Notes

Every role playing game that I have ever run into with the exception of Dogs in the Vineyard has done religions wrong in role playing games. These are my notes on how to get Dungeon Crawl Classic (DCC) closer to a religious system that works for a believer and a role player.

Religion in DCC

very role playing game that I have ever run into with the exception of Dogs in the Vineyard has done religions wrong in role playing games. This is my attempt to close several gaps. The first is the gap in Role Playing Games in General. The second is to close the gap in DCC. I believe that DCC addresses many of the gaps in role playing games already, but leaves open a huge hole in patrons and deities. This is my attempt to address these gaps.

The Deity

My view of a deity in a Role Playing Game is an NPC who serves the purpose of the story and provides power and limitations to those powers to magic users. These two aspects need to be balanced with the intention of allowing players to have fun.

I would also stress that the creation of a deity is probably something a player should work out with their Judge. I can see running through this set of rules focusing on a given mythology or religion and ending up with very different views of the same deity. These rules are not going to reproduce a complete cultural and religious framework, they are only there to help the player and the judge come up with answers to problems presented within the narrative.

Morality of Good and Evil

One of the first questions you need to address in building a religion and a deity for your game is the question of good vs. evil or order vs. chaos. In DCC the spectrum is law vs. chaos. This is a very post-modern approach to classifying religions which is under 75 years old. The more classical approach is good vs. evil when it comes to religious conflicts. The reason that law vs. chaos was introduced is that good vs. evil doesn’t really address the question of what makes something good or evil or what makes something lawful or chaotic.

Role players are not the only people who have attempted to address these questions. Psychologists and anthropologists have studied these questions for many years. The model presented below is a variation of Moral Foundation theory by Jonathan Haidt. It states that there are at least 6 major flavors of morality that are universal, and there are uncounted number of minor flavors. Everyone puts a different emphasis on these domains and collectively a Moral System codifies their practices and beliefs. Not everyone who follows a religion has the same mix of flavors, however over time as a group people within a religion tend to move towards a consensus regarding these different aspects.

Formally a moral system is the interlocking set of values, virtues, norms, practices, identities, institutions, technology, and evolved psychological mechanisms that work together to suppress or regulate self-interest and make cooperation possible.

What we will attempt to do here is to use this theory to start to document the nuanced differences between two different deities within a DCC game.

With each moral foundation you will rank (+2, +1, 0)how the deity feels about that given aspect of morality. You will then give several examples of what provokes the deity to anger and why the deity values their position.

For an example, I will be using Manwë from Tolkien’s Silmarillion.

Care or Empathy

Cherishing and protecting others; opposite of harm.

Mammals have an unusually long period of development during which they are dependent upon their caretakers. Therefore, caretakers who were more sensitive to the needs and distress of their children were more likely to have children survive into adulthood. This sensitivity generalizes beyond our own children, and can be activated when we learn of other people’s children or even see artwork of animal babies that activate our urges to care and protect. This can be linked to anger toward the perpetrator of the harm.

Note: This domain is the primary domain for political progressives.

Fairness or Proportionality

Rendering judgment according to shared rules; opposite of cheating.

All social animals interact with each other, and while there are debates as to whether any non-human animals have a sense of “fairness”, there is little debate that the sense of fairness can be found across human cultures emerges well before the age of five, and possibly before the age of one and is related to the evolutionary process of reciprocal altruism. People monitor the behavior and reputations of others; those linked to cheating become less attractive as partners for future interactions.

Loyalty or In-group

Standing with your group, family, nation; opposite of betrayal.

There are finite resources and coalitions compete for these resources. The coalitions that are most cohesive tend to prevail over less cohesive rival coalitions. The intuitions generated by this foundation generalize to brand loyalty, political partisanship, and sports fandom today. When people show signs of being disloyal, they are labeled as traitors and may be ostracized from their groups, or even put to death (e.g., treason is an offense punishable by death in the US). When people are loyal group members, they are extolled as virtuous (e.g., as patriots).

Authority or Respect

Submitting to tradition and legitimate authority; opposite of subversion.

This is the traditional model in role playing games of lawful vs. chaos where chaos is seen as subversion or the freedom to buck authority and being lawful is seen as following authority and their laws.

Primates evolved for life in hierarchies. Non-human alpha males are generally more like bullies than like leaders. Human alphas can go either way, but there can be little doubt that the psychology of authority is essential for understanding human political behavior. Groups and companies that have clear lines of authority, in which the authority is respected and seen as legitimate, generally function better than leaderless or normless groups, or groups with autocratic and domineering leadership. People who do not respect authorities or traditions are often ostracized or punished for insubordination.

Sanctity or Purity

Abhorrence for disgusting things, foods, actions; opposite of degradation.

Pathogens and parasites threaten survival, and organisms that avoid contact with these contaminants are more likely to survive than their counterparts. The adaptive pressure to make accurate judgments about disease risk is especially strong for a group-living species whose diet includes scavenging, as seems to have been the case for early humans. The uniquely human emotion of disgust seems well-tuned as a “guardian of the mouth” for a highly social and omnivorous species. “Behavioral immune systems” shows that contamination concerns can be generalized to social practices including being fearful of dissimilar others (e.g., immigrants) and a rejection of people who do not live in accordance with the group’s sacred practices.

Liberty or sovereignty

Disgust for the coercion by a dominating power or person; opposite of oppression.

Evolved in response to the adaptive challenge of living in small groups with individuals who would, if given the chance, dominate, bully, and constrain others. The original triggers would therefore include signs of attempted domination. Anything that suggests the aggressive, controlling behavior of an alpha male or female can trigger this form of righteous anger.

This foundation operates in tension with the Authority / Respect Foundation.

This domain is the primary domain of political libertarians.

Other Foundations

There are a great many other sorts of morality that can be measured. The above are the big ones. The following are examples of things that can also be measured as well within humans. Feel free to create your own.

Equity or Justice

Ensuring that equality instead of fairness is used to render justice according to shared rules. Opposite of Grace.

This is justice over judgment. This is law over forgiveness.

This foundation operates in tension with the Fairness or Proportionality and is a different take on the results observed in that domain. The focus here is insuring that the law is always kept.

Honesty or Integrity

Does communication match reality as seen from an impartial omniscient observer; opposite of Lying.

Bonds, Oaths, and Religion

In ancient times until today the idea of making promises and oaths was a part of everyone’s life. In the past there were heavy religious connotations to this. Today we can see this in court proceedings and the holding of public office where oaths are still made.

Parts of the Bond

Oath taking has a pattern that is still followed today. It consists of the following ideas.

The Preamble: Identifies the parties involved in the treaty, the author, the title of the sovereign party, and usually his genealogy. It usually emphasizes the greatness of the dominant party by mentioning their epithets as well.

The Prologue: Lists the deeds already performed by the dominant party on behalf of the vassal. This section would outline the previous relationship the two had up until that point with historical detail and facts. The dominant party would document previous events in which they did a favor that benefited the vassal. The purpose of this would show that the more powerful group was merciful and giving, therefore, the vassal should obey the stipulations that are presented in the treaty. It discusses the relationship between them as a personal relationship instead of a solely political or religion one. Most importantly in this section, the vassal is agreeing to future obedience for the benefits that he received in the past without deserving them.

The Stipulations: Terms to be upheld by the vassal for the life of the treaty; defines how the vassal is obligated and gives more of the legalities associated with the covenant.

The Divine witness to the treaty: These usually include the deities or powers that witness the sovereign party and the vassal, but put special emphasis on the deities of the vassal.

The Blessings and Curses: Blessings if the stipulations of the treaty are upheld and curses if the stipulations are not upheld. These blessings and curses were generally seen to come from the Sovereign instead of punishment by the dominant party.

The Provision for regular public statements of affiliation: Generally a public announcement of affiliation would be made, along with a stated regularity. This would be done to renew the bond and to make the public aware of the commitments.

The Sacrificial Meal: Both parties would share a meal to show their participation in the treaty. This meal will also most likely be associated the public statements of affiliation as well.

Types of Bonds

Parity

Both parties are equal and bound under the covenant

Promissory

This is the type of covenant in which two parties establish a new relationship to guarantee future performance of stipulated obligations.

Patron

The more powerful party gives something to the lesser

Suzerainty

One party is more powerful than the other and demands things of the weaker

The Religious Journey

{Insert stuff}

The Calling

How does one become a believer?

The Sacred Vocations

The Cleric

Follow the rules in the book.

The Pastor

This is a believer who is a part of the formal religion around the deity. They are focused on helping other believers. In game terms they are a cleric that gets an additional +1 bonus on spells when they are assisting and leading people who are also believers of the deity for each additional believer who has the potential to interact with the ritual. In exchange for this bonus, they get a -1 bonus on spells for each person who has the potential to interact with the ritual whose alignment is one step away, and -2 for each person who has the potential to interact with the ritual whose alignment is opposed.

The Paladin

This is a believer who is part of the formal religion around the deity. They are focused on defending other believers. In game terms they are a cleric that gets access to forbidden weapons however they will not have access to as many spells, and the spells they do have access on are those that focus on their own self defense and the defense of the believer.

The Monk

This is a believer who is a part of the formal religion around the deity. They are focused on studying, meditating, and extending knowledge of their deity and the religion around it. In game terms they are a cleric that gets at least an addition +2 bonus on spells when they cast when presence of other believers. If a non-believer is present, they do not get this bonus. They get an additional +1 bonus if only other monks are present. They are also limited to spells that focus on the domain of the religion and diety they have bound themselves to.

The Missionary

This is a believer who is a part of the formal religion around the deity. They are focused on reaching out to the unreached and the Anathematized. They receive at least an additional +2 bonus on spells when they cast them in the presence of their outreach group. If a non-Missionary believer is present, they do not get this bonus.

The Secular Vocations

The Believer

These are people who believe in deity. They pray and make oaths in the name of this deity. They however do not have a Sacred Bond with a Patron deity. They can however have a bond with a deity.

Warrior as a believer

A warrior might get a deity patron to protect a group of believers in doing something. This could be as simple guard duty at a shrine that houses a priceless relic. This could be a crusade. This could be escorting collections from the various shrines to the temple.

Roles in the Guild

The Lord: The big boss who runs things.

The Princes: The people who report to the Lord

Task Master: Set out jobs, matches up crews for job, matches the right levels and number of thieves to the right jobs, gives briefings and debriefs, helps assess target before a job and helps plan best method and time of theft. Also plans escape plans, escape routes, safe houses and bail money in the event that illegal activities need to take place. Also in charge of recruiting people into the fold. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Quartermaster: Issues out standard gear and equipment. Receives and stores it all when job is done. In charge of maintenance of tools and weapons. A standard warrior’s kit could consist of: a uniform, cloak, backpack, bedroll, rations, studded leather armor, short sword and shield, and a whetstone. Also maintains Guild’s chapter house. Organizes basic food and drink and beds for those who stay at the HQ. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Accountant: Runs the accounts and gold storage. Ensures all parties get their share of the payment for jobs and that the Guild gets its cut from each job. Runs the books. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Melee Combat Training instructor: Best weapons and techniques to use whilst melee fighting. Emphasis on fighting as a military unity. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Ranged Combat Training instructor: Best weapons and techniques to use whilst in ranged combat. Emphasis on supporting melee units in grouped combat. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Information Specialist: This person is the liaison officer to the spy network that a patron might have. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master and the spy network.

Engineer: This individual specializes in the building of combat related buildings while in the field. They also specialize in building bridges and other accordances to cross difficult terrain quicker. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Jobs for people within warrior guilds.

Guard / cop: These warriors patrol a given area and protect it for their patron. They may also protect defensive structures such as the headquarters, city walls, official buildings, or even jails. Also guards may be assigned to caravans, barges, or boats.

Bodyguard: Generally a Guard who has been promoted to protect a given individual. This can be in the form of an official honor guard or as a personal assistant.

Runner (Courier): Ensures that messages are moved through the Guild.

Thieves as believers

A thief might be a believer. The alignment of the deity and the thief needs to match. Also, there needs to be a great back-story as to how this occurred. The thief would get his orders from the religious hierarchy and not from the deity itself or the guild. This means that the thief needs to trust the hierarchy.

Roles in the Guild

Guild Master: Sets up policy, dictates targets and decides goals of Thieves’ Guild. What is and isn’t allowed, what areas or people are off limits, dictates how the Thieves’ Guild operates. This person may have a Deity as a patron.

Task Master: Set out jobs, matches up crews for job, matches the right levels and number of thieves to the right jobs, gives briefings and debriefs, helps assess target before a job and helps plan best method and time of theft. Also plans escape plans, escape routes, safe houses and bail money. Also in charge of recruiting people into the fold. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Quartermaster: Issues out standard gear and equipment. Receives and stores it all when job is done. In charge of maintenance of tools and weapons. A standard burglar’s kit could consist of: a black hooded cloak, studded leather armor, sap and dagger, crowbar, rope and pulley, thieves’ tools. Also maintains Thieves’ Guild HQ / hideout. Organizes basic food and drink and beds for thieves in HQ. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Accountant/ Appraiser: Launders money, runs the accounts and gold storage. Ensures all parties get their share of the loot and that the Guild gets its cut from each job. Ascertains worth of items - rare antiquities, old paintings and artworks and jewels, gems and jewelery found. Runs the books. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Locksmith: Designs and tests locks, creates thieves tools, skeleton keys, ‘bump’ keys, acid vials, freezing potions and other aids to get through locks. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Magician: Gives magical assessment of the target, their magical capabilities and defenses, small magical aids to help with jobs, assessment of magical items brought back. Scrying and divination to assess target before a job. Shielding and obfuscation to prevent anyone using magic to locate the stolen goods or track the thieves. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Melee Combat Training instructor: Best weapons and techniques to use whilst melee fighting. Emphasis on dirty fighting, small concealable weapons, sneak attacks, improvised weapons and distracting maneuverer that give Guild members time to flee e.g. Smoke sticks, smoke bombs, tangle foot bags, oil and tinder twigs. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Ranged Combat Training instructor: Best weapons and techniques to use whilst in ranged combat. Emphasis on sniping, sneak attacks and distracting maneuverer that give Guild members time to flee. Flaming arrows, arrows with strangely fluted arrow heads (noise makers) for distraction purposes. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Information Specialist: Informant, spy and information network, has many spies distributed amongst beggars, merchants and servants. Collects information to assess target before a job and help plan best method and time of theft. Manages the blackmail section of the Thieves’ Guild. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Alchemist/ Poisoner/ Potion Master: Works on poisons and potions. Sleep potions, knockout drops, sedatives, memory blockers (for retrograde amnesia) and tranquilizers. Poisons to fake illness or fake death (to cause a distraction or get out of a jail cell). Poisons to cause a temporary illness (a violently vomiting victim is easily stolen from). Deadly poisons to get rid of problems permanently. Agility potions, healing potions, darkness potions, cats eyes potions (for dark vision or low light vision). Smoke bombs, grease potions to throw off pursuit. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Engineer/Architect/ Bureaucrat: Has access to floor plans and layout of various buildings, can tell you which walls to break through to get into vaults. Can get members passes and dispensation to go into restricted areas. False papers and cargo inventories for smugglers. Knows who to blackmail / threaten / seduce within the bureaucracy / city to get results. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Fence and Smuggler: Get goods into or out of the city without prying eyes or taxes, knows who to bribe or where to unload goods entering or leaving a city, knows what goods will sell in different areas, knows what trade goods are common/legal in one area but uncommon/illegal in another area, knowledge of local roads, waterways and country side - knows where to set up ambushes and highway robbery. This person may have a Deity as a patron, but only if it is the same patron as the Guild Master.

Disguise master: Having all sorts of makeup and wigs, many different outfits and uniforms, works closely to the quartermaster/weapons master to make sure the weapons and clothes are appropriate. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Trapsmith: Specializing in creating, detecting, bypassing and disarming traps. Teaches how to identify different traps and disarm them. Salvages traps and remakes them. This role may not have a Deity as a patron.

Jobs for people within Thieves guild.

Enforcer / Thug: Ensure protection rackets, to body guard important or skilled Thieves’ Guild members, protect entrances to Thieves’ Guild HQ/ hideout.

Lookout / Distraction: Ensure that teams working in the field have situational awareness. They also distract others from the activities the group is engaged in.

Runner (Courier): Ensures that messages are moved through the Guild.

Second story men: Someone who specializes in breaking into a building without leaving any trace.

Con artists: Someone who specializes in building and exploiting confidence.

Pickpocket: Someone who specializes in stealing possessions off of a victims body without their awareness. May require coordination of a Lookout / Distraction.

Shadower: Follows targets to gain information

Wizards as believers

A wizard might get a deity patron however, this is very rare. The Wizard takes power from another power source and uses it to their own ends. Depending on the moral composition of the deity, this could become a big problem quickly. The recommendation is to avoid this relationship. However if you wish to proceed, the following needs to be taken into account.

• A Believer submits their will to the deity. Thus a believer’s patron bond will be one that places the deity above themselves.
• A Wizard’s shapes reality to match their own will using power from their deity. Thus a believer’s patron bond will be one that places the deity at the same level of the believer or it will place the believer above that of the patron.
• A deity that has certain moral values around Authority or Liberty will place heavy burdens on the wizard as by definition the patron is an NPC with power only limited by the needs the story the judge is telling.
• A Wizard with a Patron Deity will experience the effects of both deity displeasure and corruption from spell burn.

Elves as Believers

The elf in DCC is a combination of the Warrior and the Wizard. An elf may have a Deity as a Patron if they meet all the qualifications for both the Wizard and the Warrior. An Elf may not be called to any sacred vocations. While elves do have priests within their race, they do not specialize as the humans do.

Dwarves as Believers

The dwarf in DCC is a super Warrior, and may be a believer. A dwarf may not be called to any sacred vocations. While Dwarves do have priests within their race, they do not specialize as the humans do.

Halflings as Believers

The Halfling in DCC is a thief hybrid. The halfling my be a believer, however they must drain their luck pool before they can call on their deity in prayer per the normal rules of Thieves as believers. A dwarf may not be called to any sacred vocations. While Halflings do have priests within their race, they do not specialize as the humans do.

Level 0 Occupations

Some deities might consider some occupations as unclean. This might be for many reasons. I have included a table below based on some historical moral issues and monopolies some religions have had on certain domains. Please consider this for each religion you create.

The Unreached

These are people who have never heard anything about a given deity or religious system of practice.

The Anathematized

These are people who have heard about the religion and have rejected it. They may be formal enemies or they may be

The Life of the Called

Devotion

How does the deity want believers to show their devotion?

Discipleship

How do believers level and grow in their understanding of the deity?

The Sin Chain

How does sin escalate with the deity?

The Path to Absolution

How does sin get forgiven with the deity?

The Organization

The World View

Who are we?

Where are we?

What is wrong?

What is the solution?

Example - Tolkien’s Valar

Manwë

Varda

Ulmo

Aulë

Yavanna

Námo

Oromë

Nienna

Melkor

Irmo

Tulkas

Estë

Vairë

Vána

Nessa

Examples of bonds in Middle-earth

Example - DCC Deities

Gorhan

Justicia