Who hears your oath? (RPG Blog Carnival)

This month Tabletop Curiosity Cabinet gives us the prompt On my word – Making and breaking promises, vows and oaths for the RPG Blog Carnival.

Assume every deity and powerful being has a constant sussuration of mortal invocations at the edge of their active awareness – the closer you are to their dwelling and their preferred topics, the more likely they are to attend.

Things that make it more likely for your promise, oath or vow to attract ‘witnesses’
– invoke a specific god or power ( “By Bahamut, I pledge…”)
– make a vow to a god or power ( “To thee, Krom, I vow…”)
– if you swear a thing within a powerful beings realm, lair or place of worship
– the topic involved falls within the purview of a deity (e.g. marriage for Hera, crafts for Moradin)

There is some small chance that the very act of making a pledge may attract the attention of some greater power that will seek to punish its breaking. I like Daily Adventure Prompts take on an old favourite for the role of “god/spirit that punishes you if you swear a false oath or break a true one”.

Similarly, should you happen to invoke something while it is attending to that topic in this place, then how ever little you may have wanted them to attend to you, now they are.

Depending on the traditions of the locals, different things may be listening more closesly in different places – some place where the Judge Below is routinely invoked as the guardian of oaths might have a different attitude to one where any oath or vow is seen as the purview of the god whose portfolio most closely matches the activity involved.

Making a promise, oath or vow under duress may matter – depending on whatever it is that witnesses. The more lawful or evil a thing, the more likely it will hold you to what ever you swore, whether or not you were under duress. The duress does not matter to them, their view, you could have always chosen not to swear and suffered the consequences then – you chose to swear then, and so must suffer the consequences now.

Similarly for unintentionally breaking your promies, oath or vow – infernal princes, genies and the like love to catch people on technicalities and may even try to engineer those circumstances. Others will judge you continuing under the burden of what you swore more to their preference and ignore a ‘reparable’ break or use it as a goad to see their preference come to pass.

It is possible to pledge your bloodline but not all will accept the offering or bind any descendants who do not themselves renew that pledge.

Where this all gets strange is when the things invoked or involved are … not what you were expecting.
* Delve to deeply and swear in the dungeon and the things you might invoke could be odd beyond your intentions.
* Stray to close to a shrine to a small god and you may end up with something attending very closely to an unexpected aspect of *how* you carry all this out.

Please or displease any of these and you may see effects that seem inexplicable trail you around.

Mechanics

If you want to throw some mechanics at this; every time an oath or vow is sworn roll a d100 – if it goes under the characters level then something was listening and attends to whatever was sworn. Add +10 to the target number for each of the things listed above as increasing likelihood of attracting witnesses.

If it is not very obvious who has responded and what they are likely to think of the oath or vow, roll a reaction check (2d6) and take your cue for how they feel about this – roll low and it is the Judge Below watching closely for any breaking of your word, roll high and some supportive power takes your vow to heart and aids its realisation.

Example minor local listeners: d14 Small Gods of the Animal-lings

1. God of clear noses and sharp snuffling – whether you find those you seek or they find you first depends on their favour.
2. The gentle wind that eases tracking – aids or hinders your finding of tracks, trails and things
3. The shifting wind that eases hunting – aids of hinders your finding of those you seek
4. The hardener of chitin – to diligently polish ones scales, shell or exoskeleton is to worship. Your gear, blades and bones stand up to the test or fail unexpectedly
5. The sharpest fang – attends to strenuous physical activity of any sort – you are tireless in pursuit of your oath or find it exhausting
6. The deepest burrow – comfortable lairs, easily found – shelter and hospitality are easily found or denied to you
7. They who shield from sight (camoflage) – clouds the sight of either those you seek or those who seek you
8. The judge of stillness (both predators and prey) – invoked with the holding of breath and the paying of absolute attention to ones surroundings – concentration is easily held or fractured and hard come by
9. The great acorn – found bounty, foraging – things you need to aid you on your quest are either found lying where and when you need them or cannot be found anywhere
10. The hum of harmony (hive-god) – smooths bonds between companions – your friends and companions support your oath or quarrel bitterly over it
11. The slumberer – invoked to find food, for deep sleep and for survival in the cold. Rest is easily found while fulfilling this oath or rest is broken, interrupted and poor
12. The calling lord – long distance travel, seasonal migrations, finding yourself in the right place at the right time. People and connections are found or missed depending on their favour
13. God of Strong Ivory – of pacts that bind, things that stand the test of time. Plans well laid pay off or fail.
14. The Giving Mud – gifted offerings that she may take this and no more. Terrain may take or unexpectedly reveal things depending on how favourably they view things