Good-aligned D&D character who worships an Evil-aligned deity
I don’t come across this too often, which is a shame because I enjoy it.
There’s a few main ways I can think of that this could happen.
Character worships the neutral-to-benevolent aspect of a mostly-malevolent deity
So like, a god of wildfires – uncontrolled destructive power, killing and ruining without a care for consequences – could also represent the destruction that allows for new growth, or a goddess of assassins – the quick and precise blade that silently ends a life – might easily also be the patron of surgeons, who use their knives and knowledge of anatomy to incise diseased flesh and promote health.
If you think that something can’t have a positive aspect, either you’re dealing with a deity whose sphere of influence is way too limited, or you just need to be more imaginative.
Character worships to ward off the deity’s influence
From what I’ve gathered, this was how a lot of things went, historically. You sacrifice to the powers of drought and famine so that they would be satisfied with your offering and not bring a drought; you offer your praises and devotion to the god of illness in exchange for a cure.
This is fun because you can have a character who fears and/or hates their deity, but keeps going, to protect themself and others.
Character is a dumbass / ignorant
I mean, this would also include people who aren’t dumbasses but have had their deity’s true nature concealed from them (but that’s not as fun to say). Think like, 90% of the people who join IRL cults; they don’t KNOW that it’s a cult, not at first at least.
Another thing this includes is somebody who was raised in the faith, and shielded from the more negative aspects; it could be their family, or it could be like a region-wide thing.
Those are the reasonable options, with plenty of openings for realization and drama. But like, if you’re already playing a character with negative Wisdom and Intelligence modifiers, it’d just be plain FUN to have your Lawful Good paladin smite demons in the name of a Chaotic Evil deity of murder and suffering, solely because she doesn’t know better and nobody’s had the heart to tell her.
(via criticalrolo)
