Topic: Gods and devout followers

[Druss_the_Legend]

I use gods in my campaign and would like to give characters who follow them some benefits and abilities unique to each god.

Has anyone else done this?
I want seperate abilities for Devout Followers and Godsworn Followers.

The system i use is rolemaster 2nd ed.

I’m not sure how to go about this but maybe use a talent or skill that requires skill ranks and the character increases at leach level in followership and when they reach enough skill ranks they get benefits. These benefits or gifts are bestowed by their god and can be taken away if the character is not behaving in a manner that brings glory to their god or do not advance the goals of their god. Retaining any benefits might require a tithe or Quest for the priests of the gods temple.

Thoughts?

[MisterK]

My thoughts :
- I wouldn't use a skill if it can only provide benefits for a certain number of ranks. A skill should be applicable regardless of the number of ranks you get (but of course, the higher the skill bonus, the greater the chances of getting a positive result)
- I wouldn't take away anything a player spent DPs into. Change it, why not, or assign a modifier that varies according to the status of the character in the eyes of the god, why not, but not take anything away.
- I would not use a skill if the status of the character in the eyes of the god is something that does not depend on training and practice (and let's face it, that kind of relationship is often subject to the whims of the gods far more than to the efforts of the character).

You have rules for divine favour in the RMSS/RMFRP Channeling Co, and even if you use RM2, reading them could give you ideas on how to do things.

[Jengada]

MisterK raises some good points about granting skills and spending DPs, and then possibly taking them away. That would feel heavy handed, as a player.
That said, my thoughts after reading Druss' post were still mostly skill based. I thought of two basic scenarios. In both cases, service to the deity could result in gaining very specific skills - and I would be inclined to make those skills secondary skills, not core skills that a player will really need to develop.
The first case would be where there is really only one skill appropriate to the deity, and in return for X amount of service, the devout follower gets 1 rank in that skill.
The second case is where there may be more than one skill (nature deity, for example, might have both foraging and tracking as possible skills). The devout follower could get a small number of DP that can only go towards those skills, and then could save them up over levels if needed, but could still only spend then on the allowed skills.
If you do think you'll ever be taking away the boon from the deity, I might lean towards not using skills but using a 1st level spell as the boon. It's much more plausible that the deity can give and take small channeling bonuses, than skills that the character has spent time and their expertise developing.