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Help with faith

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Ghostfreak:
A few questions that I would appreciate to get an answer too. The first being is it worth investing refresh into stunts like devout words or blessed words for a character with a conviction of 4? If not then can you please explain why?


Second question, could someone help me better understand faith and its limits in the drpg?

Can someone with a high conviction consecrate an object? Whether it be an weapon, personal item, etc. Like say I want to consecrate a collapsible baton to better fight a vampire or things weak to faith.

Sanctaphrax:
Devout words seems decent. Blessed Words I'm not too impressed by. Letting you block physical attacks with Conviction is a genuinely new capability; letting you make a taggable Aspect with it isn't. Unless your GM lets you get a bit supernatural with the effects of your prayers.

Like most Catch-related things, exactly what's holy enough to beat the Toughness of (for example) a vampire is not really nailed-down rules-wise. If I was GMing, I'd probably let you consecrate a baton with appropriate ceremonies and a mundane Conviction roll. Wouldn't be something you could do casually, though.

narphoenix:

--- Quote from: Sanctaphrax on July 01, 2018, 08:54:28 PM ---
Like most Catch-related things, exactly what's holy enough to beat the Toughness of (for example) a vampire is not really nailed-down rules-wise. If I was GMing, I'd probably let you consecrate a baton with appropriate ceremonies and a mundane Conviction roll. Wouldn't be something you could do casually, though.

--- End quote ---

Here's a weird thought. Islam doesn't have a lot of symbols (it's a whole thing), but the first verses of the Qur'an that were revealed talk about how God taught humans with a pen. Would you let a sufficiently devout Muslim just pull out a pen and start warding off a vampire with it?

Ghostfreak:
Now that is an interesting thought. Though to be honest in the world of Dresden; faith has always struck me as a bit weird and off. I mean I get why Michael has faith powers, because he believes in God and love. As well as his family. Shiro being a baptist by technicality is also easy to digest; and Sanya is the only one who is a black sheep among the three but does not make him any less important. The reason I asked this question is because the rule book is not exactly clear and concise on the whole belief is its own power. Only that it has to be pure, true, sincere faith.

Does that mean that someone who believes in something as simple as the quote "life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness" qualify? Or perhaps Miyamoto Musashi's “Get beyond love and grief: exist for the good of Man.”, "No Fear, No Hesitation, No Surprise, No Doubt" or maybe even his whole respect Budda and the gods but don't rely on them to bail you out during battle? How far does this belief stuff go?

Sanctaphrax:
It's not totally clear how True Faith works, but it's definitely not just internal to the believers. The White God, whatever it is, clearly exists and exerts real power through its angels.

Picking an example at semi-random, Shiro didn't get his powers from being a Baptist. He got them because God (or perhaps his angels) decided to give them to him. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone with True Faith was in a similar boat. But for game purposes I'd totally allow a character to take Righteousness fuelled by their belief in the American way or whatever; whether or not it's what Butcher intended, it'll work fine in play.

If you ask me, the big mystery of True Faith is what exactly God is. The actual-factual miracles in the story make a number of real-life theological controversies a lot harder to answer.

I'm not really sure it's possible to discuss that topic without getting into touchy territory, though. Had a whole thing written out on the topic and deleted it because it was mostly applicable to real-world religion as well as Dresdenverse religion.


--- Quote from: narphoenix on July 02, 2018, 01:44:07 AM ---Here's a weird thought. Islam doesn't have a lot of symbols (it's a whole thing), but the first verses of the Qur'an that were revealed talk about how God taught humans with a pen. Would you let a sufficiently devout Muslim just pull out a pen and start warding off a vampire with it?
--- End quote ---

I'd allow it. It's not mechanically overpowered or religiously offensive, so why not?

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