Being a priest in Dragonlance is much more than selecting a player class and beginning an adventure; There is a history of order to the pantheon. Let’s learn all about being a priest in Dragonlance. Buy Holy Orders of the Stars: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3239/holy-orders-of-the-stars-3-5e?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
If you’re planning on playing a priest in a Dragonlance campaign, you should watch this.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about priests in Dragonlance. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Holy Orders of the Stars sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
Priests are more than a class a player chooses, it is a lifelong calling. It is something one must be educated for years in, having little time or desire for anything else in life. There is a whole cosmology with seven gods of good, neutrality and evil that one must understand in order to even choose one to worship. And being a priest is more than gaining spells from your god, its worship, its devotion, its self sacrifice. You are an instrument of something much greater, something unfathomable, an all powerful deity who creates not only you, but all life and all things. It’s a scale few can even comprehend in order to appreciate, and it’s one the Priest will spend their entire lives attempting to.
Becoming a priest means a lifetime of servitude to a singular path. That parth you chose to walk is filled with strict rules pertaining to all aspects of your life. What clothes you are allowed to wear, what food you can eat and when, what tools you are allowed to learn to use, how much money and possessions you are allowed to have, and how and to whom you must give the rest away to. And even if you follow all of those rules to a T, you are not guaranteed to be granted favor by your god in the form of divine magic. You have to be humble, you have to supplicate yourself before this being you have committed your body and soul to, and without asking why, do exactly what they say, when they say it, even if it goes against every instinct in your body, the very body they created.
In the Age of Despair, the gods were absent and it took divine intervention to lead Goldmoon to Xak Tsaroth and the Discs of Mishakal. This was how religion would be rediscovered after generations of the gods’ seeming absence. After that experience, she dedicated her whole existence to Mishakal, and then to Mysticism in the Age of Mortals, and I don’t think anyone would pretend to say she had a good and happy life. This is the life of a priest. In ages before the Age or Despair and after, religion is very much an institution that one must immerse themselves in body and soul. Some are drawn to the priesthood out of the desire to help others and their environment. Some are drawn to the priesthood out of a strong sense of right and wrong, believing someone should stand in judgement of others. Others are seekers of the unanswerable questions all beginning with Why? And then there are those who are always ready to protect those weaker than themselves. Standing up to the brutality that is in the world on behalf of those who cannot. However you come to the decision, it is more of an instinct than a choice, and that gives a player some great food for thought when crafting their PC.
Unlike the Seeker gods, the Holy Order of the Stars, the pantheon of Krynn, do not recruit individuals into their church. The individual must seek the church out, so often you will find that those who approach a temple or monastery are of all ages and backgrounds. All of them have one thing in common, they want to serve something greater than themselves and they are willing to devote their lives in that pursuit. All must learn from an elder of the faith, and they must meet variable initiation requirements and engage in markedly different rituals depending on which god they choose to serve. Monasteries are places where followers have chosen to spend their lives in silent contemplation, living in sparse, simple surroundings, and caring for their home while they learn about the faith. They are often segregated by gender when vows of celibacy are made. Monasteries house both Clerics and Monks. Clerics are ordained to perform holy rites and rituals of their faith, while monks take on vows of their order but do not commonly perform rites.
Churches are the most common way for a seeker to enter into a faith. Nearly every town has at least a small shrine, with larger towns hosting many shrines and churches to a great many gods of all orders. Most come to churches to find solace in the harsh world, they may seek help or advice. Depending on the deity, this may cost something or be free. Most of the good or neutral churches are easily found, but some of the evil churches may require a bribe or secret knowledge to locate. There are also Universities, though these are typically for instruction rather than for worship. Universities are places where your preconceived notions are often challenged. Philosophical arguments and the learning in a public forum are common, but it can lead to intellectual and philosophical thought bubbles which do not reflect the world around the institution. Some priests may be instructed by a lone mentor, in fact some gods have their churches set up this way, for example with druidical doctrine. And even more rare, is the self taught priest. It is not unheard of, but it is often found in the form of divine intervention.
Once the instruction into their faith is complete, some may choose to leave their teachers and strike out into the world to serve. This is a path to greater power, not for the glorification of oneself, but for the glory of their god. Whatever form this quest may take it will lead them into a turbulent world, where morality as they have been instructed can be nonexistent. Where people are wholly ignorant to their god, or violently opposed to them. The priest must always fall back on their teachings and their gods will. This may mean building a shrine or church, renovating a desecrated one, or traveling to spread the word of their god through deeds. It is important to remember that every faith has a hierarchy. Someone is always in charge of your PC, so you should regularly maintain correspondence. This may be for support or to follow orders. But you are not a free agent in nearly every case, you are part of a strict church with a mission. Remember that, as it will help you decide what path to follow, or deviate you from a path you have set yourself on.
How you come to your god can be an adventure in and of itself. As with everything in Dragonlance, there are racial norms, and many races have different names and views on the various gods. Some exclusively worship one over the others, or shun some for some cultural slight from their past. Understanding your PC’s place in the timeline, culture and region of Krynn will inform a great many aspects about the character, and can help the player immerse themselves into the campaign. And that is what makes Dragonlance the best Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting in my opinion.
Outro
But that is all the time I have to talk about priests in Dragonlance. What do you think of being a priest? Is it more involved than you had previously believed? And finally, would you play a priest in Dragonlance, and if so, who would be your god? Leave a comment below.
I also want to take a second and let you all know about my new project! I have been developing a system agnostic, dark fantasy campaign setting called DireLands. You can learn more about it on my Eviliv3 Play youtube channel. The link is in the description below.
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Death follows this family like some hungry hound.
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