Cleric
Following God's Path
Clerics are unique in how they obtain their magic. Clerics worship gods, and through their worship, they gain power. However, worshipping a specific god will not automatically give you that god's power. Instead, the god in question will decide based on your personality and what you have done in your life. Or, sometimes, they choose to take a chance on a worshipper because they are bored and want to see what they would do.
After receiving their magic, they go out into the world to spread the word of their god. Clerics do this so their respective churches can gain followers and their gods are happy to have new followers. Well, not every god cares about that; some do require their clerics to wear their emblem somewhere noticeable or make it known that you follow them.
Now the finer details about a cleric. Since there are an unknown number of deities, each with its facets and qualities, it is hard to pinpoint what sort of power a cleric might gain. While it is evident that you will get fire-based abilities if you worship the fire god, the same can't be said for someone who worships a dragon god since there's a lot more going on there than just a simple concept. What further complicates things is how fickled the gods can sometimes be, making this a crapshoot.
Despite that, there are a lot of clerics roaming around the realm of IDQ. However, they all follow one golden rule: Do not cross or betray your god.
Career
Qualifications
There are two qualifications for being a cleric. One is more accessible than the other one. First, you must worship a god and or show you care for the practices of their church. The second is a god recognizing this and giving you power. Unfortunately, this is difficult because the gods can be rather fickle.
Career Progression
Like all classes, Clerics can rank up into advanced versions of themselves. Clerics have three pathways they can go down.
- The first pathway is Hero. These are the moral pillars of the church and carry out their god's will. They are the perfect mix of magical and physical abilities. Their next advancement is Champion. After constantly proving themselves to their god, they get promoted to the status of Champion. As Champions, they can invoke the power of their god to defeat their foes.
- The second pathway is Slayer. These are the fanatics of the church that carry out the more unsavory tasks of their god. Their abilities relate to using the dark side of their god's power. Their next advancement is Executioner. These clerics forfeit their morals and follow whatever orders their god gives. But, with their indomitable will, they will make sure they complete their task.
- The third pathway is Priest. These are the ones that primarily spread the word of their god while managing their respective churches. Their abilities lean more towards the spellcaster role. Their next advancement is Bishop. Through constant prayer, they ascend to this role. They gain a myriad of spells themed around their deity while also having the ability to curse and bless others.
| Hero | Champion | |
| Cleric | Slayer | Executioner |
| Priest | Bishop |
Payment & Reimbursement
Like most adventurers, they get paid by completing their quest. Typically in XP, GP, and items. However, in some cases, a cleric's god would reward them for completing assignments given to them.
Other Benefits
The main benefit is having a god look after you and care for you. Depending on your relationship with them, they might be more willing to give you power or help you out in certain situations.
Perception
Purpose
In a team, the purpose of a cleric is unclear since no two clerics are the same. For example, a life or peace cleric would focus on supporting or protecting from damage, while a fire or lightning cleric would receive magic to deal damage. Realistically, clerics can fill almost any role depending on who they serve, which leads me to my next point.
For their god, a cleric is considered a messenger for them. To give an example, a god of death would wish their cleric to stop and punish those abusing necromancy or opening constant portals to the afterlife. So in a sense, a cleric is their god's will who would do things they ask.
Social Status
Whenever someone hears a cleric is in town, they immediately assume that person has some healing magic to be used on other people. Which often leads to surprise and death to others when this isn't the case. Others think they are overbearing and do nothing but shout about their god. This perception is a gross exaggeration created off of stereotypes and a couple of people being stupid.
Demographics
Because of the near-infinite number of gods that exist, they are many clerics. Meaning a lot of clerics with different magics roaming around the place too.
History
The first cleric to exist is unknown. Some people have theories that clerics existed during the early periods of humanity. One assumption is that gods used these early clerics to sway things they liked. However, most people couldn't even tell if someone was a cleric or was just a strong individual. Another theory behind the creation of clerics is that it was first a reward for all the worship of a god received. If you get power from respecting this figure, why not spread its word to gain more followers?
Nowadays, gods do not concern themselves too much about the issue of mortals since everything is relatively peaceful. However, sometimes there is the occasional war that a cleric needs to fight in because something significant happened.
Operations
Tools
While they are varied, clerics follow a trend like the other classes. They start with a set of medium or heavy armor, a mace or a shortsword, and a shield. Although, after a cleric gets their bearings, they branch out and shift what they use. Usually, it is to their interests or their god's favored weapon.
Workplace
Where a cleric works depends on what type of cleric they are. If a cleric goes down the hero route, they act as field agents for their church. They do not necessarily have a workplace, but they check in with their church every so often. If they do the slayer route, they often work in prisons, torturing and murdering those who have wronged their god. As for those who go down the priest route, they work in the church. They are responsible for the upkeep of the church and teaching new members about their god.
Dangers & Hazards
There are not any real dangers that come with being a cleric. The only thing one must worry about is their gods' tasks given to them. For example, a peace cleric might need to stop a conflict from blooming into a war where a war cleric would ask to get involved in the battle. It depends on the god and what's happening at the time.
However, all clerics need to worry about not crossing their god. Gods are mighty and petty beings. Angering your god can lead to punishment and fates worse than death.
CREATION OF THE CLASS
The creation of this class was simple. Since many media portray those who have received a god's blessing or actively worship one, it was easy to make the concept. I ended up splitting the three branching classes into what someone might do in a church and how someone wanted to play. I also made sure to add my spin on the gods to keep things extra interesting. Combing all of that, we have the IDQ version of a cleric.
Alternative Names
Sometimes they are referred to as paladins, priests, and some people call them champions on rare occasions.
Type
Religious
Demand
Many people want to become clerics, and many areas wish to have a cleric. People see clerics as honorable since they get a god's blessing. As for the second reason, having one means your god likes your town.
Legality
Being a cleric is an utterly legal profession. However, there are laws in place to stop specific ways of worship. For example, it is against the law to use sentient creatures with human-level intelligence as sacrifices. Another example is committing mass murders for your god. Depending on the cleric, they would find a way to worship their god without causing trouble or ignore the laws and do whatever they wanted.
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