Relations With Other Faiths

Most fantasy cultures tends to fall into one of the following categories:

Monotheistic By Demand

Monotheistic By Dogma

Pantheistic, Chief Faith Dominant By Charisma

Pantheistic, Chief Faith Dominant By Strength

Pantheistic, No Chief Faith

Here's what those terms mean within a campaign.

Monotheistic By Demand: The faith's god acknowledges that there are other gods, but demands that everyone worship him or her alone and not those other gods. If a culture is Monotheistic By Demand, it means that this one faith is the only one legally permitted within the culture. This faith is able to demand a tithe (discussed earlier in this chapter) of its followers.

Monotheistic By Dogma: Whether it is true or not, the faith claims that there is only one god or goddess and that everyone must worship that one being. If a culture is Monotheistic By Dogma, only the one faith is permitted within the culture. Typically, the worshippers are sufficiently inflexible in their belief that they often participate in religious wars in order to extend the domination of their own faith or suppress faiths they consider dangerous or heretical. This faith is able to demand a tithe of its followers.

Pantheistic, Chief Faith Dominant By Charisma: This culture concedes that there are several gods with individual faiths or cults associated with them. One, however, is the special favorite of the population, because they consider that god's attribute, personality, or blessings superior to any other god's. Most citizens of the culture worship this chief god and any other gods they choose. In this type of culture, the dominant faith typically asks but is unable to demand a tithe of its followers.

Pantheistic, Chief Faith Dominant By Strength: This culture concedes that there are several gods with individual faiths or cults associated with them. One, however, is supreme in power, either because it has a strong hold on the culture's ruling aristocracy or because the chief god has a power or promises rewards that make his worship necessary. (For example, even in a culture where many gods are worshipped, the god who decides how each person's afterlife is to be spent could be the dominant god; or the king of the gods, who rules the god of the afterlife, could instead be dominant.) In this type of culture, the dominant faith is able to demand a tithe of its followers.

Pantheistic, No Chief Faith: This culture concedes that there are several gods with individual faiths or cults associated with them. Though individual cults may be stronger or weaker than each other, none is dominant throughout the culture. Each faith can only ask, not demand, a tithe of its worshippers. Within the culture, individual communities may have dominant gods; and within those individual communities only, the chief god's worship will correspond to one of the "Pantheistic, Chief Faith Dominant By Charisma" or "Pantheistic, Chief Faith Dominant By Strength" categories. Some cities will not have dominant gods, or may have two or more dominant gods who have joint worship here but not elsewhere. All the gods worshipped within the culture will be perceived to belong to the same family, or pantheon, of gods.

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