Faith

Some say that you can measure a person by their friends. If that's true, then what can you say of someone who has forged an alliance with the gods themselves? Such is the power of the faithful. These conduits of divine might spread their god's dogma throughout the land, sharing blessings with their brothers and smiting foul heathens with righteous fury. The gods are eager to share their power with devoted followers... but which deity will you champion?

* The orc shaman of a tribe communes with spirits to determine the best time to march to war.
* A cleric prays to a pantheon of gods, requesting that they aid him on his mission.
* A devout paladin leads an inquisition against heathens who would dare defy the will of his god.

## Creating Your Deity

In Tavern Tales, you get to decide what deity or deities you worship. Use these guidelines to create deities. However, check with your GM first. Your GM may want to use a unique setting where the deities are already established. In that case, the GM should work with you to modify the pre-established pantheon to suit your tastes. Your deity is considered an extension of your character, and you have complete control over your character. Therefore, your desires for your PC's deity should take priority over the game world's lore.

### Step 1: Write a Description

First, write a basic description of your deity. Did she give birth to the universe? Was he a mortal who ascended to godhood? Are they a pantheon of feuding deities?

### Step 2: Determine your Deity's Domains

Each deity has a set of domains, which are portions of reality that the deity controls. Basically, hat is your deity the deity "of"? For example, your deity could be the Goddess of Silence and Shadow, or the God of Fire, Passion, and Alcohol.

### Step 3: Write your Deity's Dogma

Your deity's dogma is a set of beliefs, rules, and practices. Dogma should tie into the deity's domains. Here are a few examples:

**Goddess of Silence and Shadow**

* Take action under the night's protective shroud.
* Collect secrets, for they are the sharpest blade and the strongest shield.
* It is better to silence your enemies than destroy them, for then you alone know their secrets.

**God of Fire, Passion, and Alcohol**

* Flame others' passions.
* Pray before an open fire, which burns away sin.
* Find what sets your heart ablaze and pursue it.
* Take communication with fiery alcohol, and revel in your divine drunkenness.

### Step 4: Determine Your Religion

Presumably, your PC won't be the only person who worships your deity. Work with your GM to determine your deity's religions. Religions can be diverse and even contradictory. In fact, some religions might despise each other even though they worship the same deity.

### Shrines

A shrine is a structure that serves as a divine beacon. Shrines can be any size or shape; here are some examples:

* A mountain-sized statue
* A church
* Standing stone pillars
* A twisted tree
* A carving on a rock or tree

Each shrine is devoted to a specific deity or group of deities. For example, a shrine devoted to the Goddess of Wind and Music serves as a divine conduit to that specific deity. That Goddess can interact with the mortal world through that shrine.

Deities bless those who perform sacred acts before shrines, and curse those who perform profane acts before shrines. It's up to the GM to decide how much power deities can exert through their shrines, and under what conditions. Here are a few examples:

* A cultist sacrifices a weeping victim at the Blood Shrine. The victim reanimates as an undead servant under the cultist's command.
* A scholar gifts a rare tome to the Lectern of Knowledge. In return, the Goddess of Knowledge answers on of the scholar's questions.
* Guards interrogate a thief before the Obelisk of Truth. The thief dares to lie in its presence, so his tongue ignites in flame.
* A peasant steals from the collection plate at the Church of Winter. Her home becomes chilly, no matter how warm it is outside.

## Sample Deities

Sorin

**God of Sand, Decay, and Time**

**Description**

According to the ancient stone tablets, Soring was the divine entity that flipped over the Hourglass of Eternity, which created the universe. When the Hourglass runs out of sand, Sorin will flip the Hourglass over again, destroying the universe and creating a new one in its place. Until that time comes, Sorin patiently watches the world as empires rise and inevitably crumble to dust.

**Dogma**

* Be patient. There is a time for everything
* Destroy things that persist beyond their time
* Find beauty in fleeting moments
* When you pray, discard a grain of sand to represent the life and time you have lost
* Do not mourn that which is lost, for all things must end

**Religion**

Worship of Sorin is typically found in deserts, where sand erodes even the strongest structures and serves as a constant reminder that nothing lasts forever. Long-lasting religions fly in the face of Sorin's teachings, so most religions last for a few decades before they wane and disband.The most popular current religion is known as the Legacy of Dust, which is centered in a monastery deep in the Sandglass Desert. Monks live ascetic lives of discipline and quiet contemplation. They practice martial arts by repeatedly punching stones until they're ground into sand. Some say that the strongest monks, the Dust Masters, can turn a person to sand with a single punch

Niza

**the Battle Mother**

**Description**

Myths tell of Niza, a goddess who lost her twin sons in a feud between her pantheon and a rival pantehon. Enraged, she forged the bones of her slain children into weapons and armor and waged a one-goddess war against her fellow deities. She has slain several dozen celestials and has vowed not to rest until she paints the night sky red with divine entrails

**Dogma**

* Protect your loved ones
* Family is more important than everything
* To someone who has nothing, an act of kindness is everything
* Distrust authority, for they will hurt you and those you care about for power
* Love and hate are two edges of the same blade. Choose wisely how you swing your sword

**Religion**

Unsurprisingly, Niza-based religions are banned in many places throughout the world. Between the religion's bloodlust and contempt for authority, governments fear that Niza's teachings could lead to full-scale revolt.Nizan religions may be outlawed, but that doesn't stop people from privately worshipping the Battle Mother in the privacy of their own homes. Niza is especially popular among women and mothers, who draw strength and courage from the Goddess' ferocity.Niza worship is also relatively common among barbarian tribes, which are often warlike and matriarchal. The largest such tribe, the Clan of the Feathered Braid, dominates the northern tundra. Shamanesses marked by brown eagle feathers in their hair braids provide spiritual guidance and perform sacred rituals

## Combat

Blessed

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Combat
**Effect**You can give someone (max 1) the defense "Blessed ☐" for several hours. They mark it when they suffer a Bad Tale related to harm
**Lore**
**Describe***Praying for diving protection, anointing them with sacred oils, warding them against evil*
**Extra**

Blinding Light

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Combat
**Effect**You can give someone the condition "Blind" until their vision clears
**Lore**
**Describe***Emanating a divine light, your glowing weapon, a shaft of golden light, searing sunlight*
**Extra**

Crusade

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Combat
**Effect**Whenever you fulfill your deity's dogma in a meaningful way, you're bolstered to fight
**Lore**
**Describe***Finding strength through faith, praying for divine strength, cleansing your sins before a fight*
**Extra**

Lay on Hands

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Combat
**Effect**You can touch someone to heal 1 of their physical or spiritual conditions. Then, the GM tells them how long they're immune to your Lay on Hands (the stronger the condition, the longer the immunity)
**Lore**
**Describe***Your hands glowing with radiant warmth, pouring your deity's energy through your body*
**Extra**

Martyr

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Combat
**Effect**When you're physically harmed, bolster one of your allies to avenge you. When you're physically defeated, bolster all of your allies to avenge you
**Lore**
**Describe***Making a sacrifice for the greater good, inspiring others through your steadfast faith*
**Extra**

Shield of Faith

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Combat
**Effect**Gain the defense "Shield of Faith ☐". Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale while furthering your deity's dogma. Then, gain a free Good Tale related to your deity's domains
**Lore**
**Describe***Earning your deity's protection, standing strong in defense of your faith, creating a light shroud*
**Extra**

Smite

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Combat
**Effect**If you attack someone that your deity despises, destroy them outright. If they're more powerful than you, give them a crippling condition instead
**Lore**
**Describe***Your sword burning with holy fire, your deity filling you with divine wrath, casting them into hell*
**Extra**

Turn

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Combat
**Effect**You can repel far creatures that your deity despises. They can't approach you, but you can approach them
**Lore**
**Describe***Lifting your holy symbol, shining a divine light that burns them, asking your deity to protect you*
**Extra**

## Exploration

Consecrate

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Exploration
**Effect**You can turn a worthy feature of the terrain into a permanent shrine to your deity
**Lore**
**Describe***Anointing the earth with holy oil, a pillar of light illuminating the area, blessing the holy ground*
**Extra*****Worthy Features:** Grand church, statue of your deity, heathen's grave, representation of your deity's domain*

Light

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Exploration
**Effect**You can illuminate something in bright light, which lasts for as long as you want. Collaborate on something very general and vague that causes the light to change color or glow more brightly. Also, collaborate on what causes the light to fade
**Lore**
**Describe***Your eyes glowing with divine light, seeing the world as your deity sees it, knowing the one truth*
**Extra*****Changing Light:** Someone's approaching, you have strayed from the path, there's hidden danger here**Fade:** Time, the light is exposed to something your deity despises, the sun sets, the light can be washed off*

Miracle

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Exploration
**Effect**When the GM agrees that you significantly advance your deity's dogma, write on your character sheet that you hold your deity's favor. Cross it off to perform a powerful miracle that falls under your deity's domain
**Lore**
**Describe***Praying to your deity for sacred power, serving as a conduit for divine wrath, doing the impossible*
**Extra*****Miracles:** Resurrect the fallen, receive a vision, know the divine truth, banish a heathen to another realm*

Pilgrimage

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Exploration
**Effect**When you reach one of your deity's holy sites, you're bolstered three times to do anything
**Lore**
**Describe***Using church contacts, receiving a vision on the path to sanctuary, completing a sacred journey*
**Extra**

Sanctuary

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Exploration
**Effect**When you enter one of your deity's holy sites, name 1 threat. Until you leave, that threat cannot enter the holy site or harm anything in the holy site
**Lore**
**Describe***Praying for blessed sanctuary, activating holy wards, rebuking foul heathens, finding inner peace*
**Extra**

Srcy

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Exploration
**Effect**You can view and sense distant areas as if you're standing there. Collaborate on how this trait works
**Lore**
**Describe***Receiving a vision, see a distant area in a dream, look down on the area from the heavens*
**Extra*****How it works:** You must have been there before, the area must embody your deity or one of its domains*

## Interaction

Atonement

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Interaction
**Effect**You can give a defeated creature a quest, which becomes their foremost goal in life. If they complete it, their disposition toward you significantly improves
**Lore**
**Describe***Promising redemption, showing them the one true path, offering mercy and understanding*
**Extra**

Chosen One

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Interaction
**Effect**Fellow worshipers of your deity regard you as the chosen one, a divine representative of your deity. They treat you accordingly and will go out of their way to help you
**Lore**
**Describe***Declaring yourself a prophet, your divine blood, rising to the highest rank in your religion*
**Extra**

Inquisition

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Interaction
**Effect**You can force someone to honestly answer 1 question if they're injured, or all of your questions if they're defeated
**Lore**
**Describe***Torturing them, intimidating them, breaking their spirit, turning the screws, punching their wood*
**Extra**

Judgement

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Interaction
**Effect**You can sense sin. Collaborate on what that entails
**Lore**
**Describe***Seeing a dark stain upon their soul, reading your deity's divine ledger, feeling profane corruption*
**Extra**

Pray

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Interaction
**Effect**Your deity responds to your prayers (in some form or another). Your deity must reveal their will to you and may also reveal things related to their domains
**Lore**
**Describe***Hearing your deity's voice, seeing a sign that reveals your deity's will, feeling the right choice*
**Extra**

Proselytize

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Interaction
**Effect**You can give someone the immediate urge to fulfill part of your deity's dogma, or convert to your faith (their choice)
**Lore**
**Describe***Preaching, giving a fiery sermon, manipulating their guilt and passion, promising divine rewards*
**Extra**

Rabble Rouser

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Interaction
**Effect**You can stir up a crowd to become incredibly passionate, motivated, and extremist about something they care about. Unless stopped, their extremism spreads and grows
**Lore**
**Describe***Appealing to their sense of duty, giving them a righteous case, obligating them through scripture*
**Extra**

Zealotry

**Theme****Faith**
**Category**Interaction
**Effect**Add "or fulfilling your deity's dogma" to the end of your minions' contracts
**Lore**
**Describe***Appealing to their sense of duty, giving them a righteous cause, obligating them through scripture*
**Extra**

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