Author Topic: Human Tempest Cleric deity selection for Forgotten Realms campaign  (Read 6717 times)

Offline Suthos

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I believe someone has asked this question before but could not locate the post.

If we are playing the Forgotten Realms campaign and a Cleric must use the deity list in the PHB from FR, does this mean there can be no PC Tempest Clerics? since the only gods who hold the domain are all evil deities (Auril, Talos, and Umberlee).

Unless that is if they follow a nonstandard deity like Deep Sashelas or Eadro, but I assume that would be reserved for elves, half-elves, or merfolk. A half-orc might get away with using Gruumsh, but I would think they would be limited to N alignment or are all evil deities banned as character deities in 5e rules.

In either case I am trying to make a good human cleric with the Tempest domain and don't see any of the racial deities as making sense.

In the past in 3.5 there was the Storm domain and it was held also by Silvanus who is in the 5e FR pantheon, but he is limited to the Nature domain in 5e.

I had an idea for a heresy concept but was wondering if I had all my info correct above.

Offline awaken_D_M_golem

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Re: Human Tempest Cleric deity selection for Forgotten Realms campaign
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2015, 05:24:28 PM »
My impression was worshippers no longer have to be exactly on the deities alignment.

This sounds like more of a homegame fluff problem, and in any case, the 5e DM-is-god routine, certainly allows anything like this.

Historically (i.e. other editions) the # of FR gods is vast, and probably anything is covered, no problems at all.


'Nother possibility is you are Neutral but you think you're Neutral Good, and Talos is just misunderstood and hasn't been proselytized effectively til you came along. etc
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Offline Suthos

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Re: Human Tempest Cleric deity selection for Forgotten Realms campaign
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2015, 05:57:14 PM »
The last one I think was the route I would have to go. The follower who has their own view of the faith separate from what the mainstream believe, the heretic or such.

I was thinking along the lines of the following,

Though a heresy of the general Talassan faith, the cult is no smaller or different than standard Talassan cults and similar following. (Original 3.5 rules means members of this cult are CN and may only select Chaos, Destruction, and Storm domains, ignoring Evil and not acknowledging it as a part of the faith).

The hero although sane and inherently good believes with the power he is gaining he can set the world to rights. He views his patron (although traditionally seen as an evil deity of destruction and natural disasters) as en elemental force of nature and the cosmos. It has been mislabeled as evil because of the destruction and loss it brings about. But as the natural order understands, a forest fire clears the way for new life, it is the destruction of the old, the corrupt, and the stagnant to make way for the new, the better. In a sense Talos is the dark part of Silvanus (in as much as Shar is the dark opposite of Selune), the destructive aspect of nature, but a necessary part of the natural order of things.

The new cult draws elements from the god of rot, seeing the good in the decay of things, they see the good in destruction. Unlike rot that gradually takes hold and withers away, they actively pursue destructive means to bring about change.

As a result a cultist or follower of Nature’s Fury (another name for their version of Talos) might commit some of the following deeds for the greater good or changes needed.

•   In an urban environment they might level a building, tower, or destroy the road if any of them were damaged and the bureaucratic machine took too long to repair. This would force them to outright rebuild.
•   If an enemy threatened the peace they would hunt down said enemy before the threat was necessarily realized.
•   A furian would not take prisoners unless needed and would result to torture and other means to get to the point. Ends justifying the means and punishment being dealt to an adversary. Mercy would be shown by slaying an enemy and not letting them suffer outright unless warranted. The corrupt and wicked must be put down to make way for the new.

I figure it would be no different then a half-orc choosing Gruumsh as the patron of orcs and ignoring him as lets say the evil god of destruction who wants to destroy all elves.

Also I figure story-line wise, Talos shares his powers and secrets with non-clerics like wizards and lichs as long they promote his agenda and when he is done he would eliminate them. He would use the heresy to swell his ranks and bring further chaos, even if it were somewhat limited in its scope. maybe.
« Last Edit: November 10, 2015, 06:00:07 PM by Suthos »

Offline Wilb

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Re: Human Tempest Cleric deity selection for Forgotten Realms campaign
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2015, 06:44:57 AM »
Considering you probably don't have access to Sword coast adventurer's guide, you could still try to argue with your DM, but there is Valkur, a CG god with the Tempest domain. He was a god in previous editions, so that could give you some wiggle room.

Try talking with him and show him Valkur's page on the FR wikia: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Valkur
He's basically PiraThor.

There is also Akadi and Istishia in that book (NN deities)

Also the 1 step from deity clause from FR still seems to be up for clerics, as far as I know (for forgotten realms only it seems). Followers are judged by their actions and believing in a deity that is different from what that deity actually is would be considered a "false", and imprisoned in Kelemvor's domain forever after death...
« Last Edit: November 11, 2015, 06:50:47 AM by Wilb »
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Offline awaken_D_M_golem

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Re: Human Tempest Cleric deity selection for Forgotten Realms campaign
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2015, 03:52:08 PM »
Good write up for a backstory.

Some more mechanics stuff, you could ditch
the Heal skill for Insight or Deception, similar
you could not pick Healing spells for more
general group oriented stuff, etc
Your codpiece is a mimic.