Animals (CPrH)

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This god is the protector of animals. He could intend to protect animals from all harm, and thus be the enemy of all hunters, rangers, and carnivores of all descriptions. Most often he's primarily interested in keeping animal species intact, not allowing them to be hunted to extinction, etc., and thus allows a reasonable amount of hunting and trapping to take place.
The priests of this god also work hard to keep excess hunting and trapping in check, and to remind the flock that the god will avenge abuses. Typically, this god is content to be counted as one of many gods and almost never insists on being the primary deity worshipped by the flock.
A lesser type of animal-god is one who is the protector of a single species or group of species. Such a deity might be the lion-god, or the god of all felines, or the god of elephants, or the god of porpoises and dolphins. In a primitive society, all members of a nomadic tribe might worship the god of the herd animal the tribe hunts (bison, for example).
Animal deities are often male.
The priests of this god are on good terms with Druids and the priests of Earth, Fertility, Hunting, Life-Death-Rebirth Cycle, Nature, Oceans/Rivers (only if priesthood has some association with aquatic animals), and Race (Elven).
Alignment: The deity is true neutral. The priests may be neutral evil, true neutral, or neutral good; evil priests have their own sect and the other priests don't have to tolerate them. The flock may be of any alignment.
Minimum Ability Scores: Wisdom 9, Charisma 13. Wisdom or Charisma 16 means +5% experience; Wisdom and Charisma 16 means +10% experience.                                                          
Races Allowed: Elves, gnomes, half-elves, halflings, humans.
Nonweapon and Weapon Proficiencies: Nonweapon Proficiencies Required: Animal Handling. Nonweapon Proficiencies Recommended: Animal Training, Riding (either or both), Reading/Writing, Religion, Animal Lore, Tracking. Weapon Proficiencies Required: None. Nonweapon Proficiency Group Crossovers: Priest, General, Warrior.
Duties of the Priest: Guidance, Marriage. Vigilance: Protection of animal life against unnecessary slaughter, especially by humans and other sentient races. Missions: Acts of war against those who do harm to the animal world or to the priest's totem animal. (Normal and recreational hunters do not incur this sort of attack, but those who hunt or trap in mass quantities and threaten the survival of whole species in an area do.)
Weapon and Armor Restrictions: Weapons Permitted: Bill, cestus, club, dagger/dirk, knife, mace, main-gauche, stiletto, swords (all), warhammer. Armor Permitted: all non-metal armor; no shields. Oriental Campaigns: Also katana, sai, wakizashi. All together, these constitute Medium combat abilities.
Other Limitations: None.
Spheres of Influence: Major Access to All, Animal, Charm, Divination, Protection. Minor Access to Combat, Creation, Healing, Plant.
Powers:  Identification (as described in the Designing Faiths chapter) of any natural monster or animal the priest sees. (A "natural" monster or animal is one which exists as a species, within an ecological niche, spawns and rears its young, and has so existed as a species for at least five years. Newly-created animal species, fiends, constructs, and similar monsters do not fall into this category; when the priest sees them, he will only be able to identify them if he has encountered them before.) Language/Communication (as described in the Designing Faiths chapter): The priest can communicate with three specific animal species (for example, lion, raven, wolf) or one category of animals (for example, all felines, all canines); the DM decides which ones based on the god's attributes, but if the god's attributes do not dictate specific choices the DM can give the choice to the player. Soothing Word (as described in the Designing Faiths chapter, but only usable on "natural" monsters or animals). At 5th Level: Shapechanging (as described in the Designing Faiths chapter; again, the DM decides which shape or shapes are changed into according to the god's attributes, or can give the choice to the player).
Followers and Strongholds: The followers are received at 9th level, and consist of one fifth-level priest, one third-level priest, and twelve first-level priests, all of the same order, plus one third-level ranger and seven first-level rangers. The priest may take the following on adventures: Three priests and two rangers of his choice. The priesthood will pay for half of the cost of stronghold construction at 9th level. The temple acts as an animal hospice, a "hospital" for sick or injured animals brought in by the rangers; many scholars also visit these strongholds in order to learn, from the rangers, more about animals and monsters in their natural habitat.
Possible Symbols: Any animal; claws.
Notes: The weapons allowed for this priesthood were chosen for their similarity to animal attacks. That's why there are lots of weapons with piercing and slashing attacks, but no ranged weapons or cleaving attacks.