[RPG] What are the benefits of worshipping a god? Do alignment differences matter

alignmentcharacter-creationdnd-5ereligions-and-deities

I am helping one of my players make their character, a Dragonborn Ranger, and we are both struggling when discussing his god, so I have a couple of questions…

Does the god need to share his alignment?

What benefit does having a god have for his character?

Best Answer

In 5th edition, alignment has no mechanical effect whatsoever. It is useful only as a roleplaying aid.

Does the God need to share his alignment?

No, but if his alignment is dramatically different from that of their god, then it becomes an interesting topic to explore in-game. Why do they worship that god? What do they do if a priest of that god asks them to do something that their alignment would oppose? etc.

What benefit does having a God do to his character?

As mentioned, there are no mechanical benefits.

Non-mechanical benefits might include:

  • having a number of NPC contacts from the social connections that come with being a member of a church.
  • more favourable reactions from NPCs who are also members of that religion
  • quests being offered by priests (or even directly from the god).

And to take the word "character" in another sense:

As with any background detail, the act of selecting a god to worship (or rejecting them all) prompts a player to think about who the character it. This helps give them a character (as opposed to a sheet of numbers).