Gods and Their Relation to Magic

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What are gods?
Gods are something people worship.
Why do people worship gods?
Because people think they get special benefits by worshipping them
Because if god is not worshipped, he might be pissed off and then nobody would have fun

The question whether or not the god really exists is another thing.

Under this discussion we might restrict gods to those beings who can offer special powers or other magical benefits to their followers.

Contents

Gods & Magic

Types of gods

There are different kinds of gods based on their origin, nature, what source of power they use, etc.

  1. Ultra-high-powered-archmagi
  2. Beings with access to a different type of energy (like TPO)
  3. Ultra-elementals
  4. Alien super-races, although this could go to category a), they just have more points to begin with
  5. Something else, like the Endless: Destiny, Death, Dream, Desire, Delirium and Destruction

Your magic-system should also take gods into account, although as they generally are under the GM:s control, the rules may be less defined. Some gods might not play by the same rules as the rest of the magic-users. Would the divine-granted magic of their priests be able to break the rules also?

Some gods use powers which are different from, or beyond, ordinary magic and can bestow extra-magical powers on their followers. Others, which don't use "beyond-level" powers but just have a LOT of mundane power, can't usually grant such extra-special abilities.

How do they act?

How should gods act, or what kind of gods there usually are? If the gods are so darn powerful, well why don't they just use their power (to end suffering, to end the world, to do whatever they please)?

Part of the question should be obvious after considering a moment about the origin or power source of the god. Here are some examples of gods:


  • Those whose thoughts are beyond our comprehension, with goals different from human goals. They rarely act directly, or act at all. The religions are quite similar to the major religions and philosophies of modern world.
  • Hero-gods. Individuals who have achieved greater level (of enlightenment) than others (for example /Rolemaster/Shadow World/Lords of Orhan: level 200) and have access to 'God-spells'. Act more or less directly and more or less actively.
  • Discworld-gods. Gods are a race of their own, whose power depends on the number of their believers. They resemble humans, but are fairly stupid (IQ = 30...70) I love the idea. ).

[Something else?]

Religion

In an article to rec.games.frp.misc newsgroups Mary K. Kuhner gave a sample list of questions which could/should be asked about a religion:

Does the religion assimilate or reject outside ideas? Does it require intermediaries between humans and the divine? Is religious power coupled with political power? If not, what keeps them separate? Do individuals worship a single patron deity, or the pantheon? Are factions within society identified with different gods (or saints)? Can divine power reside in people? If so, how is it granted? Is the goal of religion transcendence of the world or life within it? Is it a religion of adepts or of the common folk? Is the religion based on doctrine, on actions (such as performance of ritual), on ecstatic experience, or on group membership and ancestry? Does it admit outsiders? How does it interact with gender? Social class? Ethnicity? Are there religious minorities, and how are they seen? Are the gods archetypal powers to be emulated, monsters to be propitiated, powerful beings to be dealt with? Do people fear priests, respect them, like them, trust them, hold them in contempt? (And this is still sticking to a very conventional Western view of religion--I'm not coming close to asking the questions you'd need to get to Buddhism, say.)

Here is the summary advice from a discussion on the rec.games.frp.misc newsgroup concerning Religion in RPGs.

Many good pieces of advice were given, like:

  • Create a believable and detailed set of gods (contrary to the gods a laD&D)
  • Make sure that the players see the influence of gods and especially religion in the societies they are
  • Make the devotion of the people matter: either directly (magic doesn't work, weather is bad, one starts to have bad luck) or indirectly (other people treat you differently, charge extra, drive you away)

Creating a Pantheon/Religion

Source books to help in creation of pantheons and religions.

  • Gods of Glorantha, Cults of Prax and Lords of Terror for RuneQuest
  • The Primal Order (TPO) by Wizards of the Coast
  • GURPS Religion
  • A Complete Gamers Pantheon

God-spells

[this is not a well-thought chapter. I think it could contain ideas about what spells/effects might be typically God-given]

Spells that are so powerful or so difficult that only a god could do them:

  1. Healing spells (you need to be a priest to do any magical healing)
  2. Detect blasphemy
  3. Lightning bolt (range 1000 miles)
  4. Use Primal Flow
  5. Create world

The relation of gods to men

The relation of the gods to ordinary men is also important question. Why would the gods give a damn about the puny organic beings? The following options were offered by Mary K. Kuhner in an article to rec.games.frp.misc newsgroup.

  • Mortals are descended from the gods, and thus valued by them
  • Mortals allow the gods to act in ways they are forbidden to act directly (the Gloranthan paradigm)
  • Gods need worship (the Primal Order paradigm)
  • The gods do not give powers on purpose; powers are wrested from the gods by mortals (GURPS Madlands)
  • Divine power is wielded by mortals via divine possession (GURPS Voudoo) and the god derives some form of pleasure from being embodied
  • Some greater power has constrained the gods to obey certain structures, including granting powers
  • A mortal won a bet with the gods and they must live up to their end
  • Being like the god in some fashion directly allows a mortal to access the god's power; the more similar, the more power
  • The gods grant power in return for something, such as service or sacrifice
  • The gods wish to see what mortals will do with the power (curiosity, malice, or parental lesson teaching)

These overlap, of course, and are far from exhaustive.

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