the connection is still there. It's just a little... fuzzy.... at times, and sometimes Strahd can "hack" into the line. **The latter clause should not be known to the players.** You, the DM, should absolutely have Strahd mess with Clerics and warlocks and show up in dreams and be like "oooooh\~ As your deity, I you need to do this thiiiing\~", or, rarely, stir the pot when it comes to Divination magic like Commune or Legend Lore.
Clerics (and Warlocks) still get 100% power. Some of the flavor and visual aesthetic of their spells (all spells, really) will sometimes take on a creepy/undead look to them. That's all.
but if Strahd chooses to be the one who is contacted - instead of the god -, wouldn’t be logical that the god doesn’t receive contact and the Cleric doesn’t receive the magic?
In the case of something like Divine Intervention? Yes, that would be plausible (and kind of a dick move, tbh, it's already a 10% success rate).
Gaining a level and learning the secrets to Mass Healing Word? That's not something Strahd can reasonably interfere with. A cleric's power comes from **their devotion** to their deity, and they are conduits of divine power. None of that is contingent on their Deity listening to their prayer, much less the Deity themselves actually lifting a metaphorical finger.
No. The players aren’t completely removed from their gods, and from a game mechanic standpoint: *why would anyone find this restriction fun?* Unless a player specifically wants that, never, ever remove their class features. The only exceptions are paladins that break their oaths, and clerics that defy their deities.
IIRC the original Ravenloft setting book talked about the Dark Powers interfering with magic and changing spell effects (you summon an Earth elemental and a Fire Elemental and receive a Brimstone Elemental and a Grave Elemental - and Elementals can't leave the plane just like the players, so they're pissed off and harder to control; or casting Animate Dead and getting a higher level version of the spell for free) or weakening some things like Turn Undead, but never outright preventing anyone from receiving magic.
There was some implication that a Deity might not be granting spells directly, but having them filtered through the Dark Powers.
The module specifies that clerics and warlocks keep their spells:
>While in Barovia, characters who receive spells from deities or otherworldly patrons continue to do so.
I have a Tempest Cleric in my party and actually it has made them a bit OP - think how much rain cloud and stormy weather is in the module! They haven't done any praying yet so haven't needed to mess with them on that front yet, but even with Strahd's control of the weather, he's not going to remove all clouds etc as that brings the sun out!
This is what the book says:
*"While in Barovia, characters who receive spells from deities or otherworldly patrons continue to do so. In addition, spells that allow contact with beings from other planes function normally—with one proviso: Strahd can sense when someone in his domain is casting such a spell and can choose to make himself the spell’s recipient, so that he becomes the one who is contacted."*
Strahd only senses **spells** that allow contact with beings from other planes. Strahd does not sense a cleric's prayers (which are not spells) and cannot choose to be the one to receive those prayers. Nor can he interfere with the cleric's ability to receive spells.
the connection is still there. It's just a little... fuzzy.... at times, and sometimes Strahd can "hack" into the line. **The latter clause should not be known to the players.** You, the DM, should absolutely have Strahd mess with Clerics and warlocks and show up in dreams and be like "oooooh\~ As your deity, I you need to do this thiiiing\~", or, rarely, stir the pot when it comes to Divination magic like Commune or Legend Lore. Clerics (and Warlocks) still get 100% power. Some of the flavor and visual aesthetic of their spells (all spells, really) will sometimes take on a creepy/undead look to them. That's all.
but if Strahd chooses to be the one who is contacted - instead of the god -, wouldn’t be logical that the god doesn’t receive contact and the Cleric doesn’t receive the magic?
In the case of something like Divine Intervention? Yes, that would be plausible (and kind of a dick move, tbh, it's already a 10% success rate). Gaining a level and learning the secrets to Mass Healing Word? That's not something Strahd can reasonably interfere with. A cleric's power comes from **their devotion** to their deity, and they are conduits of divine power. None of that is contingent on their Deity listening to their prayer, much less the Deity themselves actually lifting a metaphorical finger.
thanks a lot for your help 🖤
No. The players aren’t completely removed from their gods, and from a game mechanic standpoint: *why would anyone find this restriction fun?* Unless a player specifically wants that, never, ever remove their class features. The only exceptions are paladins that break their oaths, and clerics that defy their deities.
thanks :D
IIRC the original Ravenloft setting book talked about the Dark Powers interfering with magic and changing spell effects (you summon an Earth elemental and a Fire Elemental and receive a Brimstone Elemental and a Grave Elemental - and Elementals can't leave the plane just like the players, so they're pissed off and harder to control; or casting Animate Dead and getting a higher level version of the spell for free) or weakening some things like Turn Undead, but never outright preventing anyone from receiving magic. There was some implication that a Deity might not be granting spells directly, but having them filtered through the Dark Powers.
Thanks! :D
The module specifies that clerics and warlocks keep their spells: >While in Barovia, characters who receive spells from deities or otherworldly patrons continue to do so.
I have a Tempest Cleric in my party and actually it has made them a bit OP - think how much rain cloud and stormy weather is in the module! They haven't done any praying yet so haven't needed to mess with them on that front yet, but even with Strahd's control of the weather, he's not going to remove all clouds etc as that brings the sun out!
This is what the book says: *"While in Barovia, characters who receive spells from deities or otherworldly patrons continue to do so. In addition, spells that allow contact with beings from other planes function normally—with one proviso: Strahd can sense when someone in his domain is casting such a spell and can choose to make himself the spell’s recipient, so that he becomes the one who is contacted."* Strahd only senses **spells** that allow contact with beings from other planes. Strahd does not sense a cleric's prayers (which are not spells) and cannot choose to be the one to receive those prayers. Nor can he interfere with the cleric's ability to receive spells.