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DDG (Dragon)	-	-	Dragon 97	Dragon

The ADVANCED DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS® game is a role-playing game.
This must be stressed, for too often the play
of the game tends toward combat and questing.
To allow this sort of activity to predominate
is to lose sight of the greatest pleasures
of the ongoing game — character interaction,
meetings with intelligent monsters,
and dealing with deities. When one considers
it, this role-playing purpose is why
deities are included in the game system to
begin with. Of course, deities are part and
parcel of the heroic epics written by Homer
and those who followed him, well as the
myth and legends and fairy tales which have
come down to us — although in some of the
latter works, other sorts of ultra-powerful
beings take the place of Zeus et al. A major
element of any campaign is the deities and
their demands, machinations, rivalries, and
confrontations. Let us, then, consider their
power base before we deal with those who
serve them in the campaign play. Understanding
what motivates these greater beings
will certainly assist in development of
proper role-playing of any type of character.
Various and sundry statistics are given for
deities, but let us make a basic assumption.
Their power comes from those who believe
in them; without followers, any deity is
consigned to operations on some other
plane of existence, without the means to
touch upon the Prime Material. Such deities
have no immediate interest to us, since
they do not fall within the current scope of
the game. Thus, we are interested only in
deities with followers dwelling on the Prime
Material Plane of the campaign. These
faithful give the various deities power. Of
course, this idea is not new. It has been put
forth often by others, whether seriously or
as a device of literature. It serves as an
excellent game device as well.
So. . . each deity draws strength and
power from those mortals who believe. The
power gained is determined thus:

1,000 believers = 1 hit point
1,000 of same alignment = 1 power point

Hit points apply only on the plane on
which the believers dwell. All faithful on all
planes then combine to determine the
strength of the deity on the “home” plane
inhabited. For example, a neutral good
deity will be weak on planes where evil
rules, for there will be few, if any, followers
of that deity in such a place.

Power points are the stuff from which all
deities of the same alignment draw to use
their spell-like powers, issue and enforce
commands, and perform other abilities they
may have.

If a normal believer is worth 1/1000 hit
point or power point, then those faithful
with 2 levels or hit dice are worth twice as
much, those with 3 levels or hit dice three
times as much, and so on. All clerical types
are similarly worth twice what non-clerical
types are worth, for they are stronger in
faith. Paladins must fall within the general
class of clerics, as do shamans and witch
doctors. So, for instance, a bugbear follower
is worth 3/1000 point, a fire giant 11/1000, a
10th-level fighter 10/1000, and a 15th-level
druid 30/1000 point. With further respect to
clerical types, not only are they worth more
in hit point and power point value, but they
also actively extend the faith, so they are
also nearer and dearer to their deities than
other believers of other callings. (Special
orders might be exceptions, such as the
Thugs, the Knights of Malta, etc.)

After the total of available power points is
thus determined, the deities of a given
alignment must gather in convocation to
decide amongst themselves how power will
be divided — some faithful might be weak,
some might serve more than one deity, and
so on. Although the affairs of such lofty
beings are not the business of this article, it
can be safely stated that division is fair and
along the lines of total follower strength.
(After all, until all other alignments are
done away with, so that only those with a
“proper” mind-set remain, the deities of
that alignment have common cause against
all those of different alignments.)

Considering the foregoing, it must now
be clear to all why maintenance of alignment
is important. To change alignment is
to take away from not only the character’s
deity but all deities of that ilk! That is grim
indeed. Much of role-playing is tied up in
understanding the character and the role to
be played. This information regarding
alignment with respect to power points
provides DM and player alike with more
material upon which to base their roleplaying.

In like vein, faithful service to a
chosen deity can be better understood and
role-played. A wavering in alignment disturbs
all deities of that alignment and alerts
the particular deity that something is amiss.
To break alignment values might well incur
the wrath of not only the character’s deity,
but all allied ones too. In all cases the penalties
indicated in the DMG will be applied-for actual breaking of
alignment. For wavering, more subtle sanctions
can be invoked, although if a clerictype
is involved, the sanctions should not be
subtle at all! Refusal to grant spells, visitations,
and so forth are clearly in order in
such cases.

If there are penalties for breaking faith
and alignment, then there must also be
rewards for the opposite sort of behavior —
strict adherence to, and strong advocacy of,
one’s alignment. Granting a bit more
“luck” to such a character is possible —
perhaps an extra pip on a hit die roll which
is low, or the ability to deliver extra damage
when fighting a creature inimical to one’s
alignment and deity. Characters who are
true to alignment, who follow the aims of
their deity, and who work for and tithe to
“the faith” should certainly fall into the
general category of “favored.” It should be
stressed that “favor” in this case does NOT
mean “divine intervention” a la the Greek
gods of Homer’s Iliad — unless the entire
campaign has deities popping up here and
there on a continual basis to meddle with
and muddle up the affairs of humankind.

To give you additional food for thought,
here are a few rewards and penalties for
adherence to or deviation from alignment.
Use them as foundations.

Minor rewards: 1 extra hit point, maximum
weapon damage on one particular
attack, making an unsuccessful blow into a
successful one (one miss becomes a hit),
avoiding a surprise situation, escaping an
encounter, avoiding a trap, gaining minimal
additional treasure.

Major rewards: 1 extra hit point on each
hit die possessed at the time of gaining
favor, escaping a certain death situation,
raising a characteristic by 1 point (going
above 18 is highly discouraged), granting

5% magic resistance, granting a + 1 on
saving throws, directing the individual to
some special magic item which can be won
as treasure in return for overcoming some
monster of opposing alignment.

Minor penalties: 1 hit point deducted
from a hit die, minimum damage on one
particular attack, a successful attack turned
into a miss, being surprised when the character
would not otherwise have been, having
minor monsters continually harassing
the character, getting minimal treasure
instead of a reasonable amount, losing some
minor magic item.

Major penalties: losing 1 hit point from
each hit die, losing 1 point from a characteristic,
making saving throws at -1, losing a
major magic item, having a great monster
dogging the character’s footsteps, losing the
ability to gain any substantial treasure of
any sort.

Rewards should be given sparingly for
particularly fine role-playing of alignment
and “faith.” Penalties are invoked for failure
to properly role-play, for swerving in
alignment, and for not adhering to the
imagined “faith.” Of course, for actual
change in alignment, these penalties plus
those stated in the DMG can be meted out
as the DM sees fit, rather than merely
following the DMG. It is fairly easy to keep
clerical types on the correct role path, for
they must deal with deity-related matters
daily. It becomes more difficult when nonclerical
characters are concerned, but by
explaining the importance of alignment to
the players, and by stating that the deities
are watching for losses in their power, then
mentions of “foreboding,” “ill luck,” and
“disfavor” should suffice to keep roleplaying
in mind.

As a final note, those monsters with less
than 1 whole hit die should be treated as
half-value with respect to the points they
accrue to deities. Thus, kobolds and goblins,
for instance, are worth 1/2000 point. No
wonder they are considered as catapult
fodder by everyone. . . .

Mr. Gygax seems to have a different conception
of a gaming universe crowded with gods than
I do. My conception is similar to that of the
Greco-Roman gods, each trying to be the most
important. This and this alone keeps the alignments
in check. (If this were not so, chaotic evil
would crush all other alignments combined,
because of the sheer number of demons in the
layers of the Abyss.)

While I?m on a roll, let me gripe about the
?catapult fodder? (goblins and kobolds) at the
end of the article. Zero-level humans have a hit
point range between one and seven, making them
creatures of less than one hit die. So, the next
time I see a catapult, I?m going to run full speed
in the other direction.

Alex Bergmann
Cato, N.Y. 

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