The Northern DM

This particular NPC was startlingly overpowered at first, right a long the levels of 6 while everyone else was just starting out, and he helped them along in the most dire situations, healing, defeating, and even resurrecting for them. There would be periods where he would be gone, and the party would have to face a crypt full of mummies together, or dive into the deepest parts of the ocean and retrieve these milky white pearls that would give them the ability to help their friend and defeat the wicked king. Slowly, their memories came back to them, and that was a stark comfort for them, but the entire time, there seemed to be a piece missing. 

After they retrieved 5 pearls (they broke the 6th one), they journied with the man to the wicked king’s castle, and fought their way through endless ranks of guards, undead, demons, and even a lich, until they made their way to the sacred bed chamber of the king, that they all remembered the story of from before they had awoken in that garbage pile. They opened the doors, only to find it empty, save the usual furniture, marred by scratches and the ancient scrawl of demons. The man in the white armor sighed and walked into the bedroom. 

And his armor changed from white to pitch black, and the whole party remembered suddenly. That was the face of the wicked king, the face that smiled at them whenever he healed them, the face that looked stern as they suggested stupids things to find the pearls. Apparently, in lapses of the demon’s control, the king had found a way to set him self up for defeat, by bringing his wive’s pearls along with brave, powerful warriors. Every absence he felt was where he had to return to the demon’s control and become the wicked king again, but he was determined to fight himself, to rid his own evil from the world, to end this curse of immortality and see his loved one again. 

I made the party fight the final boss, and they saw the eyes of a friend. 

Religions have many different aspects that should at least be given thought if not careful consideration. Use these to guide your creative process when developing new religions and deities.

Key Aspects

Deity/Pantheon: Your religion does not need to necessarily have a deity, and it can even have an entire pantheon. I would venture that while a trained priest might perhaps specialize in one deity, a religion can have many.

Dogma: What are the principles and teachings of your religion? What does the deity implore of their worshippers? What is and isn’t allowed? What are the ethics of the religion? Why must we follow these principles?

Symbols: As important as the religion’s dogma are its symbols. How is your religion recognized on flags, tabards, armor, weapons, artwork, and holy symbols? Does your religion have a holy color or color scheme that they could use for their priestly robes?

Temples: Where are the religion’s places of worship? They could be secluded and secret or in/near cities. What do they look like? Are they merely household shrines or grand cathedrals? Do they have any distinguishing features?

Religious Practices

Rites and Rituals: What sorts of special ceremonies do the clerics of your religion practice? Are there any special material components that have meaning for the religion, deity, and ceremony? How long do ceremonies take and what is supposed to come from them? Rituals always serve a purpose, even if that purpose is merely affirming your faith. Rituals are useful as story elements as well as for players to perform.

Affirming Faith: telling your god you’re there and in prayer. It can be as simple as a daily prayer or weekly ceremony or more in-depth like a monthly or yearly ritual.

Proving Devotion: proving your faith to your god, usually meant for those who might be in doubt or who have wavered.

Initiation: rituals for new members to the religion.

Induction: rituals for new clergy members or clergy moving up in hierarchy.

Satiation: your deity demands sacrifice of something valuable to you or to it.

Boon/Blessing: the ritual seeks something of your deity, perhaps a bountiful harvest or victory in battle.

Magic: a ritual might be held to cast certain spells or perhaps to increase the power or scope of a spell. These can also be used in creation of magic items.

Healing: rituals for performing healing magic.

Funerals: ceremonies for the dead.

Marriage: ceremonies for binding individuals together spiritually

Holy Days: Often rituals can coincide with special days or times of the year. Holy days can be predicted and often signify important seasonal or historic events. Harvest, springtime, solstice, and equinox holy days are common, as are those commemorating the deaths of martyrs or important dates in the religion’s history.

Myths/Legends: Are there any stories or parables that your religion teaches? What stories of the gods do they tell? Do they have any specific myths relating to things like the creation of the world, the creation of elements, the invention of everyday things, or perhaps the invention of morality?

Prayers/Sayings: To help you roleplay priests of this religion, you can come up with some common greetings, farewells, and blessings that might be associated with the religion. “Pelor shines upon you” and whatnot.

People

Titles/Hierarchy: What are the ranks of the clergy and do they have any special titles? Are there any notable NPCs in the religion’s hierarchy? For instance, those that worship Mammon, the archdevil of greed are often called Covetors.

Clergy: Do the clergy perform any services for the rest of the population? Usually this involves healing or holding ceremonies, but they could have a broader scope in a theocracy or a narrower scope if secluded or unpopular. What do the clergy look like and wear? Do they favor certain classes other than clerics?

Worshippers: What sort of people are drawn to the religion? Are there certain races, classes, or kingdoms that worship them? What convinces them to follow the religion’s dogma? Is it out of fear, necessity, protection, comfort, or prosperity?

Relations: Does this religion have allies or enemies? These could either be allied or rival churches, deities, or religions. Furthermore, certain kingdoms or people could ally with or oppose the religion. Think of how each faction and religion in your world sees this religion.

Culture

Art: How does your religion express itself? Define your religion’s art, architecture, fashion, and songs and how they compare to other religions and cultures.

A set of Expanded Madness Tables that I did up as part of a commission for @arcane-ethereality​

These tables are designed to replace or expand on the madness tables listed in the DMG.  The Effects listed are meant to have mechanical effects that are simplified for the sake of play, and are heavily inspired by actual psychological disorders, but not in any way meant to accurately represent mental illness.

Tiffany: optimistic child

Bovilio: Sad devil

Unnamed Drow Mystic: Know-it-all, will remind you.

G’rafiik: You’d think he was a Dwarf if you couldn’t see him.

Beak van Byke: Can’t sit still. Bored all the time. Land is stupid.

Vivian: Dead people can’t sass back.

Rodrigo: I’m a Chaotic Nuetral Paladin! I don’t see any problems with this.

Kalithem: Paladin and Druid are good multiclassed together, right?

Havoc: SPOONS

Lilinska: Gun Turret

Lyrokel: I’m going to hit it and make it die with hitting it

Kinisk: Idiot twin no.1 Idiot detective sargent no. 2

Aelin: “*visibly texting* Sorry I don’t have a phone”

Maxwell: Steals Shoes

Mialee: Local Sorcerer Wants To Fight God, Who Watches Them Like A Reality TV Show

Nelle: Ranger with 8 CHA goes Sorcerer

Talen: Sneaky Bastard™

Durlent Vehementor: Angry Whittler

Tyavel and Talavel: Boy Angel and Girl Angel and I forgot which is which.

Swift: I stole a shiny leaf that turned me into a warlock.

Flick: aggressively emo

Alyiosus: aggressively emo loving family boy psycholopath

Eiiji: everyone is stepping stones to my Disney princess

Arie lythose the great...: the most beautiful liar

You’re not a noun, you’re a verb

I’m on my eight skeleton, isn’t it great?

*holds up tiny statue made of spare metal bits* This is the West Kentucky one-eyed flightless bird. *throws it onto the table* See?

It’s Zen Friday, take a Zen Page.

You don’t own appliances so we have nothing in common.

I drank tainted water once and I was crawling around on my knees.  It was amazing.  Don’t ever drink tainted water, it’s not worth it.

*using a timer on my phone* wait is that on my phone too?????

*sharpening a pencil* isn’t this the most fun thing you’ve ever done

You’ve heard of the Secret Drawing Society right?

Do you doubt the existence of the can?

I have to get my septic pumped out today.  Do you know what a septic is?

Have you lost all your popularity on campus because you sequester yourself away to draw? GOOD!!!

*holds out pig skull* you want to pet him?

Do you have a handkerchief you could sacrifice to the art gods?

Hello.  Please come grab a magic drawing rock and show me which rock you picked. Oooooooo, obsidian.  At an antique road show this would cost about five dollars.  Good rock choice.

We know the scariest image ever is a stack of pillows.

*something hits the ground with a loud bang and he shrugs* gravity is like that.

You can go out and practice your cry. Go out into a field and cry as loud as you can.  That way when you need your cry, you have it.

*holds up a mirror* this is a perspective correction machine.  It’s battery operated, runs on AAA batteries so you don’t have to plug it in.  It works 100% of the time.

I can see perspective being off across the room with one eye tied behind my back.  It’s a curse

I never wear sunglasses unless I’m driving across Kansas facing the sun, because they make me look way cooler than I am, and I don’t want that.

Mowing is my life.  Of all my priorities, mowing is number one in my life.

That’s why we have class anyway, so we can rip each other off.

Have you ever gotten to the point where your drawing doesn’t need you anymore? It’s pretty enlightening when it happens. But also really depressing.

Whoever says “give 100%” is crazy.  Are you trying to die?  35% is a perfectly acceptable amount of energy at any given time.  I never go above that.

But when I was your age, shut up, but when I was your age, shut up, but when I was your age, shut up, but-

Do you ever hallucinate?  I hallucinate things a lot.  I’ll see these wisps floating through the studio, and I don’t tell you because I know you won’t believe me, but they’re there.

I have a fear of running out of yellow cheese.  I’m from Wisconsin, cheese is in our DNA.

*yelling at students* Hey remember me?!?!?! I was your drawing teacher!!!! *addressing us* they try to forget.

I’m somewhat of an intense person, have you noticed?

A great cry will echo from the drawing lab and across the valley of Murray and the people will hear it and lift up their heads and say “well, Dale’s at it again”

I hate being mean twice *gets a student to yell for him*

You ever been divided into two people and had a conversation with yourself?  Whenever that happens to me, the way I get out of it … . well I don’t get out of it.  I usually wallow.

Who do you play as in RPGs and/or DnD?