never eating a forbidden food. In that spirit, go ahead and pencil in a god’s domains as Death, War, and Love. The second key is a class of soldier educated, experienced and disciplined enough to lead others and act in the absence of orders. The order, which was among the wealthiest and most powerful, became a favored charity throughout Christendom and grew rapidly in membership and power. But if religion, gods, or a pantheon is a key aspect of your campaign setting idea, you’ll want to work it up in detail early during your fantasy world’s development. This is a relative concept however because it would be very hard (and therefore require a great story) to explain how a god who is very evil may be worshiped by people who are basically good. There are many examples from real world religions and other fantasy settings to borrow from. Religion can provide another venue for conflict and drama in your game world. And none of the above touches on another fantasy convention: the demon-sect. In 1307, he had many of the order’s members in France arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and burned at the stake. The Spread and Influence of Buddhism Through China, Cato, Marcus Porcius (the Younger) – A True Roman Statesman (95–46 b.c.e. Religious themes appear in fantasy fiction, including literature, film and television. The Templars were closely tied to the Crusades; when the Holy Land was lost, support for the order faded. There are a couple of ways to handle this: Religious conflicts can be very pronounced through active wars or they may be in the background where religions are trying to out-influence each other. Racial: Each major race’s key feature is embodied by a god. Based on the choices you make, you can dive in to as much additional detail as you need or want to create. Religious Orders. Worship places: The religion needs to have a place to worship, places for the religious leaders and some followers to live and work and other buildings and structures to make their presence known. These are really handy if […], Follow us on Twitter / See our YouTube videos. [If you like this article, check out the other Worldbuilding articles on this website using the sidebar navigation.]. I have to disagree with one point you made: it is fairly easy to explain a Good person worshiping, even being a CLERIC of an evil god: Reversed Spells and Appeasements. The Order of Saint Stephen is a Roman Catholic Tuscan dynastic military order founded in 1561. I use gods in much the same fashion. Based on the assignment of domains, the religion/gods can now start coming to life. Many of the god’s temples will be near the docks of port cities. Overlapping: The same basic religion exists throughout the world. Contact: Each culture may have its own religion(s) and all of these religions truly exist in the game world. Stewards: The gods are themselves creations of a higher power given stewardship over the world. For example, the Christian bible has two creation stories. 4.4 out of 5 stars 170. Originally called the Order of Cáceres, after the city in which it was founded, the order … Prometheus stealing the secret of fire from the gods. Worship services: How and when and where do the followers worship a god or gods in the religion? A mother-god existed and wished to have pets to look after, therefore she created the world and all creatures on the world. #2 Whenever you fill in a major piece of the campaign world, always devise at least one secret related to that piece. Below are several factors to consider that will add color and depth: This extensive article should give you a comprehensive start to creating religions in your game world. The follower can disbelieve some of the god’s actions or interpret them in ways that most closely match the follower’s alignment. Kindle Edition. Creating an example religion based on these guidelines and considerations. If a religion has a pantheon of gods, people in that same culture may worship different gods. There may be annual obligations such as fasting for a period of time in recognition or sacrifice of some religious event or undergoing some missionary service. They may even help or conflict with each other. Excellent article. Throughout the Final Fantasy series, there have been instances of gods, goddesses and other divine beings. If the religion has one god or no gods, it may be best to choose several domains that the religion emphasizes. Sexual fantasy is the most common human sexual experience, and fantasy plays no small part in masturbation. Instead of limiting a person’s choice of a favored god based on alignment, each follower’s alignment can impact how he interprets that god’s actions to a large degree. They may use mortals and wars between mortals as proxies for their own battles. Not much of his early life it's known because Henry wasn't supposed to become king. The Order of the Dragon was a monarchical chivalric order for selected nobility, founded in 1408 by Sigismund who was King of Hungary (r. 1387–1437) at the time and later became Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1433–1437). If a violent conflict is desired, those religions need to vary in some prominent ways or have some other significant cause of the conflict. IMC There are still hunter-gatherers who worship her good side…and generally have no idea why humans run screaming from them. It is the only order of chivalry, together with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, that is recognised and protectedby the Holy See. However, unless you want to run an alternate history campaign or have an explanation using the same gods with the same names as a real world religion might be jarring for players interested in a fantasy experience. It was fashioned after the military orders of the Crusades, requiring its initiates to defend the cross and fight the enemies of Christianity, in particular the Ottoman Empire. 4.2 out of 5 stars 52. The constant trickery of Loki in the Norse Pantheon. Another form of religion in fantasy is the demon or devil who is trying to break through a magical/divine barrier to devour mortals. (The Dwarven god might represent Strength, the Elven god might represent beauty, etc. OF RELIGIOUS ORDERS. To report errors or to have a new abbreviation added to the list, please send an email to this Email address. I rarely make such in depth considerations when creating a world but I am rethinking that now. The Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem was a Catholic military order founded by crusaders around 1119 at a leper hospital in Jerusalem, Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose care became its original purpose, named after patron saint Lazarus. Olympus, the Abyss, etc.) Conclusion. In any case deities are often restricted in how they may interact with mortals. Occasionally he relents, and allows them to destroy an entire class of Disease (such as Polio). They may have many varying rituals and reasons. With that out of the way, there are multiple ways to handle whether or not your world has multiple religions (These classifications come from the excellent World Builder’s Guidebook by Richard Baker): One issue with multiple religions in a fantasy game setting is how can people handle multiple competing religions when priests for each religion can prove the religion’s existence through a simple cure spell? 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