Old Worlders venerated a number of deities; their religion is pantheistic in a similar way to that of the Ancient Greeks of our own world. This section does not detail all the gods of the Old World - since there are so many - but a few of the more popular deities are covered here to allow characters some choice of deities.
Popular Attitudes[]
To most Old Worlders, everything that happens and everything that exists is seen as divine activity or subject to divine intervention. Nothing happens just by coincidence. To improve their chances of worldly success, they believe it is essential to give the gods proper respect. This extends to all the gods, including those of other cities, other cultures, and even the Gods of Chaos. All gods - no matter how foul and evil - are powerful forces and to show disrespect to the gods is courting disaster, not only for yourself but for everyone around you. People who are openly disrespectful to the gods are often lynched.
Characters And The Gods[]
As stated above, all characters are expected to show respect for all the gods of the Old World, praying and offering sacrifices when they desire the favour of a particular god.
Clerics and some more devout characters may follow one god in particular. In such cases, the characters must be of the same alignment as the deity. Even these characters are not excused from the normal obligations that all characters have towards all gods: a Cleric of Taal, for example, must still treat Verena and her temples with respect. Of course, characters who follow one god devoutly are not expected to show respect to deities who are hostile to their deity.
Minor Deities[]
As well as the major deities of the Old World religions, there are many lesser deities. These are generally the patron deities of cities, towns, guilds, and so on; some of them are distinct gods, while others are specialised aspects of more major gods, sometimes with a different name or title.
Most of the larger towns and cities have their own attendant god. Some lesser deities, also, are more or less universal and may have temples dedicated to them. Therefore, most urban areas have a number of temples dedicated to different gods, some foreign, others indigenous to the area. New temples are constantly being built and new gods are constantly being imported from other parts of the Old World and even further afield. Some imported cults become fashionable for a short time before being supplanted by the next religious novelty, while others last and become part of the overall religious life of an area.
Temples[]
The temple is the centre of worship for each deity; it is where ceremonial magic, invocation, and sacrifice are performed according to the rites and practices of that god.
There is no such thing as a typical temple. Styles vary greatly and many temples are very old. Religious principles may dictate the shape of the building in some cases. However, they are all large buildings, usually built in brick or stone, and many feature towers of one kind or another. Brief notes on temples and their organisation are given in the Temples section of each deity's description.
Generally, though, the principal temple to a major god in a large city will be enormous, with many attendant Clerics of all levels, as well as scribes, initiates, and other lay staff. On the other hand, a temple in a remote village might be no more than a large shrine, attended by one priest who may not even be a Cleric.
Temples and shrines generally contain objects of value - offerings that have been made to the attendant deity, icons, relics, and so on. The gamesmaster can decide what is found in a temple, bearing in mind the size and location of the temple, or can use the Treasure Table to generate these things randomly.
Needless to say, these valuables are the property of the deity and characters who attempt to steal or damage them are inviting the displeasure not only of the temple's priests, but also of the deity (see The Wrath of the Gods below).
Shrines[]
Shrines are common feature of worship in the Old World. Temples always include one or more shrines, but the majority are independent, free-standing structures, erected by the inhabitants of a village or a city ward or by members of a particular guild or other social unit. Essentially, shrines are temples in miniature; they are places where offerings are made and prayers are offered to placate or gain the favour of a deity. Most are no more than a small altar, with an image of the god and a suitable inscription, generally covered by a small wooden or stone structure.
Shrines to gods are connected to the nearest temple of the deity in question and may be visited regularly by worshippers who live too far away from the temple itself. The maintenance of the shrine is the responsibility of those who use it and it is customary to make a cash offering after praying at a shrine to contribute toward its upkeep.
Along the roadways and in small hamlets, shrines will be found dedicated to minor deities, such as the patrons of a particular craft or the local spirits of a nearby feature, such as a spring, an especially impressive cave, a crossroads, or a bridge.
Prayer And Blessings[]
Occasionally, a character praying at a shrine or temple will not only attract the attention of the attendant deity, but will also bring some miraculous result.
Blessings are, by definition, extremely rare. It is not possible to lay down any firm guidelines, but a base 1% chance is reasonable. The gamesmaster should take into account the precise circumstances and impose modifiers as seems fit.
Blessings will only generally be granted to characters who follow the attendant deity, although characters of the same alignment may be granted a blessing under exceptional circumstances. Characters of different alignment will not be granted blessings.
Clerics obviously have a closer rapport with the deity than other characters and they have a greater chance of obtaining a blessing. It is suggested that characters who have followed an Initiate career in the service of the deity will have a base 2% chance of obtaining a blessing, while Clerics of the deity will add 1% for each level they have attained.
The actions of the supplicant character should also be taken into account. Every full four hours spent in prayer will increase the chance of a blessing by 1% and sacrifices will increase the chance further. The gamesmaster should decide the precise modifier, taking into account the amount of the sacrifice and what it means to the sacrificing character - a sacrifice of 10 Gold Crowns will mean a lot more to a starving peasant than it will to a wealthy merchant - or a treasure-laden adventurer.
Finally, of course, the gamesmaster should take into account the nature and interests of the deity involved and how well they accord with the reason for which the character is praying. Again, the GM will have to decide what effect, if any, these will have on the character's chance of obtaining a blessing.
Blessings can take several forms and it is up to the gamesmaster to decide on a suitable one, taking into account the circumstances, the nature of the deity involved, and the past history of the character. A character might be granted a bonus to one test, the use of one skill, or a one-shot use of one spell. You are free to invent new types of blessing, but they should be no more powerful than the examples given here.
Bonuses to tests should never be more than +10%. The gamesmaster should chould a test from the list given in the description of the relevant deity.
The use of a skill is self-explanatory. The gamesmaster should choose a skill from the list given in the deity's description.
Where a character is granted the use of a spell, it will generally be for one use only. The spell should be chosen by the gamesmaster from those listed under Spell Use in the description of the relevant deity. The spell will generally be of the highest level that the blessed character is able to use and may occasionally be of a higher level. The spell may be cast without expending Magic Points and there will be no chance of miscasting, even if the character is not normally able to use spells.
Blessings obtained in prayer at shrines and temples will normally last for no more than 24 hours. These are different from blessings obtained as a result of a roll on the Cleric Advance Table, which are permanent, except for spells, which may still only be used once - they may, however, be used days or even months after they have been granted.
Oracles And Other Marvels[]
Apart from the ability to grant blessings, temples and shrines can assume any power that the gamesmaster cares to give them. They can play a great part in an adventure. Here are some ideas; you will no doubt be able to think of many more.
Quest: The character is presented with an unexpected manifestation of the deity or an agent of the deity and is told to undertake a perilous quest on the deity's behalf. The character may also receive aid (in the form of a blessing or in the form of money or some magic item from the temple) and advice. The character has no choice but to undertake the quest; to refuse or to fail will bring down the wrath of the deity upon the character.
Oracle: A character may receive a vision or portent in answer to a question. Answers may be cryptic, as with the Divining skill, or they may be indirect, instructing the character to seek elsewhere, for instance.
Healing: Character staying in a shrine or temple may be healed miraculously of some injury or disease.
Warning: Characters who pray at the shrine or temple may receive a vision of some threat that they might face in the future or some unknown peril that threatens them now.
The Wrath Of The Gods[]
As well as granting blessings to the deserving, the gods may also inflict punishments on those who fail to show them respect or plot to harm their worshippers. A Cleric who fails to keep to the deity's strictures or otherwise brings the faith into disrepute will also be punished, as will characters who steal from the deity's temples or harm the deity's priests.
Divine punishments have varying stages, according to the enormity of the crime and the position of the errant character.
First, if the characters are Clerics of the deity in question, they will suddenly stop recovering Magic Points or become unable to use certain spells. If they pray for guidance, the deity might send a dream pointing out the fault.
Next, the characters will find that things go wrong more often than usual. This is essentially the reverse of a blessing - the characters will suffer a -10% modifier to one test or lose the use of one skill each day until they have made peace with the offended deity. The gamesmaster should select an effect in the same way as for a blessing.
If they continue to offend, the penalties may be increased and, if this has no effect (in which case the characters have effectively given notice that they are prepared to defy the gods), the deity may decide on sterner measures. These are left up to the gamesmaster, but examples might be marking characters as outcasts in some way (by inflicting some hideous physical mutation on them, for example, like a mark which will make normal people shun the character, almost as if the word 'HERETIC' had appeared tattooed across their faces), striking them blind, causing madness, and so on. Actual physical visitations from the deity or an attendant daemon should only be used as a last resort and only in extreme cases.
Deities offended by those who are not their followers are known to approach the character's patron god to act on their behalf; for example, if a follower of Taal offends Verena, Verena may ask Taal to punish the character. In such cases, the gamesmaster must weigh up the extent of the crime, the attitude of the character's patron god, and the relationship between the two deities involved before deciding on any action. Obviously, if the two deities are hostile to one another, the offender will probably be protected from the wrath of the slighted deity. Thus, although the worship of some deities has been outlawed in some parts of the Old World and their followers are persecuted, the outlawed deities are prevented from taking action by the prevailing deities of the area.
The Veneration Of Chaos Gods[]
The worship of Chaos Gods is regarded with horror by most decent and civilised folk. This has tended to result in the foundation of secret temples and the use of makeshift sites, such as forest clearings and ruins. Temples are never openly built to Chaos Gods.
Covens and secret temples are rooted out and destroyed by the authorities whenever possible and worshippers find themselves persecuted or forced into exile. Many disappear into the woods, where they join the ever-growing number of wandering followers of Chaos.
The Veneration Of Other Outlawed Gods[]
The Chaos Gods are not the only deities to be outlawed in various parts of the Old World; many cults are prohibited or surpressed in certain areas. This is usually for good reasons, such as anti-social cult practices (e.g., Human sacrifice, violence against unbelievers, antagonism to the establishment, etc.). Some cults are generally outlawed, while others are only outlawed in particular places; full details are given in the entry for the relevant deity. Characters who openly venerate an outlawed god can expect official harassment, public antipathy, and possibly even a lynching, although in most areas this will not be as extreme as the reaction to followers of Chaos Gods.
Worship Of Other Deities In The Empire[]
As well as numerous temples dedicated to the major gods, the people of The Empire acknowledge many other minor deities. These are not Cults in the true sense of the word and their authority may well be limited to a particular place or area. Typical examples are Bögenauer, the god of the town of Bögenhafen, and Handrich, the god of merchants and commerce. Gods such as these do not have Clerics of their own, but instead rely on Clerics from other, related Cults or else make use of lay-preachers - town councillors in the case of Bögenauer and members of the Merchants' Guild in the case of Handrich.
Sub-Cults[]
Many of the major gods are worshipped under different names and in different ways in different places. Some sub-cults worship a major deity under a different name, while others worship a single aspect of a particular deity. There are many of these sub-cults and not all are on friendly terms with the major religion from which they spring. In some cases, the Clerics of a sub-cult might be completely ignorant that their god and the god of another cult are one and the same; in other cases, Clerics of both cults might regard each other as heretics.
Some examples are given in the entries of a few deities. These are but a few examples; most of the deities of the Old World are worshipped in many guises in different parts of the Empire and beyond.
The Gods Of The Old World[]
This section lists a few of the major deities of the Old World. Each deity is treated in a standard format, as follows:
Name: The deity's name and sphere of influence is given here. A deity might have more than one name - different names may be used in different places, for example - and where this is the case, the most common name is given here, while others are explained in the Description.
Description: This section provides basic information about the deity's character and interests.
Alignment: The deity's alignment is given here. Note that the deity's Initiates and Clerics must have this alignment.
Symbol: This section describes and explains any signs or symbols associated with the cult.
Area of Worship: This section details where and by whom the deity is worshipped.
Temples: This section contains descriptions of temples and shrines and details the organisation of the religion.
Friends and Enemies: This section lists any groups who are likely to be friendly or hostile to the deity's followers.
Holy Days: This section lists the cult's festivals or holy days and gives brief notes on their significance.
Cult Requirements: This section details any requirements which a character must fulfil in order to become an Initiate or Cleric of the deity.
Strictures: This section lists the strictures which must be kept by Initiates and Clerics following the deity. A character who breaks these strictures will almost certainly offend the deity and incur some divine retribution.
Spell Use: This section lists the spells available to Clerics of the deity. Needless to say, a Cleric must be of sufficient level to be able to use any spell. Spells are not received automatically, but must be granted by the deity. If a spell is not listed in this section, it may never be used by Clerics of the deity in question, unless it is granted as a result of a blessing.
Skills: This section lists the skills which are available to Initiates and Clerics of the deity; these are in addition to those listed in the relevant career entries. These skills must be bought with Experience Points in the normal way.
Trials: This section gives brief notes on the kind of trials which may be set for a character wishing to advance as a Cleric of the deity.
Blessings: This section lists the characteristics, skills, tests, and spells which might be affected by a blessing from the deity.
List Of Gods[]
- Major Human Gods
- Handrich - God of Trade
- Manann - God of the Seas
- Morr - God of Death and Dreams
- Myrmidia - Goddess of War
- Ranald - God of Thieves and Tricksters
- Shallya - Goddess of Healing and Mercy
- Taal - God of Nature and Wild Places
- Ulric - God of Battle, Wolves, and Winter
- Verena - Goddess of Learning and Justice
- Lesser Deities
- Regional Patron Deities
- Sigmar Heldenhammer - Patron Deity of The Empire
- Lady Of The Lake - Patron Deity of Bretonnia
- Lucan And Luccina - Patron Deities of Luccini, Tilea
- The Old Faith
- Dwarven Deities
- Gazul - Lord of the Underearth
- Grimnir - Ancestor God of Warriors
- Grungni - Ancestor God of Mining and Stonework
- Morgrim - Ancestor God of Engineers
- Rukh - Ancestor God of Smiths
- Smednir - Shaper of Ore
- Thungni - Ancestor God of Runesmiths
- Valaya - Ancestor Goddess of Home and Healing
- Ancestor Cults
- Elven Deities
- Adamnan-na-Brionha - The Lord of the Dance
- Asuryan - The Defender
- Hoeth - God of Wisdom
- Isha - Goddess of Earth and Fertility
- Karnos/Kurnous - Lord of Beasts
- Khaela Mensha Khaine - The Bloody-Handed God
- Liadriel - God of Song and Wine
- Sarriel - God of Dreams
- Torothal - Goddess of Rain and Rivers
- Halfling Deities
- Esmeralda - Halfling Goddess of Hearth and Home
- Gnomic Deities
- Ringil - Gnome God of Smiths and Jesters
- The Chaos Gods
- Greenskin Deities
- Gork
- Mork
- Lizardman Deities
- Chotec - The Sun God
- Huanchi - The Stealthy
- Sotek - Saviour of the Lizardmen
- Tepoc - The Wise
- Tzunki - The Watcher
- The Gods of Law