Medieval Christianity in OD&D

[foster1941]

Assuming that in the mundane world (i.e. everyone but the PCs, their entourages, and the adventuring NPCs (friendly and hostile) they meet on adventures) almost everybody is "0-level" or at most 1st level (which in OD&D means no spells) helps this issue -- it's not like the church can use a simple "cast purify food & drink" test to determine who are the real clerics and who are the anti-clerics in its priesthood.

The idea of a "magical priesthood" where it's known/assumed that all clerics have a repertoire of magical spells at their disposal feels like an AD&Dism to me (and is probably the #1 thing I really disliked about Gygax's Living Fantasy); I much prefer the attitude towards clerics casting spells to be more like "miracles" -- it's not assumed that every member of the priesthood is a spell-caster; on the contrary, only exceptionally pious and holy individuals are able to perform occasional miracles. And yes, this throws the idea of the PCs going to the local shrine and dropping a couple thousand GP on a remove curse or raise dead right out the window.

[geoffrey]

Good points, Foster. In my upcoming campaign, I plan on using the following DMG-inspired demographics:

99 in 100 humans are 0-level.

1 in 5 humans who can gain level are clerics.

Thus, only 1 in 500 humans is a cleric of at least 1st level.

My campaign will also have a level cap for all PCs and NPCs of 3rd level (as I'm using the Holmes rulebook as a complete game), and I'm assuming the ratio of 1st : 2nd : 3rd level characters is 4:2:1.

Since 1st-level clerics cannot cast spells, that means that only 3 out of 7 clerics can cast spells. Crunching that number with those above yields...

only about 1 human in 1,167 can cast clerical spells.

[philotomy]

foster1941 said:

I much prefer the attitude towards clerics casting spells to be more like "miracles" -- it's not assumed that every member of the priesthood is a spell-caster; on the contrary, only exceptionally pious and holy individuals are able to perform occasional miracles. And yes, this throws the idea of the PCs going to the local shrine and dropping a couple thousand GP on a remove curse or raise dead right out the window.

Or even going to the temple for cure light wounds and a supply of potions of healing. I like the concept, though; in fact, I like it a lot. I suspect I'd want something to replace minor magical healing, though. Do you find it to be a problem?

[geoffrey]

Speaking for myself, when PCs are no higher than 3rd level, they do not have many hit points. Naturally healing an average of 2 hp per day takes care of most problems. Add to that PC clerics of 2nd or 3rd level, potions of healing found in adventures, various and sundry other magical healings (such as the healing pool in the dungeons of Quasqueton)...

I don't have any problems!

[driver]

This is the sketchy, widely known "origin story" of my campaign's major Lawful/Neutral faith -- the Great Church, the state religion of (duh) the Great Kingdom, and a superficial analog of the medieval Catholic Church.

The Revelation of the Nameless God

Almost 1,000 years ago, St. Ilward the Revelator discovered the Codex of the Prerogatives in the caverns below the homely village that would become the City Afar. St. Ilward brought up the Codex and made it be opened; those villagers not struck dead became his Apostles, and went forth to spread the Word. The True Codex lies sealed in the vaults of the Cathedral of the Nameless God in the City Afar, but a verbatim transcription of St. Ilward's Revelations is possessed by every Church, advanced clergy, and pious laity of means.

The story deliberately raises more questions than it answers. I've also made the date vague to allow for millenial shenanigans when the mood strikes me.