State Religions

Dungeons & Dragons MPGN Mailinglist archive 1996-1999
1

Hey guys:

I have another general question, this time about the stuff on state
religions in the BoP.

Just wondering what the point of declaring a state religion gave to game
play; the ‘rules’ only give benefits for the church receiving this
status, while penalizing the state ruler it involves both ways - if they
don’t do it they are at a disadvantage, if they do to it the church
still has an advantage. Wouldn’t the ruler gain the same bonuses when
performing agitate actions within the domain? Perhaps, someone could
respond with a short paragraph or two, expanding on this facet of the
game? Could you also perhaps generate ideas to explain why a regent
would want to declare a state religion?

Also, what happens when the domain is a theocracy? Does the priest
regent still get the benefits listed in the sidebar on this aspect of
the BoP?=(Talinie, Medoere, Ariya, etc.) This also might seem a strange
question, but couldn’t there exist two state religions (or more? = a
polytheistic state)? IMO this could defy the bonus given to one
religion as one relgion could be played off the other and cancel out
their respective bonuses.

What do you think, list-members?

Darren

2

>Just wondering what the point of declaring a state religion gave to game
>play; the ‘rules’ only give benefits for the church receiving this
>status, while penalizing the state ruler it involves both ways - if they
>don’t do it they are at a disadvantage, if they do to it the church
>still has an advantage. Wouldn’t the ruler gain the same bonuses when
>performing agitate actions within the domain? Perhaps, someone could
>respond with a short paragraph or two, expanding on this facet of the
>game? Could you also perhaps generate ideas to explain why a regent
>would want to declare a state religion?
>

I don't have the BoP yet, so this is just my best guess.  A big benefit

of having a state religion is that you have a regent who is now loyal to
you. No more degrading of loyalty by those fiery sermons, they actually
praise and/or advise you from the pulpit, making the people more loyal to
you. Also, if the regent follows this religion himself, it gives him more
legitimacy than ever, in addition to making those who oppose him seem
“enemies of god’s chosen” or whatever. You also get a spellcaster who will
aid you if at all possible, blessing armies, curing plagues, whatever falls
under their capabilities.

Daniel McSorley
mcsorley.1@osu.edu

3

The benifits of a state religion go to the church, but the landed regent
can expect some role play benifits. “I’ve set you guys up, now can we
work out a deal for some Blessing of the Land?”
Kenneth Gauck
c558382@showme.missouri.edu

4

On 04-Feb-98, Jim Cooper (Jim_Cooper@bc.sympatico.ca) wrote about [BIRTHRIGHT]

    • State Religions:

  • ->Hey guys:

  • ->I have another general question, this time about the stuff on state

  • ->religions in the BoP.

  • ->Just wondering what the point of declaring a state religion gave to game

  • ->play; the ‘rules’ only give benefits for the church receiving this

  • ->status, while penalizing the state ruler it involves both ways

  • ->Wouldn’t the ruler gain the same bonuses when

  • ->performing agitate actions within the domain?

I would say that the regent of the domain would gain the same benefit to
agistation as long the following conditions are met:

  1. It’s an official state religion
  2. It’s something which the state religion don’t disagree to

In game terms it would be that the kings idea is so much liked by the church
that the priests puts a good word for it in their services.

The king would (should) get the following benefit of a state religion:
When war with an enemy of another faith (or another direction of the faith),
the church can’t refuse military or economical aid to the king. In case they
do not help they will loose all benefits of being a state religion until the
war has ended.

  • ->Also, what happens when the domain is a theocracy? Does the priest

  • ->regent still get the benefits listed in the sidebar on this aspect of

  • ->the BoP?
    As long as the church don’t become to much dictator like, at that point they
    should loose all benefits of being the state religion as the population will
    be so tired of them that they are close to start revolt. The revolt don’t have
    to be against the religion, just the leaders and if they do win they may have
    started a new branche of the religion.

  • ->question, but couldn’t there exist two state religions (or more? = a

  • ->polytheistic state)? IMO this could defy the bonus given to one

  • ->religion as one relgion could be played off the other and cancel out

  • ->their respective bonuses.
    I regent of a domain could declare that two (max three) religions are both
    state religions, the religions would only gain the “unofficial” state religon
    bonuses. In this case the domain regent wouldn’t loose any BP, but the two
    leaders of the churces, for they have in this case been played out against
    each other and both are really the looser. This gives the domain regent the
    possibility to play out the two churches against each other when it comes to
    religion problems, but the regent should be careful not to anger both churces
    at the same time, for then he is sitting there with two powerful enemies.

I hope that a book like “The Book of Guilders” will not make the thieves more
powerful than mages and priest. Somehow it has IMO been that the last book in
a series makes the last class/race to be so much powerful than those in the
first book.

//Trizt of Ward^RITE