Re: Re: The number of devotees in a clan

From: Peter Larsen <plarsen_at_...>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 10:25:03 -0600

At 3:53 PM +0000 3/22/02, ian_hammond_cooper wrote:
>Peter Larsen wrote:
>>I strongly disagree with this. I imagine there are quite a few
>devotees of the providing sides of Orlanth and Ernalda (as well as
>Barntar,Odayla and, perhaps, Issaries). There's no real support
>question for these people -- they will produce more food for the clan
>than a similar initiate.
>
>I think that the difference here is that I see a devotee as a
>specialist, an expert. An economic specialist, even an expert farmer,
>depends on the creation of surplus by the clan. To that extent they
>are 'supported' and societies at this level of agriculture and
>industry only generate a certain amount of surplus. Sure, an expert
>helps your yields to grow, and may pay for himself many times over,
>but you must have the surplus to invest to begin with. I disagree
>with the notion that the 60% time requirement can be met by anyone
>who worships a god appropriate to their profession, simply by being
>in their profession. But, as always, YGMV.

        YGMV, indeed. I think we are rapidly reaching the point where it's a matter of personal preference. We're also reaching the point where this doesn't belong on the rules list.

        However, I think there is a difference between Provider Devotees which are pretty much a boon to the clan -- they arise without disrupting anything (Hrut just becomes a better and better famer), they produce much more than they consume, and their religious duties are pretty much congruent with stead life (heck, half your farmers could be devotees and it wouldn't be that much of a strain on the stead) -- Crafter Devotees which are a more qualified blessing -- they may produce useful good and trade materials but they produce much less food and they need to be supported, and their religious duties are not so much about regular stead life -- and Specialist Devotees who are useful but more limited -- I include Humakti, Mhyites, etc -- they essentially produce no food or goods, their religious duties are removed from stead life, they need pretty much full support, and their skills, although useful, are more limited in scope (a Humakti is great in battle, but of limited use at other times). I think your assumptions apply pretty well to the third group, less well to the second, and much less to the first.

Peter Larsen