What If The Priest-Character Is Scum?

Inevitably, some campaign priests, including some player-character priests, will see their followers as a resource to be exploited and abandoned for the priest's amusement. For example, a priest might seduce and cruelly abandon attractive followers, or might send soldierly followers into certain-death situations in order to enhance his own glory.

If the faith is not an evil one, the priest is not following the dictates of his faith and will eventually suffer for it. The first few followers who perish or feel compelled to leave will be replaced normally. After twenty experience levels' worth of followers have left in this manner, however, the other temples of the faith and the local population will "catch on" and the priest will find replacements slowing.

At that point, the priest will receive one experience level of replacement follower for every two he loses. (This doesn't even count experience levels gained by followers through adventuring. If a second-level guard-captain rises to sixth level and then is wasted in this manner, he'll be replaced by a soldier half his original experience level, i.e. a first-level fighter.)

If the priest loses another twenty levels through neglect or maliciousness, he will receive one experience level of replacement follower for every five he loses. If he loses another ten levels through neglect or maliciousness, he will receive one experience level of replacement follower for every ten he loses. If he loses any more through his misbehavior, they are not replaced.

That isn't the only result of evil behavior. The higher-ranking priests of the faith will launch an investigation, assigning a priest of level equal to the offending priest to his temple to conduct the investigation. If it is this priest's conclusion that the priest has behaved badly, he could find himself punished; he could have his temple taken away and could even lose experience levels (if his god is offended by his misbehavior and decides to punish him).

Also, the other followers and the flock could become disillusioned. Surviving followers could leave or even betray the priest. The local population could gradually cease to attend the priest's church, and seek their spiritual fulfillment elsewhere.

How long does all this take? That's a role-playing consideration. A priest can be corrupt and hide his behavior from the faith and from his following for years. If he does "waste" followers, but does so at a very slow rate, it could be years or decades before the population catches on. If he's overt, and flaunts his corruption or wastes his followers at a more advanced rate, he could find himself in trouble mere weeks or months after first attracting his followers.

However, if the faith is an evil one, such behavior is normal. Wasted followers will be replaced normally. (They are not, however, likely to be loyal followers, and may conspire to eliminate and replace the priest.)

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